Cross Country Thread!

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,343
Visit site
TPO I think that’s a good reflection.
I think the qualification comments will have been exaggerated but the general concept is there/needs thinking about - what should the MER be and how current. Maybe Burghley should have the extra level of qualification that badminton does - it’s not failsafe but it’s a start
 

Clodagh

Well-Known Member
Joined
17 August 2005
Messages
24,936
Location
Devon
Visit site
TPO I think that’s a good reflection.
I think the qualification comments will have been exaggerated but the general concept is there/needs thinking about - what should the MER be and how current. Maybe Burghley should have the extra level of qualification that badminton does - it’s not failsafe but it’s a start

Does it not? That's amazing, I always think it is harder, or at least as hard, the terrain is so attritional.
 

ihatework

Well-Known Member
Joined
7 September 2004
Messages
21,343
Visit site
I wonder if applying that would have made a difference. The one problem is burghley can often be short of entries, while badminton isn't.

I’m not 100% convinced it would make a difference and I’m of the mind that the rule is to try and put a limit on an oversubscribed event rather than for other reasons.

But I don’t think a ‘lack of entries’ is a good reason to accept entries from combinations not ready to attempt the course.

It’s a complex problem, not easy to solve. You only get experience by doing it. There is a level of rider responsibility in a) choosing your first 5* and b) knowing when to call it a day if it’s going wrong.

You learn the most by making mistakes. In this game mistakes can be costly.

I personally think younger rides coming through need far more mentoring from the elite than they get - if the riders have come through the J/YR system they probably have that access, but if they are outside that little circle and are trying to make it on their own it’s bloody tough.
 

Roxylola

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 March 2016
Messages
5,248
Visit site
One thing a lot of the riders who'd gone clear said was something to the effect that while yes it was an intimidating course they figured Capt Phillips knows what he is doing so they put a bit of faith that he'd have made a rideable course and rode at it. A couple of girls went round for the first time, one looked a bit hairy at times but was very much kick on at the fences, and got round ok (clear I think but that may be wrong) another very shortly after her seemed to want to collect for the fences and back off. She had a fall.
Now I'm no expert and never likely to be, but I think cross country courses now are often more technical than they used to be and don't always suit the older fashioned kick on style - I think Capt Phillips was going for something that did both technical questions with a positive riding style.
It's a 5* event though, it should be the pinnacle and ought not be accessible to anyone who wants a go.
Finally, I saw a video of pippa with both horses she took - find it interesting the one she scratched to aim at Blenheim looked a big leggy type compared with the one she took round
 

Jeni the dragon

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 August 2019
Messages
2,496
Visit site
Absolutely agree IHW. It's hard knowing if people are ready until they are put in that situation. In the past Burghley has been less difficult, and with entries having been in months before, it's hard knowing what to do. It would feel awful to withdraw having seen the xc.
I think it was Tim Price who had said he trusted CMP and went out and rode it that way. He was a very good path finder.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TPO

Fellewell

Well-Known Member
Joined
5 June 2010
Messages
829
Visit site
Capt Phillips certainly owes Piggy French a debt of gratitude for being the only rider able to complete his course in the time. A slightly incapacitated Oliver Townend still managed to make light work of it, I was disappointed for Tim Price but he must be very proud of Bango. It was just another day at the office for Pippa Funnell, lovely to see that if the hunger is still there, age is no barrier.
I watched the course walk with Bryony Frost and she raised a couple of concerns regarding his questions which he seemed to dismiss as it not being her discipline. Regardless of discipline I think she knew pretty well how the course would run. Thank heavens for air jackets and frangible pins: but are these safety features allowing course designers to take unnecessary risks?
 

Orangehorse

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 November 2005
Messages
13,200
Visit site
It was heartening that Bango was first out and got round well. Remember that at Badminton everyone is there to stake their claim to getting a team place and in recent years that has included the German, French and Irish too. After the Europeans not all the international riders have another top horse waiting in the wings.

I am so glad that there were frangible pins, they absorb much of the energy of a fall and I hope that it isn't the case that they allow course designers to take risks.
 

ester

Not slacking multitasking
Joined
31 December 2008
Messages
60,191
Location
Cambridge
Visit site
Side on view of fence 10A, the first jump (for the short route) at the Trout Hatchery. It has collapsible pins and clips for both the front and the back elements (not sure of their technical names, but it was a different arrangement for the front and the back rails).

View attachment 36453

Horses seemed to balloon over it, and a number landed short and collapsed the rear rail. The fence repair team was very busy. However, the good combinations made it all seem very easy. The landing was on falling ground and the horse will likely have suddenly spotted the water beyond in mid air, although the landing itself was on dry ground.

MIM clip in front Frangible pin behind.
The mim clips are relatively new (think released early 2018) in comparison and I tihink they are still working on the best settings on different fences. There were mims on the white gates that worked when they shouldn't have done and didn't when they were needed. CMP said he had loosened them on expert advised a couple of days before but it looks like they should have been even looser.

