Wow thank you for this post. I didn’t know most of that. What an absolute come back story.
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I was desperately hoping that neither Harry nor Buck would fall off. Harry for the obvious reasons and Buck because he can’t afford to break his right clavicle again.
I remember seeing his x-ray online the last time he broke it. There was still metal there from the time before that.
There’s not much more to work with. 
It was great to see them both get around safely.
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I would not want to be Erik this evening. The “under pressure” record for the top US contenders looks pretty lousy rn.
I think the Prices’ unreal consistency is the story of the weekend. All five horses clear with only a handful of time penalties between them and the only two FODs of the weekend. They got it done in a huge way.
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These two are going to be such a cool pair to watch!
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Just finished watching the “live” feed. Worked very well. I do wish that the announcer for show jumping phase had done the following: 1. As each rider entered, say what their overnight place was, because telling us they were “first” when there were 25 more to go provided no information that was useful. Otherwise, it was GREAT!!!
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Every time I see Harry Meade out there I get such a fan girl crush. Willesdon didn’t mention another moment — His relationship with Wild Lone was amazing. It was gutting to watch that one go (from an aortic rupture? IIRC). Harry was so class after, but you could see how devastated he was.
Ollie has grown up a lot and I love his rags to riches story, but he is scrappy and competitive and sometimes that gets the best of him. I thought the horse was stiff on the RH in the dressage. When I heard he scratched one before XC, I assumed it was that one.
Big bits mean absolutely nothing if the hands are soft and the horse is happy and rideable in it. I do not think the “hardware” is relevant, if it is the right hardware for the horse. I would much rather see more hardware and a safe ride/happy horse than a horse in a snaffle running past the distance with a rider hauling on their mouths. This is coming from a person whose horses all go in super mild snaffles. I have no reason to be defensive. But overbitting has its problems too, and questions about overbitting based on performance are fair.
ML’s ride XC was lovely. She said she decided not to go for time given the conditions. Surely we can appreciate that, given how many falls there were based on being too aggressive, and how tempting it must be to go for it when you are in the lead.
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His voice as commentator is magnetic. It doesn’t matter what he’s talking about, could listen to Harry Meade all day! 
He really is an extraordinary rider, and obviously very tough. Hope he comes out of his full recovery with no aftereffects and is around to ride the 5*'s for a long time to come.
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Time will tell if she’s changed her XC ways, and maybe it was the conditions, but it was nice to see ML riding with more tact instead of the gunning and grabbing that has earned her so much well-deserved criticism in years past.
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They are both my heroes all day long – but especially Jonelle, who so superbly rides that insanely fast mare Classic Moet. Not sure there are many on the planet who could manage Moet, much less dominate courses the way that pair does.
The way Tim rode Bango for the first part of the XC is a master class of managing the speed of a powerful, full-of-himself horse, without hanging on the mouth.
A big problem for so many riders in the first part of the course was hanging on to the head to stand on the brakes, and not have too much horse at the Head of the Lake to get through the complications there. But the horses stiffened and leaned on the bridle when riders were riding off their hands. By the time of the 4 minute mark just before the lake, the rider got a horse that was either backed-off, or charging on while ignoring them.
Tim did it with a long-ish rein and keeping his lit Bango on side. It was inspiring to see, and I’m going to use what he did with my own ball-of-fire. Hope I can do it a teeny bit as well.
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Bango looked like he still had at least another half of a course left in him at the end too. Amazing fitness.
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Well … not really, IMO. Boyd & Buck et. al. are already proven, as are their Olympic contender horses. Some of the U.S. pairs may have had a bad day, but personally, in their case, I would throw this result out. It isn’t indicative of expected performance levels. My concern would be that the horse (& rider) have their confidence fully restored. And that all are healthy.
ML … I do not know what to think . Recognizing that I do not know all the back story on this performance. Was she told to save the horse? Was she actually late to start, or not?
If coaching wasn’t a factor in her slow-slow-slow time on the heels of an extraordinary dressage score, then I have real concerns about her judgment and decisions, in relation to being on the team. She has a pattern of puzzling choices at big events, that affect outcomes.
It’s agonizing because right now, she & Scandalous really are one of the best pairs in the U.S. But attached to the package is a head that seems to be somewhere other than on the priorities of the day. I don’t believe that will change for the duration of an Olympic meet. I believe she is who she is … as is every other rider. These are mature adults whose personalities are strong and set.
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This is my thought too. I’m surprised bitting choices have turned into such a hot button topic this weekend. I don’t feel like we saw a lot of controversial hardware, but maybe I missed the worst offenders. Even Wofford followed his statements about a lot of metal with, “if you don’t have enough bit, you can’t have good hands.”
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It’s not just the bits, it’s the added lever nosebands and Martingales and flashes altogether with very strong leverage bits. I’m just surprised to see things like a martingale on a double bridle. That’s crazy to me.
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So agree. Crowing that “they are first in the clubhouse!” [ for the next 90 seconds, until the next riders finishes their round] is POINTLESS. Really? What is the significance supposed to be?
I liked the leaderboard this time. It kept the placings of those who hadn’t yet show-jumped, so that you could see the completed pairs moving up & down the board. And see what those who hadn’t ridden yet were up against. 
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I definitely wouldn’t be throwing these results out. This is the first high pressure situation and tough high level course these riders have seen in 2 years. 2 years is ages in Eventing land. The riders we see this weekend is what you are working with. The course in Japan will be like this, its apparently very twisty and supposed to be very fast time. Dressage showjumping also really matter so horses who can do those well as run XC clean and fast are going to be going to Tokyo.
The Canadian lone pick on the other hand… no idea what will happen there!
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Canadians: Colleen & Blue. Done.
There is nothing even to think about there, IMO. But I’m not Canadian and don’t get to pick.
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The thing with ML is the time. Can she make the time and jump clean? No one knows because it has never been close to happening. BUT she is a good stand in for the showjumping OR dressage.
Think about the rules and the way the game is played this year. She could be a very valuable player to sub in or out.
Just looking at the results … the results list is like a snapshot in time of where the sport is at the moment. Looking back at all the results of the 5*'s, especially Kentucky, Badminton and Burghley, along with the course they rode, is like a chronicle of how eventing has evolved over time. Not just riding on course, but in thinking and philosophy as well.
This is an era of bold forward riding and horses, indeed. Loved watching this course. It was a rider’s test indeed, and very instructive as to riding technique.
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