Anyone want a thread for the Olympic dressage live?

What always amazed me about dressage at that level is how much they can get into the arena and the use of the arena. I am really trying to work on my using corners properly to give me time to prepare (only at elementary, eeking into medium so not really qualified to speak but that is one of my take aways).
 
That Guardian columnist is at it again. Nasty little weasel.

"Bronze for GB in the team dressage. Dujardin cracked on the final leg. Questions will now be asked about the late switch of horse. But these are the stakes at this level."
 
Kat said:
That Guardian columnist is at it again. Nasty little weasel.

"Bronze for GB in the team dressage. Dujardin cracked on the final leg. Questions will now be asked about the late switch of horse. But these are the stakes at this level."
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I feel a complaint is owed…. What a nasty way to talk about an excellent result, and one that suggests someone who has never sat on a horse before.
 
humblepie said:
What always amazed me about dressage at that level is how much they can get into the arena and the use of the arena. I am really trying to work on my using corners properly to give me time to prepare (only at elementary, eeking into medium so not really qualified to speak but that is one of my take aways).
Click to expand...

I always think that, the arena looks massive when they are in it. Then I go and ride a novice test in the same size arena the moves all come up so fast! ?
 
Gutted they switched from the them on the live stream. We are so lucky to have such brilliant GB riders and such wonderful ambassadors for the sport.

Briefly going back to the last German combination, the legs on that horse were extraordinary. I thought Pumpkin's half passes were good - really controlled, nice crossover and overall correct (to my non-expert eye) but then that last mare's legs seem to have another 2 feet length on them, and the flick she gets on the half pass! I also thought she looked impressively free in the shoulders and base of neck. My heart will always belong to a Pumpkin style horse but she was brilliant to watch.

Sorry, hope at least some of that made sense.
 
humblepie said:
What always amazed me about dressage at that level is how much they can get into the arena and the use of the arena. I am really trying to work on my using corners properly to give me time to prepare (only at elementary, eeking into medium so not really qualified to speak but that is one of my take aways).
Click to expand...
yeah, getting an extra step into the corners is valuable preparation time! :eek:

Kat said:
That Guardian columnist is at it again. Nasty little weasel.

"Bronze for GB in the team dressage. Dujardin cracked on the final leg. Questions will now be asked about the late switch of horse. But these are the stakes at this level."
Click to expand...

ahh he can get in the bin. glad to hear there are other more positive voices :)
 
NinjaPony said:
I feel a complaint is owed…. What a nasty way to talk about an excellent result, and one that suggests someone who has never sat on a horse before.
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Looking at his Twitter feed, he's a generic sports columnist not (very obviously not!) an equestrian sport specialist. There's no point complaining, the Guardian always either ignores or disparages equestrian sports. I do read the paper for their other news but nothing to do with horses!!
 
humblepie said:
What always amazed me about dressage at that level is how much they can get into the arena and the use of the arena. I am really trying to work on my using corners properly to give me time to prepare (only at elementary, eeking into medium so not really qualified to speak but that is one of my take aways).
Click to expand...

As part of that, I noticed how much closer they ride to the boards than you see in lower level tests. Just have a look at riders next time you're at a competition, there's often 1 metre or more between the track and the boards!
 
Kat said:
That Guardian columnist is at it again. Nasty little weasel.

"Bronze for GB in the team dressage. Dujardin cracked on the final leg. Questions will now be asked about the late switch of horse. But these are the stakes at this level."
Click to expand...

"Cuse my French but f****r. He or she is an idiot who knows nothing about dressage.
 
I’m so proud of our team. I couldn’t care less that we got bronze and not silver, we have a team of true horsemen who are kind and sympathetic in their training and produce happy, athletic horses who seem to enjoy their job. They don’t have to ride them heavily, ugly, kick or pull them to get the moves... they ride with such elegance and poise and it is clear to me that the number one thing to all of them is the horse underneath them, not the medal.
It’s a proud day to a be a British equestrian.
 
scats said:
I’m so proud of our team. I couldn’t care less that we got bronze and not silver, we have a team of true horsemen who are kind and sympathetic in their training and produce happy, athletic horses who seem to enjoy their job. They don’t have to ride them heavily, ugly, kick or pull them to get the moves... they ride with such elegance and poise and it is clear to me that the number one thing to all of them is the horse underneath them, not the medal.
It’s a proud day to a be a British equestrian.
Click to expand...

Agree 100%
 
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