Zara P & Toytown

[yorks]

There was a letter in the sports section of my paper this morning denouncing the hype over Zara winning the World Champs and saying all the credit should go to the horse because any competent rider could have won the comp on that horse.

I haven't come down yet - still incandescent. The writer is obviously someone who has no knowledge of horses or the amount of work that goes into building up that partnership.

 

[Hattikins]

grrrrrrrrrrrrr that makes me soooooo angry

yes Toytown is fantastic but we know he is a really tricky horse and Zara has done wonders with him

-why do people say things like that

 

[ihatework]

What complete bollox.
She may be rich and have had all the support and training possible but at the end of the day she has still had to go out there and ride the horse!!
Perhaps the person that wrote the letter should be plonked on top of TT and set loose round Badminton ...

 

[Hattikins]

[ QUOTE ]
Perhaps the person that wrote the letter should be plonked on top of TT and set loose round Badminton ...

[/ QUOTE ]

what a great idea-only problem is i dont think the phillip's would want a completel plonker riding their fab horse

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Reading that has made me SO unbelievably angry. Toytown was notorious for chucking people off and being unrideable before zara got him, and he still wont do anything without zara around!! What utter bollox, have you got an address to write to for the paper to point out the real facts to this absolute idiot?

 

[hayliana]

definately think you should write to the paper and put them in their place!!!

 

[Haflinger]

That makes me so angry!

Love to see the person who wrote that ride a horse around a cross country course - especially if they were riding Toytown!

 

[Dovorian]

Have you got an email address for the Sports Editor - we can bombard him !!

 

[sleepingdragon10]

One word : Jealousy

Unfortunately, people STILL think that money buys success, they don't see any of the hard work that goes into preparing a horse and rider combination for such an event, or the hours of training that go on behind the scenes

 

[yorks]

It was The Daily Telegraph. Unfortunately they only do sport letters once a week. I don't look on their website to see if they have them up there.

At least the Telegraph does horsey things all the time unlike the other papers. I notice even the BBC hasn't mentioned WEG since Zara left the scene.

 

[icestationzebra]

I've seen the letter in The Telegraph. I do wonder why people feel the need to write in to a national newspaper expressing an opinion on something they clearly know nothing about or even apparently try to understand......
Baffled

One of those irritating little people that think they know it all... Just when you think you have met all the morons in the world - another one pops up!

 

[LEC]

I think Toytown is an outstanding horse and is very forgiving. Sometimes he gets Zara out of trouble. He truly seems to love her and I think this plays into her advantage. Another rider might not get the same results as they do not have the same partnership. But this does not make Zara the complete rider and the results on her other horses prove this. I think Toytown will be her horse of a lifetime.

 

[landf]

The point is it wasn't anyone else riding the horse - it was Zara. Why would anyone want to take any glory away from her? It just sounds like sour grapes and jealousy.

Regardless of what horse she was riding it still takes skill and courage to ride at the level she does.

 

[pootler]

I have seen first hand that buying the best horses does not mean you will win. I used to work for a foreign international rider who bought his horses from the likes of Mark Todd, Karen Dixon etc. I'm talking their top horses, including a badminton winner. They NEVER had the same form again.

If it was that straightforward, with his money and horsepower he should have been winning everything everywhere but he didn't!

 

[Bossanova]

[ QUOTE ]
I think Toytown is an outstanding horse and is very forgiving. Sometimes he gets Zara out of trouble. He truly seems to love her and I think this plays into her advantage. Another rider might not get the same results as they do not have the same partnership. But this does not make Zara the complete rider and the results on her other horses prove this. I think Toytown will be her horse of a lifetime.

[/ QUOTE ]

Couldnt agree more

 

[vivhewe]

It seems someone is very jealous I'm afraid! (Don't mean you yorks - the letter's author!)

The girl's 25 - to have done what she's done in a lifetime is an achievement, but to do it in her 20's is amazing!!!

I think people should give the lass credit - horses are horses and the non-equestrian public seem to think they are like machines, and anyone can do anything with them. If only it was that simple! They don't seem to understand the amount of work we put into them - I know how hard it is trying to get my boy to understand me and I have him for pleasure and not top level competition!

