Smart. Their medals are not a coincidence. 
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I really like that idea. If the idea behind modern pentathlon is to mimic what a cavalry rider might need to do, wouldn’t that be better handed by an actual cross-country course instead of a show-jumping phase? The rider would have to show that he/she could control the horse at both a trot and a canter/hand gallop without the aid of ring fencing, and the course could include common outdoor obstacles such as a bridge, a small stream, a gate to open and close while mounted, and several (low) jumps not related to each other. Even real foxhunters aren’t always jumping 4’ combinations on the hunt field, so why should pentatheletes be expected to jump big, tricky combinations? Leave that to the actual equestrian specialists, not the jack-of-all-trades pentatheletes.
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I watched it when it was still up. It was at the end of the swimming/fencing replay, three sports in one segment. If it’s not there, believe me, you probably don’t want to watch it. Very painful to see, matches the descriptions on this thread.
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this type of action n is not permitted in dressage warm up at USEF shows, not sure why it is permitted in olympics. WHy does an Olympian need a coach at the rail to do this.
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Thank you!! It was hilarious to read all the posts where people said it was the riders fault because she was able to ride another horse . IMO she wasn’t able to do this
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Hi all, like Jealoushe says, you can see videos and discussion on my Instagram @jersporthorse.
I’m happy to answer any questions. Yes, I have presented rule change proposals. Yes, they have been rejected. Now the FEI is reaching out to UIPM so maybe UIPM will listen to them.
I posted those videos starting in May in the hopes of getting UIPM to wake up and change their medieval rules. They won’t listen to voices from inside the sport so now they’re going to have to listen to much louder outside voices.
Hopefully we’ll have a positive outcome.
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Thanks for joining the discussion - you will certainly be an informative voice.
Question for you… how does coaching in Pentathlon typically work for people pursuing a spot at the Olympics? Do they work with multiple specialist coaches, or primarily with one person who designs a comprehensive training schedule for them?
Just curious.
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Is getting the IOC involved on an athlete and horse welfare basis an option for escalation if UIPM won’t police themselves?
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He might be physically ok, but I wonder about mentally. I bet it’s going to take a lot of patience and reschooling to rebuild his confidence over fences.
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No, you missed MY point. There is nothing about wiping off lather with a rag that has anything to do with care; it’s strictly aesthetic. Even a small water bucket isn’t actually going to cool a horse in any measurable way. So if you didn’t see lather in the competition in other events, it’s simply because of aesthetics and not for any care between warm up and the start flags. There is no cooling happening at that point, and there shouldn’t be; the point of the warm up is to warm the muscles, and if you cool them at that point, you are risking harm. Sweat evaporates; that is what causes the cooling in nature. No groom worth their salt is going to try to cool the horse out after the warm up but before the event; they will let the sweat do that and sponge the horse off properly (and not just with a small bucket) AFTER the event.
I can’t speak to the care the pentathlon horses received after the event, but seeing lather IS NOT in and of itself a cause for concern.
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Oh, I don’t disagree at all. It’s worth noting though, that the horse is in his mid teens (I think I read elsewhere he was 15), after having a long career as a jumper (I believe he has competed at a higher level in younger years).
It seems like his current owners are a riding school/center of some sort, or affiliated with it. If he’s sound after this mess, my guess is the school could carefully screen his riders for awhile, and ensure he spends considerable time only doing low fences with competent riders, so his confidence recovers. Presumably, his value to them is as a schoolmaster, ‘been there done that’ type of mount, given his current age. I’d assume the jumps will be getting lower anyways as he ages.
I’m not trying to minimize how appalling the riding this poor horse was subjected to was… but trying to put the whole situation into context. It’s awful for any horse to be subjected to ridiculous riding… but a little different for one in his late teens on the backside of his career, than if this happened to a younger horse, who hadn’t yet reached their competitive peak. Bad either way, but if it was a younger horse who hadn’t peaked yet… the whole disaster would likely change the entire trajectory of their sport career. Which is awful and unnecessary and shouldn’t be happening to horses because of situations like this playing out DURING competitions, while officials are on hand, and could (and should) have intervened to stop the ride…
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Usually, you work with specialist coaches.
