Oliver Townend - warning for overuse of the whip at blair

W

Wheels

Well-Known Member
Joined
23 September 2009
Messages
5,695
Visit site
How many warnings does one rider need or get before action is taken and they get banned

He obviously learned nothing from the badminton debacle
 
How many more times?

I do seriously begin to wonder what happens in training when there are no cameras on him. It surely can't be good.
 
Get well enough known and you can do what you like. ycbm - I couldn't agree more, beat it in public, so what do you do behind closed doors?
 
His rides at Burghley all looked hard-ridden and were visibly tiring near to the end of the course; IMO (for what its worth) he should have pulled up (OR made to retire).

As others have said, if this is what's going on in public, then god help his poor horses in private. Bet he's a right sod to work for as well, that type usually are.

I remember the old saying which was passed down to us Pony Club kids (kids a long while ago now, but all of my generation will remember it being handed down from the Sages of old), "The Best Whip is in the Cornbin"........ never was a truer word spoken and Mr Townend would do well to remember it.
 
Was any action taken against Caroline Powell for jumping into the crowd at Burgley? The article Tiddlypom linked to mentions someone at Blair being yellowcarded for doing something that sounds similar.
 
Tiddlypom said:
He rode well at Burghley, and didn't hassle his horses.

While at first glance the Blair incident sounds bad, Oli says that the horse has been occasionally been running out and it did so in the XC warm up, hence his use of the whip. Was it over zealous policing by nervous stewards, maybe?

https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/oliver-townend-given-another-warning-whip-use-663442
Click to expand...

Erm Oliver Townend has plenty of form for being over zealous with his whip and subsequently playing it down so I doubt it was the steward that was the issue
 
Wheels said:
Erm Oliver Townend has plenty of form for being over zealous with his whip and subsequently playing it down so I doubt it was the steward that was the issue
Click to expand...

I agree with Tiddylepom totally, everyone is far to sensitive to oli picking up his whip, if a young horse is getting in the habit of running out it does need correcting, before it becomes a habit. I watched the live streaming at Blair and from what I saw oli rode very well .

His horses went beautifully at burghley and finished a lot better than most , if he was bashing them at home as many are claiming there is no way he would get the performance out of them he does, they try their hearts out for him, not the behaviour of a terrorised horse!

And I also question the timing of this story, why now straight after Burghley where from what I saw he gave all 3 horses textbook rides and rewarded them throughout. King joules looked the most tired, but when he passed me at the beginning of the course he was fighting oli to go faster all the way waiting energy, and indeed it was him that oli elected not to ride in the showjumping even though he was in a money winning position , as the health of the horse came first. Hardly the action of a horse abuser only in it for the glory and money!
 
lannerch said:
King joules looked the most tired, but when he passed me at the beginning of the course he was fighting oli to go faster all the way waiting energy, and indeed it was him that oli elected not to ride in the showjumping even though he was in a money winning position , as the health of the horse came first. Hardly the action of a horse abuser only in it for the glory and money!
Click to expand...

Eh? I read that news as that the horse had knocked himself (as reported) and would not pass the trot up for the show jumping so he wasn't presented.

I don't see Oli as the kind of man who would give up a prize winning place if he had a sound horse to put to the panel.
 
lannerch said:
I agree with Tiddylepom totally, everyone is far to sensitive to oli picking up his whip, if a young horse is getting in the habit of running out it does need correcting, before it becomes a habit. I watched the live streaming at Blair and from what I saw oli rode very well
Click to expand...

The story is not about Oliver using his whip it is about Oliver over using his whip.
 
lannerch said:
I agree with Tiddylepom totally, everyone is far to sensitive to oli picking up his whip, if a young horse is getting in the habit of running out it does need correcting, before it becomes a habit. I watched the live streaming at Blair and from what I saw oli rode very well .

His horses went beautifully at burghley and finished a lot better than most , if he was bashing them at home as many are claiming there is no way he would get the performance out of them he does, they try their hearts out for him, not the behaviour of a terrorised horse!

And I also question the timing of this story, why now straight after Burghley where from what I saw he gave all 3 horses textbook rides and rewarded them throughout. King joules looked the most tired, but when he passed me at the beginning of the course he was fighting oli to go faster all the way waiting energy, and indeed it was him that oli elected not to ride in the showjumping even though he was in a money winning position , as the health of the horse came first. Hardly the action of a horse abuser only in it for the glory and money!
Click to expand...

