KenRehill
Well-Known Member
Great to see Nicolas in sixth after the dressage, perhaps proof that he doesn't just great marks when he's in France!
Nicolas Touzaint
- Thread starter KenRehill
- Start date
Daffodil
Well-Known Member
Whilst not in any way being critical of NT's performance during the competition, I think his behaviour immediately after his win was nothing short of disgraceful. To throw the reins at his horse and let it career around the arena at the speed he did was one of the most dangerous pieces of riding I have witnessed since he did exactly the same thing when he won the Europeans last year. He very nearly mowed down the BBC cameraman, and could very easily have killed both himself, and his horse, and anyone who was unlucky enough to be working in the arena. There has been much talk recently of safety in eventing. This extends to safe and considerate riding of horses at all times during a show, not just when the judges are marking your performance. It is about time British Eventing, the FEI and the authorities at individual events get a grip on these reckless displays.
filly0447
Well-Known Member
Daffodil - completely agree
I_A_P
Well-Known Member
absolutely Ditto Daffodil...i cringed so much and actually felt sick when he did that....i know hes obviously excited as an understatement but tbh it is not acceptable!
Minnies_Mum
Well-Known Member
Agree- when he dropped the reins I shouted at the TV "oh my god, he's done it again!" Was trying to be very quiet and restrained because my housemates are revising, but couldn't help it when I saw that.
arwenplusone
Well-Known Member
I'm afraid I can't see what all the fuss is about. Sure he let the rein loose at the end, but his horse was balanced and not on the forehand & clearly loving it.
Can't you give the guy some credit? He deserved to win IMO and everyone seems to be jumping on him for this one thing. What about the way he rode his horse over the last three days, does that count for nothing?
Can't you give the guy some credit? He deserved to win IMO and everyone seems to be jumping on him for this one thing. What about the way he rode his horse over the last three days, does that count for nothing?
eventrider23
Well-Known Member
Hear Hear Arwen. I am NOT a NT supporter...far from it in fact as from personal experience that I will not go into on a public forum, I really do not like the guy....however....that said....he rode superbly on what is not an easy horse. His track record has always been unfortunate as at the BIG major 3 days he always seems to have big errors (such as last years Badminton when he gave NT a ducking in the water) and his SJ is generally not good so for Nicolas to manage to keep him together I have to say my hat goes off to him.
Yes, do not agree with his habit of letting the reins go, although IMO this incident is not nearly so bad as his 'usual' habit if dropping them as he crosses the finish line on the XC when the horse is still in a flat out gallop. Here at least the horse started off in a SJ canter as so remained in his own balance throughout and at the end of the day, winning Badminton is a dream come true for most horse people....
Yes, do not agree with his habit of letting the reins go, although IMO this incident is not nearly so bad as his 'usual' habit if dropping them as he crosses the finish line on the XC when the horse is still in a flat out gallop. Here at least the horse started off in a SJ canter as so remained in his own balance throughout and at the end of the day, winning Badminton is a dream come true for most horse people....
Mags Mum
Active Member
For goodness sake remember Ginny Leng, Lucinda Green etc even Pippa Funnel on winning doing exactly the same, oh for that matter Mark Todd to...........
How critical can people get, he won he deserved to win, and grief should he celebrate his achievement, guess he wasnt British or popular enough to behave like other greats have done.
Well guess I could be critical if I had achieved what he has done ........ proof of the pudding and all that, when you are there then you can comment until then
How critical can people get, he won he deserved to win, and grief should he celebrate his achievement, guess he wasnt British or popular enough to behave like other greats have done.
Well guess I could be critical if I had achieved what he has done ........ proof of the pudding and all that, when you are there then you can comment until then
Starbucks
Well-Known Member
Agree with you Mags mum!! The camera men should get out of the way if they are in it!!
I enjoyed seeing him so happy, and his horse seemed to know it too!!
I enjoyed seeing him so happy, and his horse seemed to know it too!!
Daffodil
Well-Known Member
None of the riders you mention ever hared round the arena like NT in what amounted to little short of bolting, heedless of anything but his own emotions and caring nothing for the welfare of the horse that had just won him the title, or of any bystanders. You're absolutely right, I do not like NT and this is one of the reasons. As another correspondent mentioned, he does it every time he completes a course, and it is particularly unpleasant at the end of a gruelling XC round when the horse needs the support of its jockey, but doesn't get it. You would never witness behaviour like that on the racecourse - jockeys would be heavily penalised and given a lengthy ban. It 's about time we introduced a similar system in eventing; at the very least the man deserves a warning.
kerilli
Well-Known Member
Mags Mum, i have never ever witnessed any of those other top riders drop the reins and gallop about showing off. it is totally inconsiderate to the horse. i don't dislike him, he rides very well most of the time, but i HATE the way he does this, it sets a terrible example and really can cause injury. it shows no care of the horse at all.