It is definitely a bit of a balancing act, it's quite odd to see so many riders looking behind them XC when leaving a fence to see if they have picked up 11 penalties and then retiring to re-route the horse elsewhere instead of continue. So I do think they have likely increased the number of retirements beyond those who needed to retire on safety grounds.
 

splashgirl45

Lurcher lover
Joined
6 March 2010
Messages
15,043
Location
suffolk
Visit site
i didnt mean that fence judges should have pulled anyone up but the whole thing is being recorded and the ground jury should be ,monitoring (as i was from my sofa) and could contact one of the fence judges and tell them to stop a rider. some of the riding was awful and you could see they were out of their depth, perhaps the first timers and newer people to that level should have a pep talk before the event and be told that if they look like they are taking too many risks they have a chance of being pulled up so they need to ride with that in mind and take slightly longer routes ...yes the riders blood is up but some of those who crashed through fences should still be mindful of their horse's welfare. this years burghley doesnt give a good impression of eventing IMO.....we have enough trouble with non horse people saying riding them is considered cruel , they dont need any more ammunition....
 

oldie48

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 April 2013
Messages
7,027
Location
South Worcestershire
Visit site
i didnt mean that fence judges should have pulled anyone up but the whole thing is being recorded and the ground jury should be ,monitoring (as i was from my sofa) and could contact one of the fence judges and tell them to stop a rider. some of the riding was awful and you could see they were out of their depth, perhaps the first timers and newer people to that level should have a pep talk before the event and be told that if they look like they are taking too many risks they have a chance of being pulled up so they need to ride with that in mind and take slightly longer routes ...yes the riders blood is up but some of those who crashed through fences should still be mindful of their horse's welfare. this years burghley doesnt give a good impression of eventing IMO.....we have enough trouble with non horse people saying riding them is considered cruel , they dont need any more ammunition....
TBF I didn't see the first half so perhaps missed some of the riders who were out of their depth, but looking at the first timers record, I think 14 got round, albeit with penalties and 10 didn't (one had that freak acident with the martingale) and of those who didn't get round, some chose to retire or were eliminated but were not fallers. It's tricky isn't it? I think 5 star events should be that ie a proper test for the best rider and horse combinations and the XC course is IMHO absolutely key to that or we end up with a dressage or a SJ competition.
 

PapaverFollis

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 November 2012
Messages
9,544
Visit site
I think it was on the whole a good test. I think there were a fair few riders who should have been taking the longer options and didn't. I'm not sure the huge, gappy oxers were all entirely necessary though.

I didn't think that lass actually could be said to have jumped the second egg box. Lol. I was slightly amazed that they decided she had!

I was mistakenly under the impression that if you broke a fence you were out anyway. I got really confused when they were smashing fences then carrying on.

I'm never doing cross country.
 

Tiddlypom

Carries on creakily
Joined
17 July 2013
Messages
22,230
Location
In between the Midlands and the North
Visit site

Mule

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 October 2016
Messages
7,655
Visit site
I think it was on the whole a good test. I think there were a fair few riders who should have been taking the longer options and didn't. I'm not sure the huge, gappy oxers were all entirely necessary though.

I didn't think that lass actually could be said to have jumped the second egg box. Lol. I was slightly amazed that they decided she had!

I was mistakenly under the impression that if you broke a fence you were out anyway. I got really confused when they were smashing fences then carrying on.

I'm never doing cross country.
They really should have to retire after breaking a fence. It's not sj after all.
 

SpottyMare

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 December 2013
Messages
441
Visit site
I think that all this "thrills and spills" stuff is such bad taste. Even more so since their main picture was carded for dangerous riding

I agree with you. He was horrible to watch. There were quite a few that looked as if they should have pulled up much earlier than their eventual retirement/falling off, but another one who annoyed me was the woman who walloped her horse after she'd presented it badly at the gates..unnecessary as it was her mistake.
 

TPO

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 November 2008
Messages
9,414
Location
Kinross
Visit site
I agree with you. He was horrible to watch. There were quite a few that looked as if they should have pulled up much earlier than their eventual retirement/falling off, but another one who annoyed me was the woman who walloped her horse after she'd presented it badly at the gates..unnecessary as it was her mistake.

Julia Norman I think, couldn't have told you the fence but her name stuck after some unnecessary (IMO) whipping after the horse was so genuine and bailed her out
 

DabDab

Ah mud, splendid
Joined
6 May 2013
Messages
12,572
Visit site
I was also seriously relieved when that David fellow retired. His horse was very genuine but he was completely out of control. He also has the strangest jumping style I think I've ever seen - I couldn't take my eyes off his feet flying forwards onto the horse's shoulders over every fence.
 
Top