TOTO 91.80 - ORANJE BOVEN!!!

[QUOTE=ridgeback;5133227]
I agree 100% with Robert… Imke was robbed.[/QUOTE]

ridgeback, since you seem to so enjoy insulting other people, I figure you can take your own medicine, too: I think you need to get your eyes checked. That mare’s hocks were so far out behind her in some of the movements that if they were any further back, she could have surfed around on her belly. She was also incredibly tense, and I did not enjoy watching her test at all. I thought her placement was too high, frankly. And Totilas had a correct-looking test, but all I kept thinking as his music played was “funeral march”. To each his own.

And, I don’t really understand where you get off telling people on the Fuego thread that maybe some are just uneducated when you yourself say here that your discipline has always been H/J. Yet somehow you know everything about GP dressage.

Maybe you can just work on understanding the idea that different people have different opinions. Your posts always seem to introduce rancor into fairly civilized threads.

[QUOTE=ZiggyStardust;5133495]
ridgeback, since you seem to so enjoy insulting other people, I figure you can take your own medicine, too: I think you need to get your eyes checked. That mare’s hocks were so far out behind her in some of the movements that if they were any further back, she could have surfed around on her belly. She was also incredibly tense, and I did not enjoy watching her test at all. I thought her placement was too high, frankly. And Totilas had a correct-looking test, but all I kept thinking as his music played was “funeral march”. To each his own.

And, I don’t really understand where you get off telling people on the Fuego thread that maybe some are just uneducated when you yourself say here that your discipline has always been H/J. Yet somehow you know everything about GP dressage.

Maybe you can just work on understanding the idea that different people have different opinions. Your posts always seem to introduce rancor into fairly civilized threads.[/QUOTE]

No problem Ziggy but if you think that thread is civilized you are CRAZY ;)… Um because my background is jumpers does not mean I don’t understand dressage granted I might not see every nuance(usually due to my attention span) but I see enough to know what is correct dressage and when one test is better than the other. So I said Imke was robbed perhaps that was to harsh I can admit that:winkgrin:

On the Fuego thread people were accusing the judges of already having the placings before they rode etc etc and yet my one liner got you all worked up:confused: If you disagreed with me about the Imke and Steffan ride I can understand that but if people believe the spanish horse should have beat Toto and Laura’s horse that just shows me you might not have a very educated eye. Of course people are entitled to their opinions even if they are wrong(in this case)… Just FYI every judge agreed with me as well as many more experienced dressage people. I don’t usually do fluff mostly because I don’t have time so I tend to just write what I’m thinking without sugar coating it so I apolgize if they came across with rancor(sometimes I think WHAT are they talking about) but usually I don’t mean it to be…but fair enough.

P.S. I didn’t think the mare was tense at least from my vantage point at least no more than Ravel and the spanish horse, I think the electricity in the stadium had all the horses ramped up.

PPS. When I use the word YOU it is not directed to you personally.

[QUOTE=ridgeback;5133516]

PPS. When I use the word YOU it is not directed to you personally.[/QUOTE]

No worries, that’s how I read it.

As far as griping about the judging, I think that comes with the territory in a sport with subjectivity involved in the scoring. I think judges, refs, etc. in sports with judging and frequent penalty calls (like football - both kinds, etc.) have to expect that others will disagree. Not typically my preference to shout my opinions on judge’s decisions from the rooftops, but it’s the attacking of other posters that brings down the discussion.

[QUOTE=mistyjewell;5133414]
Zipping my flame suit on…

I think Toto is a very flashy horse. There were some points where I thought his front legs were going to hit his nose! Obvisouly very free with his shoulder, and a very well trained horse. His 1s and 2s were flawless, and I loved his pirouttes. But I just don’t love him. His test (the freestyle) had very obvious mistakes. I also agree where someone said his hocks look stiff. But to me, it looks more like his hind end just doesn’t match his front end, which I know is hard b/c his front end is so flashy… but that’s just it. I think he’s flashy and I think everyone is in awe of it. But I don’t think it makes him the most amazing horse ever. I don’t know how I feel about him having so much action up front makes his test a 91% I don’t know, maybe it’s my instinct to not love something just because everyone else does (I kinda resist it, such as Harry Potter and Twilight, lol) but I really feel like there’s a lot of show to him that they score him on, not always the actual accuracy of the test, which is the real pont of dressage.

Not saying he didn’t deserve to win, I didn’t see the other tests, but test with a score in the 90s should be perfect, with no mistakes, or very minor ones, not the mistakes he had.

Also not trying to say he’s not a fantastic horse, or Edward Gal not a fantastic rider. Just that some people may not think of him as their favorite out there.[/QUOTE]

That’s why it was 91.8%, because it was not perfect. Otherwise it would have been 100%

So Kyra and Robert have no idea what they are talking about, right?? Please be sure to enlighten them the next time you see them. Maybe it is the white color that gives Fuego extra points with fans. I certainly thought the ride was spectacular, but not deserving of first place just as Aktion and Matinee are crowd pleasers, but not necessarily technically superior. I wish more would focus on the transitions between gaits, the elasticity of the half passes, the invisibility of rider correction and aids. Considering even the biggest local shows most horse can’t even pick up their hind legs enough to not leave toe trails in the sand… Let’s talk about the real drama. Where was Anky?? Not even at her husband’s nor teammates sides during even the FS. Maybe she is mad Sjef won’t put his hair under a cowboy hat or she has left him for her reining trainer!!!

