John & Peppermill

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Whilst i agree to a point, wasn't it the selectors that chose Ben? If you had asked him 6 months if the horse was ready for the Olympics he would have said no, but the selectors made a bold choice after the horse went to the USA and made the step up. I would also like to hear what the team vets say because they have a big say as to whether a horse is fit to travel or not.

I don't think it is just about the riders young or old, it is about the horses and more importantly about the shows in the UK. A horse will learn far more 2 weeks abroad then they will 6 months in the UK but there are limited places and unfortunatly the fact is there are a lot of 'older' riders with a stable yard of good horses. We dumb down our classes in the UK from young horses upwards and I think the standard has got to be raised to get the horses jumping and so that 'young riders' can prove they are up to the mantle. I know it is a waste of money putting horses in 1.40m GP's at shows but there is nothing else. a GP should be 1.50m and I bet the standard of jumping of both horse and rider will significantly improve.

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I agree in part!!! The UK shows have a lot to answer to, but that goes for the BSJA also. For example, most of the big (bigger) classes are held at the county shows, where there is no guarantee regarding the ground, you take your horse future in your hands if you want to compete in knee deep mud or rock hard concrete, especially with the summers we are having at the moment. It is about time that the BSJA made sure that big competitions are being held in venues that can look after the welfare of our horses, be them top or up and coming.

It was the selectors that chose Ben, and to be honest, that was the only decent choice they have made this millennium. If they had stuck their necks out a few year ago and sent more of the younger riders to Nations Cups and Internationals, then they might have had a bigger pool to choose from.

Lets hope they have learnt their lesson before 2012.
 
Agree with DieselDog, I was a pony club team manager for a few years and after a baptism of fire I went everywhere with a rule book under one arm and notebook in the other at big competitions, the riders are there to ride and the manager is there to manage and do the fact-finding. Thought Derek Ricketts came across as a half-wit in the interview, sounds like John was badly advised all round.

With hindsight and like someone else suggested, he could have cantered gently through the start twice (nice one!) then retired - hardly a dreadful image for the sport, and that bit would have been edited out of the daytime repeats anyway! Too late now...
 
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John, Nick and Tim have been superb ambassadors for their sport, but it is time the selectors chose riders that spent their spare time in the gym rather than the bar!!!!!!!!

They should gracefully roll over and let the next generation of riders fill their shoes, come on its about time!!!!!!!!!!!

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I disagree. We should be sending the best, not the youngest.

I don't think of course that the Whitakers should be chosen regardless of form, or whether they have sound horses or not - however in my personal opinion, John Whitaker is the best rider in the country, and one of the best in the world. I think regardless of age we should always be sending the best team we can.

I'll only reiterate my opinion that despite the bitchiness, I think the selectors have done the best job they can, and in my view, what happened to Peppermill was unlucky - if he had been okay him and John would have been serious contenders.
 
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It was the selectors that chose Ben, and to be honest, that was the only decent choice they have made this millennium.

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So do you think that Tim was a poor choice??
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Out of interest, who do you think we should have sent as a team and reserve?
 
TBH I'm sure the selectors picked what they thought was the best team, why wouldn't they?? Granted things have gone a bit tits up for the Whits, but I don't reckon they would fly there horses out there if they didn't think they were fit.... but maybe I am just nieve.

As for the others, obviously Ben was absolutely fantastic and I think the other two put in a pretty good effort too!!
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It was a difficult course, and they all jumped good rounds IMO.

In hindsight, it's easy to say who should/shouldn't have been picked, but not quite as easy before hand!!
 
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The england team yesterday all looked brilliant imo, relaxed, in control and a credit to our nation.

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Surely you mean the BRITISH team? They are competing under the Union flag NOT the St. George!
 
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Agreed they are representing GBR....but they are all in fact English so no point in being pedantic really
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I apologize for the abruptness of my post, but I am sick of Britain being referred to as England. I have had to send two e-mails of complaint to the BBC because of it. Mike Tucker really got my Mother and I narked on Friday when he said "and a very good afternoon to you in England." Then Steven Hadley was at it pretty much all the time during the team jumping. At one point he said Ben Maher was a bright future star of England. And I could not believe my ears when the interviewer of the men's 100 meter gold winner asked him to say something to the viewers in England. And it isn't always when it is an all English team. James Fisher was appalling during last year's HOYS. He continually made references to the "English" riders when the likes of Douglas Duffin, Graham Gillespie and the Eglinton pony club were there. It all too often slips the minds of those south-of-the-border that England is not the only nation to make up the United Kingdom. I'm not saying that is always the case, but more than not it is. Once again I apologize, but my post was also on behalf of everybody in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
 
' I apologize for the abruptness of my post, but I am sick of Britain being referred to as England. I have had to send two e-mails of complaint to the BBC because of it. Mike Tucker really got my Mother and I narked on Friday when he said "and a very good afternoon to you in England." Then Steven Hadley was at it pretty much all the time during the team jumping. At one point he said Ben Maher was a bright future star of England. And I could not believe my ears when the interviewer of the men's 100 meter gold winner asked him to say something to the viewers in England. And it isn't always when it is an all English team. James Fisher was appalling during last year's HOYS. He continually made references to the "English" riders when the likes of Douglas Duffin, Graham Gillespie and the Eglinton pony club were there. It all too often slips the minds of those south-of-the-border that England is not the only nation to make up the United Kingdom. I'm not saying that is always the case, but more than not it is. Once again I apologize, but my post was also on behalf of everybody in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. '


I think you need to get a life, in an age where there is not much equestrian sport on tv I think it would be more productive to e-mail with thanks rather than complaint. Chris Hoy has constantly been referred to as scottish and I don't think anyone has complained about him being ' British'
 
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' I apologize for the abruptness of my post, but I am sick of Britain being referred to as England. I have had to send two e-mails of complaint to the BBC because of it. Mike Tucker really got my Mother and I narked on Friday when he said "and a very good afternoon to you in England." Then Steven Hadley was at it pretty much all the time during the team jumping. At one point he said Ben Maher was a bright future star of England. And I could not believe my ears when the interviewer of the men's 100 meter gold winner asked him to say something to the viewers in England. And it isn't always when it is an all English team. James Fisher was appalling during last year's HOYS. He continually made references to the "English" riders when the likes of Douglas Duffin, Graham Gillespie and the Eglinton pony club were there. It all too often slips the minds of those south-of-the-border that England is not the only nation to make up the United Kingdom. I'm not saying that is always the case, but more than not it is. Once again I apologize, but my post was also on behalf of everybody in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. '


I think you need to get a life, in an age where there is not much equestrian sport on tv I think it would be more productive to e-mail with thanks rather than complaint. Chris Hoy has constantly been referred to as scottish and I don't think anyone has complained about him being ' British'

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I have a perfectly good life thank you very much. This has been the case for as long as I can remember. The English thinking they are the be all and all of the United Kingdom. As for there not being much equestrianism on television. Well when you combine what is on the BBC, Eurosport, Sky Sports, ESPN and Horse and Country, I think there is rather a lot. What spoils a good proportion of it are riders, commentators etc inability to acknowledge anybody else other than their English viewers. As for Chris Hoy, I would not have any problem with him being called British as he is after all representing Britain.
 
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