Some gut reactions after WEG XC...

[flohelf]

For a start: The French blew it (to be expected I'd say). After one of the team members' accident last month, the one guy they called in that should've been on the team had to run individual... And the 2 team leaders respectively had one and two stops. Change of horse at the last minute for Nicolas Touzaint. Jean Teulère(Jerez WEG Champion) has been back competing seriously for only a couple of months after his own accident (and everyone knows he's immensely talented but not a warrior) poor planning altogether...

I am really happy for GB which moved up one place but too bad Oliver wasn't team... Special bravo to Zara !

I am also very happy for the US: deserve it. Have put in so much work into their dressage (bronze medal) and eventing over the last years, makes sense.

I am really sad for NZ, particularly for Andrew...Still amazing: 1 refusal and coming home in 11:04 !!! He's the only one capable of pulling something like this.

Haven't been able to see any of it: Anyone knows what happened with Lord K. ?

I have no comments about Germany...

Kind of sad overall. I tell you guys, as I don't think either USA or NZ can win now, nothing would make me happier to see GB take the gold

 

[lizzie_liz]

in order for germany not to win the team gold, they have to SJ badly and GB has to SJ really well.
The course ended up catching alot of the more experience horses and riders.
Lord K looked a bit off, he was very sticky at several fences
I suppose that is eventing for you!

 

[teapot]

Interesting thoughts - I've only watched the first 1hr and a half or so (recorded the rest as had to go to work) but saw the first 3 french possibly - have to say I've seen them riding a lot better and today seemed a bit all over the place.

I shall comment later after watching the rest

 

[Olliedog]

[ QUOTE ]
in order for germany not to win the team gold, they have to SJ badly

[/ QUOTE ]
Or not get past the trot up...

 

[flohelf]

Thanks Teapot, I look forward to your impressions. I don't know if you have Karim Laghouag(FR) with Make My day on tape, he was the only one clear within the time but not team.
And if you have Andrew, let me know please

Thanks

 

[teapot]

or a couple of blond moments wouldn't go a miss

God, how unsporting of me - come on the Brits.

 

[teapot]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks Teapot, I look forward to your impressions. I don't know if you have Karim Laghouag(FR) with Make My day on tape, he was the only one clear within the time but not team.
And if you have Andrew, let me know please

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

will do - will most likely have both Andrews but will keep an eye out for Karim too

 

[madgirl]

andrew had a stop at the second part of two hedges dont know exactly what happened but horse looked iffy all the way round!

 

[hayliana]

i could hardly bare to watch one of the french rides, i forget his name

bettina looked pure class

zara and toytown had sticky moments but he tried his heart out for her, really shows their partnership!

also loved seeing zara rush to hug bettina after her round, so sweet!

andrew n looked like he had a tough one all the way round

german team - only real feelings are that i think chris bartle has done really well with them, and im a very big fan of his!

will and tam - talented but slightly eccentric!

oli t flew!

thats all i can think of for now!

 

[madgirl]

yer thorght oli looked fab to move from 51st to 13th is pretty good!
glad bettina got round they looked fab!! and deserved it!!
andrew hoy had a run out to!!
yup yoytown is very honest!!

 

[flohelf]

[ QUOTE ]
i could hardly bare to watch one of the french rides, i forget his name

Who is it I'm curious...!

[ QUOTE ]


[/ QUOTE ] zara and toytown had sticky moments but he tried his heart out for her, really shows their partnership!

Precisely what eventing is all about !

andrew n looked like he had a tough one all the way round

Now that is weird...

 

[hayliana]

i *think* possibly the jean teulere?? cant be sure, just vaguely remember a j in the name! not much help sorry!

 

[SJFAN]

The French rider who was yanking at his horse's mouth all the way was their 2nd individual - Adde.

 

[hayliana]

thank you!

