Umm, no.
Anky now knows how it feels to take her number two horse, and not be the favorite. That’s what she’s (and you?) are pissed about, and why they almost didn’t come. After her plans to take both her Olympic mount and #2 were thwarted because she couldn’t qualify Salinero due to a back injury (hers), she and Sjef were ready to blow off LV, because she didn’t want to come off second best by riding her second horse. NIce sportsmanship, eh? :rolleyes:
[QUOTE=ESG;4037106]
Umm, no.
Anky now knows how it feels to take her number two horse, and not be the favorite. That’s what she’s (and you?) are pissed about, and why they almost didn’t come. After her plans to take both her Olympic mount and #2 were thwarted because she couldn’t qualify Salinero due to a back injury (hers), she and Sjef were ready to blow off LV, because she didn’t want to come off second best by riding her second horse. NIce sportsmanship, eh? :rolleyes:[/QUOTE]
My God can’t you read. Anky was the most happy camper at Vegas. No pressure at all. She had nothing to loose. We got to watch hours of videos from “behind the screen” , and knowing her for over 25 years I can tell you that she was having a good time. Don’t you think it shows good sportmanship when you help you fellow competitor (Steffen 
)
The funniest thing I found in all these discussion is the fact that (like me) you all loved the live-comment that Robert Dover gave, but you didn’t want to hear what he said about the hobbles in the test of Ravel.
Theo
Were you sitting next to me? Were you the one who left right after the scores came out?
I think the USA has felt the same way as you describe yourself feeling many times.
Yes, I read quite well, actually. And, assuming that you do, too, here’s something you might find of interest. Anky and Sjef apparently had a bit of soul searching to do, before they would contemplate Anky not going and being guaranteed a win,… 
A quote from the WC program, “John Q’s Corner”. You decide.
“Holland’s Anky van Grunsven, the reigning Olympic and World Cup dressage champion on super horse Salinero, gave her horse a deserved rest after the Games, while practicing in competition with her number two horse, Painted Black and in the process, qualified that horse for the last Vegas Rolex FEI World Cup, while intending to defend her World Cup title on Salinero by qualifying that tried and true champion in the two final trials, a plan which blew up when Anky had a back injury which kept her out of one of the two required trials.
This was a serious dilemma for our Las Vegas World Cup. As a matter of business and pride, Anky, who definitely does not like to lose in the show ring, had no interest in riding the relatively inexperienced number two horse in the big show and shifting the odds to her competition. No Salinero, no Anky and a World Cup Final without the Number One rider is like a golf tournament without you know who.
Now the question was whether the FEI qualifying rules could be bypassed under special rules in the books which might well be effective here. The dilemma here is that, rule books notwithstanding, there would be widespread resentment in a sport which is highly sensitive in such situations, if the best horse and rider got a break from the authorities.”
<snip>
As of March 9, that was the situation. And then,…
"In the meantime, it was clear that our dressage ticket sales were down at Las Vegas because of the worldwide financial crisis but also because the battle of the Big Three, Anky, Isabell and Steffen, would probably not take place. At no time did Las Vegas ask Anky to change her mind and compete at the event to help us out, no matter which horse or horses were approved by the FEI. She had her reasons, and they were valid and understandable.
On March 24, Sjef wrote, out of the blue, “Dear John, we changed our mind completely and we decided that we will start Painted Black in LV, so we will come out and meet with you again!!! We think we better keep the honor to ourselves and go for it with a different horse although our chances will be limited, of course. For the sake of sportsmanship and the audience that will show up in Vegas we thought we have to make this decision.”
So, what happened in the three or so weeks between the “absolute no” on March 9, and the “See you there, no matter what!” on March 27? 
Theo, maybe you can do some sleuthing on the matter, being so well connected and all. :winkgrin:
Hmmm. As I recall, the initial response from Team Anky was the threat of a lawsuit and the following “happy camper” statements to the press:
Janssen does not expect his wife to ride Painted Black. “With Painted she can win a medal, or finish eighth. And for that she won’t travel half the globe. If she goes, she goes to win,” Janssen said. Anky herself said that she still wants to think about it, but stated that she shares the same viewpoint with Janssen.
Maybe, they realized that their public remarks and position did not go over so well…Even in their own country, their remarks were considered to be unsportsmanlike and entitled.
(From the initial Anky/LV thread: comments from the Dutch bokt.nl article)
[B]
“Tsja! You must not squeal”!
[/B]
Interesting. From bokt.nl ( the Dutch version of COTH? )
There were seven pages of comments on their news that Anky will not go to LV. The vast majority seeming to be versions of "Hard luck, but FEI should not make exceptions".
(I would think bokt.nl would be more pro Anky than not? )
Some of the comments on bokt.nl:
"Opposite Anky / Sjef, I find it very appropriate that she has no wildcard. Clear case of mismanagement: not ready in time for Amsterdam and Neumunster, Goteborg not possible due to another game …in Florida and a business trip to China … tsja, you must not squeal.
