THREE WOMEN through to the WEG SJ FInals

[Weezy]

Go girls!!!!!!!

4 through are

Edwina Alexander (AUS)
Jos Lansink (BEL)
Beezie Madden (USA)
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum (GER)

Michael Whitaker came a credible 8th

The second round brought a ridiculous amount of clears IMHO - the first round was deffo testing tho

Thank the lord I got my streaming to work!!!

 

[Santa_Claus]

Echo all your comments! was great watching on freeview

First round seemed far more testing but still 4 very deserving combinations reached the final 4.

 

[crazyracers]

yeah the first of todays rounds was deff. tougher than the second. Well done Michael Whitaker!

 

[twinnieolz]

Whoop whoop! go girls! how did will funnel do?

 

[CastleMouse]

Go on the girls!

Pity Marie Burke didn't make it

 

[Weezy]

Oh yes, afraid I will be cheering Jos as I am in total love with his horse - I have never seen the Aussie girl in action before (well prob have if she jumps at Spruce Meadows) and she REALLY impressed me - anyone give me some more info on her - where is she based etc?

Also vews on which horse we all think will be the "crutch" horse tomorrow?

 

[Weezy]

Ummmm Will didnt ride at WEG! Mondaarin had a slight injury so Nick Skelton took his place with Russel

 

[SJFAN]

Edwina Alexander, who is 32, came over to Europe sometime in the 1990s. She was I think in Belgium originally but now lives with Dutch former Olympic rider Jan Tops at Valkenswward. Her riding has improved considerably and of course she now is riding a top-class horse who has won European Championship medals for Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (2001) and Steve Gurdat (2005). It will be very interesting to see how, as the "rookie" she compares with the other 3 tomorrow.

 

[Weezy]

Thanks SJFAN - those who get to ride at Jan's yard are very blessed indeed IMHO! Yes, see I knew the horse but not the rider - will all the stable riding for Jan put her in good stead tomorrow - am looking forward to finding out!!

 

[Santa_Claus]

well from what they are saying in the commentary she actually Jan's partner and not just stable rider

 

[Weezy]

Ohhhhhhhhhh I seeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee LOL! When SJFAN said "live with" I thought she meant "live with" not "liiiiiiiiiive with" hehe!

Lucky her!

 

[SJFAN]

Pialotta should be the easiest, having had various riders before (2 top 1 not). Shutterfly is said to be very sensitive - anybody's guess how he'll be with the other riders. Cumano with all that power and huge jump would be a very different ride for the girls. Authentic is used to going fast and might be a little difficult to adapt to quickly.

 

[twinnieolz]

[ QUOTE ]
Ummmm Will didnt ride at WEG! Mondaarin had a slight injury so Nick Skelton took his place with Russel

[/ QUOTE ]

Ooooh im well behind LOL! I didint realsie his horse went lame LOL! Unlucky for both of them tho!

 

[Weezy]

Yes I could imagine that Cumano is more than capable of jumping anyone out of the plate - equally I think Jos is pretty good at riding the sensitive horses which could well turn to his advantage on riding the "girls" horses - I do think horse order is going to play a lot of part too as Authentic if hotted up too much could well lose upwards motion and get flatter and flatter - oh I cant wait, it really is my fave event in everything equine!

 

[SJFAN]

Yes Santa is absolutely right - they are a couple. Both had quite short-lived marriages previously.

 

[Lobelia_Overhill]

Tomorrow is going to be very interesting! I felt so sorry for Marie Burke, she'd been going great guns all week only to have had a disaster in the first round this afternoon...

 

[tw1nn1ejo]

well done you girls!! and well done Michael!

 

[Helena88]

i will be cheering for Jos Lansink... gooo belgium!!

 

[dieseldog]

Jos' horse looked liked it was enjoying itself. I'm going to go Jos to win, but like Weezy said I would want to be on Authentic 2nd.

 

[hayliana]

wonder if it might have been four women if jessica kurten had gone??!

 

[SJFAN]

That would have been some story! She must certainly have stood a decent chance. It was reckoned to be pretty sensational when Gail Greenough made it to the 1986 Final (also in Aachen). She was talked of as being the outsider of the 4 and went on to win with good sympathetic riding throughout. The order was very influential as Pierre Durand managed to upset the other riders' horses so it was not good to be following him!

 

[Weezy]

OMG I remember that!

 

[dieseldog]

Didn't Nick sketon get in a bit of a huff as a woman was in the final - I might be totally wrong on this

 

[Weezy]

No I think you might be right - he is going to be really rather stupified this year!

 

[Lobelia_Overhill]

Glad to see all the horse's coped with the changes of riders - although Shutterfly [or was it Authentic?] was going mental when the saddles were being changed - poor Edwina must've had a bowel movement when Authentic [or was it Shutterfly? LOL] 'ran' away with her...

 

[Rambo]

Edwina (and Authentic for that matter!), are lucky to be in one piece after she hurled the horse at that last fence lol! I would have loved to have seen the look on Beezie Madden's face though

It was Shutterfly who was getting fed up with the saddle changes too.

 

[Weezy]

Ditto Rambo - I sat with my heart in my mouth and I actually swore out loud (and got a shocking look from OH) when she was obv hurtling out of control - thing that struck me more than anything is that you, me or anyone else on here half decent could have sat on those horses and jumped clear - the horses were the heroes - so well trained to do their job and the S shape of the course wasnt taxing, there was no real riding necessary and that IMHO is why there were so many clear (all but 1 4 faulter by Edwina)

Shutterfly was great - I was watching online and the announcer was pleading at the crowd to not applaude - then the other riders were warming up and cantering as close to the horse as possible - alls fair in love and SJing!

 

[BBs]

[ QUOTE ]
That would have been some story! She must certainly have stood a decent chance. It was reckoned to be pretty sensational when Gail Greenough made it to the 1986 Final (also in Aachen). She was talked of as being the outsider of the 4 and went on to win with good sympathetic riding throughout. The order was very influential as Pierre Durand managed to upset the other riders' horses so it was not good to be following him!

[/ QUOTE ]

I remember that! and I have it on video

Nick was in that final with Apollo - god i love that horse.

I am just flipping miffed I missed the whole flipping lot! shall be ordering my WEG SJ and Eventing DVD's shortly

 

[Lobelia_Overhill]

I have part of an old programme called the Horse In Sport with the 1986 finals on it ... Total "where are they now?" (aside from Nick Skelton obviously!) I seem to remember Mr T (Gail Greenough's horse) went 'sour' afterwards and was never as good as he had been, Pierre and Jappaloup (I used to adore that horse!) went on to be Individual Olympic Champs in '88 [Seoul]... Dunno what happened to Conrad and Abdullah.

I can think of a half a dozen people who were around in them days who 'vanished'...

It's amazing to think that Nick, the Whittakers and a few others are still competing at the top of their game 20+ years on... How many other sports can boast such longevity??

 

[BBs]

I remember Abdullah well, fabulous big grey, reminds me of Andrew Hoys Darrian Powers!
Abdullah was a trakhener stallion, and I looked after a few of his off spring at the trakhener stud i worked at - all had amazing jumping ability!

I would say Mary King, Andrew Hoy, Lucinda Green are the Skeltons and the Whittakers of the eventing world