Re: Dalera - just read on Eurodressage that not only did she win two gold medals, she also set a new Olympic record in the Grand Prix Special.
What a mare - despite her “unconventional” exterior.
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Fogoso doesn’t pedestal either. He should have been marked higher.
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Did anyone know what they were asking for her? Just curious.
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Dalera reminds me of a Saddlebred cross I used to know. You wouldn’t think those parts could work together, but they did!
And I am old enough that the discussion about Bella Rose’s piaffe reminded me of similar discussions about Rembrandt. He got great scores but some grumbled that the p-p transitions were easier for him since he never sat in the piaffe.
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I remember him well. Very pretty horse.
Melanie Smith Taylor was part of the 1984 Gold Medal Show Jumping Team in addition to her many other wins (including the World Cup). She’s in the Hall of Fame. Today, she’s also a clinician and judge amongst other things. A little more than a “former rider.” 
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I don’t really follow sj and I hadn’t heard her name in the chronicle for years. I didn’t know what else she is up to, but she isn’t expanding her depth of knowledge in D and E.
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Me too! I was wondering to myself whether Canada’s most obscure and stupidly named pop group could ever have imagined their music being featured at the Olympics!
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She has an impressive resume in show jumping but people have been complaining about her skills as a commentator for years even when she covers show jumping. OTOH if anyone remembers the Seoul Olympics, Bill Steinkraus was one of the commentators for the cross country and he was fabulous, a great all around horseman.
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Wow. She appears to be really chesty with a light hind end.
OK, I haven’t read all of the comments because I’m just watching the freestyle now. I don’t want to know the final rankings. But I did read some comments about Bella Rose and Isabel Werth’s freestyle.
I loved the music! What a modern rendition of Beethoven’s 9th. The footprints were right on the music. Bella Rose doesn’t seem to have the “wow” factor that others have but holy cow, can she piaffe and passage. She can piaffe with suspension, which most horses can’t to her level. Her transitions between movements were pretty amazing even though it was a difficult program. What a “correct”, harmonious, energetic and “easy”-looking freestyle. Oh wow.
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I saw that too. Would you have purchased her? She looks pretty ordinary to me. Just shows what great training and riding will do. Plus a good brain.
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Yay Dalera! What a difficult program and what great harmony! I love that I can always see her throatlatch and she’s not scrunched in. Jessica really doesn’t like she’s doing much in the saddle. I love that she doesn’t really have to swing her leg in tempis and I think the music is incredibly awesome (and she moves on beat). Yay, Jessica and Dalera won!
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OK, after the medals ceremony, Isabel just mounts Bella Rose from the ground. I think Jessica did. I don’t remember the last time I mounted from the ground and I didn’t when I was Jessica’s age. Damn.
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Yup, I noticed the two German riders mounted from the ground, but Dujardin got a leg up.
Yes, I would have purchased her. Very good walk. Open throatlatch when on her forehand and put together. The video shows multiple gears and really no “no” at every gear shown even with the botched flying change - no huge objection. Very regular paces. Wants to be underneath herself behind but isn’t ridden to that type of connection here and may not be strong enough yet. I suspect she’s just learning changes and isn’t comfy with right to left. Her attitude and willingness to say “yes” would make me take a second look for sure and I think I’d love the test ride. She looks easy and willing to do so much.
Who cares what a horse looks like? I care that it is easy to ride, willing to accept training, is a happy partner, wants to progress and won’t kill me. I’d never pass on this horse, or any horse, because of looks. I’d be so attracted to this horse from this video because of her movement,how she handles mistakes, and her ability as a 7 year old to go in a multitude of frames without complaining.
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The Germans even beat us all at mounting our horses. 
The last time I mounted from the ground was because I fell off while hacking out. And I certainly didn’t look like Jessica or Isabell doing it. 
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Aw heck, I could barely mount a 14 hand pony from the ground as a teen. My hips just don’t work that way. After a 25 year break from riding, I was overwhelmingly pleased by the advent of mounting blocks 
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Look at his hind feet. They dance forward and back just a bit on occasion. Particularly the RH, I think. Might have which leg wrong, going on faulty memory that has a few short circuits lol
Don’t get me wrong - I think he does a gorgeous PP tour, but when you start comparing, you have to get down to all the details.
Yes. I see a big mare that needs some strength and help (at the moment) holding herself together, but with a good walk and a lovely canter. She tries, and even though the changes are exuberant and a bit “floppy”, she hasn’t been cranked together. This is training I could build on, rather than unwind. Plus she is big, and I am all leg and need a big horse.
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