MizElz
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I'm afraid I can't see what all the fuss is about. Sure he let the rein loose at the end, but his horse was balanced and not on the forehand & clearly loving it.
Can't you give the guy some credit? He deserved to win IMO and everyone seems to be jumping on him for this one thing. What about the way he rode his horse over the last three days, does that count for nothing?
[/ QUOTE ]
Agree with this, and I cant help but think that if it were Pippa, William or Zara who had done it, nothing would have been said. I was actually watching and waiting for him to do it, and was pleased to see he just let the reins go, rather than chucking them over the horse's head! Show jumpers do it all the time; they are hailed as great sportsmen for showing that they actually care about winning, which is more than can be said for sportsmen/women in other sporting disciplines to whom winning seems the norm. (Kimi Raikkonen, anyone?
) Give the guy a break; he didnt endanger his horse (who, quite clearly, loved his lap of honour gallop) and anyone who saw his reaction afterwards could see how much it meant to him.
I'm afraid I can't see what all the fuss is about. Sure he let the rein loose at the end, but his horse was balanced and not on the forehand & clearly loving it.
Can't you give the guy some credit? He deserved to win IMO and everyone seems to be jumping on him for this one thing. What about the way he rode his horse over the last three days, does that count for nothing?
[/ QUOTE ]
Agree with this, and I cant help but think that if it were Pippa, William or Zara who had done it, nothing would have been said. I was actually watching and waiting for him to do it, and was pleased to see he just let the reins go, rather than chucking them over the horse's head! Show jumpers do it all the time; they are hailed as great sportsmen for showing that they actually care about winning, which is more than can be said for sportsmen/women in other sporting disciplines to whom winning seems the norm. (Kimi Raikkonen, anyone?
Daffodil
Well-Known Member
Mmmm I know, most embarrassing. Hardly knew where to look!
You all know my views on "the gallop" and I will continue to hold them. I believe he did put his horse in danger of breaking it's leg belting round the arena as he did. WFP etc would never have behaved like that.
Let's hope Lucy Weigesma gets the call-up. A truly excellent performance from both horse and rider throughout the three days and such a shame she had a fence down SJing. I am sure this correspondence would not have happened had she won!
You all know my views on "the gallop" and I will continue to hold them. I believe he did put his horse in danger of breaking it's leg belting round the arena as he did. WFP etc would never have behaved like that.
Let's hope Lucy Weigesma gets the call-up. A truly excellent performance from both horse and rider throughout the three days and such a shame she had a fence down SJing. I am sure this correspondence would not have happened had she won!
KenRehill
Well-Known Member
A superb win, by a superb rider. He does the "rein thing" so often (because he wins so often) I'd say his horses are probably well trained to it by now.
Seahorse
Well-Known Member
His horse loved it, and like KenRehill pointed out, they are all probably used to it by now.
Gonetofrance
Well-Known Member
If you saw the way he rides some of his other horses, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him.
He should have been pulled up for it, he was out of control, and if you guys thought the horse was in balance, I can't believe we were looking at the same thing........
He should have been pulled up for it, he was out of control, and if you guys thought the horse was in balance, I can't believe we were looking at the same thing........
gloster_image
Well-Known Member
Here here!!! No decent rider would have done that to their horse after it just carried them round that XC course and SJ. You wouldn't see mary or william doing that would you? And that horse was not happy and not in balance - do explain how a horse with ears pinned back and a tight mouth is happy??? He just looked confused to me!!
Personally I was far more impressed with Rosie Thomas at her first badminton - rode all week beautifully, clearly cares about her horse and ended up in the top 10. Well done to her!
Personally I was far more impressed with Rosie Thomas at her first badminton - rode all week beautifully, clearly cares about her horse and ended up in the top 10. Well done to her!
Pinkwellies2
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
Mmmm I know, most embarrassing. Hardly knew where to look!
[/ QUOTE ]
Why was it embarassing, I'm not ashamed to say that I cried the last time I won anything on my horse and that was nothing near the level of the Badminton. The fact that he showed such emotion made him seem a bit more human. I suppose if he had just given horse a quick pat and jumped of someone would have slated him for not thanking his horse. If it had been a female rider would it still have been embarassing
Mmmm I know, most embarrassing. Hardly knew where to look!
