Not impressed! One rider at Burghley

I mentioned this in a thread yesterday. The way she rode the last 2mins15sec of the 7min round was less than impressive. What is admirable about pushing a flagging horse over nforgiving fences?

This horse looks seriously impressive - look at the first half of the round. ho wouldnt want to be on board? But his fitness isnt adequate for the course. The lst 4 jumps or so were bordering on dangerous - I saw a horse who lacked the energy to pick up his feet safely. If this was racing he would have been pulled up after the first 5minutes. To me this wasnt a confident giving round for an inexperienced horse - the first half was but the second could easily have undone all her good work. After the water was a good time to retire.

Hnestly, you would expect better from someone as experienced and talented a rider as P. I admire her as a rider but she got it all wrong here (also ooks to be lacking a little in fitness herself).

ETA - Just to say, I havent read the pprevious 10 pages so not sure what everyone else has said.
 
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I've just watched the round on youtube and thought the first half was good and the second half was Pippa nursing a green horse home. Someone with lesser ability than her wouldnt have made it. Yes the horse seems to tire a bit but I think a more experienced horse would have got on with it and this one needed the encouragement. Perhaps it was ignoring her leg so needed a smack to get him to pick up over the last fences. He did look bloody hard work. I dont think Pippa should be slated as much as some of you have done on this thread. Afterall its not like most of you could even attempt to ride at her level. The horse is none the worse and will have taken a lot of experience from his first time at 4*.
 
Haven't read all the posts, but wanted to add, that until you have been galloping full tilt with a double handful towards a fence & then a stride away all the lights go out & if you don't kick & push & scrap a bit you know you will have dirt in your teeth (& everyone behind you gallop over you), it's very different sat on top, (I'm talking about racing, but it's exactly the same, you're thinking you've got 3 to jump, increase the speed, fuel in the tank & suddenly just don't have the mental strength to keep giving, so you have to react, at it's first 4* no one knows when that point is, & it's the difference between great horses & good horses....
 
i havent read all the replies but afew of them shock me!! This girl is clearly very good at what she does and rather than being appauled at the vid i actually take my hat off to her!! What a cracking rider, not worried about sitting pretty, just being really really effective, the horse had taps where it was backing off and she had a few hairy moments but anyone thats ever ridden xc and ment it HAS!! Fair play to the rider she picked that horse up and carried it round!!!!
 
I don't see the problem with her round either. She openly admits that the horse can be lazy and riding something who is lazy round a track like that must be absolutely exhausting!!! Its easy to sit on a horse thats taking you forward into every fence, but she worked twice as hard as most. I think Pippa did an absolutely fantastic job getting them both round safe. He did look a bit tired towards the end but how many times have you taken a horse x country who can one week go like Billy stink and the next week need a big pony club kick and a tap up every so often. They aren't machines. I don't think any of us need to ask the question of wether she should have retired or not, she's more capable than all of us at making the decision herself...
 
For those of you moaning about her not patting her horse, she's already doing before the finish flags.

Don't see anyone berating Mary King for waving to the crowd instead of her patting her horse... :rolleyes:
 
I really don't know why people feel they can knock the professionals when they have no idea what it is to ride a fit event horse round a course like Burghley.

The round was not nearly so bad as it has been made out to be and I think Pippa did well to get him round.
 
glenruby said:
But his fitness isnt adequate for the course. The lst 4 jumps or so were bordering on dangerous - I saw a horse who lacked the energy to pick up his feet safely.
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Please watch again. The horse was jumping really clean in front, if anything he was overjumping upwards slightly and not going across his fences (something wbs can do imho, whereas tbs tend to get flatter, when tired) which is why he was hitting them coming down. totally different to not getting high enough and hitting them on the way up... nothing like as dangerous for starters.
he was travelling well between fences. she nursed him home, and she didn't get the best of shots to the last 2, which didn't help her cause at all.
as racingdemon said, unless you've been in a similar position on a horse (not necessarily at that level though) you really shouldn't say "she should have pulled up". that horse has probably NEVER been asked to dig that deep before, so there was no way of knowing how he'd react. she nursed him home clear, with time penalties. admirable riding, very gutsy... if anything the gutsiest round i've ever seen her do. as said elsewhere, it's far easier to sit pretty when they're cruising easily for you...
 
