WEG2010: The Grass Is Always Greener....

The Grass Is Always Greener On The Other Side!

It's a month now since the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington staged it's closing ceremony, closed the gates and proverbially let the tumble weed blow across the Kentucky Horse Park. These games have not been without controversy, and much has been written to slate the games  since their conclusion. This could easily make you think they were a complete disaster. I for one, say, "Not so"

I don't live in Lexington, Kentucky or the USA, so I'm a little surprised I haven't been more cynical about the games, but given scale of the task undertaken, and the order of magnitude putting on these games has been compared to any of it's predecessors, you have to admire the steely determination that the organisers have shown in getting it away.

London 2012: Making It "As Good As It Gets"

NZB Land Vision | London 2012 Aim

With the eventing season drawing to a close, and the curtains firmly drawn on the World Equestrian Games stage, the next 'really big' competition to look forward is the London 2012 Olympics, so I thought I'd start a series of posts about the event. In particular I wanted to talk about the cross country course and the venue. So first of all, the cross country course.

Now, we're constantly reminded that this is a sport built on the foundations of the volunteer workforce, after all our big 3-Day Events just wouldn't run without the thousands of volunteers who sacrifice their time to man everything from the car parks to the media centre. With this in mind I have decided to volunteer to design the cross country course - what a good samaritan I am, and Sue Benson (the official course designer) is of course welcome to have some input, and borrow my ideas.

Every cross country course needs a theme, and there are of course two obvious themes; London itself and GBR - spiritual home of the 3 day event, so these will be my inspiration for my London 2012 Olympic Course. To begin with I will share fence, and fence combination ideas, and then once I've discussed the venue in more detail I'll start to layout the course a little more. The reason for this will become apparent as I reveal more about the venue.

WEG 2010: Eventing - The "coulda, woulda, shoulda's"

Team GBR | World Class

I have finally calmed down having watched the highlights again (more than once). Did I mention WE WON the World Equestrian Games! (and William Fox-Pitt took home a Silver Medal too). I have to admit, after the dressage, I was a little concerned that Team GBR would be left fighting tooth and nail to get a Bronze by the end of Sunday, but this WEG really have proved to be a well balanced 3 day event with just the right amount of influence between the phases, although it does prove the dressage is still the phase separating the best from the very best. Possibly not the most ideal situation given it's the most subjective phase. I really liked the cross country course, despite the very Burghley-Badminton feel, and the show jumping produced probably the biggest stadium audience the sport has seen for sometime. All in all a cracking competition......

WEG 2010: Eventing - WE WON

Well Done William et al

Yes, Britain Wins Gold by jumping clear showjumping. There really is little more to say about all of this except:

The mistakes and bad luck that befell the Germans & Australians, allowed two other nations a great shot at medals, and I can't think of two better teams, Canada & New Zealand. Well deserved medal wins.

No one could begrudge Michael Jung his individual gold. He was foot perfect from start to finish, and a joy to watch.

I hope those that ran in to bad luck or injury get their day in the limelight.

Let the celebrations begin, then on to London 2012!

More on all this soon.....when I calm down.....

WEG 2010: Eventing - Cross Country: Best Fun With Your Clothes On

Hamish & Dave were spared a streak

Today's action from the World Equestrian Games really was one of the best cross country days I've ever watched, and we have the Germans to thank for what promises to be a breath taking finish tomorrow. The atmosphere here at home was pretty electric too, with so much 'edge of your seat' action, and we're all still buzzing, although one or two here recon they should have been riding for one or two of the teams instead!

Firstly, I really feel for the Germans. Simone Deitermann was going so well on her lovely horse, and then towards the end of the course you could see the horse started to tire, and I just felt she didn't respond to that, letting him just bowl straight into the bottom of the very last fence, on his forehand. Nobody could have foreseen the issues Andreas Dibowski had at the hollow, this horse has been round Badminton, Pau & Luhmuhlen finishing in the top 3, so spooking at a coffin was never on anyone's list of predictions, and Dirk Schrade just completely mis judged that second to last fence. I'm sure there'll be lots of reports about how the Germans became complacent, and let gold slip through their fingers, but I think they had a little hard luck too. The shake up in the leaderboard today has demonstrated how the format of our sport leads you to thinking if you're not in the lead after dressage, you don't win the event, someone else loses it.

