When you’re galloping at full speed on grass that may or may not be muddy, changing terrain constantly, yes shoes are going to come off. I’m not really sure what you expect to happen? I’ve ridden horses plenty of times who lost a shoe and the farrier couldn’t come out that day to reset it. Most horses will be just fine without a shoe so long as they don’t step on the clip or need super special padded shoes.
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The only time I’ve ever had an issue with a horse losing a shoe but still riding is if the shoe doesn’t come off all the way and twists, if it gets stepped on and “reshod”, or if they have to go on a lot of gravel and rocks so the newly unshod foot might be painful or get bruised. Most of the time, a lost shoe is not a big deal.
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[quote=“OverandOnward, post:1302, topic:759034, full:true”]
Riders do not make decisions when in a team.
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Everyone at home on their couch could always have done it better.
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Hey I’ve got issues with other things, but not with losing shoes. Sh*t happens.
I, however, was not aware they would reshoe a horse with welded studs. Why not just use red Loctite? Any of us who have used that stuff knows - once you put it on that sucker is going NOwhere, even if you want it to.
Seems like undue stress on the hoof to put a whole new shoe on.
And I’m sorry, even if someone says “Oo I learned from it” - anyone who even remotely thinks it’s ok to break the rules by beating a horse too many times in front of the general public did not learn not to do that - that’s ingrained in their mindset. Can you imagine how those horses were (or are, because he likely learned how not to get caught) being treated at home if this happened in public?
I’m not going to condone those horseman. You do you.
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I hope readers here realize this is just a discussion… it’s been a fun one too.
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You mean we’re not the team selectors??
gasps in disbelief
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The UK riders travel with a big support team. There would be vets, doctors, physios, farriers etc. For anyone to tear down OT for losing shoes and jogging that horse is pretty stupid. Do you know that it was his decision ? Maybe you know his horses better than the UK support professionals and OT.
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Beating that horse sure was. It’s not out of line to question his whole mentality towards the animals under his care after that.
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I wouldn’t say he was beating the horse. It was too much whip for sure but beating? I have to watch the video again but I don’t remember it being a beating.
People can grow and change though. I believe no horse would carry this man around so many events in top class form if they didn’t like the guy.
No groom would work for him and stay silent if he was beating horses at home. I’m sorry but I just don’t think you can train 5* event horses by beating them. That’s not the partnership that’s going to work at that level.
About the shoes - don’t know enough about them other than it is sometimes done.
See: Andrew Kocher. Sometimes it can take a long time for people to tell the truth. You know that MANY people surrounding him (Andrew) knew what was going on and it took an FEI investigation to lay down the hammer.
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Sadly, I know this does happen, all too well. You know that saying “never meet your heroes”? I worked for someone like this starting as a naive and wide-eyed teen in love with the sport. The rider was personality-disordered/narcissistic but I didn’t have enough life experience to understand any of that.
She was verbally and emotionally abusive to everyone, and definitely beat and mistreated the horses all the time. None of that stopped her from being on the Team multiple times. Of course the horses that wouldn’t put up with the abuse were labeled “difficult” and quickly banished from her barn.
Everyone in our sport locally knew this about her. The team coach told her not to crank her nosebands so tight (they were brutally tight) and she refused… that was at the Olympics.
Now when I see riders abusing their horses in public, I assume they do far worse at home.
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And neither of them should have been passed either… Multiple horses weren’t looking great at the job, and after a tough xc, that’s unfortunately to be expected. they should have been pulled up, but we’re talking about OT right now.
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I am going to start a new thread on Olympic team selectipn. So new folks don’t have to go thru all this, as fascinating as it is.
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Talk about sore losers ?
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I finally caught up with the livestream, and that was awful to see! I must confess, I don’t recall ever seeing any other rider legit fall off and not be able to complete a 5* (or any major livestreamed horse trial) because of stadium. A few who have lost it in the showjumping phase, but this!
Especially after she was able to survive the Hunger Games of the 4* here!
Re: all of this talk about OT’s horsemanship (or lackthereof). There are many, many documented cases of top competitors in all 3 Olympic sports that are abusive towards their animals. It clearly exists, and somehow, in a way I don’t understand, some horses do seem handle the abuse “well” and still come out on top. I would not use whether a horse performs well or not as a gauge of rider abuse.
We all make mistakes with our horses that we regret, and I would be quick to forgive if I saw a teenager or young adult in a high pressure situation lose their temper and take out it on their horse. If you say it never happened to you, I’d call you a liar. We feel bad, horrible, and we move on and vow to do better. But when a middle aged man who’s been running the biggest tracks in the world for many years does it? Well, a leopard never changes its spots.
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I searched out a Tokyo 2020 thread I remembered starting a looong time ago with thoughts of possibly bumping it, but most of the posts don’t seem especially relevant any more and I haven’t checked the links Eventing at Tokyo 2020
The whole substitution aspect is a great big question mark as well.
Please share these many many examples of abusive eventers who have had long term success with factual proof they were abusive throughout their career. Modern Eventing, so after 2000 please.
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