To think horses do not belong in the Olympics

[StunningCunt]

They've got this horse prancing sideways with a toff in a top hat on the top, and they are devoting hours of TV coverage because we might get a gold medal in this nonsense?

Why don't they just have a dog show there and be done with it?

Competitive sheep herding?

Motor racing?

Yes, I agree. I'm sure it requires a great deal of skill or whatever, but I have a long list of sports that should not be in the Olympics and this is one of them.

But show jumping/dressage etc are sports so why shouldn't they be there?

I would much rather watch this than the boxing

Awww more inverted snobbery on Mumsnet. Bless!

I like the showjumping etc but dressage leaves me cold. I just don't get it.

I agreed with you until I found out that the horses have to come from the same country as the competitor so it truly is a comparison of riders and horses from around the world.

I would love Olympic sheep herding.

The herder would have to be dressed in the skimpy diving pants, while yelling 'come by, come by' down the field

I would expect the dogs to be dressed up to

Why is a sport more nonsensical because it has a horse in it? Do sports become nonsensical when they involve bicycles, or boats? Or balls or boots?

I love seeing the horses! Surely the skill of rider and horse working together should be celebrated, more so than football and tennis.

I'd rather watch equestrian events than synchronised swimming.

... and they are definitely not all toffs. Did you not hear the show-jumpers being interviewed last night?
And people like Harvey Smith would never ever have been described as a toff. I miss his two-fingered salute

No, OatyBeatie, because, if you hadn't noticed, a horse is a living, breathing creature.

Dressage is beautiful, and incredibly skilled and difficult.

It's a more valid sport than bloody rhythmic gymnastics.

Again with the inverted snobbery, too.

Why does that make a difference?

I agree, poor horsies

YABU, dressage requires an astonishing amount of skill-I also think it's quite lovely to watch.

Because you are relying on the horse's mood and temper and fitness as much as you are relying on your own.

A bicycle, beautiful as it is, does not have a temper.

Poor horses? Are you being serious??

blueemerald - No they don't. The horses have to BELONG to a citizen of that country. Most of the horses in the olympics were bred/brought up in countries different to the one they're representing.

I love the equestrian events but find the dressage boring. I'm not enough of an expert to know what a good round looks like compared to a bad one.

Ok, you lot are philistines I tell you! The person wearing the top hat isn't a toff, they are just wearing traditional dress for dressage. The poncing about takes years and years of training and building of muscle, obedience, relaxation, not to mention the right mental state to accept the rider and move like that without being disturbed by the atmosphere. Show jumping is more exciting to someone not really into horses, but trust me when I tell you, show jumping is a walk in the park compared to the skill and obedience of dressage.

I don't agree, this needs skills, as well as ability and training.

The olympics were sports that showed and tested/developed talents that would cross over into life/war, managing horses is one of those, as relevent today as ever.

One of the exhibitions in London is how horses have helped to shape human life and how we wouldn't have developed as we have without them, so Equestrian events should be in the olympics.

Dogs have their seperate events in other shows and competitions.

We still need working dogs and horses, even in the developed western world.

I assume you're not a rider? perhaps if you had a try you'd understand the demands? Or is it the toff bit that gets you? Do you know for a fact it's a toff on top? If so, why is that a problem?

I think competitive sheep herding would be a marvellous idea.

I think there should also be a sport involving alpacas, just because they look funny.

I would have an opinion on this but have banned myself from talking about anything horseysporty related since the recent conversation about water polo where i wondered how the horses got in and out of the pool.

"Poor horsies" - ? They are probably quite well treated you know

There's all sorts of variables in lots of sports. Presumably part of the skill of the rider is to deal with the temperament of the mount, in a similar way that a sailor has to deal with the variability of the wind.