Alltheprettyhorses said:
Well, when it comes to choosing a rider for my eventer it will definitely NOT be the lady who hit her horse so often I lost count, flapped and bounced about on his back and didn't even pat the poor brute when he eventually struggled over the finishing line. Naming no names but we all know who it is. Shameful.=QUOTE]

I didn't see at any point her "bouncing around" or hitting the horse, and, not to be rude but I think you'd be rather flaming lucky to have her ride one of your horses.....not gonna happen really is it?
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I watched the whole video this morning and didn't see what the fuss was about but was on my way to work so couldn't post! I said I thought the horse looked tired towards the end but couldn't comment on the rest of the video - well I thought they both did alright, horse was complacent over that water combination hence the smacks from the whip which is justified imo (I do it all the time if I think C has lost concentration or being a lazy b****!) it's a question of safety - I would rather give her a smack so she wakes up and we get home safely than have to drag her off some jump because I was too 'nice!'

Pippa wasn't beating her horse. How about a horse smacked at least three times after they were eliminated?! What's the point in that? (And yes steward did ask to see the rider! Local agri. show)

Oh and how fun does this horse look to ride over the 2nd? Only over the 2nd, it looks a bit difficult for me the rest of the time :D
 
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teapot said:
For those of you moaning about her not patting her horse, she's already doing before the finish flags.

Don't see anyone berating Mary King for waving to the crowd instead of her patting her horse... :rolleyes:
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Mary king talks and pats her horses all the way round. It's lovely to see when she's saying come on that's it good boy and giving him a quick pat as they gallop round. And still waves and smiles at the crowd, she always looks so relaxed and smiles the whole way round.
 
Well done Pippa, well ridden.

No doubt all those who think she was hard and cruel on PA are the ones who own horses that don't tie up, load, stand still or have any manners because they are too soft to realise that occasionally you have to be tough to get results. I know which I prefer. Off back to hunting ................
 
Alltheprettyhorses said:
Well, when it comes to choosing a rider for my eventer it will definitely NOT be the lady who hit her horse so often I lost count, flapped and bounced about on his back and didn't even pat the poor brute when he eventually struggled over the finishing line. Naming no names but we all know who it is. Shameful.

Well, your loss frankly. You would be pushed to find a rider who cares for her horses well-being as much as Pip does. And in terms of the attention to detail and standards, I doubt very much you could even come close.

She did a fine job of riding a horse round his first 4* You can never tell how they will react as its just such a big step up from 3* He was getting a little tired towards the end, but despite a couple of sticky jumps, picked up and moved away from the leg after each fence after landing.

Really tired horses dont do that. If Pippa had felt he was not coping, she would have pulled him up, its that simple. She would much rather save them for another day.
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I have to disagree to an extent Kerilli - I have no interest in competing in eventing but having ridden racehorses regularly(as a work-rider) i can (to an extent) relate to the feel of a tiring horse over fences. Of course you need to be proactive and keep the horse alert - far better to be effective than pretty. I dont think he picked up between fences (perhaps you could agree he stayed on but it wasnt an opportunity to recover for the next fence - she had time penalties to be thinking of too) and bar the last dont think he overjumped any of the fences. I also dont think she "beat him" as someone else put it, but when he did not respond (no obvious increase in forwardness/impulsion) when smacked then either she should have eased up and forgot about chasing the time and nurse him around or pulled up.

Upto 4mins45 the round (and P's riding) was exemplary but imo there were few positives from the last 1/3rd. If the horse had only looked to be tiring over te last 2 fences then it would be fair enough to continue on but it took over 2mins to get home from there.

For what its worth, I didnt think he looked lazy by any means - though tht might be because of the class of rider he had on top! ;)

ETA - Kerilli , I didnt get what you meant by not really getting across his fences(was picturing him going sideways lol,) but yes, what I felt showed his tiredness was the fact he was putting down too soon - both can result in injury just not as likely to have a rotational fall perhaps. Also, the time to be asking a horse to dig deep for the first time is at home during fittening work IMO not at a very public 4star event. Sure you can get caught out a bit and his fighting against he will have used up a lot of energy but to me he just lacked a little fitness/stamina for THAT event. As you've said I dont compete at 4 star so I dont know how Burghley x country compares to other 4 stars. Either way, this horse is definitely one for the future.
 
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I thought PF did a fab job. The horse didn't look easy - he was clearly strong and taking a lot of riding - in a snaffle wasn't he?

By the end he was tiring but instead of going flat was getting stronger and she needed even more strength to keep him together and focused on the job in hand - so no, it wasn't pretty but it was effective.

