Scarlett
Well-Known Member
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-02-19/great-steeplechaser-kauto-star-turns-to-dressage/
Doesn't he look fantastic? Love it.
Doesn't he look fantastic? Love it.
Kauto on the ITV News last night.
- Thread starter Scarlett
- Start date
HumBugsey
Well-Known Member
Looks fab but I really do wish they'd stop talking about him like he's going to Rio or even nationals. He's doing a bit of schooling to keep his mind and body active....... good on him and his connections but he's not going to be setting the dressage world alight!
Scarlett
Well-Known Member
I agree, though I think a bit of that is them trying to make it interesting to the public.
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
He looks OK, but flat mentally. I agreed wholeheartedly with him leaving Ditcheat but I would much rather have seen him go to a hunting home than to reschool at low level dressage. I suspect most racing fans will be quite upset about that broadcast. A spirited world class racer appears to have lost all his presence to the submission required to work in a dressage outline (and actually he's overbent). I'm not happy with that, sorry
Scarlett
Well-Known Member
Yes, he's over bent, but horses don't become suddenly perfectly schooled overnight and with his history and his length of time being reschooled I think he looks straight and accepting. The rest will follow.
A hunting home would have been great but he is where he is and he's doing what he's doing. According to what I've seen and heard his life is varied - jumping, hacking etc - and the level of care he recieves is second to none. I think he looks relaxed in the video, but my relaxed might be another persons flat.
Regardless of where he is it's great to see something like this make the main news program IMO.
A hunting home would have been great but he is where he is and he's doing what he's doing. According to what I've seen and heard his life is varied - jumping, hacking etc - and the level of care he recieves is second to none. I think he looks relaxed in the video, but my relaxed might be another persons flat.
Regardless of where he is it's great to see something like this make the main news program IMO.
HumBugsey
Well-Known Member
TBH I doubt he has the strength to not be overbent yet, it'll come
Girlracer
Well-Known Member
I think he looks great, i don't think he's lacking and presence. He looks like a relaxed, happy and content horse who's having a decent retirement being kept sound and supple in the school and doing plenty of hacking.
I think that presence is often confused with a very fit racehorse in an exciting situation. IMO.
I think that presence is often confused with a very fit racehorse in an exciting situation. IMO.
JackAT
Well-Known Member
I think he's gone to a really good place. I can also confirm that he's not just been doing flatwork, as I have followed Laura Collett on twitter for a while now, and I've seen a photo of him clearing a jump in style! (only one though, can't vouch for how frequent this is) There's loads of good pics of him out hacking around the estate as well, I'd sell a kidney to have that quality of land to ride on.
All in all, I think it's fair to say he's gone to a well run yard with an abundance of facilities. (Also, from other pictures I've seen, has a quirk of rooting out mint treats, wherever they are hidden!)
All in all, I think it's fair to say he's gone to a well run yard with an abundance of facilities. (Also, from other pictures I've seen, has a quirk of rooting out mint treats, wherever they are hidden!)
Dobiegirl
Well-Known Member
Laura has only had him for 2 months, for the people saying he is overbent well what do you expect in that time frame and a whole lifetime of another way of going. The interview with CS I found disturbing he seems to think it was either dressage or turned out in the field for the rest of his life. I think his lack of updates on Master Minded is rather telling too.
Double_choc_lab
Well-Known Member
I just wish I could see him out with his old stablemate, Denman, charging round the Beaufort country. Now there's a happy horse.
MICHAELA8228
Well-Known Member
Amen to this!!!
Miss L Toe
Well-Known Member
Totally agree.He looks OK, but flat mentally. I agreed wholeheartedly with him leaving Ditcheat but I would much rather have seen him go to a hunting home than to reschool at low level dressage. I suspect most racing fans will be quite upset about that broadcast. A spirited world class racer appears to have lost all his presence to the submission required to work in a dressage outline (and actually he's overbent). I'm not happy with that, sorry
I never did object to him leaving PN, but the way it was done......... not good, and I am coming round to the view that CS is a bit of a pain.
I hope the horse will go hunting, he will never develop a "dressage topline" it takes years to work up that way, and I would like to see him having fun!
He is a lovely boy, and deserves better.
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monkeybum13
Well-Known Member
I'm not sure he has been jumping yet and in previous threads lots of people said how he's going to have a much happier life being able to go out in a field etc, do they get winter turnout at Membury?
(Question isn't directed at the person I quoted, just a general question)
Girlracer
Well-Known Member
There was a photo posted by Laura on Twitter of him jumping, and have been numerous ones of him hacking and i've seen ones of him turned out in a paddock with a surface - don't know if they have grass turnout currently.
MadisonBelle
Well-Known Member
^^^tHIS!
