Tokyo Pentathlon SJ

[Mynstrel]

If riding were to stay in MP then the rules need to be brought in line with normal jumping rules regarding stops, rider falls etc. If they had to do it properly then it'd make them try to be riders - or find a different sport. At the Olympics half of them would have been eliminated before the first fence. When you listen to some of the athletes talking about their training it beggars belief, swimming and running x times per week, fencing and shooting y times per month, riding once in a blue moon. It's beyond me why they don't put more effort into the part of their sport that could do them serious harm.

 

[AmyMay]

Hopefully, excellent news.

 

[teapot]

When you listen to some of the athletes talking about their training it beggars belief, swimming and running x times per week, fencing and shooting y times per month, riding once in a blue moon. It's beyond me why they don't put more effort into the part of their sport that could do them serious harm.

Cost, time, access...

I just hope this isn't the death knell of Olympic equstrian sports. Why they couldn't have come into line with the FEI, upped the standard and rules is beyond me. Though removing it I guess stops them having to address that very elephant in the room.

Look forward to the official statement.

 

[Fred66]

Great result!
.

Totally disagree. What makes modern pentathlon unique is the combining of equine and sporting prowess. Change it, make it more of mini hunter trial with smaller fences, slip rail and gate, or dressage, make it comply with FEI rules regarding use of whip. Allow them more time to ride the horse the day before, grade competitors riding ability to achieve a minimum qualifying standard.

So many things could have been done to maintain the equestrian element to me it will no longer be MP and they may as well just drop the sport.

 

[Mule]

The German rider started her round already in tears. She got worse at it progressed. It was a disaster that has directly resulted in removal of the equestrian aspect of the sport.

It doesn't seem right for the other competitors to suffer as a result of a poor ride. I think better training would be the answer or perhaps the riders getting more time with their assigned horse before competition.

 

[TPO]

So this thread started with people wanting horses out of MP and replaced with a different sport. That's happened and now people think it's a shame to have lost it and that the actions of one competitor and coach shouldn't "ruin" the sport for everyone. I think I've got whiplash

 

[Rowreach]

Totally disagree. What makes modern pentathlon unique is the combining of equine and sporting prowess. Change it, make it more of mini hunter trial with smaller fences, slip rail and gate, or dressage, make it comply with FEI rules regarding use of whip. Allow them more time to ride the horse the day before, grade competitors riding ability to achieve a minimum qualifying standard.

So many things could have been done to maintain the equestrian element to me it will no longer be MP and they may as well just drop the sport.

Well that's the whole point, MP had quite literally decades to sort themselves out and do any number of things such as you've suggested, and they didnt, their arrogance got the better of tbem, Tokyo was the result, and now they are on their bikes.

 

[smolmaus]

I was disappointed when I saw the news. In a petty sort of way though. I think this decision just confirms that the sub-standard competitors were "right" to neglect the riding aspects of their training. Sure the horses can just be replaced with bikes anyway, easy peasy, job done. It's the easy way out and means nobody has to grapple with the hard work of upping the standard and changing the attitudes of some competitors to the riding element.

This decision is safer though for horses and competitors so I guess I have mixed feelings.

 

[Rowreach]

I was disappointed when I saw the news. In a petty sort of way though. I think this decision just confirms that the sub-standard competitors were "right" to neglect the riding aspects of their training. Sure the horses can just be replaced with bikes anyway, easy peasy, job done. It's the easy way out and means nobody has to grapple with the hard work of upping the standard and changing the attitudes of some competitors to the riding element.

This decision is safer though for horses and competitors so I guess I have mixed feelings.

To me the Olympics should be the pinnacle of sporting excellence (it certainly is in the non-equestrian sport I'm connected with), and MP is like watching car crash tv. If they all turn out to be useless at cycling, burst into tears and wobble off round the corners, it'll be a bent wheel and a few cuts and bruises, and no horses having to suffer. All good imo.

 

[J&S]

I am pleased its going to be abandoned at the Olympics. Presumably PC tetrathlon/pentathlon will remain the same?

 

[ycbm]

Totally disagree. What makes modern pentathlon unique is the combining of equine and sporting prowess. Change it, make it more of mini hunter trial with smaller fences, slip rail and gate, or dressage, make it comply with FEI rules regarding use of whip. Allow them more time to ride the horse the day before, grade competitors riding ability to achieve a minimum qualifying standard.

So many things could have been done to maintain the equestrian element to me it will no longer be MP and they may as well just drop the sport.

Yup, why didn't they? Instead there are a stack of YouTube videos showing at best incompetent riding and at worst abusive and year upon year nothing changed.

I think the only region which will be upset about this is the UK, where the sport is grounded in Pony Club.
.

 

[tristar]

thank god we wont be exposed to any more sights of horses like saint boy giving up and basically shutting down with rider incapable of either making a decision to retire or not compete

cause thats horses, the lack of horsemanship of the rider made it 100 times worse

the straw that broke the camels back

humility in the face of another living creature saying no can be dealt with by admitting defeat and there is no shame in that

its the governing body of MP that has bought this about, by their failure to see how bad it was, inaction or ignorance, the saint boy episode was the last straw

 

[smolmaus]

To me the Olympics should be the pinnacle of sporting excellence (it certainly is in the non-equestrian sport I'm connected with), and MP is like watching car crash tv. If they all turn out to be useless at cycling, burst into tears and wobble off round the corners, it'll be a bent wheel and a few cuts and bruises, and no horses having to suffer. All good imo.

