[QUOTE=Mike Matson;3455950]
I’m looking forward to the 75 one-handed tempi changes by Anky on Salinero during the victory lap, just like Dr. Klimke did in the 1984 Olympics. ;)[/QUOTE]
Nice juxtaposition. Thanks for pointing that out!
It’s ridability vs. showability.
Lead line victory laps or something.
I’m late to this discussion but why would you pick such feminine music for the Russian stallion. I thought the My Fair Lady music was bad enough but when “I Feel Pretty” from Flower Drum Song came on, I had to check the program to make sure he was a stallion.
I think all riders should wear masks and the horses will magically need to change their appearance (the ID-ing would take place before the judges get to seem them), maybe then we’d see scores reflecting the rides, and not the perceptions of their names and abilities. :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=Minaret;3456162]
Nice juxtaposition. Thanks for pointing that out!
It’s ridability vs. showability.
Lead line victory laps or something.[/QUOTE]
I find it pretty ironic that this has happened to a sport supposedly built upon a training system developed to produce horses physically and mentally sound enough to be ridden into battle-- in a double bridle so the rider could easily guide his horse with one hand while wielding a sword with another.
While the dressage champion’s victory gallop morphs into a pony ride due to the intractability of her horse, Olympic eventers and show jumping medalists with their supposedly inferior dressage, can still be seen doing victory gallops with one hand (or none-- as in the case of Jus de Pommes, 1996), while proudly carrying flags.
Thank goodness for the hunters, where calm and relaxation remain a never to be abandoned basic, and for the many dressage riders who do continue to strive for excellence in traditional terms in spite of what goes on in that ‘separate class of 2’ receiving the medals.
And no, I do not blame the judges. I blame the way the tests are written and the new directive that replaced “relaxation” with a “happiness” that seems to include something akin to mania (i.e. “explosiveness”) in the horses. Steinbrecht must be doing quadruple flips in his grave.
watched online at cbc.ca
Tried to find the CBC’s ‘Bold’ station (what used to be CBC’s Country Canada) on bell expressvu - nearly had a heart attack when I found out live dressage coverage was on - and of course the channel didn’t even appear on the sat.
Then I discovered the live CBC stream!!
I was in time to watch isabel and anky. Isabel’s ‘boot-boot-boot’ at the backward piaffe I had sympathy for (we all ride real horses, that was one of those moments). Anky’s ride was fine. What got me was I wasn’t sure if she was in shock after dismounting or what, but to me after the huge ‘woo-hoo-throw-the-reins-away’ when she finished compared to how dull she looked walking around afterwards? I thought either she’s drained or a gold just doesn’t mean that much anymore…
Wish I had been able to see more than two rides (at work now), but these were the two I would have chosen to see!
Isn’t she basically supposed to be retiring this year from the upper levels and focusing on staying home and developing youngsters?
[QUOTE=Mike Matson;3456041]
slc,
Go back and read Klimke’s book about Ahlerich and how he properly prepared Ahlerich for the heat at the Olympics in 1984 at Los Angeles. That’s why Ahlerich still looks fresh on that lap of honor. And those tempi changes were not showmanship on his part - that was horsemanship and a demonstration of a true partnership between horse and rider.[/QUOTE]
Please Mike can you stop playing my grandfather. He always told me that everything in the old days was better. And also don’t pretend that you know how Klimke thought, I was sitting with Reiner on a bag of hay in the stables at Arnheim to figure out the choreography and music for his son Michael. My sister rode with/against Reiner for many years and Reiner and I have spend some very valuable time together. Please stop inflating yourself by posting rides from Reiner , specialy because he told himself that this was one of his worst rides ever.
Furthermore I have seen riders in their jeans doing tons of one hand tempichanges on a horse they never rode before (remember Johan Hinneman)
Theo
Youngsters of the human persuasion.
Marius (I forget the rider’s name - isn’t that always the way? Remember the horse, not the rider) did it this year after his double gold medals. No hands on the reins, flag in one hand and waving.
It looks to me like the German judge knocked Steffen out of the medals because he scored him far lower in both tests than any of the other judges did.
[QUOTE=freestyle2music;3456321]
Please Mike can you stop playing my grandfather. He always told me that everything in the old days was better. And also don’t pretend that you know how Klimke thought, I was sitting with Reiner on a bag of hay in the stables at Arnheim to figure out the choreography and music for his son Michael. My sister rode with/against Reiner for many years and Reiner and I have spend some very valuable time together. Please stop inflating yourself by posting rides from Reiner , specialy because he told himself that this was one of his worst rides ever.
