Robert Oliver

spacefaer

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I was incredibly lucky to live only a couple of fields away from him and even more lucky to get to ride some of his best horses, including Kings Warrior, Superted, JCB, Helicon and Hogarth , among others.
I learnt more than I realised at the time and had some fantastic experiences, including riding Superted in a lecture demo at Stoneleigh where the jumps got higher each time we did the demo ? and taking JCB hunting for the first time after his retirement.

An absolute honour and joy to have known the legend.
RIP. Robert - a good friend and one of a kind
 

silv

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Sorry to read this, remember watching him on Kings Warrior at the Royal Highland Show, poetry in motion, all the other hunters just seemed to blend into the background. A very talented horseman.
 

palo1

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He was an absolute gent, a great horseman and tactful rider and very encouraging to all.
V fond memories of long ago times.
I raise my glass to him. RIP Robert

Indeed - always charming and encouraging. I remember seeing him at a local show when I was a child and quizzing him about all manner of things; he was so very kind when he was actually quite busy! What an end to an era.
 

AdorableAlice

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I was incredibly lucky to live only a couple of fields away from him and even more lucky to get to ride some of his best horses, including Kings Warrior, Superted, JCB, Helicon and Hogarth , among others.
I learnt more than I realised at the time and had some fantastic experiences, including riding Superted in a lecture demo at Stoneleigh where the jumps got higher each time we did the demo ? and taking JCB hunting for the first time after his retirement.

An absolute honour and joy to have known the legend.
RIP. Robert - a good friend and one of a kind

I have to ask, did you have a sit on Dancing Lord ?

Mr Oliver was always pleasant to us, and the most memorable day was at a big show when he told my rider that 'you amateurs are taking the pro's prize money'. We had just beaten Jethro's Masterful. David Tatlow followed us back to the lorry and asked me to put my horse with him, that was the day I realised I had a nice horse.

I asked Mr Oliver to assess Adorable Alice a couple of years ago and he was so kind and helpful. I very excitedly told him she has Crosstown Dancer in her pedigree and is related to Dancing Lord. I was gutted when he said she would have been a top small hunter 20 years ago when smalls were true scaled down middles with lots of bone and substance, but today her stamp is out of fashion and he advised me not to register her as I would be disappointed.

The hunter rings are not the same without Robert Oliver and David Tatlow.
 

spacefaer

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@AdorableAlice sadly no, I'd moved away by then.

It's amazing what you can learn by just being around someone with all that knowledge.

I was incredibly fortunate to be in the right place at the right time - we had huge fun crossing country behind him as he field mastered the Ledbury off his show horses and he was the first person I'd ring for advice if I had a tricky horse.

Although I do remember him sending one of his girls down with a Small Hunter for me to school. He'd said "he bucks a bit" so I got on and we did 3 circuits of the school in bronc before I could get his head up ??
 

Billyandme

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He was the judge at a little RC show and I was a very proud but not very knowledgeable owner. He pulled me up as he said my horse was not level behind. He was right. I was mortified.
 

fetlock

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LEC

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genuine question - why do show horses always go quarters in? I have watched hundreds of show horses and it seems to be a thing.

I saw a photo of Superted today he was not like the obese things you see now. Almost had a skinny neck for a cob but looked like he could go hunting.
 

AdorableAlice

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genuine question - why do show horses always go quarters in? I have watched hundreds of show horses and it seems to be a thing.

I saw a photo of Superted today he was not like the obese things you see now. Almost had a skinny neck for a cob but looked like he could go hunting.

The Hoy's ring is tiny and needs a very balanced schooled horse. Mine coped well as he was schooled to medium. No quarters in for mine !
 

LEC

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The Hoy's ring is tiny and needs a very balanced schooled horse. Mine coped well as he was schooled to medium. No quarters in for mine !

I see it a lot at county - I just don’t get it from judges how they think its fine. Kings Warrior was mostly on 3 tracks and I would say that’s pretty standard. How that show won supreme also blows my mind.
It’s when riding horses do it, I am ?. I guess a lot of it’s to do with judge position so faults like this just don’t get picked up.
 

oldie48

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I took Rose over to the Oliver's last February 2020. They were both charming and very helpful and he seemed very well. So sad to hear that he's no longer with us, he struck me as quite a character!
 
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