She didn;t bounce on his back either - her upper body collapsed slightly but she didn't flop into the saddle at all.

Really excellent riding on a tricky horse - he'll be the better for that.
 
glenruby said:
ETA - Kerilli , I didnt get what you meant by not really getting across his fences(was picturing him going sideways lol,) but yes, what I felt showed his tiredness was the fact he was putting down too soon - both can result in injury just not as likely to have a rotational fall perhaps. Also, the time to be asking a horse to dig deep for the first time is at home during fittening work IMO not at a very public 4star event. Sure you can get caught out a bit and his fighting against he will have used up a lot of energy but to me he just lacked a little fitness/stamina for THAT event. As you've said I dont compete at 4 star so I dont know how Burghley x country compares to other 4 stars. Either way, this horse is definitely one for the future.
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He wasn't "getting across the fences" because he was putting too much effort into jumping too high over the fences and because he was more tired was coming down more steeply rather than just jumping the width of the fence
 
I didn't want to make a new post as it's only a small comment but I've just been watching the Burghley TV Channel o Youtube and smiled throughout Lucinda Fredericks round with Prada - what an amazing little horse! (Or tall rider?!)

Was it Lucinda who yelled "whoo hoo" after the ditch and brush fence? (Sorry don't know fence number!) I don't care if she was flapping I thought it was brilliant
 
I don't recall Pippa EVER being the most stylish of riders, but she DOES get the job done and her record speaks for itself. I was at Burghley and did think Pure Addiction looked tired going through the second water. HOWEVER, some horses are more careless than others and I think Pippa did well to get him home safely. Several years ago I was quite friendly with Phoebe Buckley and she told me about a mare she was riding that needed reminding EVERY single fence what her job was and she would say "Yeah yeah" and get on with the job. If she didn't get a smack she took the piss. She may've been talking about Frostie, I don't recall. The moral of the story is horses for courses. Not all horses are equal; just because YOUR horse may need coaxing round, doesn't mean Pippa's does and she probably knows him better than we do and I dare say has a tiny bit more experience than the rest of us....
FTR I don't believe in the 'You can't comment until you've ridden at this level...' arguments; I can't sing a note but I can tell when someone is rubbish on X-Factor...
 
I agree with you Kerilli.

As for those talking about how many times the horses are patted round, watch WFP go round. These horses are trained that when they do something right they are left alone. When they do something wrong they get a growl and a smack and when they do something exemplary they get a pat. WFP rarely pats his horses going round but he is without doubt one of the most conscientious riders around. When Cool mountain did what he did coming through the water a Lumuhlan he sat very quiet, jumped the fence out, then jumped the big hedge and then he gave his horse a well deserved pat, and I've no doubt that the horse was chuffed to bits with his pat on the neck and he had no doubts in his mind why he had got it.
 
Baydale said:
I was just about to say the same, having re-watched those last few fences. Oh to live in the perfect HHO world where the ponies skip around a four star, ears pricked, rider grinning from ear to ear and patting it after every fence. Get real, folks. :rolleyes:

Am I imagining it or did I not read somewhere that PF said she'd done as much fitness work with these two Burghley horses as she used to do for long format, but knew now they'd need more for the next time? :confused:
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Not getting involved in the whys and wherefores because I couldn't care less how anyone else thinks Pippa Funnell, Oli Townend or I ride (obviously with me being far superior!).
A serious question Baydale, do you think that is because of the type of horses that are now 4* horses and in particular those with a little less blood, the temperature was quite warm in the afternoon and I am sure that will have had a bearing on the time/exertion levels on the horses?
And FWIW I saw that horse jump the first two fences on Burghley TV and would not want to ride it myself!
 
Do you know I was shocked that no one stopped her when I saw the round on the BBC. Now i've seen the whole round it really wasnt that bad at all!!! He was tired yes, but not struggling, if he was that tired he would have just stopped.

Don't agree with you OP at all.
 
MillionDollar said:
Do you know I was shocked that no one stopped her when I saw the round on the BBC. Now i've seen the whole round it really wasnt that bad at all!!! He was tired yes, but not struggling, if he was that tired he would have just stopped.

Don't agree with you OP at all.
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the editing was horribly selective. :( :( :( did not do her or the horse justice imho.
 
Threads like these make me feel like deleting my account and denying I've ever been on HHO :o.

Can we ask the fat controller for a Wall of Shame - to which we can banish embarrassing threads by popular demand?
 
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