Rough fall for Helene. They cut away, but it looked like the horse had a slight off step. and another retire from Tom Crisp
Again, it’s very easy to pull up as Blyth freaking Tait when you have a 20 already. Elisa’s decisions should be judged on their own, no need to compare to completely different situation in an attempt to add more fuel to the crucifixion fire.
It’s a lesson learned. She’ll likely get a card. No need to internet SHAME!!! her in order to make yourself feel superior.
They need to be quicker to pull people up because for riders whose goal is to finish (and riders in team situations), it’s hard to pull up before the first refusal/runout/trouble.
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I think they must have instituted a new rule this year: only brown horses are allowed to compete 
I missed a fair bit but has anyone else noticed a large number of horses with blood on the mouth by the finish? I’m assuming that they are bitten tongues (in part because the riding doesn’t look like it would cause it in each case) but it’s odd to see so many
@NCRider Are you saying that Blyth and Boyd have more experience at this level already and that makes it easier to make this judgment call, or as well-supported successful professionals they are less likely to see career consequences for retiring a horse?
If the latter, I am damn glad I’m an amateur and there’s nobody suggesting I ought to weigh my horse’s welfare against anything but his best interests.
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EN has linked a lot of one jump or one combo clips from riders all day – I don’t think they were trying to single out Elisa Wallace. And unless I have missed it (and I may have) they didn’t make an attempted humor gif, like just showing the moment of her sliding off in slow mo, did they?
Agree it doesn’t need to be swept under the rug. I do think she thought she could nurse him home but he was just crawling by the last few. Don’t know what to conclude. At least she wasn’t running and jumping him on a catastrophic injury or something, but still it was so painful to watch.
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This will be an interesting ride from Klimke. I think the footing has changed since MJ’s ride and I do not think she’ll made time.
It seems to out from the lake is better done as a short two by now
Sorry, but this is not the first instance of poor horsemanship I have seen from EW. She deserves the crucifixion she is going to get because SHE made the CHOICE to push that horse. Not even bothering to check on her mount made it even more disgusting. (Unless of course she was actually injured or had the wind knocked out of her momentarily) There is no excuse for last 7 fences. NONE.
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@kt-rose I don’t disagree that it was a disgraceful display of poor horsemanship but I don’t see any value in showing a short snippet out of context of the rest of the course. That smacks of shock value when the real lesson to me seems to be “This was coming from 7 fences away, and there were 6 opportunities to avoid it that weren’t taken.” In that sense a gif of a few seconds is useless. [/QUOTE]
If you watch the on demand – if there is one – later you might agree that the whole thing was bad enough that shock value is in order. When she went to her stick…really, there is nothing one can say other than there is no excuse possible. The only good that could come of it is that an up and coming generation of young eventers will see the pictures, watch the video. read the discussion and be better horsemen as a result. But you are right, it is the whole picture rather than just that instant that is so telling.
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Maybe we should honor Amy’s memory by being kinder about otherwise well respected horseman who make high profile errors in judgment and not be hateful internet monsters.
As an aside, I would have loved to see peak Poggio II run around this course. It would have been entertaining.
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It was wrong for her to be there, granted, but, by itself, it wasn’t that hideously awful of a stumble. Methinks the horse wasn’t the only one fatigued at that point. He was almost too tired to recover (but, in fact, he did); she wasn’t there to help him at all.
I think EN showing the clip was entirely within the informative spirit of their open thread. Just very unfortunate, but it is what it is.
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I watched it live and I have absolutely no inclination to watch that bit on the replay. Disgusting. Agree- if you’re going to your stick on the flat you have a problem and you need to pull up.
Terribly unfortunate for Jonty Evans to have a run out at the corners. He was having such a nice controlled round. And as a very tall rider on a horse with a compact carriage he’s very clearly studied William Fox-Pitt’s position- if I squinted and ignored the colors I could get confused about who I was watching. 
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We talk about MJ a lot, but IK is another rider to respect. I’ve said before that for the US to improve, we need to study what the Germans are doing for we see consistancy time after time. Wow. IK just gave it up and it was a very smart decision. Took the long route and not try to force a turn.
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Well, I changed my statement before I saw your comment, but I think Amy deserves all the mild censorship she got. She ran and JUMPED that horse on a shattered leg and then used the justification that the further running and jumping didn’t change the injury, that the injury had already occurred. What about the PAIN and AGONY she made the horse suffer on that last run and jump? She was treated too lightly then and ever after.
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HALE BOB !!! Textbook
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Somehow I don’t think that anyone will be harder on Elisa Wallace than she will be on herself. I also think that she was totally exhausted at that point too.
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Now that was a ride by Ingrid. I also thought she’d be over, she was, but pulled it off. ]
From that riht to an ugly fall.
Klimke! wow! Who had the ugly fall?
Seems like she did just exactly what she needed to do. Fingers crossed about those gates.
Other than unconscious or can’t get off the ground, you check you horse. Johnny gave more then his heart and deserved way more thanks then he got.
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