Considering MB’s xc record, I would have thought he could have used the xc, but there’s probably something that those making the decisions know that we don’t.
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I would think it’s to save his legs. He was injured at Fair Hill in 2015, and it took him 3 years to come back. He’s done quite a lot this year, and health is something that you always need to be conscious of when they are at the upper levels.
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Ahhh didn’t realize that he was injured previously.
I’m far better informed about UK eventing so I’m curious to read that Mai Baum isn’t established at 5* and has past injury so perhaps slightly dodgy soundness and a suggestion that his ridability xc is also questionable. So why did so many people want Smith and Mai Baum on the Olympic team? It’s a genuine question, not a dig.
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I wouldn’t say that either of those things are any more questionable for Mai Baum than they are for any 15 year old horse thar has ever stopped on xc at some point in its UL career-- which is to say this isn’t a particularly unusual prep for an event at this level by US standards.
As far as the Olympics goes there was certainly an argument to be made that Mai Baum had better dressage and sj than the horses selected and a not completely dissimilar xc record. But while I think he’s a lovely and talented horse and Tamie is a great rider, I’m not convinced that they would have scored significantly better.
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To be frank, the US doesn’t have the depth of the UK. Mai Baum is a top horse on the flat and has a fairly good record (but not perfect), but only one 5* run - with a triggered pin. Basically, if he had a good showing, he would have been quite competitive on the world stage. But didn’t have the same extensive and consistent record as some other horses who were ultimately sent to Tokyo.
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None of these things are an issue imo…not at all. MB has proven recently he is the real deal. As we have seen a pin can happen to anyone, including the 2x Olympic champ MJ.
Doesn’t seem like the US posters support anyone except maybe BM and PD.
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I wouldn’t say that MB’s soundness is any more questionable than any other event horse in his skill/career bracket. Many horses at the UL get hurt at some point in their career, their connections are just much quieter about it. TS was incredibly transparent the whole way about MB’s setbacks.
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Do we know what his injury was? I wish more UL riders would be transparent about injuries and what it takes to come back so we all could learn from it. I completely understand why UL riders and owners wouldn’t want the world to know, on the other hand.
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I don’t think being out for 3 years is common for upper level horses at all. I’ve worked for the same people for 4 years, and they have never had an injury (aside from a random farrier issue here and there) in that time to any of their horses, including the multiple 5* and advanced horses. Their prep is pretty different and more thorough than most of what I have seen in America in my experience as a groom.
It would be pretty obvious if a horse disappeared for that length of time whether the rider is transparent or not. I feel like a lot of people forgot on the run to the Olympics that Mai Baum was in the spotlight prior to the 2015 injury. He won Fair Hill 3* (now 4*) that year.
@ThrowawayGreen He strained a tendon at Fair Hill. Here is a quote from Tamie from the Chronicle:
“It’s emotional because it’s been such a long road,” Smith said. “He strained a tendon after Fair Hill, we rehabbed him from that like normal, then he fell in the trailer, then he got a guttural pouch infection and it was just one thing after another. We just took our time; he’s worth it so we were patient and it feels like just yesterday even though it was three years ago. He’s back, he’s strong, he’s 100 percent and feels great.”
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I agree with you 3 years is a long time, but he wasn’t out for 3 years because of his injury at FH. I also think in any other barn he would have been back within 8 months. A tendon strain isn’t really that uncommon, although it tends to be the nebulous catch all phrase any time a high profile horse gets hurt. That or “minor injury”.
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I’m going to argue this point, because I think a lot of us US posters would really like to see someone else besides BM and PD on the championship teams. The problem is that when they each have 2-3 very consistent horses, it’s hard to argue against putting them on a team. With the new Olympic format at least, then you only have one slot for someone else to take. Personally, for this Olympic year, I too would have picked DP or LHS over TS purely because their horses are more consistent and what team USA needed was a team completion. Maybe TS and MB would have gone over and been great, but we’ll never know now. I think WEG next year will be a great opportunity and I really hope the team is made up of a new mix of riders.
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I don’t agre that MB has proved he is the real deal - he seems to have all the ingredients but he does not have a significant result at the highest level yet. KY this year probably would have been a significant result without the pin, but the pin happened. If he does well at Aachen and stays sound, I bet the WEG will be his chance.
Tamie posted on her Insta that MB wasn’t going to run xc at all at Arville “but after we arrived he was feeling like he needed a bit of a release, so we went on a quick run around the first loop and now he is feeling much happier.”
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I agree! Going to be awesome, and hoping the Canadians have some new blood too!
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Tamie posted a video on IGTV…talking about her time in Germany and training. Worth a listen.
I absolutely love Tamie Smith and I say this as a Brit. She has grit, determination and is not afraid to stick herself out there among the best. Her riding gets more impressive year after year and she has walked those hard miles every inch of the way with how she has done it. For me Tamie, is probably one of the best role models out there for grafting and improving. I don’t think she is a natural rider either but has just slogged away. I wish her every success and when she finally gets that dream result, I will raise a toast to her because she deserves it. If anyone asks me about riders to admire she is top of my list along with Ros Canter, Gemma Tattersall, Michael Jung and the Prices.
A lot of the Americans come from super privileged backgrounds like Liz Halliday Sharp, Will Coleman and Doug Payne (growing up in eventing royalty) so to see Tamie make it, is fantastic.
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