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Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Original poster

Just a bit of a whinge about Badminton coverage ...

29 replies

Stillcounting · 03/05/2010 17:06

... or lack thereof ...

I live abroad and so only get BBC 1 and 2 ...

There are highlights on this evening at 17.55 UK time but the cover is woefully thin imo, considering we've had wall to wall snooker for days on end now...

Surely there are as many riders out there as snooker players??

OP posts:
ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 03/05/2010 17:08

Do you have a red button?

Original poster
Stillcounting · 03/05/2010 17:10

No, is that the prob. do you think?

So are all of you in UK happily accessing exclusive coverage? [sob]

OP posts:
MoneyNoPockets · 03/05/2010 17:11

It hasn't been good tho the red button has helped somewhat.

Given sky has the Horse channel i had hoped for full daily coverage

MollieO · 03/05/2010 17:12

There was a programme on BBC this afternoon covering the cross country and then the showjumping is on this evening. Wasn't it on the website too. In the UK we had all the cross country via the red button (and I think the dressage on Friday, but not sure about that) and this afternoon all of the showjumping. Pretty good coverage imo but no use if you can't access that where you are.

Original poster
Stillcounting · 03/05/2010 17:16

Oh well, that explains it MollieO - thank you - although am rather

Apologies to the BBC for jumping to the wrong conclusions ...

Horse channel MoneynoPockets?? [quakes with excitement and runs off to Google Sky coverage in Belgium]

I didn't even know such a thing existed!!!

OP posts:
Original poster
Stillcounting · 03/05/2010 17:17

Still think there is too much emphasis on snooker

OP posts:
MollieO · 03/05/2010 17:30

I think they could limit snooker to the evenings when Badminton obviously wouldn't be on. I think snooker has a bigger audience even if it has less actual participants than horse riding.

bubbles4 · 03/05/2010 17:36

Me and dd went yesterday for the cross country,it was fab but absolutely freezing.

ASecretLemonadeDrinker · 03/05/2010 17:41

try bbc iplayer... or google to see if any can be watched online?

bubbles4 · 03/05/2010 17:49

You can watch here online.

MollieO · 03/05/2010 17:49

Both cross country and showjumping are listed as 'coming soon' on iplayer but not sure if you can get that outside of the UK.

Original poster
Stillcounting · 03/05/2010 19:16

[fresh from watching BBC highlights ... worthy winner but sorry about Mary King coming 4th .... she's my hero ...)

Yes I agree Mollie - snooker could be shifted to 3am slot as far as I'm concerned ...

Clare Balding said this evening that Badminton has the largest attendance of ANY sporting event in Europe which says something about the interest out there ...

BBC don't want to be seen to be 'elitist' or supporting horsey fraternity - totally outmoded stereotypes of course - most serious riders I know are broke and exhausted from trying to fit in training around work hours ...

Am very very Bubbles4 hope you and dd had a lovely day yesterday and didn't get too wet! Thank you for that brilliant link!! I will watch it in solitary splendour tomorrow ...

Thanks ASecretLemonadeDrinker (love yr nickname btw - I remember every word of that jingle )

Iplayer no go over here but will watch through link above!!

Thanks all!!!

OP posts:
skihorse · 04/05/2010 07:06

stillcounting Couldn't get it here of course just having normal Beeb 1&2, no red button and no iplayer - add to which, yesterday was of course a normal working day so no TV for me.

3 days solid of fucking snooker though.

Original poster
Stillcounting · 05/05/2010 13:22

Hi Ski-horse

Waves frantically from other side of world!!

[Sorry not to reply earlier btw - banned myself from using computer yesterday]

I feel your pain .

Couldn't agree with you more about the snooker. There would be uproar if netball was on continually for a fortnight

OK, I know that's a slightly sexist comment as lots of women play and like watching snooker but you know what I mean....

What's "the Master" Mark Todd up to nowadays?? Did he compete this year??

OP posts:
skihorse · 05/05/2010 15:18

Belgium & The Netherlands are now polar?

Original poster
Stillcounting · 05/05/2010 18:29

Skihorse I'm so sorry [huge twonk emoticon] totally misread your post !!!!

Reading at 100 miles per hour as usual and read "NZ" instead of "NL"

[Desperately tries to think of appropriate question to ask about Dutch warmbloods]

SORRY!!!!!

I'll take more water with it in future

OP posts:
skihorse · 05/05/2010 18:38

haha forgiven! Actually my girl is Russian but I bought her in Zeeland.

I knew the BBC weren't going to serve me well at the weekend so I went and watched a real live ODE in Limburg (Dutch) instead. Not quite Badminton but enjoyable nonetheless!

OK, maybe you know the answer to this - why don't our continental cousins jump? My friends at the yard are dressage obsessives and the YO gets PAID to ride other people's horses - but they have nervous breakdowns if I suggest popping over a log in the forest!

Original poster
Stillcounting · 05/05/2010 19:01

Agree!! No idea why though. It's all very "controlled" here too ....dd's livery yard next to huge forest but they spend most of their time in the menage ...

Is it someat to do with British hunting tradition??? Dunno.

Deeply of your girl

Does she have Arab in her?

OP posts:
skihorse · 05/05/2010 19:08

Funny - I thought exactly that - that it must come from our hunting heritage? You know, Pony Club galloping and jumping anything in our paths.

A lot of the girls ride dressage beautifully - but I've met people who've had their horses a decade and never hacked!

They all think I'm a loon for doing x-country!

Nope, no arab in her - well, she goes back to the original 3 Arabians - but she's a Latvian "sports horse" - which boils down to German warmblood when it comes down to it and her parents are both Hanovarian. Warmbloods are all blinkin' German when push comes to shove it seems!

Original poster
Stillcounting · 06/05/2010 11:28

It is strange isn't it? I'm considered a loon for mentioning the word "hack"!!

I used to be quite involved in Long Distance and Endurance riding when I lived in UK and have been wondering about whether to try and generate some interest in it over here. It's such a brilliant sport - for riders and horses alike. Could quite possibly be on a hiding to nothing though ...or should that be "riding" to nothing???

Have never heard of a Latvian sports horse but she sounds absolutely marvellous and that she has a serious 'engine'. Used to ride a wonderful Hanovarian back home [sniff]. He never, ever tired.

Am very, very .

OP posts:
frostyfingers · 06/05/2010 13:07

I don't know if it helps at all, but I'm pretty sure it's on Horse & Country TV (Sky 280) on Saturday.

Original poster
Stillcounting · 06/05/2010 13:28

oh yes it DOEs FrostyFingers - thank you very much

Bubbles4 linked it below and I hadn't heard of it before

I will definitely be watching - thanks again

OP posts:
skihorse · 06/05/2010 14:10

stillcounting Not sure where you are of course but the Dutch do a bit of endurance and "orientatie" riding and I know there's also some in Belgian Limburg (Hasselt way).

Original poster
Stillcounting · 06/05/2010 21:27

Thanks again Skihorse that's really interesting. Will definitely pursue ... we are in Bxls (make use of 'surburban' livery 20 mins out of town) but Hasselt very easily accessible ... will be good for my Flemish too ...

OP posts:
skihorse · 07/05/2010 05:35

OK, this will be a good start knhs.nl/

I've sent them emails in English before and got very friendly replies so that's not really a problem.

There must be a similar federation in Belgium but I was never able to find anything out except straight dressage/show-jumping although I did find the odd x-country course - few and far between of course. (I used to live out near Eupen).