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Why was it embarassing, I'm not ashamed to say that I cried the last time I won anything on my horse and that was nothing near the level of the Badminton. The fact that he showed such emotion made him seem a bit more human. I suppose if he had just given horse a quick pat and jumped of someone would have slated him for not thanking his horse. If it had been a female rider would it still have been embarassing
Daffodil
Well-Known Member
Probably not! I'm old-fashioned, and don't approve of men crying, certainly not to the depths of blubbing that he displayed. However, that's largely irrelevant. My far greater concern is the "lap of honour".
teapot
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
If you saw the way he rides some of his other horses, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him.
He should have been pulled up for it, he was out of control, and if you guys thought the horse was in balance, I can't believe we were looking at the same thing........
[/ QUOTE ]
If you're talking about the horse that landed on its nose in the quarry - that wasn't NT.
If you saw the way he rides some of his other horses, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him.
He should have been pulled up for it, he was out of control, and if you guys thought the horse was in balance, I can't believe we were looking at the same thing........
[/ QUOTE ]
If you're talking about the horse that landed on its nose in the quarry - that wasn't NT.
Gonetofrance
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
If you saw the way he rides some of his other horses, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him.
He should have been pulled up for it, he was out of control, and if you guys thought the horse was in balance, I can't believe we were looking at the same thing........
[/ QUOTE ]
If you're talking about the horse that landed on its nose in the quarry - that wasn't NT.
[/ QUOTE ]
No, that was Pierre Marie Dubois, he was truly appalling.
[ QUOTE ]
If you saw the way he rides some of his other horses, you wouldn't be so quick to defend him.
He should have been pulled up for it, he was out of control, and if you guys thought the horse was in balance, I can't believe we were looking at the same thing........
[/ QUOTE ]
If you're talking about the horse that landed on its nose in the quarry - that wasn't NT.
[/ QUOTE ]
No, that was Pierre Marie Dubois, he was truly appalling.
Santa_Claus
Well-Known Member
agreed he rode a good round to hold it together but to drop the reins AGAIN is becoming a joke, least this time it was the SJ and not like that time XC (was it last or last but one olympics when he did it? can't remember now!) when the horse nearly fell over when he dropped them over the finish line.
Deserved the win, but his horse didn't deserve after three long days to be dropped and galloped round at full pelt.
Deserved the win, but his horse didn't deserve after three long days to be dropped and galloped round at full pelt.
dieseldog
Well-Known Member
What is the difference between him dropping his reins after finshing and the likes of Mary King and WFP riding around the XC with washing lines. If WFP had had a proper contact at the house complex, Tamarillo wouldn't have run out. But no one berates him for it.
You are all saying it is because the horse is on the forehand - but nearly all riders lean forward, kick and drop their reins after a jump - why aren't they all being crictised for breaking their horses tendons. Why are they allowed to pat their horses after a big effort - but NT can't drop his reins? If someone falls off and the horse then legs it have they permanently damaged the horses tendons by falling off and letting the horse gallop around with no contact?
I'm trying really hard to get my head around the depth of feeling that people have over this as I just don't understand it
You are all saying it is because the horse is on the forehand - but nearly all riders lean forward, kick and drop their reins after a jump - why aren't they all being crictised for breaking their horses tendons. Why are they allowed to pat their horses after a big effort - but NT can't drop his reins? If someone falls off and the horse then legs it have they permanently damaged the horses tendons by falling off and letting the horse gallop around with no contact?
I'm trying really hard to get my head around the depth of feeling that people have over this as I just don't understand it
Tinkerbee
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
I'm trying really hard to get my head around the depth of feeling that people have over this as I just don't understand it
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Ditto.
Maybe we all just need an AT substitute to take our anger out on?
And poor NT is the closest so far?
Our maybe its because hes french, and a British rider should have one?
I'm trying really hard to get my head around the depth of feeling that people have over this as I just don't understand it
[/ QUOTE ]
Ditto.
Maybe we all just need an AT substitute to take our anger out on?
Our maybe its because hes french, and a British rider should have one?
Enfys
Well-Known Member
By the very nature of this Board there will be varying opinions, and everybody has a right to express theirs, that's fine and the way of the free world, but..........
Sorry, the word sanctimonius springs to mind with regards to a lot of comments penned recently.
I didn't see it, so can't condemn or condone, but from reading everything on here I get the picture. Presumably the man knows his horses and his horses know him. No one is ever going to please everyone all of the time, whatever you are doing, be it eventing at the highest level or right down to how much bedding you put under your horse at night.
