No, it really is free. https://nhs.org/livestream-sponsored-by-nutrena/
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THANK YOU! I was getting extremely frustrated by CMH.
For those planning their day, estimated start time for the flat phase is 3:50pm. 2nd round o/f anticipated at 5:10pm.
Commentators are Brian Lookabill, Ava Stearns, and Zayna Rizvi.
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A fun fact is that this year is the last year that riders must qualify through a regional final or a top placing in another equitation final. Next year, the number of qualifying points increase, and regionals are optional for those who have the points, but riders without the number of required points can also qualify by attending regionals and placing at the top percent. I will be very interested to see how that plays out in the standard of competition next year.
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In your opinion, has competition in this class been tougher then in other finals? Itās always seemed like a similar size pool of riders.
They mentioned on the commentary that students from Savannah College of Art and Design were involved in creating some of the jumps this year. Those gradient blocks look a bit like paint swatches to me - maybe a nod to SCAD?
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I think it can be because the qualification standards are tougher. In the Medal, āallā you have to do is get the required number of points, but in the Maclay you have to qualify for regionals and place in the top percent to advance. Because the standard of competition and course design is different in different places, that can mean that riders coming in for the Medal have not had the advantage of preparing over the same caliber of course, and are overfaced. Hence the occasional carnage in the first round of the Medal, which you usually donāt see to the same degree in the first round of the Maclay. However, the cream rises to the top in each class.
Totally unrelated, I have not seen a crochet pommel pad since I was riding ponies. Isabella Griffin, making it cool again. 
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Thank you! I was attending to my dog during that round, so I didnāt hear the whole thing.
I have the impression that Ava is preparing for a career outside of horses- is that right? Kind of a shame, as she would be an excellent coach.
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I really fail to understand how USEF has had such great live streams all of indoors, and then CMH canāt even go 5 min without stuttering or stopping completely.
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Iām quite unimpressed. Thanks Nutrena for covering the cost for all of us; how do we get a different provider next time?
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I paid $15 for USEF coverage for a year - CMH is several hundred a year. Iād be so annoyed if I paid that much for this.
I wonder how much the marketing department at Nutrena paid to sponsor a livestream that doesnāt work. Probably well into the 6 figures. Iād be mad!
Impossible to watch with the crap live feed. So disappointing.
Yep, Iām giving upā¦
Wow, Clip my Horse, huge fail. Probably the most watched class online in the US and they blow it.
Iāve been refreshing at least once a round for the last 3 rounds. Parker Peacock got 7 fences in and it quit entirely. They were a good 7 fences! I hope the rest were solid too, but we may never know.
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Itās been working pretty well for me so far. Knock wood! Just one or two brief freezes.
Ugh. And as I typed that response, it got stuck in a time loop and now I have a black screen with no sound! 
Iāve got the circle of death. Iāll keep up with The Chronicleās commentary.
Iāve been able to refresh out of it, and weāre back on Lilly Goldstein, #18.
What a shame for Lilly Goldstein. The first half of that course was just lovely.
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