Oli Townend....horse falls

However much we all like to express our opinion, it is just an opinion. Most of us have not competed at 4*(or any*) level and therefore don't know how we would ride/behave in that circumstance.
I think Ollie is a good, capable rider who trying to make a business out in a notoriously difficult sport. I take my hat off to him, the sport needs more riders like him otherwise it is in danger of losing it's sponsors etc.
Some make not like his style but I've had a 'hands over the eyes' moment watching most top flight riders.
 
Yep it costs a lot of money to take a horse to and compete at burghley. Some like wfp all ready have money behind them. For others there is a greater need to finish within the money and therefore added pressure as well as just getting round.

If the fall is due to the riders error no wonder frustration is going to be demonstrated.
 
Me, I'm on the fence about Oli Townend . . . I don't know him personally so I can't comment on the man and what he's like, but I can't deny that I think he's a talendted rider (albeit a little gung ho at times across country).

I will observe, though, that having spent three days at Burghley, the Oli bashing has spilled over from forums to actual, open abuse. I was shocked to hear people in the stands on both dressage day and today in the showjumping being openly rude not just ABOUT him but TO him . . . making (loud) snarky comments, refusing to applaud him, shouting epithets, etc. I was both shocked and disappointed. Such bad manners give our sport a bad name and left a very bad taste in my mouth.

One last thing - which may or may not be materiel, we had front-row seats at the SJ at Burghley today - directly in front of the royal box which meant the retirement of Carousel Quest took place right underneath our noses (I have some lovely pictures which I will share shortly) . . . Oli appeared genuinely touched/moved to be retiring his former partner and received genuine affection from Quest's owner (who commissioned a statue of the horse especially for Oli). Got to say something, surely?

P
 
Having just watched his fall I cant see how it was his fault :confused: The horse clipped the jump and went down, unfortunate but happens. He got up and went straight to the horse so where is there fault in that?

Or am I looking at the wrong clip??

It costs ALOT of money to do what these guys do, I get frustrated when not being able to attend one of my piddly little local shows due to something trivial happening, its human nature. I would certainly be upset and annoyed if I spent all that money and effort and an accident took me out of the competition.

I was watching a clip where a horse didnt jump a jump and landed the rider sitting on the jump and the rider slapped his whip down on the jump and kicked it with his heels like a kid having a tantrum and his horse was looking bemused as to why it was sitting wet in a jump, I found ti funny not disgusting or showing lack of professionalism.

these riders care about their horses as without them they wouldnt be competitng to this level.

Theres my tuppence worth for what its worth lol :D
 
I've never won Burghley, or ridden round Badminton and I didn't even watch today so I'm going to give my opinion just because I can....

If Oli Townend keeps having horse falls, he needs to slow down, improve his technique, be more careful and/or perhaps get new horses. :)
 
PolarSkye said:
I will observe, though, that having spent three days at Burghley, the Oli bashing has spilled over from forums to actual, open abuse. I was shocked to hear people in the stands on both dressage day and today in the showjumping being openly rude not just ABOUT him but TO him . . . making (loud) snarky comments, refusing to applaud him, shouting epithets, etc. I was both shocked and disappointed. Such bad manners give our sport a bad name and left a very bad taste in my mouth.


P
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:eek:

I think there's a whole world of difference to discussing this on a forum to being openly rude to someone's face - thats just awful, and doesn't say much for some horse people out there. Regardless of any faults he may have, I don't think he does anything that would even begin to border on abuse/cruelty (not saying anyone on here has said he does that btw!). I really think that should save their disgust for a more worthy cause, like actual cruelty :(

Hope ollie is having a stiff drink tonight :)
 
Polarskye that's sad that people didn't applaud him. He had a good partnership with quest and he needs to find a horse he bonds with like that again
 
Its easy to criticise when your not the one in the saddle, you never truly know what the riders are feeling under them coming to the jumps
I have watched horses go down with Oli where ive felt the horse never looked fit enough for, or experienced enough to do the track. Just my opinion on my limited knowledge of the horses in question, but what i gleaned from observation only.
I feel ... And this isnt aimed just at him, some horses are pushed up the grades to quickly and sometimes go round on a wing and a prayer, but get there, while others pay the price in injuries and accidents because they havent quite reached the skill level needed to deal with the questions asked.
As for Oli's riding, he is what he is, a very determined, competative rider who like most folks at the top of their sport/ career will take chances and push to the limits of there and there horses abilities, that is what competition is about surely ? sometimes it pays off other times it doesnt .......im in the camp of wishing to ride as badly as he does any day of the week.
 
I feel so sorry for Daniel Sibley - what a rubbish thing to happen. The horse was just fighting for his head and lost concentration. I would be pretty fed up as he did nothing wrong and it was 3 fences before the end.
 
