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?

"I've addressed all of your points and more Beanie. As have most other posters..."

Go on then - give me a summary.

Other than "well it takes a great deal of skill" which is all I've seen so far and as I've pointed out I don't disagree with.

You simply haven't bothered to read what you don't agree with, Beanie. I'm not going to waste time giving you a summary when you can simply read whats posted.

I am afraid that you almost certainly wouldn't be able to ride those horses, or learn to - you don't have the necessary attention capability, patience, empathy, learning ability and so on, never mind the balance, lower leg strength, upper body strength, timing, ability to read the course, etc..

But that of course would be the same for a lot of sports. Not so dissimilar after all then, nes't pas?

But beanie, your argument was 'Put Chris Hester on a different horse and the result would be completely different'. I was merely making the same argument, but for cyclists or sailors. Although all their equipment has to be to a certain standard you can be certain their are small variations to suit the rider. Variations that may have to conform to a set of rules, but variations nonetheless. So any cyclist or sailor could get the same performance put of any bike or boat, given a little time to get used to the little differences.
OK, so a horse can't be standardised I the same way a bike can, but you can be confident that ANY of those riders could have achieved an Olympic standard ride it of any of the horse there, given the time to get used to the differences.
Anyway, clearly your point of view is set, which is utterly your right, and i can accept for you it's a waste of time.
Personally I Think football is a complete waste of time at the Olympics as there is more than enough of it on the rest of the livelong flipping year, but I'm sure many, many people would disagree.
Obviously looking at this thread there are more than enough people who DO love the equestrian side of the Olympics. So I guess it's here to stay.

Yabvvvvvvu!!
If you don't like it, don't watch it. There are a lot of people that do watch it and they won a GOLD today. Well done team GB

Also Beanie, a 6ft male rider would struggle on a 5ft male riders bike, he'd be hitting his knees on the handlebars! :o

*Do you think you could turn me into an olympic champion Queen? I could represent us in Rio.

I accept there is great skill involved but I don't see how the riders can be as fit as track and field athletes

Here's a question - don't horses get freaked out by flying?*

Well, If it works how you, and others, seem to think it does, Then you shouldn't need anyone to make you an olympic champion, Afterall, you wouldn't actually be doing anything, since the horse does all the work.

A horse rider couldn't compete in track and field no, Just as a track and field athlete couldn't ride a horse. What is hard to understand about that?

I've never had a horse on a plane, But as far as i know [From friends who have sent horses to South Africa] they usually handle it pretty well, and are sedated if not.

Geegee888 Your good horses won't be upset, Have you learnt nothing from this thread? The rider does nothing, The horse is doing it all, Therefore anyone can get on and do it easily. Jesus woman, pay attention!

Ha. Chris Hoy on BBC just talking about the things the cyclists do to their kit to give them the advantage over other riders. Saying that the skin suits they use, the helmets, the bikes make a difference. I rest my case.

You rest your case how?

Chris Hoy has access to the same kit as anyone else.

Usain Bolt has access to the same shoes as anyone else.

I daresay both choose the most suitable equipment for their needs, but the equipment is there.

You can ride a bike identical to Chris Hoys. Ok it might cost as much as a family car, but you can't clone a winning horse.

CARL Hester has ridden lots of different horses and won on them, not just the horse he won a gold medal on today! He is also the part owner of Valegro one of the other gold medal winning horses as well as the trainer of Charlotte Dujardin.

Don't you understand that GB have never ever won an olympic dressage medal and today they won a gold, beating the Germans and Dutch teams who have dominated this sport for years.

Actually, cloned horses are now permitted in FEI competitions

Actually I think you'll find that Chris Hoy doesn't have access to the same kit as everyone else.

Thats part of the controversy over cycling - how Team GB are streets ahead in technology and development over everyone else.

Magic French Wheels...

You can ride a bike identical to Chris Hoys. Ok it might cost as much as a family car, but you can't clone a winning horse.

Yes you can ride an identical bike - Whos to say the wheel won't fall off? Or the chain won't snap? Or the tire wont lose slightly more tread than the other bike?

The same with horses.. You can train two horses of the same breed and lines, using the same methods, Whos to say one won't rear up on the day? Who's to say the rider won't get muddled and tell the horse to do the wrong thing?

Same thing.

I don't see your problem anyway, Everything you've mentioned is a non issue - Until runers start competing AGAINST horses, everything you've said is completely irrelevant to each other.

Because Beanie was saying her main objection was that you CAN separate the performance of the athlete from their equipment in all other sports which was one of her objections to horse riding. Hoy was saying that the French are questioning Gbs success in this games and claiming it was because of the equipment we are using. He went on to state that equipment DOES make a difference . (but did say the wheels we were using are French, so the French could use them too.)

My point I guess, is that actually most athletes make choices about equipment And use something that suits them the best. the selling point of a lot of trainers these days is that different shapes suit different runners, so it COULD be argued that Usain Bolt, in a different runners trainers would not do as well.

One of the requirements of dressage is for the rider to make it look easy which, along with the degree of complex technical difficulty of the movements, makes the sport unfriendly to the uninitiated. Short of getting on a horse, doubters will have to take the word of those of us who ride that it is an incredible tough and skilled sport. As well as natural talent, you need a lot of hard work, endless hours in the saddle, perceverence (which often involves overcoming very serious injuries, countless professional riders have had serious accidents) and a lot of luck (aside from anything else horses are extremely prone to injuries and you can lose everything in a millisecond).

Dressage will remain one of the sports that you do need to learn a bit about before you can fully appreciate it, but an hour's lesson at your local riding school, with the inevitable 24 hours of sore muscles that follows, will give anyone a glimmer of how tough the sport really is.

Booboo - The doubters have been offered the chance to prove their theories. No one has taken me up on the offer though What a shame.

BBC1 news, About to talk about the technical aspects that are giving the GB team the advantage. Will be interesting to see if the technology we have is available to everyone.

Exactly, Booboostoo.

I guarantee that even though some of the posters on here might be really fit, if you all spent an hour on a horse tomorrow, just learning how to trot and turn, never mind anything else, all of you would be hobbling bow-legged the next day with stiff legs.

Horse riding uses muscles you didn't know you had! In dressage it looks as though the rider is doing bugger all, but that's the whole point.

Here's some Kur for you (dressage to music) with the fabulous Anky Van Grunsven.

I love that video

Interesting piece just now on the news about the British cycling team. The bikes are handmade to measure, the helmets are based on 3D laser readings of the rider's head and there is a "project team" including two analysts logging every performance on a PC to the nth degree.

Not looking quite so standardised now....

OP, you're an idiot.

QueenofDiamonds, I would love to take you up on your offer, but you would be preaching to the converted and as I haven't ridden for a few years, I would end up walking like him after 5 minutes on your horse!

lol @ Frankel and her proof that clones are allowed.

That particular argument is moot my dear isn't it? OP I mean. Haven't numerous studies shown that it's nurture not nature?

FWIW, my husband used to say it was "just sitting there" - in much the same way I say his golf is "just walking 4 miles carrying sticks", but he started to ride my 17.2hh German dressage horse this year. Couldn't steer and hit the deck oh so many times. :) Ignorance is bliss.

Anything equestrian always brings out the jealousy in the townie types with their concrete as far as the eye can see views & metallic tracksuits.

I don't understand what dressage is all about. I don't because I am not a horse person. I have to admit watching it yesterday I did struggle to see why it was a sport, but I fully admit that's down to ignorance of what's involved and just seeing it on screen. They do look funny clopping up and down! I don't understand steeple chase either, as that seems like pretending to be a horse.