My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Today was the second day of Olympic dressage competition in Tokyo with teams gearing up for the Dressage Team Grand Prix Special on Tuesday and the Individual Grand Prix Freestyle on Wednesday. Isabell Werth and Bella Rose finished at the top today with a score of 82.5%. Behind her, in second place was Britain’s Charlotte […]
Read More
Thousands of athletes are arriving in Tokyo, including 325 Olympic horses, who will compete in both Olympic and Paralympic events . The first 35 horses to arrive are those competing in Dressage which landed in Tokyo today, flying from Belgium to Tokyo via Dubai (for refueling). The flight took 18 hours and cost about $15,000 […]
Read MoreI may be the last equestrian enthusiast around to have seen this video of Stephen Colbert’s commentary on dressage, but just in case you, like me, have been living under a rock, you must watch the clip. It is that funny. Not since Monty Python did their skit on men doing dressage has the sport […]
Read MoreNorway’s bronze medal in the Olympics is in jeopardy after Camiro, ridden by Tony Andre Hansen, and three other horses tested positive for Capsaicin. The other three horses are Ireland’s Lantinus, ridden by Dennis Lynch; Brazil’s Chupa Chup, ridden by Bernardo Alves; and Germany’s Coster, ridden by Christian Ahlmann. All the horses were banned from […]
Read MoreOne of the most interesting things about watching the Olympic show jumping was comparing the styles of the riders from different countries. Some rode in a half seat, some in a full seat. Saddles were different, bits were different, and most important (at least to the posters on various forums) was the way European women […]
Read MoreWith the spotlight focused on the safety of eventing, it is critical that the ambassadors of our sport — course designers, trainers, equestrian organizations, and riders — take all steps that can prevent injuries to both riders and horses. There is some progress. For example, at the Olympics, there was a last minute change to […]
Read MoreThere’s something incredibly cool about sitting in your living room and watching the first equestrian events of this year’s Olympics. Especially when they are in Hong Kong and you are in Boston. The live feed is available for free at: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/index.html Right now I’m watching the dressage but I can’t wait for the cross country […]
Read More