H&H eventing have explained that they were waiting for comments from OT etc before they published the story - I can imagine the furore if they hadn't given him any right to reply
 
Wheels said:
The story is not about Oliver using his whip it is about Oliver over using his whip.
Click to expand...
Yes but oli only has to pick up his whip for it to be overuse , after what happened at badders and the trial by social media afterwards everyone is far to sensitive. What he did at badminton was wrong but this episode does not sound the same thing at all.
 
Lévrier;13835964 said:
H&H eventing have explained that they were waiting for comments from OT etc before they published the story - I can imagine the furore if they hadn't given him any right to reply
Click to expand...
If you really believe he has only just replied then all fool you. Shame on you horse and hound for your timing! Did he refuse you an interview?
 
ycbm said:
Eh? I read that news as that the horse had knocked himself (as reported) and would not pass the trot up for the show jumping so he wasn't presented.

I don't see Oli as the kind of man who would give up a prize winning place if he had a sound horse to put to the panel.
Click to expand...
And you know that for sure? I heard the Horse certainly would have passed!
 
ycbm said:
Eh? I read that news as that the horse had knocked himself (as reported) and would not pass the trot up for the show jumping so he wasn't presented.

I don't see Oli as the kind of man who would give up a prize winning place if he had a sound horse to put to the panel.
Click to expand...

The quote I read said:

Oliver Townend has just two chances to defend his Land Rover Burghley title today, as one of his three rides at this year’s event, MHS King Joules, was withdrawn after suffering “a slight knock” on the cross-country.

Tom Joule’s 12-year-old Ghareeb gelding, first to go of the Burghley field, was third after dressage with a score of 27.2, but slipped to 10th after cross-country with 10.4 time-faults.

“I’m disappointed, both for the horse, who deserves a Burghley completion after the way he took on yesterday’s cross-country course, and also for his owner, Tom Joule, who has been so supportive,” Oliver said.


Read more at https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/new...l-horse-inspection-663546#m2ZdiB9xGayuOWEp.99
 
Oliver has withdrawn MHS King Joules ahead of the final show jumping phase today. He was found to have given himself a slight knock yesterday and Oliver doesn’t want to jump him if he isn’t 100%. “I’m disappointed, both for the horse, who deserves a Burghley completion after the way he took on yesterday’s cross country course, and also for his owner, Tom Joule, who has been so supportive.” Oliver said.
 
I'm afraid I'm in the leopard and spots camp when it comes to him, a very good friend works at an equine hospital who were treating one of his horses many many years ago and they told him that the rehab needed meant that the next comp he had been aiming this horse at was going to be too soon and if he rode in that event the horse would break down and never compete at that level again, Oli competed the horse anyway and it was the last event the horse did (well at that level anyway, it may well have gone on to a much quieter home) there have been so many stories about him in the years since and he gets several warnings but nothing ever changes. I think he's a vile bully and a poor representative for the sport, you definitely can't imagine him ever bringing on an 8 year old and still having it competing at the top level 10 years later like some of the other top riders do, horses are clearly just a commodity to him.
 
Dopeydapple said:
I'm afraid I'm in the leopard and spots camp when it comes to him, a very good friend works at an equine hospital who were treating one of his horses many many years ago and they told him that the rehab needed meant that the next comp he had been aiming this horse at was going to be too soon and if he rode in that event the horse would break down and never compete at that level again, Oli competed the horse anyway and it was the last event the horse did (well at that level anyway, it may well have gone on to a much quieter home) there have been so many stories about him in the years since and he gets several warnings but nothing ever changes. I think he's a vile bully and a poor representative for the sport, you definitely can't imagine him ever bringing on an 8 year old and still having it competing at the top level 10 years later like some of the other top riders do, horses are clearly just a commodity to him.
Click to expand...

That's awful & sad Dopeydapple & just one example of the many nasty things that I've read about him from people with first hand experience.
 
Last edited:
lannerch said:
And you know that for sure? I heard the Horse certainly would have passed!
Click to expand...

Then why wasn't he presented in case one of the other two, or both the other two, failed?

Do you know for certain he would have passed or did you get it from a friend of a friend?

And if he would have passed, then why on earth would he not present him and jump one round of show jumps and probably take home some prize money? The story of retiring a sound horse makes no sense.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top