To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

[BFrazzled]

In the Olympics.

Poor horses. This ridiculous dancing in dressage, who the hell thought of that?

There was one winner of the dressage contest who supposedly also won in the nineties. No mention of the horse, guess it was with a different one then

I love the horse events. 🐎

You're entitled to watch what you want OP but you're clearly.ignorant of the skills that.go into the equestrian disciplines of which dressage.is only one.

And it's not just about the rider. Charlotte Dujardin would not be winning on any horse and neither would I win sat on her horse - this is a pairing of horse and rider.

My sister worked in an office next to a farm where the horses did dressage. She said the horses used to spend a lot of time doing the moves when they were in the field by themselves, Hugh trotting up and down, going sideways etc. It was the favourite thing to show to guests to the office.
The horses obviously enjoyed it.

Valegro was valued at £6 million. Somehow I doubt he (or any other Olympic level horses) would be “left behind”.

Animals don't belong in human sports.

some of the sneering on here does little to challenge the idea that horsey people are rich & entitled.

Very few people in the UK are in the fortunate position to afford a horse and have any experience of dressage, it is presented by the media (and the sport itself in some cases) as dancing horses, so it's hardly surprising that many will see it as such.

Most of us will have ridden a bike, swum, run, jumped etc. so have some idea of how difficult these would be at an Olympian level; horse riding , and probably sailing, are not something that the majority will have experienced.

@a8mint

Its just a way for the toffs to pretend they are athletes

I mean, think what you want about the sport itself but there's no 'pretending'involved. Those riders are unbelievably fit. They train for hours in cardio fitness and core strength. They do Pilates and yoga every day and at home, will ride about 10 horses a day. They're most certainly not just sitting there like they're on an armchair.

..... and along come someone to demonstrate my point.

@lovethisjourneyforme

Animals don't belong in human sports.

Horses have been used since time immemorial as work animals and sports.

Why don't you all stop keeping dogs and cats ffs. Oh no that's a domestication that's acceptable to you?

Do all those people who claim the skill is all the riders believe that any horse could be good at dressage or are some better than others? If the latter, then the horse should get the medal as well shouldn’t they? Comparing a live animal to a boat or pair of shoes is just wrong.
I’m sure it’s skilful, but animals shouldn’t be in human sports even if it has a long history. Plus what happens to the horses that don’t make the grade or get old?

@Ifailed

some of the sneering on here does little to challenge the idea that horsey people are rich & entitled.

Very few people in the UK are in the fortunate position to afford a horse and have any experience of dressage, it is presented by the media (and the sport itself in some cases) as dancing horses, so it's hardly surprising that many will see it as such.

Most of us will have ridden a bike, swum, run, jumped etc. so have some idea of how difficult these would be at an Olympian level; horse riding , and probably sailing, are not something that the majority will have experienced.

It's also strange that horses are the preserve of rich people here.

I have a friend from Eastern Europe and she didn't understand it. She said gypsies have horses in her homeland and you only have them if you can't afford a car.

I don't agree @Ifailed my family are far from rich but I grew up horse riding every other weekend. When you do these things you meet people who compete, and you get to see what dedication it takes.

Dogs and cats don't belong inside home then. Just because it has a long history.

Lock a dog up in a house and walk it twice a day and that's ok?

Honestly have you got nothing else to worry you.

@garlictwist

Wait, they fly the horses to Japan? Don't they have horses over there? I just assumed the olympics provided the horses.

That made me laugh out loud! It sounds like a really stupid question but if you know absolutely nothing about horses, then it probably isn't obvious. The riders could never achieve such stellar results with some random horse assigned to them. Those riders are incredibly skilled, so they could ride a beach donkey and make it look good but they train their own horses for years. They build a partnership. They build a unique bond with their horse and train it to respond to the smallest of commands. A rider can literally think about a particular movement and the horse responds. Thinking it makes your brain send signals to your muscles and the horse can pick up on this. They are very sensitive and responsive animals.

My only concern is the distance horses travel. This seems an event where each competitor should be a venue local to them, with someone there to ensure a level playing field as it were. Modern technology could ensure each faced exactly the same course (other than ambient temperature) and it would offer more people the chance to see one Olympic event.

@gerispringer

Do all those people who claim the skill is all the riders believe that any horse could be good at dressage or are some better than others? If the latter, then the horse should get the medal as well shouldn’t they? Comparing a live animal to a boat or pair of shoes is just wrong. I’m sure it’s skilful, but animals shouldn’t be in human sports even if it has a long history. Plus what happens to the horses that don’t make the grade or get old?

Horses that don't make tp grade get sold to people who compete at lower levels. Much like footballers who don't make the Premier league play at lower levels. It's not the Olympics or the knackers.

Don't watch it then , I'm sure your tv has an off button if you look hard enough

@Ifailed

..... and along come someone to demonstrate my point.

Horsey folk just get pissed off with utter ignorance. Of course people can ask questions and have a sensible response but if they ask sneery, ignorant questions, they can expect a sneery response back. That isn't unique to equestrians.

So if a rider has a relationship with a particular horse then why isn’t the horse mentioned as a winner.? Oh no, some of you believe a horse is the same as a bike or boat.

Modern technology could ensure each faced exactly the same course (other than ambient temperature)

How do you think a 3 or 4 mile long cross country course could be exactly replicated in multiple locations?

Animals shouldn’t be coerced into learning things?

Just wait til you hear about guide dogs.

I teach my child table manners and road safety - am I coercing him into learning tricks?

The one very important thing that a lot of you are either forgetting or ignorant of is that there are species of animal that like to learn. Horses in the wild will play race each other, jump over things, gallop around. These are behaviours they enjoy. The foundations of show jumping and cross country are built around that, in the same way as dog agility for example. Horses also enjoy their relationships with humans. Dressage is rewarding for both horse and human because it’s about an almost imperceptible exchange of communication between horse and rider.

Parrots love to learn to mimic sounds and words. They do this with other species in the wild also. Should we ban that as it’s a trick?

People teach their dogs to sit, to wait, to not bark at the postman. What about that?

People send their children to all sorts of hobbies. They might win medals - should we ban all of those?

Just because you are not interested in something or don’t understand it doesn’t make it stupid.

@newnortherner111

My only concern is the distance horses travel. This seems an event where each competitor should be a venue local to them, with someone there to ensure a level playing field as it were. Modern technology could ensure each faced exactly the same course (other than ambient temperature) and it would offer more people the chance to see one Olympic event.

Totally impossible for cross country. You would need to ensure exactly the same terrain - hills, type of soil etc and altitude for all disciplines. But you could say the same about any sport. There is an international athletics tracknear me. The British athletes could run, throw, jump there etc others in their home countries and compare the results. Think of the air travel it would save. Of course you will think that is a daft idea and you would be right.

@gerispringer

Do all those people who claim the skill is all the riders believe that any horse could be good at dressage or are some better than others? If the latter, then the horse should get the medal as well shouldn’t they? Comparing a live animal to a boat or pair of shoes is just wrong. I’m sure it’s skilful, but animals shouldn’t be in human sports even if it has a long history. Plus what happens to the horses that don’t make the grade or get old?

Horses that don't make the grade might go to a lower level rider who doesn't have Olympic aspirations. Older horses are retired and typically spend their days lolling around in a field, eating, sleeping and playing with their mates. Once they become very old/infirm/injured/tired of life, like any other animal, they are pts.

@gerispringer I can't comment on the Olympics but most shows say x person won on x horse.

Horses are most definitely not the same as an inanimate bike or boat, as my many injuries from them will tell you.