My Soapbox for Equestrian Writings
Wow! I haven’t tried jumping bareback in years, but even in my misguided youth, I never dreamed of jumping a Puissance wall! The last clip in this series shows Switzerland’s Willi Melliger and Airport Moet clearing 7’7″ with ease!
Read MoreAccording to Princess Haya, the president of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI), the status of equestrian sports at future Olympics is precarious. In a recent interview she stated that there is no guarantee that horse sports will survive beyond the 2012 Olympics. The problems? Interest in dressage is low, there have been complaints about the […]
Read MoreAt 1.6 meters (5′ 2 -1/2″) the show jumping fences at the Olympics looked enormous to me. It’s hard to imagine the multiple jumping efforts required of these horses over the days of competition. However, when only a single jump is required, there are some horses that can jump significantly higher. People started keeping track […]
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 MoreSafety stirrups are no longer to be relegated to riding schools and beginners. Rodrigo Pessoa and Ludger Beerbaum are among the Olympians who use an innovative (and expensive — to the tune of 265 Euros) new safety stirrup called the X’up, made by Freejumpsystem, a French company that’s mission is to introduce technical products that […]
Read MoreAs we wait for the Olympics to begin, it’s really interesting to get a window into the life of some of the competitors. There are several Olympians who are keeping blogs . . . just be careful, reading them can be addictive. Enjoy! General Overview: Brian O’Connor is the announcer of the equestrian events: http://special.equisearch.com/blog/brianoconnor/ […]
Read MoreThe equestrian events at the Olympics are the only event where men and women compete against each other, and the only event where human athletes partner with animal athletes. It is one of the aspects of the Olympics that provides a direct link to the sports played at the ancient games. Unfortunately, there are no […]
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