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Anyone else a wee bit disappointed with BBC's Rio eventing coverage? (A sort of AIBU for horsey folk.)

38 replies

Sequentialchoring · 09/08/2016 09:17

I probably am being a bit unreasonable because I live abroad and can't get access to the red button or live video streaming ...

... but I don't understand why we get almost forensic and endless examination of the swimming and rowing (great though these events are) - including all the heats - and that the Beeb can't feature the definitive eventing competion as part of its prime coverage?

It's not as though the cross country isn't exciting or anything is it? There were spills and thrills galore yesterday!

It is an amazing spectacle! And the coverage on BBC1 yesterday was so cack-handed! I was just settling down with dd, the dog, a pot of tea and a plate of jam sandwiches and was enjoying the first 20 mins or so when the coverage rudely switched to boxing, then judo, then hockey, then swimming then rowing (when frankly a lot of the coverage was just chatting between commentators).

Waited and waited to hear what had happened to Pippa Funnell and Kitty King only for Clare Balding to mention them in passing about two hours later!

Really, really disappointed ... and missed most of WFP's round ... .

Sad

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Sequentialchoring · 17/08/2016 20:24

Thanks I will see if I can access that from across the channel!

YY to MT's gibbering!

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ProseccoBitch · 17/08/2016 16:33

If you want to watch the Brits only, the videos of the full coverage on the BBC Sport website very helpfully have little 'flags' along the timeline at the bottom so you can skip to them. Really handy!

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tootsietoo · 17/08/2016 09:37

Couldn't agree more about Mike Tucker. I caught a bit of footage from a different broadcaster, wish I knew which one it was, perhaps a sports channel, or an aussie channel? But the commentators were so knowledgable about how the horses were going and the technicality of the course etc etc, so refreshing after listening to Mike Tucker's drivel!

I do like Ian Stark though, and as he is talking just keep wishing I could see him riding these courses on Murphy Himself! (Although not sure how he would cope with all the twisting skinny lines they have now).

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Sequentialchoring · 15/08/2016 19:19

Sorry - meant Valegro!

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Sequentialchoring · 15/08/2016 19:17

Wow! Complete turnaround here! We all really enjoyed the BBC's coverage of the dressage today! Thrilled for Charlotte and Valero !! What stars! Enjoyed all the competitors in fact! And am hugely impressed by the strength and depth of the German team!

Who do we have coming up in the ranks to replace our current stars?

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IsItTimeForGinYet · 14/08/2016 16:57

Pippa is known to get very nervous so I assumed she was doing that to relax herself and the horse.

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Gabilan · 14/08/2016 08:43

Pippa Funnel is (obviously!) a very seasoned competitor. She knows the judges are watching and forming an opinion before you go in the arena, even if they just glance up whilst they sort out the previous rider's scores. For a while I trained with a showing person. I had a horse with beautiful medium trot but for various reasons shifting him out of prelim tests took a while. Anyway, the showing rider had me blasting round outside the arena in medium before making an entrance, just to say "look at me, we'll be doing more soon, look at my horse's paces".

Hadn't occurred to me that Funnel may have been proving a point to the rest of us, and the dressage riders, but maybe she was.

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ExitPursuedByABear · 14/08/2016 00:48

I agree. So sad.

It was very pointed when Pippa Funnell was riding round before her dressage that she kept wafting one hand around. At first I thought it was because her coat tails were flapping In the wind and she was trying to desentsise him. But the commentator said she was showing that the horse was holding himself in an outline without any interference from the reins.

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Gabilan · 13/08/2016 21:14

It's been confirmed by the FEI that Parzival did not have a broken jaw. However, he has never looked right to me. Just too much tension in front of the wither and through the neck and jaw. It's not just him, but he's one of the worst, IMO.

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ExitPursuedByABear · 13/08/2016 16:46

I hope so.

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AmserGwin · 13/08/2016 16:45

I managed to watch most of it on red button, and some on iplayer. Agree it hasn't had much coverage though, nothing hardly in the newspapers

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PoloStar · 13/08/2016 16:41

Exit I think you'll find that NBC have misreported Parzifal's injury. The hairline fracture reported is actually a hock injury to Ryan (one of the showjumpers)

Adelinde's horse had a insect bite and was on fluids the whole day prior to her test in an attempt to flush the toxins out of his system.

And with regards to the rollkur, it is my understanding that she took some time out to retrain/rethink her approach, and he was much better in the neck and more forward in London than he had been prior, so she has moved on.......

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ExitPursuedByABear · 13/08/2016 15:20

I am incandescent with rage. That bitch Dutch rider who claimed her horse had been bitten by an insect - he has a broken jaw Shock Shock Shock

Fucking crocodile tears.

And fucking rollkur.

Sorry - needed to rant..................