Furthermore I have seen riders in their jeans doing tons of one hand tempichanges on a horse they never rode before (remember Johan Hinneman)
Theo[/QUOTE]
Theo this isn’t your sandbox Mike can post and say whatever he wants:cool:
Both, actually, are entitled to opine here, ridgeback, both Theo AND Mike. However, for one to look like a grandfather, the other one needs to look like a grandchild 
Both of them are acting silly, in other words. Theo, you are reminding me of my brother who lost his **** when he found a 1/4" piece of carrot on the floor of his Chrysler New Yorker. In other words, you are over-reacting. Mike as usual is doing his ‘good old days’ routine, but so are a lot of other people. I can assure you, it is much worse than hearing Pachabel’s Canon 30 times.
Klimke was no more Theo’s property than he was anyone else’s. Working on a freestyle for his daughter doesn’t mean Theo has some big line to Klimke’s soul that no one else can touch, or that he can speak for him from the grave. It is nice, but Klimke worked with a LOT of different people. He traveled all over, clinic’d all over, endorsed Miller equipment…He even told me my dog was a nice mover. That doesn’t exactly mean him and me are LIKE THIS.
But it is also true that Klimke did not say it was his best ride. I don’t really think he said it was completely trash, either, though.
Theo says Dr. Klimke said the 1984 Olympics GPS was one of the worst rides of his life.
Here’s what Dr. Klimke said about the ride in his book about Ahlerich:
In the GPS on the 2nd day Ahlerich had trouble coping with the heat. His strength lessened. I had to ask more strongly. Ahlerich accepted this, mobilised his abilities and played his part. One can’t talk with horses but I imagine this: on this day Ahlerich knew what it was all about. He exceeded himself. … It was one of the most beautiful days of my life. Such an intimate connection between horse and rider I have rarely experienced.
Now who are we to believe, Theo or Dr. Klimke?
Who cares.
Steffen Peters and Ravel were pretty impressive!
[QUOTE=slc2;3456366]
Both, actually, are entitled to opine here, ridgeback, both Theo AND Mike. However, for one to look like a grandfather, the other one needs to look like a grandchild Both of them are acting silly, in other words. Theo, you are reminding me of my brother who lost his **** when he found a 1/4" piece of carrot on the floor of his Chrysler New Yorker. In other words, you are over-reacting. Mike as usual is doing his ‘good old days’ routine, but so are a lot of other people. I can assure you, it is much worse than hearing Pachabel’s Canon 30 times.
Klimke was no more Theo’s property than he was anyone else’s. Working on a freestyle for his daughter doesn’t mean Theo has some big line to Klimke’s soul that no one else can touch, or that he can speak for him from the grave. It is nice, but Klimke worked with a LOT of different people. He traveled all over, clinic’d all over, endorsed Miller equipment…He even told me my dog was a nice mover. That doesn’t exactly mean him and me are LIKE THIS.
But it is also true that Klimke did not say it was his best ride. I don’t really think he said it was completely trash, either, though.[/QUOTE]
OMG shut up!!! The difference is Mike isn’t telling people what they can or can’t do but you and Theo sure love to tell people what the can and can’t say…
OMG shut up yourself, ridgeback, you spend FAR more time telling people they’re saying the wrong thing than Mike, Theo and me combined.
And I’m also free to disagree with you, should I be so moved.
“In the GPS on the 2nd day Ahlerich had trouble coping with the heat”
Oh let me see. Who was it who said Ahlerich didn’t look like all the crappy dressage horses of today, because Klimke did all that special conditioning to prepare him PROPERLY for the heat, unlike the stupid uncaring riders of today who don’t know how to prepare their horses…LOL!!!
slc,
Am I going to have to post the entire Ahlerich book for you? 
In short work periods and long pauses walking, we gradually go used to the heat.
In the Grand Prix Special the next day, the heat bothered Ahlerich a little more. He lost energy, and I had to push more. Ahlerich cooperated, mobilized his abilities, and went along with it. I know we cannot talk to horses, but I believe that Ahlerich knew what was going on that day. He outdid himself.
Anybody see any excessive sweating on Ahlerich in the test or the victory lap?
That was probably why he was having trouble coping. Sweating is how the body cools itself. Horse doesn’t drink and/or replenish electolytes can’t sweat and does not cope with the heat well.
What a silly debate. :no:
In my post I said “excessive” sweating. Of course the horse was sweating.
“Do I have to quote the entire book for you”
Not really. I have it next to me right now. You should know, Mike, I sleep with it under my pillow.
And the point is that no matter how well you condition a horse to perform in heat, something can go wrong and the horse can be affected by the heat.
Which is what I feel. I don’t feel if the horses are sweating, first of all, that that’s a crime. Horses NEED to sweat. I’ve always been told the thinner the sweat and the freer they sweat the better.
Too, I don’t feel that if the horses were making noise and sweating, that they were necessarily not properly conditioned, or that the riders these days don’t bother to condition them properly, don’t know how, etc.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
