I don’t think this was a factor at all.
I think the bigger problem was they were big and kind of hard to read in my layperson opinion. Like, I didn’t even appreciate them as fences at first.
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Maybe but OTTBs have lost the advantage they had over long, gallopy 20th century xc courses. This ship has sailed and of course there are individual TBs that manage very well at the upper levels but the promulgation of “accuracy” questions - tight, the often indirect related distances incorporating terrain with not much margin for error (skinnies) - was certainly not intended to make the sport easier for a breed that’s been developed to gallop flat and low in front.
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Almost the entire Maryland 5* is going to the left. There are two complexes that switch directions, but almost the whole course is going left.
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I always feel like a weirdo because ALL my TBs were better to the right when I got them!
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That really doesn’t change the fact that much of the modern WB has been developed from TB and TB are still a crucial part of breeding sporthorses especially in eventing to add stamina and lightness. Technical courses require rideable horses with great work ethic, which is a trait I attribute to TB and not your plain old style WB.
I just don’t think that the technical asks of newer cross country horses are part of a greater conspiracy to keep TB out of the sport.
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Course designers generally keep that in mind, and aim to have roughly equal numbers of jumps being jumped off a right curve or a left curve, and equal numbers of skinnies with right run-out and left run-out. You can’t look at the course from a macro level, you need to look at the individual fences on the track to get an accurate read on what directing the riders are coming into them.
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Yeah I was responding to the claim that the whole course was going to the right to disadvantage OTTBS
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Ok - Boyd posted about not running the mare, but how come no one is talking about the massive bruising on his face.
He can’t have that bruising and not have a concussion. I am not licensed in anything medical, but that bruising looks soooooore.
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I would tend to agree with you about the concussion, but I reckon he has seen a doctor or two, yes?
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I assume he has. I would hope so at least. thats wild.
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I’m not saying he did not have a concussion, but when I broke my nose the bruising was insane and very similar.
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My working student came off a horse two months ago. Landed on her hands and knees like a frog, the brim of her MIPS helmet tipped forward and hit the ground. Not her head. But the brim pushed down over her brow and gave her a black eye. Definitely no concussion, it was not a hard fall at all, but her cheek/eye looked like she was punched in the face.
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I absolutely love this 
Sara is the same at 26 as she was at 15: humble, hard working, modest - and I have yet to meet a more determined human being. Even as a teenager, she never bragged, never posted her successes on SM (her mom would post instead, to Sara’s everylasting embarrassment!), and was single-minded in her focus; like the best of horses - she always “put her head down and did her job” without fanfare.
She rarely if ever complained - and only if her mom tried to force her to eat bananas at a competition.
*Mooooom"!!!
She is a force of nature, this young lady.
I ran into her in the barn aisle at Waredaca last weekend (I was coaching a student at the 3-Day), and she was her typical unpretentious self - we congratulated her on her most recent success, and she said “thanks - I’m really proud of Caden, he was so good!” - and she talked about how he is building and maintaining his base of fitness in spite of being only 20% blood. She made this horse, and as mentioned in the article - he was often “NOT easy” along the way.
Between working for Jan and her full-time job, she still found the time to help out a fellow rider (which was why she was at Waredaca), and when we were talking I said “you’re the Bionic woman!”, and she said (pointing at me), “well, actually YOU are!” (I got my hip replaced last year), and we had a good laugh.
With the many, many memories I have of Sara, one stands out.
She was always prompt, prepared, serious - and when I was running a bit late to a lesson, I would arrive to find her standing there all dressed to ride, holding Mystic’s reins and waiting for me by the ring.
Every. Time. Never late, never distracted, never “off task”, never socializing; she was there to learn.
She was always respectful, appreciative, grateful, and such an incredibly hard worker. She would text me with questions “off the clock” at all hours and I always responded promptly. It was a priority for her, so it was a priority for me. Years later, she texted me thanking me for always being there - but how couldn’t I be? She was/is one in a million.
She always volunteered to “ride the tough ones” at the barns where she boarded - especially after she started having success and became “in demand” (she worked with a couple of my students’ horses at my recommendation), and boarders at her former barn would contact her if they needed help working through an issue with a horse, no matter how difficult or rank, Sara would take on the challenge. Despite her small size she is extremely talented, strong, and effective - this has served her well. She is now able to sit on any horse and improve it.
I am not at all surprised by her success, and since Sara has been back in Northern VA Jan has been an invaluable coach and mentor - Sara is (as always) deeply appreciative of the help and opportunities she has provided, and sings her praises. (Jan is tha bomb 
)
I’m hoping that good luck will help contribute to her upward trajectory (she has the “hard work” part down and she richly deserves it!) whether or not she winds up doing this professionally - and some day? Maybe she will give Ros Canter a run for her money.
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I so love to hear this. The good ones deserve all the success in the world. She has a lot of new fans!
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Same. Horse fell and when he came back up he smashed me in the face with his neck. No concussion at all, but broken nose/deviated septum and my face looked like I’d gone multiple losing rounds with a professional boxer.
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I had a horse smash me in the back of the head while walking in from the pasture. Concussed and had quite a black left eye.
Back in the early 80s our version of Pony Club banned stiff brimmed helmets for this very reason, they may have been banned for junior competition nationwide (not the US). The new modern plastic helmets mostly have stiff brims or even completely solid brims and I’ve often wondered if they were breaking people’s noses again.
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Pondering the lack of entries problem. I wonder how much scheduling has to do with it. Maryland is the week before Pau. How many of the european riders opt to stay close to home versus flying overseas?
You have a similar situation in the spring with Kentucky and Badminton. It should be noted that entries for Kentucky have fallen off quite a bit in the past several years while Badminton has remained strong.
Maybe changing dates on these events would make them more attractive.
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I’ve wondered this as well. Especially given that evening has much more depth in Europe so many of the riders are already located there and Pau is often considered an easier event, whereas Maryland had proven to be a real challenge every year.
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