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Tell me about it, i left the room when that french rider was on coz i got SO angry i was actually shouting at the tv screen (how embarrassing!!) he was just such an idiot, i mean who yanks a horse so hard its mouth bleeds and it stops, then kicks it on with a huge boot, then yanks it back straight away its like what are you doing!!!! He was particularly awful at the second water, thats when i left the room!!! angry just replaying it!!

I thought andrew nicholsan looked from the v beginning like he was gonna have a tough round, the horse just wasnt looking happy at all, he was fighting andrew all the time, very unlike him!

I thought karin donckers was particularly good as was an italian rider who's gorgeous horse was called Southern King, his round was purely beautiful!

Brits did good i think, zara's usual outstanding XC performance, even though there were a few hairy moments! WFP very unlucky with that run out, have to say in the case it was completely the horse and not hime! Hate to say it but Oli T did really well, he always does on that horse though, you can really see how much he adores it ( i seem to remember his near tears at badminton) Didnt see mary go so cant comment on that!

Ingrid Klimke, well, i think i can echo what the commentator said, she looked like she was riding very negatively, and lorna clarke said she noticed her walking the long route more times than the short route.

All in all, a fantastic cross country day!! Dare to say, much much better than the athens olympics course!! As someone mentioned in a thread earlier, there was unexpected twists and drama right until the end and the XC was very influential today, just the way it should be, rather than a dressage competition!! The last hour was particularly gruelling!
Very impressed with course builder

 

[Santa_Claus]

lol blonde moments I would also welcome

They are about 27 penalties ahead I think which means each of the three scoring riders needs on average 9 penalties each or for space 3 fences each whilst our top 3 need to go clear!! only a small ask

 

[henryhorn]

I watched about an hour's worth then had to drive CCj for a show jumping lesson, but I was surprised at the difficulty of the course. I tend to take Badminton as difficult but this was so much harder!
That corner after the steep downhill bit caught so many horses out (well riders not horses) and I was impressed with a lot of very generous horses, especially Toytown, who appears just about the most honest horse on the planet!
I thought O Townend rode really well, and Bettina Hoy, infuriatingly I missed the rest as our SAT system went wonky and refused to record or playback anything at all.
That Spanish chap didn't deserve to be there, he just wasn't up to standard, his horse looked tired from a third of the way round and he looked unfit too.
Hated the fall over that hedge, but it looks like it was only winded, and the other horrible fall when the horse whacked the step after the water? It looked lame on three legs afterwards and the daft rider couldn't tell, we were all yelling "Get OFF!!" at ths screen in our house!

 

[Thistle]

I was yelling at the TV at that point too!

 

[MagicMelon]

I just hope GB hold onto silver medal position. The chances of them catching up in the SJ with Germany are so slim!

I thought the course wasn't harder than Badminton. Yes, it was more technical but not nearly as beefy or scary as Badminton! Like the commentators said - the long routes were really easy compared to the direct ones! So they even had the very-easy choice not to do some of the scary ones.

Yeah - that rider who's horse went hopping lame, she was leading it back! Could she not have put it in the horse ambulance?!

 

[flohelf]

OMG ! Figures... We've never heard of him here at that level. Have no idea what he's doing at the WEG...

I'm relieved it wasn't J.T. Didn't have a good round but he's one very talented rider and I couldn't see him yanking at his horses's mouth and looking so awful from you guys are saying.

Thanks all of you for your feedback on XC footage

 

[SJFAN]

Lorna Clarke commented that she couldn't believe that there were currently no better riders the French could have given his place to.

 

[flohelf]

I can only agree with L.C. I don't know why they didn't name Karim for a start.

He finished on his dressage score and has a much better track record than Adde. And so do a handful of other French talented riders...

 

[Dutchie]

I wouldnt say the French blew it!! Not all of them. Karim Lagouagh is a very good rider, with a huge fanclub ( mainly women) in France. He is very friendly and was absolutely delighted with his 10th place!! I think you may see him as the French Oli T.

 

[flohelf]

I meant as a team. Karim wasn't in it, unfortunately...