LEC said:
I feel so sorry for Daniel Sibley - what a rubbish thing to happen. The horse was just fighting for his head and lost concentration. I would be pretty fed up as he did nothing wrong and it was 3 fences before the end.
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Agree, it mustve been soul destroying, he was probably ripping mad, better to chuck your whip away and throw a strop than take it out on your horse
 
I have just read all of this post and am amazed by the comments. Perhaps H + H Forum should have a weekly competition tally and see how well everyone on this forum has done, obviously comments, offensive or otherwise gratefully received :)
 
Just my two bobs worth but why after every major event are there pages and pages of negative comments, why are there never any positive threads?

At every event there are examples, be it over one fence or the whole course, of excellent horsemanship and all the hours (blood, sweat and tears) put in to get there shine through. Why are these not picked up on and discussed so that we can all learn something rather than just a general bashing?

For what it's worth (and that's very little!) I thought both Oli and Daniel rode good round and to quote Bob Avila "sometimes manure happens, and there's really no lesson but that."

On another note at the trot up at Blair 2009, show jumping day, there was a group of people shouting abuse as Oli trotted up. There is no excuse for that kind of behaviour; it's such a cowardly thing to do. I think it shows even more strength of character that the man continues to be so polite to the public given that the public aren't always polite to him.
 
i have no real knowledge of eventing but was at the trot up at Blair TPO refers to and a small group of people were disgusting in their behaviour. The minute he turned his horse they were yelling loud enough for us to hear at the other end.No need for that IMO and spineless behaviour no matter what you think of someone
 
OneInAMillion said:
He was the one who suggested MM to Georgie S to show her the ropes - that's a bit different.



I'm sorry but if I had been riding one of the best rounds of my life and was 2 fences from home I would be more than pis*ed off, wouldn't you? The adrenalin also makes all your emotion come out at once and I think I would have laid on the floor and cried on frustration.
What would your perfect reaction have been? :confused:



Where/when did it happen, I also didn't know anything until I saw his interview
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lannerch said:
Got to add Andrew Nicholson to my respect list didn't realise he had a crashing fall last week too with his fingers in one hand still strapped together!
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I agree about Daniel Sibley - he hasn't always had the best of rounds with Tarmac Adam and he was 3 fences from home. A little frustration is harmless to anyone and totally understandable.

Andrew had a fall at Highclere last Sunday when Nereo's younger brother tipped up. He still rode 4 horses after, being placed on 3!!!! On Monday he struggled to hold the rein so only rode 6. It is much better - but I think many would still not be riding, let alone 2 round Burghley and I think the fingers will be strapped together for a week or two longer!!!
 
I am really really shocked if people are saying things at/to him at events, that is shockingly bad form, and I take my hat off to him if he manages to rise above it. I was at the Leaf Pit when he came through with Neo and didn't hear a bad word said, fwiw.
I've watched the fall repeatedly, trying to work out what happened, and the only conclusion i can come to is that OT was on a right misser, most unusually for him, and maybe flapped a bit because of it, and that imho the horse unfortunately just didn't have the experience to be clever and cope. BUT it could easily be argued that you can't miss like that to fences that big and get away with it, etc etc. :( :( :(
The rest of the round looked pretty good to me. It was green/looky down the Leaf Pit drop, and didn't land brilliantly, but he rode it determinedly from then on, which worked perfectly until he missed. The horse looked keen and confident all the time apart from at the big drop imho.
Maybe it did need a slightly slower more educational run (I'm rather gobsmacked by its brief BE record, must admit) but nobody is saying anything about other top riders going inside the time on their horses' first time 4* runs... ;) ;) ;)
 
I think it's a shame that people can't be supportive of each other. Were a minority spot as it is which is often interpreted as bitchy and it's no wonder why.

OT has had a tough season and I really feel for him.
 
What a very interesting and good discussion!

I do have some doubts about ollie T's recklessness across country, I think he should look after his horses a little better. It goes without saying how talented he is, obviously, but that alone does not make a champion. He needs a little more wisdom and insight, and patience perhaps for results!
 
I have no problem with OT as a personality, and think he has done a lot for the sport in terms of making it appear less 'snobby'

However, watching him ride XC, he never gives as pleasing or harmonious a picture as Andrew Nicholson, or Mark Todd or WFP, or many others I could list. You could say that it was his 'style', but I think it actually boils down to just not being *quite* as well balanced as the aforementioned riders. I don't think he did anything wrong in his round, and I'm all for positive forward thinking riding. But strength alone can't get a horse over a fence safely!!

I also feel that he is noticably heavier (literal bodyweight) than most of the top male XC riders, and can only assume this does have a very negative effect on the horse by the end of a 4* XC - and especially tiring for them in hot conditions. Since a couple of pounds of weight can make all the difference in a five furlong sprint, I should think a heavier rider (especially on some noticably lightweight horses) is going to make a big difference by the end of a 4 mile XC course.
 
TPO said:
At every event there are examples, be it over one fence or the whole course, of excellent horsemanship and all the hours (blood, sweat and tears) put in to get there shine through. Why are these not picked up on and discussed so that we can all learn something rather than just a general bashing?

