Just saw the entries for Plantation Field and Buck has twelve: three 3*, three 2*, two Advanced, two Intermediate, two Prelim.
It’s kind of a catch-22. If he does well with all then he’s “Buck the Superhuman”, if he runs into trouble or has a fall then it’ll be “well, shoot, what’d ya think would happen riding that many?”
We’ve discussed this before on COTH, but I don’t recall ever seeing this many rides. The guy has titanium 'nads, that’s for sure (pardon the pun).
Damn.
It does run over 4 days though.
Titanium…love it
[QUOTE=ACMEeventing;7759402]
Just saw the entries for Plantation Field and Buck has twelve: three 3*, three 2*, two Advanced, two Intermediate, two Prelim.
It’s kind of a catch-22. If he does well with all then he’s “Buck the Superhuman”, if he runs into trouble or has a fall then it’ll be “well, shoot, what’d ya think would happen riding that many?”
We’ve discussed this before on COTH, but I don’t recall ever seeing this many rides. The guy has titanium 'nads, that’s for sure (pardon the pun).[/QUOTE]
So he has to memorize 5 dressage tests? double damn. lol.
I’ve wondered about that myself. IMO, it seems like he is spreading himself a bit thin. When he goes overseas as a team member, it seems to me that a lot of times he comes up a bit short. Wonder if all those horses winds up with a failure to make that bond that seems to be part and parcel of eventing. With all of those horses, how can you really concentrate on their individual needs–sort of the Bob Baffert, D. Wayne Lukas, or Todd Pletcher school of horse training.
[QUOTE=Highflyer;7759439]
It does run over 4 days though.[/QUOTE]
True, but he will still have 8 XC rides on Sunday (2*, 3*, Advanced) and 4 on Saturday, with the corresponding stadium schedule as well.
I would have to dig, but I think it might be a new record.
I certainly don’t envy his grooms or the organizer in charge of scheduling his 36 ride times…
[QUOTE=ACMEeventing;7759466]
True, but he will still have 8 XC rides on Sunday (2*, 3*, Advanced) and 4 on Saturday, with the corresponding stadium schedule as well.
I would have to dig, but I think it might be a new record.[/QUOTE]
It’s not. Boyd and Phillip have had that many as had Buck before. Honestly. It will still be less riding than he does on a daily basis. Plus weather should be fine.
I personally think it is too many but I’m not worried in a safety respect for a rider like him or one of the other pros that spend many hours a day riding every day.
[QUOTE=bornfreenowexpensive;7759485]
It’s not. Boyd and Phillip have had that many as had Buck before. Honestly. It will still be less riding than he does on a daily basis. Plus weather should be fine.
I personally think it is too many but I’m not worried in a safety respect for a rider like him or one of the other pros that spend many hours a day riding every day.[/QUOTE]
They’ve had 12 at that level? That is amazing.
And while I agree with you about it not being more time in the saddle as a typical work day, I do think it being in a competition (upper level especially) adds a different variable.
He’s a heck of a competitor, that’s for sure!
With that many, how do they manage all the conflicts? He must have an ARMY of grooms!
One of the rides is Reggie. Surely, he won’t run xc? I see Trading Aces, too. Thinking they won’t really run.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7759638]
With that many, how do they manage all the conflicts? He must have an ARMY of grooms![/QUOTE]
Last year when he was down in Ocala, his 2 grooms and/or his working students would bring all of the horses competing at the same level to the warm up. Then he would just get on one, warm up and go, then get on the next one, warm up and go, ect then all the horses would go back to the trailer. Obviously it was a little different for cross country (I think they brought one horse up at a time, but had the next horse waiting for him) but it was a very efficient method to the madness.
[QUOTE=Scaramouch;7759473]
I certainly don’t envy his grooms or the organizer in charge of scheduling his 36 ride times…[/QUOTE]
Or his students, if he has any there. Being coached by a trainer riding probably half that many at an event always seemed to leave me short changed.
Quite often here (and I’m sure in the USA), entries need to be put in before you really know what the horse will be ready for etc and so you enter multiple horses but on the day only choose to ride a subset.
Horses that have had a bad run and need a confidence boost may just do the dressage and then withdraw.
That’s not to say that if he rides them all that I think it’s too much, it’s probably manageable with the right team support, but I’d be surprised if they do all start.
[QUOTE=OneMoreForTheRoad;7760052]
Last year when he was down in Ocala, his 2 grooms and/or his working students would bring all of the horses competing at the same level to the warm up. Then he would just get on one, warm up and go, then get on the next one, warm up and go, ect then all the horses would go back to the trailer. Obviously it was a little different for cross country (I think they brought one horse up at a time, but had the next horse waiting for him) but it was a very efficient method to the madness.[/QUOTE]
I’m impressed. That seems like MUCH more work/complication than 2 people can handle. All the braiding, tacking up, hosing off, etc. in ADDITION to having the horses at the ring at the right time. That’s incredible. I really can’t imagine how they get that many horses done with all the overlaps.
GO BUCK…
Go BUCK…
Go Buck…
Go buck…
go buck…
oh, buck?
oh hell, who else is running that I can cheer for.
Buck is a professional so he has to make money and it would seem that he has decided to do so processing as many horses as he can. It is more an example of how modern eventing sees the horse as a vehicle, not a teammate. If he wants me as a fan, it does not work. I’ll take a unknown riding pair working up the ranks for it is less a job, more a passion and that inspires me.
I get what he needs to do, his riding is amazing, but he does not inspire like Allison or Peter or Becky or Sinead.
[QUOTE=JP60;7760265]
GO BUCK…
Go BUCK…
Go Buck…
Go buck…
go buck…
oh, buck?
oh hell, who else is running that I can cheer for.
Buck is a professional so he has to make money and it would seem that he has decided to do so processing as many horses as he can. It is more an example of how modern eventing sees the horse as a vehicle, not a teammate. If he wants me as a fan, it does not work. I’ll take a unknown riding pair working up the ranks for it is less a job, more a passion and that inspires me.
I get what he needs to do, his riding is amazing, but he does not inspire like Allison or Peter or Becky or Sinead.[/QUOTE]
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I find this reaction odd and the names listed even odder. Buck has worked his ass off for basically his entire life. So because he is not only a good and talented rider AND good at building his business and developing owners (a rare combination) that makes him a lesser horseman? Please. He is successful for several reasons including that he is actually quite a good horseman and cares greatly for his horses. He has developed many of them for years with a great partnership. I’ll cheer him on as much as anyone and glad to see him with such a nice string of horses and success. He’s always been a helpful and supportive eventer. He’s a good guy for our sport and someone worth cheering for.
Everyone has different business models. Some people make a living on competing a lot of horses and not so much on coaching. Other people ride fewer horses but spend more time coaching.
What’s important is if the horses are happy and the clients feel they are getting good value for their money.
I would just like to note that there are almost 60 horses in the CIC3*, between 15 and 20 in the Advanced, and I have heard a whopping 87 entries for the 2*!
Super proud of Plantation for pulling those numbers, you usually don’t see divisions this big in North America! Way to fill an event like it’s England!
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