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Gabilan · 12/08/2016 22:16

My only complaint was the continued employment of Mike Tucker, who never ceases to talk gibberish at every opportunity

I have Freesat (and a week off work) so have been overdosing somewhat on the equestrian sports. Mike Tucker however makes me want to punch things. I'm glad I can watch the entire thing. Whole entire dressage classes, instead of 2 minutes of Team GB if we're lucky! Now the icing on the cake would be to sort out the blinking commentary. Stark is great for the 3DE but for the pure dressage we needed Stark + Peter Storr. Or just anyone other than Tucker, + a dressage judge.

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Sequentialchoring · 11/08/2016 22:31

Thanks for suggestions!

Sadly, no, iPlayer does not work here. Will try Hola though, thank you both!

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IsItTimeForGinYet · 11/08/2016 21:16

Don't think you can watch iplayer if you are not in the country hence trying to watch through Hola. Don't know if it will work but I managed to watch Rolex via USEF network when FEI TV didn't work last year.

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GinIsIn · 11/08/2016 21:04

You don't need to have the red button - you can watch all the livestreams on bbc Iplayer online.

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IsItTimeForGinYet · 11/08/2016 21:00

What about if you try and watch BBC through Hola internet blocker? May work? Then you can watch everything?

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Sequentialchoring · 11/08/2016 19:52

Oh no - apologies - typing on tablet thing as have bad back!

Should have read I fit were (third time lucky!)

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Sequentialchoring · 11/08/2016 19:48

Oops sorry If it were!

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Sequentialchoring · 11/08/2016 18:59

I fit where yes I have already conceded I am being utterly unreasonable! Grin

Can't wait to see Charlotte & co ....wish I had red button! Would happily pay to subscribe; no idea why the BBC do not do this, there must be loads of expats who would be willing!

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Ifitweresomeoneelse · 11/08/2016 08:16

Every minute is on red button/iplayer streaming live. I have watched all of it so far and am loving it! I went to the eventing SJ final in London 2012 and a lot more people were aware of how we were doing in eventing as we were so close to gold. Same with Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro winning- suddenly more people had heard of dressage.

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Sequentialchoring · 10/08/2016 08:49

All of that makes sense - thanks! And agree, it is all too easy to look back with hindsight! Far more difficult to actually ride the course (which I thought did a pretty good job of sorting out the wheat from the chaff). It was a great battle!

And you have to hand it to the Germans - their top two are superb!

Kitty is going to be great given more experience! I wondered about them leaving out Izzy too.

And as for WFP; just to make it to the Olympics was a fabulous achievement!

A bit more investment required in horse flesh for the Brits I think and we might be in the medals next time! Some of those French horses make me drool!

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IsItTimeForGinYet · 10/08/2016 07:10

Yes the selectors did probably get it wrong but they had the best of intentions. The last few Olympic courses have been deemed too easy and so expectations were swiftly dashed when they walked the course and didn't find the relatively simple 3 star track they were expecting but a proper 4stat one albeit slightly shorter and with plenty of alternatives to get round. The horses were chosen for their potential to do a decent dressage and then clear jumping rounds.

WFP did brilliantly. Yes he crossed his tracks but I bet he thought he would have been given a run out at the skinny. Yes he and Pippa could have both circled and avoided their 20 penalties and if they had who knows where they would have been on the leaderboard but they are both competitive and experienced riders and it is very easy for us sat in our armchairs watching, but if they had pulled it off by jumping straight and clear and got in the time we would have all been cheering and praising their amazing attacking cross country riding. No one will be more disappointed than them about not bringing back a medal.

Also about picking the wrong team. Burtos horse has done 3 three stars before coming here. He jumped a brilliant XC round but his inexperience caught up with him today. All 4 of ours came out and jumped as though on springs. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Th whole sport appears to have had a shake up with Badminton now being respected once more and it will be interesting to see what Burghley looks like next month.

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honeyroar · 09/08/2016 23:31

They had a tough job. We only had one rider with the talent, horse and experience to really threaten the Germans and other favourites, and he was just getting over a major medical issue.. He proved all the doubters wrong, he got his mojo back just in time and, other than that few seconds on the Xc, rode pretty perfectly. So I'd say they were right about him!

Gemma, I'm not sure they picked the right horse personally. But she has been on fire this year and was absolutely a cert for the team. I'm impressed how she got her horse home Xc when the mare really wasn't enjoying herself.

Pippa, I have always loved Biz, he's shown that he will be fantastic at 4*. They did really well. If only they'd circled, but hey ho. She piloted him really well.

Kitty, I thought she started off looking nervous, but what a horse, and a great finish.

I do wonder how Izzy Taylor would have gone round that Xc. It might have suited her.

Tina,could have been very similar to Pippa. Inexperienced but good horse. Would possibly have finished better than Kitty or Gemma.

But for me, we were never going to be a big medal contender this year. If anything we were battling for bronze. Whoever we had on the team would mean inexperience on the horse or rider front. But we've put some miles on the experience clock for some newcomers, and they've got years ahead to represent us.

It was a very interesting Olympics. I thought the Germans would wn by miles, they didn't. There was a real battle, every single team had to work their butt off for what they achieved. We did OK. We didn't shine, but we weren't that bad, and fifth with a relatively novice team is a good result.

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