Help me win a debate - What discipline intimidates you and why

[Bellebelle]

So, I has a pretty heated debate with someone about eventers, dressage riders, and jumpers. I personally think, and this is in no way shape or form a diss at jumpers riders or any other discipline, but I think eventers are the best riders of the english discipline and the discipline completely intimidates me. I also know a lot of jumpers at least used to be eventers (can’t remember who though). Now, I’m a jumper myself but watching eventers just ride my own discipline and besides that doing pretty high level dressage (not grand prix) AND cross country leaves me stunned.

I would love to hear others thoughts on this! Also if anyone knows the jumpers who had been eventers and are now at the top please leave a comment! I completely forgot their names

[supershorty628]

@Bellebelle

So, I has a pretty heated debate with someone about eventers, dressage riders, and jumpers. I personally think, and this is in no way shape or form a diss at jumpers riders or any other discipline, but I think eventers are the best riders of the english discipline

These kinds of discussion are completely non-productive. Why does one have to be “best”? They’re different disciplines that call for different skill sets. There’s no reason to compare them to each other.

[Bellebelle]

I completely get where your coming from which is why I was hesitant to post. I by no means want to start fights or arguments, if things start to get hairy I will delete the post, but I’m just curious about what others think when it comes to riders from different disciplines.
Example, personally I believe a professional eventer could do, with the right horse, a very high level dressage test or a high jumping course because they tend to have the most well rounded skills since they do everything. I simply wanted to see what others thought on the subject, I’m sorry if I offended you

[mmeqcenter]

This is cross-posted in Dressage, which kind of feels like trolling now.

Just because someone doesn’t compete in other disciplines, doesn’t mean they can’t ride them.
There is no logical reason to assume Beezie Madden would be unable to place 3rd at Kentucky on Tsetserleg, just like there is no reason to assume Boyd Martin would be able to win a Masters on Darry Lou.

[Bellebelle]

I swear it isn’t! If this is offensive I will 100% delete it the second someone tells me to, I just simply wanted to hear the opinions of the different disciplines but if you believe I should delete this I will, no hesitation.

Yeah, I can completely understand where you are coming from. Thank you for opening my eyes a bit! I’m still young so I can be a bit naive which is why I wanted to hear from others I’ve always believed that in this sport the best way to learn is not only from books but by watching others and listening to others as well

[Rosewatt]

Jumping disciplines intimidate me because you guys are brazen! I think I lost that gut of steel a while back. When I jump, I think of all the ways I could fall off and don’t dream of jumping too high I’ll be watching down here from the ground though, thanks

[Bellebelle]

I can see that Sometimes I watch some people with some crazy horses and I get intimidated watching them jump Some people have a lot of guts

[mmeqcenter]

There’s this really annoying trend, especially on Instagram, of people constantly pitting people against each other. You know, those “who wore it better?” or “who did the TikTok better?” posts and such.
They drive me absolutely insane.
Regardless to what society tells you, you don’t need to constantly compare yourself to other people, or random people to other random people, or point out who is “the best” and who is “the worst.” Everyone is at different points in their life, in their training, has different things they like and don’t like, etc., and that is okay.

Absolutely, admire the “guts” of an eventer, technical skill of a dressage rider, etc. You can always learn something from watching riders in other disciplines, as well as in your main discipline. It does not mean that rider nor their discipline is better than you/yours or anyone else’s.

[Bellebelle]

Oh I understand, by no means did I want this question to be like that. This was made with the intention of just seeing other people perspectives on the different disciplines. I’m sorry if it annoyed or angered you, and I by no means wanted anyone to think that any one discipline is inherently superior since there are good riders in every discipline and bad riders as well, I just wanted to see if others thought differently from myself.
As I said, if anyone wants this deleted just tell me and I shall delete the post or at least erase it

[Dutchmare433]

@mmeqcenter

This is cross-posted in Dressage, which kind of feels like trolling now.

Also posted in the Eventing forum.

[Bellebelle]

Yup, as I said before I wanted to see everyones perspective on it but the second someone tells me to delete it I shall since I know this topic can be a bit uncomfortable for some people and thats the last thing I want to do

[Gardenhorse]

@Bellebelle

I completely get where your coming from which is why I was hesitant to post.

You were so hesitant to post that you posted the same question in 3 different forums with slightly different titles?

