Aunt Esther on Predictions

[Aunt_Esther]

Aunt Esther, national and international Purse Champion, wonders what her fellow BB members’ predictions are for WEG?

Here are Aunt Esther’s, from gold to bronze:

Team Dressage: Netherlands, Germany, Sweden
Individual Dressage: Anky van Grunsven, Isabell Werth, Edward Gal
Team Jumping: Germany, USA, Great Britain
Individual Jumping: Ludger Beerbaum, Meredith Michaels Beerbaum, Beezie Madden
Team Eventing: Britain, Australia, France
Individual Eventing: Zara Phillips, Andrew Hoy, Arnaud Bouteau

Aunt Esther looks forward to seeing your predictions.

[shmeg_33]

i think france will do well in the team jumping and dressage!:yes:

[Smiles]

U.S. Should do well in show jumping team/ind, and eventing team/ind.

[Joanne]

Dear Aunt Esther: Will you be going to the World Cup 2007 in Las Vegas?

[hoopoe]

AE

why sweden over USA in dressage?

I think the US team is very strong

[War_Admiral]

War Admiral double-dawg dares Aunt Esther to take a shot at a Driving prediction!

Here’s mine:

DRIVING:

Team - Germany, Netherlands, USA

Individual - Michael Freund (Germany), Ysbrand Chardon (Netherlands), Tucker Johnson (USA)

Sure would be cool if Karen Bassett (GB) won something though - it’s rare to see a female four-in-hand driver at this level & I wish her the best of luck!!

[HuntrJumpr]

Gee – my pick for gold in reining is the US! Haha. The US has a fairly strong team in Jumping & Eventing I know – and from what I’ve heard the Dressage team has a shot at a medal, though gold sounds a bit far fetched.

[canyonoak]

Im rooting for Michael Freund and Ludger Beerbaum, not merely because they are both long-career-successful, but because the FEI has so screwed them over in the matter of ‘medications’ and decisions.

Yah, sure, at the top everyone bends the rules and looks for loopholes, but I do not think either of these two deserved the shoddy treatment they received .

as for team medals:

Dressage: gold/silver will be between Germany/Netherlands, barring a falling comet landing on one of their team horses. Bronze is up for grabs. Im waiting until the final announcement of all the teams before picking<g>

Jumping: Germany is on a MISSION to win in front of the Aachen audience; next, mmm,US is fairly good team; I think bronze is going to be a surprise.

Eventing: On paper, Great Britain for gold; then US, then Australia

Endurance: I assume it will be a shoot-out between the sheikhs and the French.

Reining: I dont really know, but I have a strong feeling that it will NOT be a shoo-in for the US; the European countries, like Germany and italy have really started fielding strong teams.

Vaulting: Im in the dark, but US and Germany always field strong teams

Driving: Im going with the safe bet that there will not be any real upsets.

[hoopoe]

I do not believe the americans are deep enough to get a jumper into the final 4

[SmplySweet1021]

Hup Hup Holland!!!

Yep very large Dutch Supporter here!!!

[Sandy_M]

LOL

I agree that reining may not be a US shoo-in, BUT… I think it may be the obverse of US dressage: We have former citizens of Germany, now US citizens, riding on our dressage team… and a couple of European contries have US bred, US trained, US ridden horses competing on their reining teams. We have “our” Germans, and they have “their” Americans.

[mygenie]

Me too!

@SmplySweet1021

Hup Hup Holland!!!

Yep very large Dutch Supporter here!!!

There seem to be a lot of us…I am also a LARGE supporter. Getting larger due to pregnancy…I am bummed we do not have the kind of TV coverage there is in Holland…Will be following on the internet
Edited to say to SmplySweet: Are you taking room reservations for 2010??? LOL (I notice your location is Kentucky…

[SmplySweet1021]

@mygenie

There seem to be a lot of us…I am also a LARGE supporter. Getting larger due to pregnancy…I am bummed we do not have the kind of TV coverage there is in Holland…Will be following on the internet
Edited to say to SmplySweet: Are you taking room reservations for 2010??? LOL (I notice your location is Kentucky…

I’m a Dutch Citizen…you have to represent the homeland!! If you can read and understand Dutch…nos.nl has sport updates. Thats how I listened to world cup futbol games while I was at work! …And I just read your quote on your signature so yeah you can understand Dutch! …DUHHH Stupid me!

Hmmm reservations…possibly…actually my parents own the home so I don’t know. I’m hopefully going to Holland to study for my masters in the next year or two so I hope I’ll be back in KY for the games…otherwise I have friends!

[LisaB]

For Eventing:
England, Australia, Germany

Germany has been staying on the mainland and doing really well. French seemed to have lost some key horses. Australia always puts the moves on in team competition.
I think we’ll be a bundle of nerves, minus Kim. She will probably get an ind. medal.
The real competition is going to be between William and Andrew Hoy. Game on!

[ridexc]

My, not one mention of Canada in all of these predictions! Wounded, I am! We CERTAINLY should not be discounted in the reining … the Canadian and US teams have been neck-and-neck since international reining began a few years back. And we’ve got one of our strongest jumper teams in years right now. Discount us at your peril! :winkgrin:

[Aunt_Esther]

Aunt Esther will be there

@Joanne

Dear Aunt Esther: Will you be going to the World Cup 2007 in Las Vegas?

Aunt Esther, national and international Purse Champion, would not dream of missing this outstanding event.

[Aunt_Esther]

Aunt Esther answers Hoopoe

@hoopoe

AE

why sweden over USA in dressage?

I think the US team is very strong

Aunt Esther thinks that part of the team is strong, part of the team she hopes stays sound, and one member of the team chokes when it comes to riding under pressure.

Aunt Esther is of the opinion that the Danes, Swedes, Spaniards and Americans will be very close in score.

[Equa]

Eventing - How could anyone seriously predict England, The USA or France over Australia? Phillip Dutton and Andrew Hoy v. competitive against the US. Andrew Hoy and Clayton Fredericks v. conpetitive against England/rest of Europe. Aussie-based riders Shane Rose, Wendy Schaeffer, Megan Jones, Sonja Johnson v. competitve v. competitive against the whole bloody lot! What a Team!

[denny]

Noltes Kuchengirl?

Does anyone know if Marcus Ehning is riding Noltes Kuchengirl for Germany in show jumping?

[alexandra]

he is nominated with Küchengirl and Gitania and I am sure they will decide very shortly before the actual classes. they have also not yet decided who is on the team and who is competing “alone”.

I think the German 3day-event team really is on a mission, (same as the jumping team). They are still thinking about Athens and they have been very good and consistant at the big events in Europe this year. And a horse owned by a friend is competing - Sindy. So I am crossing my fingers.