Absolutely. This is the best decision for horse (and competitor) welfare right now. I just don't think the decision was actually about welfare though, it is the lazy way out where they don't have to do the work to improve or look at the years-long history of NOT considering horse welfare, which is irritating.

 

[ester]

The German rider started her round already in tears. She got worse at it progressed. It was a disaster that has directly resulted in removal of the equestrian aspect of the sport.

It doesn't seem right for the other competitors to suffer as a result of a poor ride. I think better training would be the answer or perhaps the riders getting more time with their assigned horse before competition.

It wasn't just her though was it, it has been widespread for at least the last 3/4 olympic games and has not improved any in that time.

Most of the alt suggestions I've seen on fb etc would take a lot longer than a SJ round, which given that MP has moved to 1 day (presumably to help keep it an olympic sport) that just isn't feasible.

 

[Mule]

So this thread started with people wanting horses out of MP and replaced with a different sport. That's happened and now people think it's a shame to have lost it and that the actions of one competitor and coach shouldn't "ruin" the sport for everyone. I think I've got whiplash

I never said I wanted it out of MP. I did think there needed to be changes to improve horse welfare.

 

[Mule]

It wasn't just her though was it, it has been widespread for at least the last 3/4 olympic games and has not improved any in that time.

Most of the alt suggestions I've seen on fb etc would take a lot longer than a SJ round, which given that MP has moved to 1 day (presumably to help keep it an olympic sport) that just isn't feasible.

True, it's just that round stood out for it's painfullness.

 

[Turitea]

Right decision to replace riding with cycling. About time.

 

[YorkshireLady]

Think it had to happen

however, as I have said previously I think it means horse sport at the Olympics is on borrowed time. sadly.

 

[laura_nash]

So this thread started with people wanting horses out of MP and replaced with a different sport. That's happened and now people think it's a shame to have lost it and that the actions of one competitor and coach shouldn't "ruin" the sport for everyone. I think I've got whiplash

I said from the start it would be sad to lose the equine element and I thought a better solution would be an arena trec type course. That is still my opinion. I think using bikes instead is much better than carrying on as they were though.

I don't think anyone who originally said they wanted equines out of the sport are now expressing sadness? So your whiplash comment makes no sense (unless you think we are all fake accounts for one person called "people", which is the only way that comment makes sense to me).

 

[teapot]

Press release is here: https://www.uipmworld.org/news/uipm...placement-riding-discipline-modern-pentathlon

It's not going quite yet.

ETS: struggling to think of a replacement sport that doesn't come under a IOC recognised federation... Squash?

 

[conniegirl]

Press release is here: https://www.uipmworld.org/news/uipm...placement-riding-discipline-modern-pentathlon

It's not going quite yet.

ETS: struggling to think of a replacement sport that doesn't come under a IOC recognised federation... Squash?

Definitely reads like they are throwing thier toys out of the pram!
I think FEI have strongly informed them of how they were bringing equestrian sport into disrepute and laid down the law regarding the treatment of horses, hence the requirement that no other IOC be involved

 

[teapot]

Definitely reads like they are throwing thier toys out of the pram!
I think FEI have strongly informed them of how they were bringing equestrian sport into disrepute and laid down the law regarding the treatment of horses, hence the requirement that no other IOC be involved

Yes, 'we don't want to be told how to run the sport'.

Well that doesn't leave them with much...

 

[splashgirl45]

they obviously dont know how to run the sport!!! so best they dont then

 

[conniegirl]

Paragliding??

 

[quizzie]

Paragliding??

...parachuting as the first event....chuck them all out at x-thousand feet....bullseye in the middle of the stadium, and elimination for anyone who misses the stadium!

 

[Equi]

The MP was a bit of a shitshow, a few were very hard to watch as we all saw. Some were okay...no worse than you would see in the local shows. Yes its the olympics but they are not exclusively olympic riders so i would not expect them to ride the same as the SJ/Dr/Ev riders. Some MP riders DO know how to ride and part of the sport is not knowing what horse you will be put on and i think that is one of the issues. The olympic riders know their horses, so they can adapt to that horses way of going so if the MP was to stay i think the riders need to have a session on the horses they draw before the competition plus much much stricter rules more in line with FEI. If that can't be accommodated or is not considered fair in the sport, then im all for horses being pulled from the MP.

 

[teapot]

they obviously dont know how to run the sport!!! so best they dont then

Professionally though 'we've taken on board what the FEI have had to say and these are the changes for Paris' would have done them far more favours. Not 'well sod you, we'll run another sport under our own rules'.

 

[ester]

...parachuting as the first event....chuck them all out at x-thousand feet....bullseye in the middle of the stadium, and elimination for anyone who misses the stadium!

Fits the military theme superbly.

 

[Tiddlypom]

The queen could give them some tips on parachuting into an Olympic stadium!

 

[shortstuff99]

As they want to stay to the roots of a modern soldier, why not Takeshi Castle style rounds followed by a laser shoot in mini tanks (as the calvary is now tanks) ?