USEF Medal Final Live Stream, Sunday, 10/17 @ 7:00AM

[Renn_aissance]

I appreciated the explanation of why the jumps are numbered this year, texted to Diane from the equitation committee: It was decided that it was more inclusive, and makes the test about riding the questions asked, not memorizing fences. Put in that light I like the change, and that demonstrated an advantage of having someone like Diane in the commentator’s booth. However, I might suggest that if that is the intent, the numbers are too small and may lack appropriate color contrast to really be useful for that purpose, so I’d file this under “good start, can keep improving.” There’s a compromise between “not distracting” and “not legible.”

ETA jinx, I owe some of you a coffee

[Amy3996]

I do not care about Geoff Teal’s book (or the autographed copy he has), nor do I plan to buy it despite his plug for it on Amazon.

Good grief.

[MHM]

@Renn_aissance

However, I might suggest that if that is the intent, the numbers are too small and may lack appropriate color contrast to really be useful for that purpose, so I’d file this under “good start, can keep improving.” There’s a compromise between “not distracting” and “not legible.”

Honestly, for the kids who are competitive enough to get called back to test at this level, they probably have had enough practice to know the course. Adding the numbers is a nice touch, but I would say it’s more so that the kids can confirm what they already know with a glance, just in case they are swamped by nerves or adrenaline in the moment.

There have been a handful of occasions over the years when somebody went off course in the test at the final, which is a pretty big heartbreaker in that situation.

[Amy3996]

Are my eyes deceiving me or is Portya Muenke’s saddle pad in fact white?

[Renn_aissance]

@MHM

Adding the numbers is a nice touch, but I would say it’s more so that the kids can confirm what they already know with a glance, just in case they are swamped by nerves or adrenaline in the moment.

I wonder if anyone on this board who has one of the conditions that makes this kind of memorization difficult feels like they want to chime in on this. It’s not my form of dyslexia, for example, but I grew up riding with a couple of riders who could get a course off of a chart but had real trouble relating numbers to jumps without the visual reference. Again, at this level I suspect anyone in this ring who has that trouble has worked out a management plan, but if you’re gonna put labels on the jumps for a purpose I think they might as well be designed to be useful for that purpose and putting them down at the bottom of the standard in dark green at 6” high doesn’t quite do it for me.

But I’m not a UX designer, I just hang out with them a lot.

Off to the gym with me.

[MHM]

For those who missed it, I thought it was an interesting comment from TJ O’Mara that he won this class on his fifth attempt, in 2016. His older sister Meg had won it in 2012. Imagine the amount of family support it takes for one kid in the family to win an equitation final, never mind two siblings!

And now their dad Tom O’Mara is the new president of USEF this year. He is the one who does the town halls and webinars on USEF governance matters.

[Amy3996]

Also interesting to note that TJ won in 2016 on Kaskade, the same horse Mimi Gochman will show later today.

I think they compete her more selectively now but I always like to see the longevity at the top level.

[MHM]

Here is the list of past ribbon winners at the equitation finals, along with the names of most of the horses in the last couple of decades. It is a pretty darn interesting list. Especially to see how many of the horses keep coming back and getting ribbons at the finals with different riders.

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[initiate1987]

Ugh another big beautiful chestnut in Konfessions Bonus points that he’s a liver too, not to mention how soft and beautiful the ride was. I hope they at least make the preliminary standby!

[Sing_Mia_Song]

Possibly my favorite horse of all time, Class Action is on that list as having ribboned in the finals an astonishing 21 times with 8 different riders.

[Amy3996]

Standby after 50 rides:
Sofia Cady
Audrey Schulze
Dominic Gibbs
Alyssa Brandt
Celia Cram
Portya Muenke
Brooke Brombach
Brooke Morin.
Caroline Signorino.
Julia Nickl.
Jake Endicott
Aristea Santoro
Reilly Gogul

[initiate1987]

Yes!!! My favorite pony is on top of the standings!

[MHM]

@Sing_Mia_Song

Possibly my favorite horse of all time, Class Action is on that list as having ribboned in the finals an astonishing 21 times with 8 different riders.

Wow! That is pretty darn crazy!!

[majanick]

Who is riding Class Action? He is my favorite too!

[Amy3996]

Class Action was retired after last season. There’s a horse named Class Act in the class today.

[Amy3996]

Diane just suggested that the USEF rule book specifies a “preference for Stubben irons”. Someone fact check me if I’m wrong, but I’m fairly certain that rule book is not calling for a specific brand of stirrups.

[initiate1987]

Yeah, I heard that too. I was like “Uhhhhh…” Does she mean silver?

[Amy3996]

I assume so? She did continue on to say that riders won’t be dinged for black irons. Her random “text message tangents” are getting on my nerves.

[initiate1987]

I don’t mind that she’s answering people’s questions, but she needs to actually answer them correctly/without slang so the rest of us understand.

[MHM]

@Amy3996

Class Action was retired after last season.

I hope he is enjoying a fantastic retirement in a giant field full of grass. They should probably plant his own private carrot patch for him in the corner of his field based on that competitive record!