Thank you I will give it a listen!
The contract between Julia and the owner-breeder of Chipmunk ended in October 2018, and he was already looking to sell. Julia wasn’t able to get together the financial backing to keep him, and at the time Samourai du Thot was still going strong. The Fischers and the DOKR (German Olympic Committee) wanted to keep the horse in Germany, so they bought him for Michi to prevent him from going into foreign hands and so Michi would have something to ride. It wasn’t personal from what I can tell, nor was the DOKR an owner before the sale. And the breeder kept part ownership in order to help keep the horse in Germany. While it of course sucks for Julia, it wasn’t something she did or the horse being yanked from her per se. She does, however, still have his full brother.
9 Likes
I don’t have a problem with the two SJ rounds given that they did away with the two completely separate competitions. The advantage of the separate competitions was that it allowed countries to send more combinations and had some strategy of who rode for the team and who for the individual spots. Of course, there was the advantage of going around a (different, but often over a similar track and with some shared jumps) course twice–team and individual–that some felt was unfair, and of course questions like whether you put a top combination (a la Jung/Sam) on the team or out as individuals. And the expense of building two tracks. The strategy of riding is also different–bringing it home for the team is easier to do when you don’t need to take the risks for the individual lead. So take that for what it is. Given the decisions not to run two separate events, this format of an individual qualifier is a good compromise as long as it only sticks to the Olympics.
I thought the track was lovely, fair, very doable but with appropriate challenge. The TEs are rider responsibility, and while the numbering can be confusing, it is the rider’s job to know what is required. While the conditions were challenging, this is not the first Olympics to be run in hot and humid temperatures. I don’t know the details of the exact Tokyo vs. Atlanta conditions (I know Tokyo was expected to be hotter), but Atlanta was the old long format, and the horses did okay. One big difference was that in Atlanta, a majority of the course was in the shade. This was based on studies conducted before the Games, and it paid off. The course was beautifully built and probably more than half in the shade. I would like to see that thinking return. How riders approach riding through the trees is also an interesting factor since riders tend to think they are going faster than they are in the woods and often end up losing time. Anyway, just some random thoughts.
I didn’t see what happened to Jet Set, obviously, but it sounds like this was not the fault of the rider, the horse, the course, or the footing. I hate to use the term “freak” accident as I believe that with more research, etc. we can learn more about how these catastrophic failures happen and if there are ways we can predict them, indicators that we can better spot, or training/riding considerations about which we do not know. It seems likely that there ARE things we can learn that might help us prevent these types of incidents in the future. But given all we currently know, I don’t think this was preventable per se. But I am just a smurf who is speculating. I would, however, like to see more research about these types of injuries, regardless of sport, to see how we can better catch a horse who might be at risk before it gets risky. In the meantime, my heart goes out to Robin and the Swiss team.
My thoughts on the MIM: Better to have it than not, and if that means frustrating penalties, that’s a risk we can hopefully all accept over the alternative. That said, there should absolutely be a review process, because if it falls several strides after you leave it, something is wrong. If you look at the photos, it appears Jung barely touched it, and I was surprised when it collapsed on Watson. Frankly, though, it is the suppression of Jung’s video that bothers me the most. If they say that them’s the rules, okay–but the video should be allowed so that we can all see and better understand what happened. Transparency is always important if the FEI wants to keep the trust of its riders, a trust that is less earned and more given out of necessity. If we need to revisit the rules, that’s always an option, even if it won’t make a difference to Jung’s results. But let’s do it in a transparent manner based on research and what’s safest and best for horses and riders, not hidden politics.
18 Likes
English may not have the sound of the German “u” in the name Jung, but that’s no reason that a high-profile, professional NBC commentator can’t learn to pronounce the name correctly. It’s not like he’s having to deal with the pronunciation of a Welsh horse named Llewellyn! lol
To be fair to the FEI - I think it’s the IOC limiting the video. Basically the IOC has control over any video of the competition or the “back area” (warm-up areas, waiting rooms, etc).
7 Likes
There really isn’t that much of a difference between the two pronunciations. If he was saying Jung like jungle, I could see being annoying. But Young is just fine. Most say it that way. John Kyle saying it more German is just an example of how well he pronounces all the names of horses and riders, for the most part. It’s really not that big of a deal.