For example, I’ll coordinate an athlete’s overall training but - especially in fencing - will recommend the athlete works with a top-quality coach. Building relationships with expert coaches is part of the pentathlon coach’s role.
Also, everyone has different needs. Some come from a horsey background and already do their own thing in riding. Others need more work. Some start as swimmers and can manage that more on their own.
There’s so much good about the sport - for anyone of any age - so it’s a bit sad to see it in the current hysteria. I hope despite all that people can see some of why it’s such a great pursuit.
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The IOC is a reactive, corrupt organization. So are many if not most international sport federations. Like the wrestling federation, whose old president absconded with $10 million. Or Taekwondo where former officials are in jail. Or the horrors of USA swimming and gymnastics.
The FEI has reached out to UIPM to help with rule changes and standards. That is encouraging to see Olympic sport partners trying to help.
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Fair point, although the IOC also seems very concerned with optics.
I hope FEI talks some sense into them and replaces horses with something else entirely.
Also, where on earth are the owners of these horses? I saw the video of the horse that crashed and the one that flipped that you posted on IG, and the owners are ok with this behavior??
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Your Instagram posts, and some other comments I have seen from other folks actually involved in Pentathlon, which included quotes from the rule book and more information about the background of the sport and principles that are supposed to underly how athletes conduct themselves? Well… I actually have reconsidered some of my initial reactions about the sport needing to change, and replace horses with motocross or box bikes, or something similar.
The equestrian portion of pentathlon seems to exist for good reason… to encourage a more well rounded athlete, who values skill and everything that horsemanship represents. But it seems like organization leadership, some of the competition officials overseeing the equestrian portion, some of the coaches, and some of the athletes have lost sight of that. And hence, the results are what we are currently witnessing.
Maybe rule changes could help. And having people eliminated from the equestrian portion much more quickly for things like dangerous riding, excessive use of the whip, etc.
The essay a few posts ago, written by the British guy who was a pony clubber when young, then a pentathlete for some time, and who is now a show jumper- that was interesting too. The comments about riders riding to ‘complete’ rather than ‘compete’ … that was a really interesting and nuanced point. It seems like changing that dynamic would help immensely.
I also am curious if you have comments from the British gold medalist and the President of UIPM defending Annika Schleu… is it just a matter of them feeling the social media firestorm about her in particular is out of control… or do they really not see how horribly she conducted herself, even though her gold medal position was clearly in jeopardy with the horse’s reaction upon entering the arena? I can understand people within the pentathlon community who have known the woman for a while feeling sympathetic to her given the social media feeding frenzy this is turning into… but her conduct on that horse in the first two minutes when she entered the arena was OUTRAGEOUS. No Olympian or competent horsewoman should conduct themselves that way. Officials should have eliminated her right then and there… and it is crazy to me that too people in the pentathlon community can’t see that!
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Replacing the horses is not a positive outcome. Many pentathletes are very good riders. This is why many people come to the sport.
Eliminating the equestrian phase would be cutting the heart out.
People in the sport have been calling for change for years. The leadership is tone deaf and out of touch. No one wants to see scenes like we saw last weekend.
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There’s a warm-up and then there is overheating. Big difference.
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If you can’t keep a mature mindset while on a horse, you should either get off or be removed from the horse. No idea why a 31 year-old athlete in her 3rd Olympics would be having a toddler tantrum on the back of a horse as if she didn’t get a ribbon in lead line.
The UIPM president actually said the truth: that the horses were up to the task and that the riders were to blame. However, it was also the case that the officials are to blame for not blowing the whistle on the nonsense.
There is a judge who can eliminate a rider for incompetence or lack of safety at any time, including in the warm up. Why these judges just sit back and put their feet up is beyond me.
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Lather =/= overheating.
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Just saying the German athlete was 5 times German champion and 2nd in the World championships in 2018…. So I would reckon she is experienced
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