I love him and think he looks great! Brought a very happy tear to my eye........ Thought he looks VERY relaxed and chilled..............
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Miss L Toe
Well-Known Member
Overbent.
MadisonBelle
Well-Known Member
Crazy_cat_lady
Well-Known Member
Does anyone have a link to the jumping photo?
Wonder if he gets turned out?
Wonder if he gets turned out?
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
I agree with you, but not in my case. I have three horses, one a hunter, one pure dressage never does anything else but hack and school, one a rehabbed lame horse just getting back to competing and they all have a lot more presence than that video when they are working in an arena at home.
Maybe Kauto is just a very quiet horse when not race fit, but since he was renowned for bucking off his exercise jockey whenever he felt like it, to me he just looks totally flat.
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
I have retrained a few ex racers, and I expect to see him with his nose in front of the verticle, and nowhere near ready to do a prelim dressage test. Overbending used, in the old days, to be totally frowned on. Now it is just accepted as the quick way to get good dressage scores in the ring.
minesadouble
Well-Known Member
Yes at some points in the video he does go behind the vertical, it's not the end of the world. As for him deserving more 'fun' are you saying that people in general are doing ex-racehorses a disservice by using them for dressage or showing or is it just this particular horse that it is a shame for?
As regards presence very few of mine are 'presency' in the school at home but display far more of the elusive quality when out competing, including our ex-racehorses.
I have no strong opinions either way on this matter but it saddens me to see so many people so keen for the Collett/Kauto partnership to fail.
As regards presence very few of mine are 'presency' in the school at home but display far more of the elusive quality when out competing, including our ex-racehorses.
I have no strong opinions either way on this matter but it saddens me to see so many people so keen for the Collett/Kauto partnership to fail.
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
I personally would have preferred to see a 14 year old chaser sent hunting which he would excell at than asked to retrain to do some moderate novice/elementary or even medium level dressage.
I am not one of them. But what does "success" look like for this partnership?
I thought/hoped that he was only going to be there to be assessed and then go to someone who can give him individual care. She's a top level eventer, what is his job with her supposed to be if he is going to stay? He's a high mileage 14 year old horse selectively bred for a totally different job. Is he just going to be the worst eventer, dressage horse and showjumper in the whole yard? I want him to be with someone who thinks he is the bees knees, not a low level eventer/PR tool in a high level yard.
MadisonBelle
Well-Known Member
^^ agree
And not forgetting that Yogi must be doing it wrong too
Putting aside what we WISH he'd be doing I really do think he looks happy and well..... Just watched the video again and cannot see a flat horse..... His tail is swinging along lovely!
Can't we just be happy that he is fit, sound and doing something different after his most amazing NH career?
Let's put all our own feelings as to what he "should" be doing aside and rejoice in the fact that this amazing horse lived to have his "retirement".
cptrayes
Well-Known Member
I've watched it through again, and he is overbent the entire time of the video, except for fleeting moments when he flicks his head up.
Why? Horse and Hound Online would soon stop making any money for the Publishing Company, and disappear, if we stopped discussing things where people have different points of view
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cptrayes
Well-Known Member
And not forgetting that Yogi must be doing it wrong too
You don't seriously think Yogi Breisner has the slightest thing to do with this horse, do you
? Apart from the PR aspect and being Laura's trainer (if he is?).MadisonBelle
Well-Known Member
You don't seriously think Yogi Breisner has the slightest thing to do with this horse, do you
As a matter of fact I do!
But then my friends will tell you how gullible I am DOH!!!
Brightbay
Well-Known Member
That was my observation too.
I also thought he was landing toe first throughout, both in trot on a soft surface, and then later when walking along the aisle between the stalls.
No doubt his hooves are great, though, since they're lovely and shiny
Echo Bravo
Well-Known Member
Lets face it, it's the owner and the dressage rider that is keeping him in the public domain, what happened to his other horse Master Minded???????
teapot
Well-Known Member
Jumping photo here: http://twitter.com/CollettEventing/status/302141268392284161/photo/1
Goldenstar
Well-Known Member
I really don't get the fuss , he looked fine , a little 'broken' at the top of the neck but nothing drastic personally I thought his jowl looked quite open for his conformation but with his back ground nothing surprising looked relaxed happy settled like a retired horse having an easy time .
Lucky ex racehorse spare your worry for the not so lucky , this horse will never know cold or hunger or want he has an owner paying for him committed to his future so you might have done differently so what this is not a horse that needs us to be concerned for him.
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Lucky ex racehorse spare your worry for the not so lucky , this horse will never know cold or hunger or want he has an owner paying for him committed to his future so you might have done differently so what this is not a horse that needs us to be concerned for him.
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