But for the organization and for ‘equestrian’ I find it a sad case. It is said before the World cup final is a match between the champions of the world, and there is the combination Anky / Salinero is at. But I also think that the FEI is completely unbelievable if they had made the wildcard did granted: 1. has not fulfilled the conditions and 2. … there do not even requested a wildcard … This allows you as an organization does not make, so at your own rules to avoid one rider ‘to draw’: you get only talk about ‘favoritism’ and stuff".
“Everyone can be a time of luck but with horses you can never assume that they are healthy and remain so even by Anky had better be drilled after the ox and the first two races driving, they need only to start and had no points needed , well if you want to start the last two then you have no placement option when an injury of yourself or your horse is between, but you accept loss, learn from and continue to draw in my eyes a great sportmens.dit it is undoubtedly but now it seems as if for her but an exception must be because they are so good in the sport you’re as good as your last game and has not won”.
And in the end she did go, so what the f#&k ever, ya know? Went balls out, had a fabulous ride on a breathtaking horse and was one of the high points in an evening filled with one magic moment after another. Gawd, everyone was bitching because she wasn’t going. She decided to go went, and you’re still bitching about it. HelLO, she went!
Claire, I wish you could have gone. We sat with Aunt Esther! :lol:
This is absolute hilarious. Quoting Bokt.NL :D:D:D:D:D:D
And for your information No Anky isn’t populair at Bokt, because it’s the same as on most BB’s, a gathering of frustrated around the BBQ riders, with an IQ that comes close to the score of Jan Ebeling at Vegas.
But… there are also dressage forums for more educated dressage fans in Holland.
So please get your records straights and don’t sell so much nonsens.
Theo
She sure didn’t LOOK like a relaxed happy camper!
PB was definitely HOT in the freestyle, and to me, Anky looked very tight/stiff/holding during much of the freestyle, but really, on that firecracker of a gorgeous horse, I am not shocked.
I still enjoyed watching it, and enjoyed watching Anky ride. She is a master of the freestyle. And, it is good to see her execute it so well.
PB is a gorgeous horse. I was glad she went as I had never seen her ride in person.
I wish I could have too! The live streaming was great…just not the same excitement. :sigh:
And FWIW, I am so glad in the end Anky didn’t listen to her
“better half” :lol: and showed her true colors and gave such a balls out ride with PB! That to me is “horse sport”!
So, on to more important gossip: What did Aunt Esther think of Haazan’s Bling? What about those pink striped breeches?
And the shopping? Hmm. I think that deserves it’s own thread.
Aunt Esther stocked up at Hermes. I wanted the orange Hermes pad, she talked me out of it and then the bitch turned right around and bought it herself. And the white one as well! Drank copious amounts of Champagne in the VIP tent, tagged along with us to the Rolex party, cadged a free watch - you know, typical AE. She knows everyone.
He is gorgeous, isn’t he? I could see what she was saying about him being kind of distractable, but what he did well he just looked SO good doing!
Did the Dutch team ship over the horse that they rode in the awards ceremony?
It was a Painted Black look-alike, well by saying that I meant that he was black! Hans Peter and Anky both rode him in the awards ceremony.
Is that a new thing for the Dutch team to bring or borrow an award ceremony horse?
And I am not trying to start some drama about Anky with this post. I was just curious about the thought process behind the award ceremony mount and if the Dutch team was incurring the cost of shipping or borrowing that horse?
I think Anky looked as happy as anyone else there. She was smiling and waving during the warm-up. I found nothing about her behavior during the actual competition to resemble behavior associated with poor sportsmanship.
The horse Anky rode in the awards ceremony was a local, Las Vegas horse.
Really? She didn’t ride PB in the awards ceremony? (I didn’t see the awards ceremony so would have no idea) That seems so crazy to me… I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that. Did they just decide that PB was too hot for the ceremony?
Weird.
[QUOTE=atr;4038411]
The horse Anky rode in the awards ceremony was a local, Las Vegas horse.[/QUOTE]
Forgive me for being naive, but is that a normal thing ? To ride a different horse in the awards ceremony? I sat at the far end of the arena and did not notice that it was not PB.
shutterfly didn’t do the award presentation either
but then again… he never has. I thought this year might be special and he would do it.
Quite common.
[quote=Paris;4038605]but then again… he never has. I thought this year might be special and he would do it.
[/quote]
Actually, it was Shutterfly in the awards ceremony this year. When Meredith won in 2005, she rode husband Marcus’s horse in the ceremonies, since Shutterfly is such a spook. When she won the trophy on Sunday, she had to drop it when Shutterfly spooked and took off with her after it was presented. 
She had draw reins on him for all three ceremonies, and needed them, especially considering that her winner’s cooler was sitting on top of her saddle, and she was on top of it. Lady’s got stones the size of Texas, for sure! :lol:
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