Nick Skelton on Tokyo...HHO article

Branna

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The comparison with the eventing format is a really interesting one - I think those of us who have followed the debates over changes to the Olympic format over the last 4-5 years would have expected the resulting "bad pictures" of the sport to have come in the eventing XC and not the pure SJ!

I wonder how much comes down to 2 factors
1) the expectation that something is more likely to go wrong in eventing, and therefore the anticipation that a team member may be eliminated or have to retire - I doubt there are many hard conversations had between SJ team members/trainers about potentially having to retire.
2) the fact that over an 8 minute XC course, if a horse has repeated bad jumps they will be flagged by the ground jury to retire (I don't think this actually happened in Tokyo but has at World Games etc. before) - some of the incidents in the SJ would have been avoided had the judges rung the bell when it was clear the horse wasn't coping.

I think the eventers seem to have just prepared themselves much better than the showjumpers for the new format!

After the years of debates I don't think there is any chance at all of going back to 4 in a team in the SJ. If they tried to implement it the eventing would also push for 4 in a team on horse welfare grounds and the problem of fewer flags returned.

For anyone interested, a few examples from Pippa Cuckson over the last few years covering the 3 in a team debate at the FEI Sports Forum 2016 & beyond.
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/threes-a-charm/
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/olympic-format-change-it-isnt-over-yet/
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/eventing-draws-short-straw-yet/
 

Clover Girl

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3 scores to count worked fine in eventing where you could argue it would have the biggest impact.
The right individuals won medals, the right teams won medals, it was a thrilling finish in both the individual and teams. Clear rounds were rewarded, surely that is how showjumping should work?
The Eventing xc was 3 star at best with a tight time, top riders and horses were under no real strain, the showjumping however is massive! Drop score definitely required. You can’t compare the two sports at Olympic Level.
 

Clover Girl

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The comparison with the eventing format is a really interesting one - I think those of us who have followed the debates over changes to the Olympic format over the last 4-5 years would have expected the resulting "bad pictures" of the sport to have come in the eventing XC and not the pure SJ!

I wonder how much comes down to 2 factors
1) the expectation that something is more likely to go wrong in eventing, and therefore the anticipation that a team member may be eliminated or have to retire - I doubt there are many hard conversations had between SJ team members/trainers about potentially having to retire.
2) the fact that over an 8 minute XC course, if a horse has repeated bad jumps they will be flagged by the ground jury to retire (I don't think this actually happened in Tokyo but has at World Games etc. before) - some of the incidents in the SJ would have been avoided had the judges rung the bell when it was clear the horse wasn't coping.

I think the eventers seem to have just prepared themselves much better than the showjumpers for the new format!

After the years of debates I don't think there is any chance at all of going back to 4 in a team in the SJ. If they tried to implement it the eventing would also push for 4 in a team on horse welfare grounds and the problem of fewer flags returned.

For anyone interested, a few examples from Pippa Cuckson over the last few years covering the 3 in a team debate at the FEI Sports Forum 2016 & beyond.
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/threes-a-charm/
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/olympic-format-change-it-isnt-over-yet/
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/eventing-draws-short-straw-yet/
The eventers were not competing at the maximum level for their sport the show jumpers definitely were, no comparison between the two sports at Olympic Level.
 

Branna

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The eventers were not competing at the maximum level for their sport the show jumpers definitely were, no comparison between the two sports at Olympic Level.

Yes, the XC course designer and technical delegate have the difficult task of testing the best in the world (and the best teams came out on top) whilst allowing less strong nations the chance to complete safely. Maybe the SJ course designers/judges need a think about how they can do the equivalent.

Both disciplines knew for 4-5 years that there would be 3 in a team, and in the eventing the format/course/team management were all prepared with that in mind. Whereas the SJ appears to have done comparatively little preparation for the change in format? I'm not an avid SJ follower, did they trial the Olympic format at Nations Cups like the eventers did?

I disagree that there is no comparison between the 2 sports, both ended up with the best teams on top and weaker teams not completing, it just made for uglier pictures in the SJ.
 

teapot

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The Eventing xc was 3 star at best with a tight time, top riders and horses were under no real strain, the showjumping however is massive! Drop score definitely required. You can’t compare the two sports at Olympic Level.

The eventers were not competing at the maximum level for their sport the show jumpers definitely were, no comparison between the two sports at Olympic Level.

Incorrect. The eventing was a 4* test - distance, time, widths/heights, with seven fences in the last 45 seconds

The show jumpers were not jumping max height.
 
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