Badminton 2017 Cross-country

[Doodlebug1]

@hoopoe

horrible to watch
I am sure she is in for a interweb crucifixion. I hope the horse recovers OK

Yes, surely an interweb crucifixion. But hopefully also a yellow card. Regardless (or especially) if as some of you have speculated, the horse was somehow NQR it was her responsibility to feel that and make the best choice for her horse and that is what the yellow cards try to enforce.

However, the ground jury also have the ability to stop a horse on course and as well as the yellow card for her, hopefully there will be a full investigation as to why she wasn’t stopped when the horse was really struggling from a long way out.

For her, at least it was televised and she can watch it back and learn from it.

[Jealoushe]

Yes I think in this case DR should be awarded. That horse could have rotated and killed himself or her. BAD riding.

[NCRider]

Actually, maybe they should have pulled her up. They need to be quicker to pull up riders who are clear but whose horses are clearly too tired to jump safely. I think it is very difficult for riders to pull up before they have trouble.

[kmwines]

The worst visual part was that she didn’t even walk over to him. I get the grooms were a bit far and maybe she was in shock but go over to him at least.

[JenJ]

I recall a male (I think british) rider last year on a grey horse that looked equally bad. he completed but I don’t think he got the well deserved DR

[hoopoe]

The feed from H&H shows them putting down drying agent on the fence lines after the water. Getting far too slippery

[Renn_aissance]

@kmwines

The worst visual part was that she didn’t even walk over to him. I get the grooms were a bit far and maybe she was in shock but go over to him at least.

I don’t know her and I haven’t followed her career as it seems many here have, but the whole episode was unhorsemanlike. I don’t want to lose empathy for someone who is clearly disappointed and may have had the wind knocked out of her, but to see her hit her fists against the ground while the exhausted horse puffed enormously at a standstill was extraordinarily distasteful. I hope the horse recovers well, I hope she is physically all right, and I agree they ought to have been pulled up. The poor horse had no legs.

[Fergs]

I’m glad I missed Eliza’s round. Sounds really sad. I though Lynn looked decent for the two fences they showed on the livestream. She explained in a post ride interview that he lost a shoe and was slipping a lot, so she opted for lots of long routes. So I’m guessing that is why she had lots of time . . . Donner usually has no trouble with the fitness.

[hoopoe]

agree about the yellow card. I am not a huge 3Day observer but when she started to stick the horse on the flat you could tell the horse was struggling

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

I wonder if something might have been in Elisa’a mind about Johnny being older and not having many more shots at the big runs - not an excuse - just a wonder. I believe he is 17.

It was hard for me to watch Hannah Sue retire so early - she looked a little disoriented - but didn’t see her early fences.

Go Lauren and Veronica.

[Sticky_Situation]

@JP60

With four US rides, we only have one finish and one that was hard to watch. Some I might put to riders, but if we have a “Team” coach, he is doing a very poor job is helping prepare these riders for the conditions. At this point WEG may be another mess for the US. We have tired horses at Rolex, exhausted horses at Badminton and retirements with low points. I don’t think the issue is dressage, but we are not prepared at all for cross country. Jung jumped from 10 to 1, because of his work with Sam.

I agree, JP60 … I feel like I say this every time the US has a disappointing showing internationally, but our problem isn’t dressage no matter how much people like to harp on how the Europeans’ dressage is far superior (not that I’m arguing that point). Sure, dressage may be the difference between first and say, 5th, but time and time again it’s been our failure to even complete XC that is our actual undoing.

[Groom_amp_Taxi]

@Doodlebug1

However, the ground jury also have the ability to stop a horse on course and as well as the yellow card for her, hopefully there will be a full investigation as to why she wasn’t stopped when the horse was really struggling from a long way out.

If I am not mistaken, a horse was pulled up last year.

[Rallycairn]

@JP60

With four US rides, we only have one finish and one that was hard to watch. Some I might put to riders, but if we have a “Team” coach, he is doing a very poor job is helping prepare these riders for the conditions. At this point WEG may be another mess for the US. We have tired horses at Rolex, exhausted horses at Badminton and retirements with low points. I don’t think the issue is dressage, but we are not prepared at all for cross country. Jung jumped from 10 to 1, because of his work with Sam.

THANK YOU! I was beating that tom-tom loud and long the last two days with hardly any agreement here on the forum. DOC was there as coach/advisor, even if it isn’t a team event, and was interviewed as such, and clearly IMO he thinks this is a group self actualizing retreat where everyone just raps about their thoughts rather than a competition where the riders need and deserve some actual direction. These less experienced riders need to learn to get round first, then start worrying about bettering their finishes.

I will defend DONNER and LYNN though for their time penalties – he lost a shoe and was slipping throughout – she said she had to practically trot on some of the turns – that really takes it out of a horse physically and mentally to be so unsure of his footing – and Lynn said she took a lot more long options than she planned.

[Madison]

@NCRider

How do you run out of gas on xc on an ex racehorse? How does Donner have 30 time penalties? Is it a program thing? Are they spending too much time drilling dressage? Did they run their horses down so much to be calm for the dressage that they took out energy for the xc?
I can’t imagine the indecision EW must have been feeling. First badminton. They were clean. He’s a syndicated horse. The cost of getting there was huge. He was clearly running out of steam but the last two fences before he lost her weren’t bad jumps. I think she retires if it’s Rolex. I think she retires if she’s the only owner. I bet she wishes she had retired. It will be interesting to see if she gets carded for pushing a tired horse.

Per EN’s Twitter feed Lynn said Donner lost a shoe at fence 4 and she had to go slower after the lost shoe.

Elisa should have stopped or been pulled up, that was just awful to see her going to the stick so much when Johnny was so clearly out of gas, that was too far from
home to try to make it. He had been great until he tired and deserved much better judgment from
his rider than he received. It was painful to watch, and I hope she watches it back and regrets it. Her next video blog should be very interesting.

[kt]

@Doodlebug1

Yes, surely an interweb crucifixion. But hopefully also a yellow card. Regardless (or especially) if as some of you have speculated, the horse was somehow NQR it was her responsibility to feel that and make the best choice for her horse and that is what the yellow cards try to enforce.

However, the ground jury also have the ability to stop a horse on course and as well as the yellow card for her, hopefully there will be a full investigation as to why she wasn’t stopped when the horse was really struggling from a long way out.

For her, at least it was televised and she can watch it back and learn from it.

This.

[JP60]

The conversation about comparing Rolex to Badminton has been interesting. What I think this shows is the experience of Derek wanting to give a challenge to the horse, but not punish it. Eric has just punished horses for mistakes. I don’t think it is so much the look of the fence, it is how they are placed.

[Jealoushe]

I really think there is no excuse at this level. At 4* your horse and safety NEEDS to come first. A huber canter 2 minutes from home is a huge red flag waiving that you need to STOP. Blyth Tait pulled up after that technical 20 pp because he knew it wasn’t worth wasting the horse. THATS horsemanship. Many others did too. Not even checking the horse after her fall. The whole thing reeks.

[Fergs]

EN has a GIF of Johnny’s fall. I am speechless.

[JP60]

Oh God that was horrible.

[Renn_aissance]

@Fergs

EN has a GIF of Johnny’s fall. I am speechless.

That’s in wretched taste and I hope they take it down.