Funny, Kyra has been known to showboat during her freestyle routines too (like the one-handed passage) Oh, that’s right… think Isabel has too.

[QUOTE=ridgeback;5133268]
NO way 2nd Laura’s horse was amazing. I can see how some thought Steffan [sic] should have taken the bronze but for me Imke had a flawless test.[/QUOTE]

LOL, ridgeback, I actually agree. It’s funny you are getting all the flack for the comment about Imke though you are not the only one who feels she was robbed :lol: I was indulging in a little hyperbole because (1) I love mares and that mare in particular, and (2) I thought we needed a little antidote from all the silliness about the Spanish horse :winkgrin: (though he was very nice and placed correctly)

I thought all of the top horses were extraordinary

I was there. Great seats on the side, but from that perspective obviously could not judge straightness or the cross-over in half-pass, etc. That being said, in my opinion, I would say that the order was correct, but…

…Toto’s freestyle score was too high. No one has mentioned technical difficulty, and really several rides (Steffen’s for example) were MUCH more technically difficult. A few mistakes too beyond the break from trot to canter.
…Sunrise’s hocks were way out behind her. Love the mare, but it looked like she was short in the neck which appeared to push her hocks out behind.
…Fuego had me on my feet. Completely entertaining and enthralling, but appeared a bit hectic and sometimes like his front and hind ends were marching to different drummers. But what a treat to watch. Loved it.
…Ravel and Steffen – such a partnership and the difficulty of his test. I just can’t imagine how he and Ravel pulled off the transitions between those difficult movements over and over. Incredible. Laura B. and MH…correct and enjoyable. MH was one of my favorite horses.

No test was perfect by any means. So many wonderful horses. Also liked Donnperignon ridden by Christoph Koschel and Dablino (only 10 years old!) ridden by Anabel Balkenhol. Pop Art and Ashley Holzer – fun and obviously a partnership. Thought she was underscored (but again, perhaps from my side perspective, I couldn’t see some things.) Was disappointed in Isabell Werth and Warum Nicht – just seems too curled up and broken at the third vertebrae.

All in all, I feel so lucky to have had such great seats and been able to attend WEG. My VISA card nearly melted from the great shopping.

I keep thinking I’ve seen Debbie McDonald do a one-handed pass down centerline…but maybe it was during an exhibition, not competition.

[QUOTE=horsepoor;5136130]
I keep thinking I’ve seen Debbie McDonald do a one-handed pass down centerline…but maybe it was during an exhibition, not competition.[/QUOTE]

I’m pretty sure it was the finale of the “Motown” kur. It’s hardly a new trick, though never done with a swinging arm (and for the record, I didn’t like the excessive arm gestures and thought they disturbed the one tempis.)

Sue

[QUOTE=Touchstone Farm;5136075]
I was there. Great seats on the side, but from that perspective obviously could not judge straightness or the cross-over in half-pass, etc. That being said, in my opinion, I would say that the order was correct, but…

…Toto’s freestyle score was too high. No one has mentioned technical difficulty, and really several rides (Steffen’s for example) were MUCH more technically difficult. A few mistakes too beyond the break from trot to canter.
…Sunrise’s hocks were way out behind her. Love the mare, but it looked like she was short in the neck which appeared to push her hocks out behind.
…Fuego had me on my feet. Completely entertaining and enthralling, but appeared a bit hectic and sometimes like his front and hind ends were marching to different drummers. But what a treat to watch. Loved it.
…Ravel and Steffen – such a partnership and the difficulty of his test. I just can’t imagine how he and Ravel pulled off the transitions between those difficult movements over and over. Incredible. Laura B. and MH…correct and enjoyable. MH was one of my favorite horses.

No test was perfect by any means. So many wonderful horses. Also liked Donnperignon ridden by Christoph Koschel and Dablino (only 10 years old!) ridden by Anabel Balkenhol. Pop Art and Ashley Holzer – fun and obviously a partnership. Thought she was underscored (but again, perhaps from my side perspective, I couldn’t see some things.) Was disappointed in Isabell Werth and Warum Nicht – just seems too curled up and broken at the third vertebrae.

All in all, I feel so lucky to have had such great seats and been able to attend WEG. My VISA card nearly melted from the great shopping. :-)[/QUOTE]

Disagree on Imke she was great and should have taken the bronze.
Even Steffen doesn’t disagree with that.
http://www.topdressage.tv/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1930

Steffen is very gracious and exhibits good sportsmanship.

These riders see each other at these venues, they know each other, meet and greet each other in the barn aisles, as do the grooms, etc., so I’m sure the majority of them are happy for each other’s success and sympathetic with things don’t go well. They all know things can go their way at one competition and not their way at another. Things happen for better or worse: rider or horse nerves, a distraction, the order of go, riding into and squinting into the sunset such as the first freestyle rider at WEG (Ellen Birgitte Farbrot from Norway on CC Royal). it doesn’t mean that the results are “wrong” and it doesn’t mean because someone supports and says positive things about another that he or she believes the results are “wrong.” It’s just nice to see how supportive the competitors are of each other. (I experienced that myself at the Young Horse Championships and it meant a lot!)