All I can say is I have the highest respect and admiration for her - everyone else should have too!

 

[teapot]

I am very tempted to email in saying "unless the author of the letter has ridden around a WEG course plus the european course, don't really think they're in a good enough place to comment"

 

[ElleJS]

Quote from the Telegraph:


Zara bright star in her own right
By Sue Mott
(Filed: 29/08/2006)

"There's no Princess or Duchess attached to plain Zara Phillips. By winning the eventing title at the World Equestrian Games, the Queen's granddaughter has exemplified the work ethic behind the royal facade. She has been lucky in her parentage, as anyone might be who has two parents united in a passion for a sport. But her victory at the event that ranks just one notch below the Olympics is a victory for courage and spirit, not crowns and coronets.

advertisementToytown was not some high-bred certainty bought with the royal coffers, but a £400 Pony Club discovery, raised with its rider to the very heights of competitive excellence. With horses, that takes time, patience, practice, pain, setbacks and mountains of muck. Absolutely, she is a candidate for the BBC Sports Personality of the Year. Anti-royals can stifle their objections. This sportswoman rides Toytown, she doesn't live in one."

sums it up I reckon. especially the :Anti-royals can stifle their objections" part which possibly has alot to do with some people ignorant comments about her.

 

[SJFAN]

Only thing I'd take issue with in that quote is that WEG title is one notch below the Olympics. Eventing in the Olympics has been downgraded to make it more accessible to the developing nations.

 

[kateD]

I agree with Lec and Bossnova! I was in pony club with Zara, we did the area and pony club Champs on team together. She was really nice, but was not a 'naturally' good rider. Her riding has improved immensley since, by having constant tuition from the best in the business, and from being lucky enough, to find a horse like Toytown ( who was definatley cost a bit more than £400!) I thinktheres no doubt Toytown will be her horse of a lifetime!

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

I think you'll find toytown was bought for a very low price, not sure about £400 but he was a definate give away.

 

[0]

Maybe Toytown will or will not turn out to be her horse of a lifetime BUT if he does, i'm sure not many other people's horse of a lifetime will win them a european and world title - not a bad horse of a lifetime i'd say (and i'm sure Zara would agree) the only reason that people say derogatarily that he's her horse of a lifetime is that this means by the time she's thirty ish she will have peaked, but surely this is a credit to Zara not a bad thing......she bought a novice horse when she was 18 and has brought him up the levels herself to world champion level - quite an achievment.... not many others can do that with an averagely priced horse. Yes she has had world class training but she is out there on her own.
I could understand people saying that she won the gold for being Zara Phillips and not on merit if she had paid the earth for a school master (and even then it's not a given as somebody above pointed out) but she didn't she bought a youngster and did it herself.
Why have some people above implyed that because Toytown helps her out means that 1) she isn't a talented rider and 2) that anyone could have done on him what she did (i'd love to see you try and jump that track on him). The fact that he does help her when he needs to proves that 1) he loves her and she has earnt this from him and 2) that he's honest - something everyone looks for in a horse - she gets one that is honest and everybody starts saying she won because of him??
I'm not saying that he didn't help her out when he needed to but they are together a world class partnership.
I think some people (on here as well) are just jelous and therefore imply they too could do it if they had her horse and criticise her riding and her talent when in actual fact unless they too have done it themselves they really should stop telling our deservedly so world champion how its done.

Edited to say: replied using quick replt - this is not to KateD

 

[Bess]

Well said Jem1, I can't add much to what you've said other than every other world class partnership of horse and rider were at the WEG trying to achieve what Zara and Toytown have accomplished. They did it.

 

[Bossanova]

by saying he's her horse of a lifetime is by no means being derogatry about her!!
I have a lot of respect for what she has gone out and done, she has picked out a fantastic horse and provided him with all the toos to be a superstar.
You have to agree however that zara is not going to be a top rider up with the likes of WFP and Andrew Hoy...doesnt take away what she has acheived (which neither of these riders have acheived) but it's still significant for her future in eventing.

 

[sleepingdragon10]

Given that she's now World Champion I'd say she was already up there......