10 Likes
He did also post an adorable visit to Sam photo on his Instagram, which I loved:
And, given that his teammate won gold, I think he’s been very gracious about what must be quite frustrating re: the triggered pins.
Honestly, I wasn’t displeased by the US performance, given how awful Rio was. I still remember Clark Montgomery retiring with a wave of his hand that looked more like a cry for help, and then Lauren taking the short route (when taking the long was probably the better option) and falling.
The UK’s team is also just so, so incredibly strong and had such a deep talent pool.
13 Likes
But this wasn’t in the back area, but on course, so it would not be the IOC’s if it’s a privately filmed clip, right? Or is Jung talking about having seen the unaired Olympic footage? But whether it’s the FEI or IOC, its suppression sits poorly. I fully support not showing what happened to Jet Set (there were cameras at fence 20, so it must have been filmed) or any dangerous falls, but this? Seems sketchy.
Again, if that’s the rules, it seems reasonable to still give him the penalties. And I am all for the Mims, even if there are sometimes unfortunate consequences. I just think transparency is vitally important–in this and every sport.
1 Like
My guess is that IOC/ NBC owns broadcast rights and polices “unauthorized coverage” very seriously. Huge money is involved in the TV rights, and I’m sure athletes are warned not to publish video.
3 Likes
This is my thought. Well said.
But I can understand why they would say “no reviews.” It gets too subjective. A situation like MJ might be clear cut, but what about the others?
I do think we have a responsibility to make sure the technology is working as it should. This incident has created a lot of mistrust that will be hard to regain. I wonder if this conversation would be occurring if Lucinda hadn’t mentioned clip color on air (not blaming her, she was just sharing her observation).
4 Likes
I read that for twelve Olympics, NBC paid $12 Billion. So lots of money involved for streaming, ads, etc.
2 Likes
I think Doug Payne said something to that effect in a social media post.
Exactly this. The IOC owns all video (and I believe, audio) of both the field of competition and the “back of house,” and licenses it for $$$.
1 Like
Just chiming in to say I always enjoy your perspectives and recap posts on these threads. Please never stop!!
8 Likes
Look at his instagram this morning…or sorry his student Pietro Grandis’s post…MJ is a class act all around. Already planning his next big win.
7 Likes
I think when the fence falls when the rider is strides away it’s not even a call at this point, it should be automatically known the MIM failed. It’s all a bit ridiculous.
Sams horse tapped it like a show jump. I watched the jump weave and sway as horses went over it. It wasn’t solid. This IS an issue on XC. We don’t want overly careful horses on XC nor do we want riders riding these fences like showjumps.
I think a simple solution for this particular fence is to stop using open corners. We know they cause falls more than other fences, and they always seem to be the fence that is triggering MIMs and pins.
The corner in the water caused all sorts of issues but the horses were able to scramble over and not fall, and no pin issues.
6 Likes
I disagree it’s “automatically known the MIM failed.” We can’t see video. There are some still photos circulating that suggest he never touched it. There are some eyewitness accounts saying he rapped it. No, it shouldn’t come down with a rap of a leg… but this is where the subjectivity starts coming into play. If he did indeed hit it, did he hit it harder or lighter than Sam Watson and the other riders? Do they remove everyone’s penalties assuming there was a problem, even the guy who would have become a lawn dart had the clip not activated? The situation gets murkier and murkier.
It’s easy in hindsight to say what they should have done, but it’s not like they have the luxury of time to make these decisions in the moment when the riders keep coming.
It sucks. Nothing about the situation is ideal. But everyone is still trying to work out how to handle frangible technology without losing the intention of XC. I’m willing to acknowledge the problem and move on. It’s a much better problem to have than what could have been the alternative, like sitting here discussing half a dozen horse falls at a fence.
9 Likes
the best part of this sad situation is the grace with which Michi has handled it himself.
17 Likes
Eh. What’s worse – accepting a penalty for activating a fence, or you or a fellow rider losing your life over it?
12 Likes
Or losing your horse over it?
10 Likes