Perhaps not on this thread, but certainly on others, there have been shades of sour grapes as well......people would have preferred other people to win. That's natural, everyone has their favourites, but at the end of the day, NT had the highest score and for whatever reasons the others didn't.
As far as I am concerned if anyone can attain the level where they can compete, let alone win, then they all deserve Congratulations for that achievement.
Sorry, the word sanctimonius springs to mind with regards to a lot of comments penned recently.
I didn't see it, so can't condemn or condone, but from reading everything on here I get the picture. Presumably the man knows his horses and his horses know him. No one is ever going to please everyone all of the time, whatever you are doing, be it eventing at the highest level or right down to how much bedding you put under your horse at night.
Perhaps not on this thread, but certainly on others, there have been shades of sour grapes as well......people would have preferred other people to win. That's natural, everyone has their favourites, but at the end of the day, NT had the highest score and for whatever reasons the others didn't.
As far as I am concerned if anyone can attain the level where they can compete, let alone win, then they all deserve Congratulations for that achievement.
brighteyes
Pooh-Bah
I was thinking that if NT does the rein-dropping thing regularly, probably his horse is used to it, and anticipates being let go of!
Ach, it's all sour grapes.
Ach, it's all sour grapes.
christine48
Well-Known Member
Some of you need to get a life!, give the bloke a break.
IMO watching exhausted horses which should have been pulled up struggling over the last few fences was much worse, but because they were Brits nothing was said.
IMO watching exhausted horses which should have been pulled up struggling over the last few fences was much worse, but because they were Brits nothing was said.
jenbleep
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
What is the difference between him dropping his reins after finshing and the likes of Mary King and WFP riding around the XC with washing lines. If WFP had had a proper contact at the house complex, Tamarillo wouldn't have run out. But no one berates him for it.
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agree with this - I was at that fence when he ran out and although Tam should have locked on he ran out because he had very little contact.
If any Brit did it then nothing would have been mentioned - it would be more along the lines of "oh good for **** for having a victory gallop" but because it wasn't a Brit win there is all this backlash.
Give him some respect
What is the difference between him dropping his reins after finshing and the likes of Mary King and WFP riding around the XC with washing lines. If WFP had had a proper contact at the house complex, Tamarillo wouldn't have run out. But no one berates him for it.
[/ QUOTE ]
agree with this - I was at that fence when he ran out and although Tam should have locked on he ran out because he had very little contact.
If any Brit did it then nothing would have been mentioned - it would be more along the lines of "oh good for **** for having a victory gallop" but because it wasn't a Brit win there is all this backlash.
Give him some respect
teapot
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
agreed he rode a good round to hold it together but to drop the reins AGAIN is becoming a joke, least this time it was the SJ and not like that time XC (was it last or last but one olympics when he did it? can't remember now!) when the horse nearly fell over when he dropped them over the finish line.
Deserved the win, but his horse didn't deserve after three long days to be dropped and galloped round at full pelt.
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He did it at Sydney, Athens, both the Euros and at Pau.
Sydney was the one where the horse practically fell over, and as a result it was injured. Remember at the time Mike Tucker absolutely slating him for it
agreed he rode a good round to hold it together but to drop the reins AGAIN is becoming a joke, least this time it was the SJ and not like that time XC (was it last or last but one olympics when he did it? can't remember now!) when the horse nearly fell over when he dropped them over the finish line.
Deserved the win, but his horse didn't deserve after three long days to be dropped and galloped round at full pelt.
[/ QUOTE ]
He did it at Sydney, Athens, both the Euros and at Pau.
Sydney was the one where the horse practically fell over, and as a result it was injured. Remember at the time Mike Tucker absolutely slating him for it
teapot
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
If any Brit did it then nothing would have been mentioned - it would be more along the lines of "oh good for **** for having a victory gallop" but because it wasn't a Brit win there is all this backlash.
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Thing is, you wouldn't see the Brits doing it (dropping rein contact)
There's a massive difference to the victory gallop that Pippa, Mary, William, AN, AH etc do to what NT continually does.
If any Brit did it then nothing would have been mentioned - it would be more along the lines of "oh good for **** for having a victory gallop" but because it wasn't a Brit win there is all this backlash.
[/ QUOTE ]
Thing is, you wouldn't see the Brits doing it (dropping rein contact)
There's a massive difference to the victory gallop that Pippa, Mary, William, AN, AH etc do to what NT continually does.