[QUOTE=JER;6493275]
Yes it is! Very exciting. This is a good example in how a sport can evolve in a positive way.
Yes, he’s a PC guy. He’s ranked #50 in the world; as I mentioned earlier, Bowsher is #74, but Sacksen’s ranking didn’t get him into the Olympics and Bowsher qualified via a 4th at Pan Ams (Sacksen was 6th).
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That would be boring. The riding phase, along with the run/shoot, are fun to watch. Fencing and swimming aren’t very spectator friendly.
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Showjumping is a good test for these athletes. The standard just needs to be raised. It’s very difficult for this to happen in countries that don’t have an established or accessible equestrian culture but the UIPM is trying.
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Dressage judging is subjective. Why introduce that element to this sport?
I hope everyone tunes in tomorrow for the women’s event. You will see some good riding, I promise, even from the Americans. And please make special cheers for our Canadian girls, who are both excellent riders. :)[/QUOTE]
The problem with showjumping is it doesn’t mimic the original concept of the sport, i.e a soldier behind enemy lines commandeering an unfamiliar horse. That soldier is hardly going to take said horse and go around a course of jumps on a sand ring. He’s going to take off like a bat out of hell across country, probably jump some obstacles, maybe negotiate some other scenarios like open a gate while on horseback, go down steep inclines, go through water etc.
Maybe if the riding portion was a modified XC course, with alternate routes that incurred time penalties for those riders not as confident in their or the horse’s ability to jump some of the obstacles. Throw in a few things that test horsemanship like having to back your way through a narrow chute. Borrow some elements from those Portuguese working equitation speed tests… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5895K-Xjupk
I acknowledge that the fencing probably has to be a stand alone test. But maybe something like this, do the fencing first. Then use the standings to have staggered start times (as they do now in for the running/shooting part) for a ridden XC/horsemanship test. Then jump off your horse, pull off your boots, breeches and helmet and jump into the water for the swimming portion. Then out of the water and put on a pair of running shoes and straight into the running/shooting combined.
Now that would be exciting.
Granted you’d have to work out some kinks like multiple horses/riders on course at the same time, esp if they were approaching the same obstacle. But that might even add to the excitement.
