[QUOTE=TheHorseProblem;4269789]
Watch them where? That would be interesting to see.[/QUOTE]
here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My_gRwgErt4
altho before i am slaughtered, it is an intermediarre freestyle . not I1
[QUOTE=2ndyrgal;4269036]
Until he started to trot. I thought when I saw the piaffe and passage he’d have a BIG trot.
The more you go up, the less you go forward. Very free through the shoulder, but not my taste. I am not an ULR, I don’t own a BDH (big deal horse). I do know what correct is, I know what classically trained looks like and, more importantly, I know what I like. I didn’t like that. I like Ravel, I loved Brentina, Salerno (sp) a very gifted horse with a very gifted rider. This pair, ok flashy, expressive, but not somehow, natural. Sort of like seeing a very pretty girl with a set of really nice hooters, but you can tell they’re fakes. Very good fakes, but fakes none the less. Entertaining, but I think there is a reason that others took a pass on this horse. He’s talented, but there’s a difference between jazz and ballet.[/QUOTE]
Excellent post, especially the bolded part, lol. I’m not an ULR either, but he looks so mechanical and forced in his movements to me.
Well, I don’t much like him either. Why don’t so many of these top horses track up? Collected trot is not supposed to be a foot out of the tracks, mere inches or actually tracking up is correct.
Most of the time when I’m looking at the tests of these top horses I can’t even tell what the hell the horse is doing.
And before any wiseasses come roaring on here to call me stupid or ignorant, just save it.
People are allowed to have differing opinions.
(yes, the heat is getting to me)
[QUOTE=mbm;4270018]
here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My_gRwgErt4[/QUOTE]Good one!
I like his I-1 or I-2 trot better than his GP spider-trot. Now, that it’s clear that his trot is manufactured, that isn’t not just the way that he trots when he is turned out - I wonder even more why he was schooled and trained to have this spider-like artificial looking trot? Or can it be a side-effect of the P&P training? His P-tour is fantastic!
I also love his dark and dramatic music - when you can hear it clear it has many interesting nuances. And I love the bells as well! I do play violin and piano, and my mother played a piano in the E-European orchestra and later become a piano teacher. But what do I know… as I’ve been told recently on COTH, I’m just an immigrant and can’t possibly know much…
sheesh DA - get with the times!!! the crowds LOVE those high flying spider legs… who cares how it was brought about… as long as it sells tickets!
[QUOTE=mbm;4270018]
here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My_gRwgErt4
altho before i am slaughtered, it is an intermediarre freestyle . not I1[/QUOTE]
WOW - how can anyone look at that video and compare it to Totilas now and NOT see what we “dissenters” are talking about? Thanks for posting this, mbm. 
I think the above video shows a truly spectacular horse - very elastic and very free in the shoulder. That natural trot has now been grossly over-manipulated through training and is a parody of dressage IMO.
AND, for the record, I don’t think ANYONE is saying this horse is total crap or not good, etc. Some of us just have issues with SOME things about this horse.
I think EG should use the score to Spiderman for his freestyle next year. :winkgrin:
[QUOTE=Dressage Art;4270524]
But what do I know… as I’ve been told recently on COTH, I’m just an immigrant and can’t possibly know much…[/QUOTE]
:eek: What?
Everyone knows serious riders are more tan than the wenches sitting in the indoor watching their trainers ride. :winkgrin:
mbm, you’re not the only one who saw the video ans was reminded of the big lick TWH. That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I saw his trot as well.
I am not fond of this style of movement either. To me it does look artificial, and it looks like an invitation for injury.
Well, I don’t think that video proves his trot is manufactured. He has all the makings in that video of his current trot. With the increased collection and the additional P&P training that somebody else mentioned, many horses show an increase in action (the added strength in the hind end allows for more self carriage and more expression in his front end and throughout). I don’t consider it a bad thing, just a step in his training. He’s 9. Perhaps as his training continues, he will find a slightly different mix of his current action and his former fluidity and keep both groups happy.
I also found in that earlier video that he looks less balanced overall (especially noticeable in the trot lengthenings). Now he looks much stronger in his hind end and more able to carry himself. He’s more even and steadier in the bridle in newer performances. I think with his advanced training, his hind end has strengthened which, as a side effect, has freed up his front end to do more than it was before. I think his current extensions could maybe be a bit more extended through his entire body (he sometimes looks cramped except for his legs), but they look much stronger now (and more balanced) than they did in that earlier video.
Both performances are proof of a fantastic animal = )
I find it interesteing people say “they like the music”, but don’t say “and the horse dances with it” There is a difference. That’s a problem with many freestyles - selecting music the rider likes vs. selecting music the horse “dances” with. I don’t see this horse “dancing” with the music.
[QUOTE=GreekDressageQueen;4270609]
:eek: What? Everyone knows serious riders are more tan than the wenches sitting in the indoor watching their trainers ride. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
:lol: good one, thanks!
[QUOTE=Hampton Bay;4270705]
mbm, you’re not the only one who saw the video ans was reminded of the big lick TWH. That’s the first thing that came to my mind when I saw his trot as well.
I am not fond of this style of movement either. To me it does look artificial, and it looks like an invitation for injury.[/QUOTE]
Translation please.
[QUOTE=TheHorseProblem;4270842]
Translation please.[/QUOTE]
Tennessee walking horse.
[QUOTE=TheHorseProblem;4270842]
Translation please.[/QUOTE]link from the “other” board http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WssjJVnkAO8 (FF past the ad for the puppies. ?? )
[QUOTE=ridgeback;4270877]
Tennessee walking horse.[/QUOTE]
It’s the “big lick” I don’t get. Does that refer to the ones that are trained with weighted shoes to pull their knees up to their noses?
Normally, I’d look “big lick” up in the Urban Dictionary, but…I’m afraid!
Ah “park” horses, a slightly better comparison than the big lick walkers I think (especially since they trot…) Though you’ll notice that a lot of those park horses are a bit hitchy looking behind. Travelling balanced behind with the motion Totilas has requires a very strong hind end. As his training has progressed, his hind end strength freed up his front end. He’s predisposed to looking “spidery” as some people call it. It’s in his makeup, which is why I don’t think it looks so artificial like some others do. However, I was raised riding saddle seat, soooo my eyes are more accustomed to (and okay with) that kind of action and how it evolves with training, haha.
I think you could put him in most Arabian park classes and probably be WAY up in the ribbons because he’s so balanced. Minus the low tail set and lack of dished head, of course = )
[QUOTE=TheHorseProblem;4270905]
If you just Google 'big lick tennessee" this is where you end up:
Hahaha, yeah, Googling “big lick” without following it up with “horse” or “Tennessee Walker” can create some rather unsavory search results…
Thanks, meup. Eye-opening, to say the least! I guess there’s a lot worse than rollkur out there.
