To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

Not into horses..but love dressage.If you dont like it..don't watch it.."utter shite".what a intelligent comment.....

If you were to attend any equestrian event in the UK, you would see that they do. They get a rosette on their bridle and a lap of honour. And believe me, they know it means they have won. Then of course there's praise and treats and affection.

At that level they get a big sash round their neck too sometimes even a sash of flowers, and a rug with big letters noting their achievement. More actually than the riders and bigger/better too

Do the posters saying ‘give the horse a medal’ imagine the horse would actually gain anything from that…?

What the horses want, and get in abundance, is good quality food, comfortable stalls, grooming, time to graze and chill in the field, interesting training, and strong relationships with those who care for them.

You only have to listen to the commentary to know just how much appreciation is shown to these horses. Anyone who is a fan of equestrian sports knows the horses as well as the riders, if not better. When Ben Maher won the showjumping earlier the commentator cried because he loves Explosion W so much and was overcome to see him win. Charlotte Dujardin’s previous Olympic horse Vallegro has a fan club of thousands. He is now retired and living the life of Riley, and people still flock to see him in droves if he ever does demonstrations etc.

Just because you’ve turned the tv to an equestrian sport for the first time in your life and fallen victim to A Thought™️ about how the horses are unacknowledged or under-appreciated doesn’t actually mean you’re right, and creating a thread claiming that your ignorant hot take is going to lead people to start thinking critically about a sport they’re much more knowledgeable about than you is, in fact, laughable.

God I was skinnnnny!

Sweeping generalisations! Try and understand the skill involved to do this sport. I love it.I didn’t really understand why anyone would fo a marathon swim but for those who do it, fabulous- am full of admiration for the dedication and fitness it takes

Why doesn’t the horse get a medal instead/as well as the rider?

I suspect a lifetime’s supply of polo mints on demand would suffice

Agreed - the horses are doing all the work while some lazy posho in fancy dress sits on their arse - not really a "sport" is it

Someone has their goady pants pulled up nice and high.

Maybe read the thread? Lots of people explaining how physically hard riding is. Also lots of people sharing their backgrounds and de-bunking the rather ignorant view that you must be ‘posh’ (whatever that is) if you ride.

Finally, anyone involved in any way with horses will tell you that equestrians are probably the least ‘lazy’ group of people ever - horses are hard work.

Training a horse to Grand Prix level requires years of patience and building of trust between horse and rider, it is a partnership. Very few riders have the skill and dedication to reach that level . Of course the horse is as important as the rider and most dressage enthusiasts know the horses at least as well as the rider . Some are so superb, they attain almost mythical status .
As for the music , they are trained to do the various movements at specific places in the music , and they certainly do respond naturally to changes in the rhythm . A horse will only perform like that if it has complete trust and understanding with its rider.
I cannot understand why golf and tennis, for example, with hugely prestigious and monetarily rewarding competitions already(masters golf, Wimbledon tennis) are in the Olympics .Seems totally spurious , and I don’t watch it , and don’t like the constant doping in many other sports, either.

Each to their own and watch what you find interesting

Maybe someone could loan the OP a horse - just a normal average horse - so that she can try and get the horse to do ‘dancing’, but definitely without those lethal, awful spurs. Then perhaps a round of solid cross country fences - they are about 1.2 metres high, and can be 1.8 metres wide - over a distance of 4.5km. Although better make sure it’s a bitless bridle - and NO KICKING the horse. And then to finish off, some show jumps at 1.6 - 1.8 metres high.
Following this, the OP should really be involved in some further torture of the horse via grooming throughly, icing and bandaging legs - possibly some equine massage or hydrotherapy. Then finding the right rugs for the current temperature, and ensuring that the poor creature is fed the correct ratio of hard food, supplements and hay. After that, she will need to give all the tack a thorough clean, make sure that everything else is washed, dried and checked over for safety and comfort so that it can be put back on the victim at a later date. The fields will still need to be poo picked, fences checked and if the stable hasn’t yet been mucked out, that needs doing too… in winter, she had better come back to see how cruelly they horse is treated when the owner spends time defrosting water troughs in the fields, as well as pushing wheelbarrow loads and of hay across muddy fields. The horse will be further tortured by having the mud washed off it to prevent mud fever.
If anyone has a horse they can provide to the OP, can they please video it and post on here?!?

Why doesn’t the horse get a medal instead/as well as the rider?

Who knew there were so many chip on shoulder inverted snob bigots on MN. What a miserable lot.

lboogy

Who knew there were so many horse enthusiasts on MN.

I personally have no interest in elitist sports like equestrian events. Same with sailing. Bunch of rich people doing rich people stuff

O NO, another ignorant comment. Sailing I don't know about but the riders get sponsored....... although parental support is required when young.

Its my favourite, hours of things I have no interest in too, we are all different and you can turn it off!! I appreciate the skills as I ride, stayed up in the early hours to watch the cross country. Wish there had been more on. Cycling and diving seem to be on all the time! I like the diving but no interest in cycling which to me seems to be about who can buy the most expensive bike. Like archery too, although again top equipment helps, have done archery in the past so have an understanding. 100m sprint same. So we can all watch what we like. Utter shite is quite an ignorant thing to say in my opinion, I wouldn't say that about boxing or something else I have no interest in. All these people are the best and have spent years training you need to applaud them all for this.

Who knew there were so many horse enthusiasts on MN.

Over a million people in the UK ride regularly so not that surprising that there are people on MN discussing Olympic equestrian events.

Who knew there were so many horse enthusiasts on MN.

I personally have no interest in elitist sports like equestrian events. Same with sailing. Bunch of rich people doing rich people stuff

Agreed - the horses are doing all the work while some lazy posho in fancy dress sits on their arse - not really a "sport" is it

What are you talking about no equestrian eventer leaves their horse behind - they are worth hundred of thousands by the time their competing at that level and not to mention much loved pets to their owners!

[quote 1990s]Listen to how the horse is discussed in this clip:

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/58083290[/quote]
Utterly beautiful horse, and what a partnership they have.