The jumpers do a variation on that theme, there’s always a delicate dance to get the first day of two (before the final team/ind cut) of show jumping hard enough to weed out those that are not really ready for a world ch. level course while not actually killing them. (Unlike world cup and the world championships, where they will happily try to kill you on day one.).
I’m sure every Olympic discipline struggles with that theme, although I wonder how many of them have to calibrate lower all the way to the podium like eventing?
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Very true! I guess with eventing, cross-country is very much its own, unique thing, and it’s not really possible to weed out during the competition. Plus, the weather (since it’s outdoors) can add an additional wrench into the proceedings, not matter how hard competitors try to acclimate. Tokyo was fiendishly hot and humid…and “back in the day” the types of conditions in the Mexican Olympics were so bad, thankfully the competition wouldn’t have been allowed to continue.
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I’m happy to report that just yesterday I wore rust breeches at a horse show. And just because I was feeling contrary I also pulled out my pale blue shirt with a real collar (with buttons!) and wore it with my brown coat (dry clean only!) that has a delicious subtle windowpane pattern in that same blue. It was heavenly. My horse sported a half pad, which is what both she and I prefer, and I’m pretty sure there were kids at the show who had never seen any of that at a horse show before.
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Bravo!!! 
And your tan gloves sell it!
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I forgot about the real crochet string gloves in tan! Yes! Street cred!
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Love it, @2bayboys. You look smashing and your horse’s coat is gorgeous. How did you do at the show?
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Thank you, she was perfect! First show back for her in two years and she just weaned a foal eight weeks ago, so we did a couple little jump divisions and she was champion and reserve
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Plus from that one picture, it looks like your horse has a beautiful canter! 
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Is she all, “Thank GOD that kid is on solid food!”?
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Be still my heart, are you wearing crochet gloves?
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I am!!!
and @ZuzusPetals I’m pretty sure she’s thrilled to be back doing easy stuff like cantering little jumps instead of feeding and tending a monster 24/7 
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Just once in my life, I want a pic with rust breeches, brown coat & boots, crochet gloves & faded hunt cap. Le sigh…
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I covet brown boots. Sinfully.
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Me, too.
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Right? They’re the most comfortable gloves on the planet. They feel like home to me. And I went to FOUR tack shops in two days and not one had them. It was all performance this, performance that. No performance! Want old!
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I have two pairs, my Dehners from 1971 (heavy and thick, down to the Vibram soles), and a later pair, last repaired in 1976 and soft and comfortable as butter. For a while it was kind of shady to wear black boots.
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@2bayboys, I wonder whether riders would be penalized for brown boots. Fifty years ago (more or less) they were the only color for women, as I understood it. Does anyone wear brown on the hunt field or anywhere else? Do the boot makers even offer brown?
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Very en vogue in dressage (as well as crocodile, patents, etc).
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You look fabulous!!!
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Brown boots with black tack?
Crocodile and patents --> I really have been away for a long time.
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