nations cup showjumping in poland the other day

P

pepsimaxrock

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 April 2006
Messages
395
Visit site
Division 2. GB
I watched this on feitv as I have watched most of the previous 4 legs. GB have been doing okay but nowhere near good enough to ensure the guaranteed promotion place. That will surely go to Belgium.
This night (Friday?) they brought out the 2 big guns - the aged JOhn and Michael Whittaker. Honestly what is it about these guys that the SJ fraternity revere? They did the crappest 2 rounds of the GB team, and the previous 2 rounds were already dismal.
Ok so Nick Skelton has been fantastic but it really is time to ditch the older Whittakers. Tonight proved it.
The Chef d'Equipe has a lot to answer for too it seems.
Sorry to be so opinionated for an essentially non-knowledgeable occasional showjumping rider at the much lower levels. Also aged, I cannot believe this is the best that our young talent should aspire to
 
maybe if you train harder you'l be able to show them how to do it?

if the young talent even end up with even half the talent of the whittakers they will be lucky.

There is a lot of unseen circumstances go on behind the scenes for team selection. I'm sure the chef d'equipe make what he thought was the best choice with the selection available to him
 
For me it is a treat to watch the senior Whittaker's ride and there is no doubt they remain amongst the worlds best.

The Nations Cup is one of many global competitions in the world of show jumping. Most of the worlds top show jumpers compete all over the world and are away for months on end. Prize money dictates where the top riders send their best horses and as all of the riders have to make a living they will not always be available for team competition. Chef d'equipe's can only put teams together with whatever horses and riders are available, plus the final decision on where horses go is down to owners.

It is also well known that sourcing and more importantly actually keeping, elite horses in the UK is and always has been a problem.
 
They are for sure still top of their game. Maybe they didn't post their best results on the day this time round but there is a reason they were picked. They have good horses, who jump well and can regularly be counted on to produce a winning round.
 
paddi22 said:
maybe if you train harder you'l be able to show them how to do it?

if the young talent even end up with even half the talent of the whittakers they will be lucky.

There is a lot of unseen circumstances go on behind the scenes for team selection. I'm sure the chef d'equipe make what he thought was the best choice with the selection available to him
Click to expand...
Isnt it a she?
 
I would love to see GB do well and I think the Whitakers are excellent riders. And I do understand the reasons given for poor performance on the day. Its a shame that once again those reasons seemed to eclipse the other nations who did much much better.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top