 

[seabiscuit]

I agree with Boss and LEC -Zara is not going to be a rider of a lifetime.Toytown is an asbolutely outstanding horse and he lives to jump.I am not saying that he would achieve what he has with anyone but the likelihood is he would jump and perform for any rider who has been getting good results at advanced.But Zara and TT have a very close relationship so he goes that extra mile for her.The sheer fact remains is look at Zara's results on her other horses...she has not even come near winning much at all on any of them yet they are all bought to be top class horses. Look at the results with someone like Laura Collett and Oil Townend who are of similiar/younger ages and who prob have a similiar investment of money in them- consistent wins and placings with EVERY SINGLE HORSE across the grades.Give them a horse like Toytown and they would also have just a good a chance of winning a world championship.

There is no disputing Zara's superb relationship with Toytown- he really wants to do everything for her and they are a partnership. But toytown helps her out at fences again and again and it is thanks to Zara's good balance that he keeps helping her out. But not necessarily riding ability.People like WFP and Andrew Hoy. Daisy Dick,Oli T- they are always putting the horse exactly right at the fence making it feel comfortable and confident, hence their wide spread good results across the grades with different horses.But what Zara does have a real edge on is her ability to stay completly cool under extreme pressure which has gone a long way to getting these fantastic results.

TT was a tricky youngster but all the credit for sorting him out should go to Meryl Winter, she trained him and educated him and produced the strong foundations so that Zara could then take him out and win from novice onwards.

And would like to add, this is in NO way jealousy speaking, it is simple observation talking about what I feel makes a good rider... When I watch people like Andrew Hoy riding or Daisy, I just go 'wow' - because their feeling, rythym, and balance and ability are just unbelievable to watch, and that is the kind of riding that I aspire to.

 

[Happy Horse]

[ QUOTE ]
Toytown was notorious for chucking people off and being unrideable before zara got him

[/ QUOTE ]

Really! The rider I worked for had Toytown to work with before Zara bought him and I know the girl that owned him before. I never heard any of these rumours!

 

[Happy Horse]

[ QUOTE ]
I think you'll find toytown was bought for a very low price, not sure about £400 but he was a definate give away.


[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry but this is nonsense. I know the chap that had him to sell and he was most certainly not given away! What sources are you quoting here?

 

[Happy Horse]

[ QUOTE ]
TT was a tricky youngster but all the credit for sorting him out should go to Meryl Winter

[/ QUOTE ]

Well said! I was in PC with Meryl and knew her when she had the tragedy with her old horse before she got Toytown. I also know Keith Doyle who had him for a bit before he was sold - he had immense respect for the horse and always siad he could go to the very top SJ or eventing.

 

[0]

Even if this is the only horse she ever gets a tune out of, getting one horse up to european and world champion is not bad......there aren't many others that have done this. And the fact that she has done this back to back, i think, proves her consistency to be up there with the world class riders - she IS a world class rider. You don't win two titles as prestigous as that where almost every top rider in the world is competing on their best horse just by chance.

Yes Toytown helps her, but she helps him too and for example in the first water at WEG when she fell onto his neck jumping in, then jumped out on buckle end she still kicked on to jump the boat and many wouldn't, so yes he helped her over that but it's not as if she just sat there. As with the hedge that he sort of scrambled over she still went the straight route when all the others who'd had a problem went round because she has that extra bit of courage.

She has that extra bit of courage and nerves of steel that makes a world class rider. There are loads of riders good enough but just can't hold it together at the big events but it takes the whole package (ability, courage and nerve) to be at the top - its no use if any of this is missing.... Zara has them all. She is in my opinion the bravest xc rider competing at the moment. Daisy, i agree with you is a beautiful rider, but when it doesn't go to plan (which it did all round the weg course) i just don't think she has what Zara does to get through it and carry on. To me, it counts alot how the riders react in the sticky.

I think it is sad that we have someone who has won the world championships and yet her critics still won't except that she is good - what does she have to do?????

There are so many promising youngsters in the world, who love to jump (some classier than Toytown) but it is Zara whogot her youngster to the top and made him shine above all the rest.

I'm not really bothered about her other horses (although i'm sure that they will shine) what i'm saying is - how can you dispute the fact that she is a world class rider having done what she has with a horse she bought as a youngster.