[Jeannette_formerly_ponygyrl]

“What discipline has the best riders” and “What discipline intimidates you (and why)” are two very different questions.
Show jumping intimidates me the most, because when you get towards the limits of a horse’s scope, you have to be so darn accurate in your ride, and it all comes up so fast, and if it’s a GP, I’m thinking there’s usually spectators.
True, you can die in the xc phase, but that’s less intimidating to me.
I guess when you factor in online commentary, dressage gets a lot more intimidating, in addition to taking amazing body control, planning, reactions, and communication w the horse.

[Rackonteur]

@Bellebelle

Example, personally I believe a professional eventer could do, with the right horse, a very high level dressage test

Mmm, well, from what I’ve heard, some eventers dislike doing dressage, period, and wish it could be removed from the eventing program. They do it just to get through to the jumping.

As for the “best” at “English” riding, if it mattered, I think it would depend on the discipline. Can a GP dressage rider get a great rack out of a Saddlebred? Can a champion TWH rider (I am NOT talking Big Lick [ugh]) ride an Intro A dressage test? I imagine an experienced hunter (a real hunter, not a show “hunter” rider) could get through a fairly decent dressage test, maybe at Training Level if not higher; but could a GP dressage Olympian hunt all day in Ireland?

I have seen upper-level dressage riders get on a reining horse and look pretty good, and I have seen reiners hop up on a GP dressage horse and get him to do some cool stuff.

[Moneypitt]

So, I ‘has’ wondering…

What is the minimum age required to join the COTH forum?

12 or 13 or?

[AllTheCarrots]

I’m not gonna touch the “best” aspect with a 30h pole. That’s just spoiling for an unnecessary fight.

But I’m fascinated by the skills displayed by sidesaddle riders and drivers, probably because they’re not as easily translatable from other styles/disciplines. After Step 1 (acquire horse), both seem very challenging and mysterious to me.

[OfCourseItsAnAlter]

Well aren’t you a busy bee? Posting the same thing in the dressage, eventing, and hunter/jumper forums. Is it in Off Course, too?

Like I said in my reply in the eventing forum, define exactly what you mean by “best.” Because every discipline can be said to have the best riders, depending on how you define “best.”

Which discipline intimidates me the most? That has changed over the years. I’m now old, fat, and no longer bounce when I hit the ground. So today, anything that requires working at high speeds and lofty heights intimidates me.

If you want to include the western world, the idea of riding a cutting horse intimidates the heck out of me.

[2DogsFarm]

There is no way to choose “Best”.
But, since you asked “what is most intimidating”, I can answer:
CDE Marathon phase.
Imagine an Eventer who has to accurately maneuver obstacles at speed while managing the vehicle and their horse (or pair, or four) using only hands & voice.

I ride Dressage, spent years showing a Hunter (EOY Reserve AA at our apex) & now drive a mini.
I love the Cones (= showjumping) but am not mentally ready for Marathon.
Yet

[foursocks]

I mean, if we are talking high level riders they all have high level skills, some of which overlap, and some of which do not. So, it’s not really a good comparison. Event riders do tend to cross over more frequently, simply because they have three parts to their competitions, and so you will see them at straight dressage or jumper shows as well as their events. But again, the top of the sport are most likely going to be skilled enough to do that crossover well, if they choose to do so.

Theoretically, eventers are the most well-rounded, but at the lower levels, just as in any discipline, there is a lot of variation! I’m a jumper rider, but I ride with high level eventers and therefore do pretty intense dressage on a daily basis. You could chuck my horse and me into a dressage test at 4th Level and (if I could remember the test), we could do all of the movements, many of them fairly well.

Oh, and I agree the CDE is incredibly hard. A friend of mine does it and I have huge amounts of respect; I feel capable of doing lots of things with horses but that is not one of them!

[Janet]

@Bellebelle

Also if anyone knows the jumpers who had been eventers and are now at the top please leave a comment!

Well, not “now”, but Bernie Traurig switched from eventing to jumpers becase eventing was “too much work”.

More recently, but still not “now”, Mark Todd switched from eventing to jumpers, and then later switched back. I think that, for one Olympics, he was on the short list for both eventing and jumping.

Further back, Bold Mistrel and his owner, Billy Haggard, competed at the top levels of both eventing and jumping, including the Pan Am games and the Tokyo Olympics (as a catch ride for Michael Plumb, whose original horse had to be put down on the trans-Pacific flight). He also (with Bill Seinkraus riding) set two Puissance records (7’3") at the NationalHorse show. He was “the only horse to have medals in three Pan American Games and one Olympic Games in two disciplines.”
See https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/legendary-horses-bold-minstrel

But there is NO WAYI am touching the question of which rders are “best” or which discipline is “most intimidating”.