On another note at the trot up at Blair 2009, show jumping day, there was a group of people shouting abuse as Oli trotted up. There is no excuse for that kind of behaviour; it's such a cowardly thing to do. I think it shows even more strength of character that the man continues to be so polite to the public given that the public aren't always polite to him.
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Well said you. Oliver is and always has been very polite. He's a nice guy and always has been, right from school. I'm not entirely sure why people dislike him so much - i'm sure people have their reasons, which is fine, other than they don't like his style of riding? If he's not your cup of tea, he's not your cup of tea, why make such a song and dance about it? In my experience he's genuine, fun and has no qualms about making a slight spectacle of himself.

Oddly enough, I find it amusing that the people who have a go at riders get told by others that unless you've done it/doing it, you've no room to comment (which is fine, I'm not commenting on that). Correct me if i'm wrong, but i'm sure I've not heard any of Oliver's fellow eventers slagging him off?!
 
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Actually tbf to Ollie the horse is pretty experienced. He had done 2* in France
and CIC3* with his french rider in 2008 and 2009.

the horse then did a season at 2* which it was well established at end season of 2009. Had a year off in 2010 and then did 3* and came to Burghley as first time 4*.

He went to 3 x CIC3* including Aachen and CCI3* at Bramham where he came 3rd.

Piggy French went to WEG on the back of a good Bramham result as did Pippa Funnell.
 
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LEC said:
Actually tbf to Ollie the horse is pretty experienced. He had done 2* in France
and CIC3* with his french rider in 2008 and 2009.

the horse then did a season at 2* which it was well established at end season of 2009. Had a year off in 2010 and then did 3* and came to Burghley as first time 4*.

He went to 3 x CIC3* including Aachen and CCI3* at Bramham where he came 3rd.

Piggy French went to WEG on the back of a good Bramham result as did Pippa Funnell.
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Ah, okay, I totally misunderstood what was said up there... I thought the horse had sj'ed before going to Oli in 09, done 1 N, then **, I, **, I, A, etc etc. Oopsy, my error. I thought it was gobsmackingly brief if that was all the eventing it had ever done!

what happened at Aachen CIC*** then, please, anyone?

Regarding the comment about his weight, I do wonder a little about this too, the very best top riders tend to be pretty skinny.
 
Totally shocked by how Oli is abused in public, not totally surprised to see he is getting a bashing on here, predicted it as he fell:rolleyes:
I am now where near a good enough rider to comment on any 4* rider, but will say that when OH and I have seen Oli at events he always has a smile for us even though he hasn't got a clue who we are. I feel sorry for him, he admits he has done things in the past that he's not proud of, he is only human, hands up anyone who hasn't made mistakes with horses or life in general. Perhaps ' if you haven't anything nice to say dont say anything' should be used a little more often.
 
I too think its pretty low that people were rude to him. If I was at a trot up and people did that I would tell them how rude they were!!

I did a clinic with OT years ago, and he was a very friendly guy who was a great teacher.

I've just finished watching the BBC coverage of Burghley that I taped today and its interesting that Ian Stark (I think it was him) in the commentary box said that he was riding fantastically! Of course he knows nothing compared to people on here...

I don't think that OT is a heavyweight. Yes he is a different shape to WFP, but he looks a pretty lean bloke. My husband is the same height and build as WFP and he actually weights quite a bit - its just spread out over a long skeleton!
 
I've just looked at his Facebook pages again which I had hidden as they were driving me crazy.

I just wishthey would drop all this team townend business. Sounds arrogant IMO. You dont see team king or team fox Pitt everywhere. They just get on with it
 
On the subject of weight, OH is not 'on the lean side', but is able to vault onto his 17.1, legging him up onto his 19hh horse is very easy, particularly compared to the effort it takes him to leg me up onto these horse;) He is a much much better rider than me, with good balance and a 'light' seat. Oli is perhaps shaped more like Clayton Fredericks rather than Mark Todd or William Fox Pitt, but as they have long legs they will have more 'bone' weight, the femur is the heaviest bone in the body
 
everyones bilt diffrently and carry weight diffrently.

All this is being said over an internet forum so to those who are slagging him off and critising him, next time you see him at an event why don't you go and say it to his face?! Would you confront him about what you think of his riding ability, weight, attitude, manners etc?!?!!
 
Being tall does not make you heavy - I am 5'10 and under 9 stone, my OH is 5'9 and under 9 stone. WFP is probably not 'light' but he is probably as skinny as possible for his height. I do think most of the top flight event riders are either very skinny or petite. None appear to be carrying any excess. OT looks more like the top british SJ riders - but they are not galloping 4 miles across the country. His fitness is probably very good, and of course he will ride lighter than the majority of beginners, but watch Mark Todd over a fence and then watch OT and I'm certain that MT makes it just a little bit easier for the horse every time in terms of balance, weight and timing.

I kind of think that Clayton looks a bit on the heavy side to ride the horses he does as well. But then I also don't think that over 12 stone is appropriate for any normal thoroughbred to carry and be expected to jump and gallop. I am aware that this would annoy a lot of people!
 
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