WEG 2010: Eventing - Cross Country Time

German Coach, Chris Bartle | Walking The Lines

Day 2 of eventing dressage at the World Equestrian Games is over, a few surprises in the scores, and I honestly didn't think so many would score well into the 30s, but not really that surprised at those in the top 5, except perhaps the number two, just a little disappointed the British didn't get a little higher up. The team competition though is all about a good solid  allround performance, which the Brits have achieved and are currently in 2nd going into the cross country, but the Germans have a good lead on us, and the Swedes and Australians are only a few points behind (see team scores).

Karin Dockers is one of the best riders we've had in Europe in recent years, and I have to say I completely over looked her as I hadn't bothered looking up this horse's form, but she's currently lying in fourth on 38.8, a decent improvement in dressage over the last year.

WEG 2010: Eventing | Watch Out Axe Wielding Maidens on Cross Country

Ladies & Axes | No!

My first reaction on seeing this video (see below) was to tweet @hamishanddave and warn them! At first glance, it seems US Eventing's adopted fashionista, Courtney Young, along with two assistants who magically appear like something out of Charmed had all gone bananas, taking an axe to set of cross country boots. Then you realise this is an 'infomercial' independent 3D3Ws spoof stress test of ECOGOLD's cross country boots, which they claim are stronger than an axe. Quite why they chose an axe to demonstrate strength I'm not quite sure? If anything even remsembling an axe were ever to be encountered on a cross country course I'm sure the course builder would have Eventing Safety John after them like a shot......

WEG 2010: Eventing - Dressage Day 1 | I Told You Ze Germans Were Coming

Simone Deitermann

The German dressage supremos exited the World Equestrian Games arena with the heating left turned right up today in the first day of the eventing competition, leaving a number of 4* winners in their wake. Simone Deitermann, the 28 year-old accountant, leads the dressage on 36.0 a full five points clear of her countryman, Ingrid Klimke (41.3), and the multi-talented William Fox-Pitt in 3rd (42.0).

You rarely get to see the young riders from other nations, and I remember seeing Simone go round her first Badminton earlier this year and thinking wow, this lady can really ride, but although she has lead the dressage before in some hotly contested big events, I have to say, I really didn't expect to see her so far ahead.

Another pleasant surprise was Mark Todd, who managed to get a score into the late forties, not an easy task with this horse. He's must has squeezed every last ounce out of Grass Valley to get that score. This might just put him in contention for some personal honours.

WEG 2010: Eventing - The Dressage | The Most Important Phase

Team GBR Selections Reflect The Importance Of Dressage 

The formalities of the World Equestrian Games Eventing trot-up are now over, so it's time to draw a line in the sand between each nation, and get on with the serious business of winning. Team GBR's Nicola Wilson will be the first to kick off the competition tomorrow morning at 9:00AM sharp, on her wonder horse, Opposition Buzz. I've said it before and I'll say it again, this is one fabulous horse to watch go cross country, and Nicola has spent the last year improving her dressage, with much success. Her win at Barbury CIC*** sealed the decision for her inclusion in this WEG team.

Both this WEG and the last one, at Aachen, have very large arenas, more reminiscent of a sandy baseball field than a horse stadium, but judging by how well the pure dressage has gone over the last few days, I don't think this will phase the horses much more they get phased at any of the big 4 star competitions.

All the teams, and individuals have now been announced and looking through the list I don't really see any serious surprises in any of the teams. The only shock being the sad withdrawal of Kim Severson's grey due to infection, being replaced with Karen O'Connor. Reading between the lines, listening to The Captain in an audio interview, you could tell this was just one of many headaches Mark has faced in the run-up to tomorrow's competition.

WEG 2010: Eventing - The Cross Country Course

WEG Cross Country | Expect Lots of These!

Pictures have started appearing all over the web now of the World Equestrian Games cross country course for the eventing discipline, and at first glance of Horse & Hound's pictures, which must have been taken some time ago, you think "ahh, this isn't right up there with the trickiest", but these photos were taken before ponds were filled and brush fences finished!

Then you hunt around and find a few more pictures from the last few days and you start to see that this course really is up there with Badminton and Burghley, as a true championship test, in particular the main water complex (part 1, part 2). I'm little disappointed to see a lot of ideas from those two course in here, but it still looks like big step up for many of the field so should be a corker to watch.

WEG 2010: Eventing Trot-Up - Chanel or Gucci?

Only One Plait!

Hurrah! Eventing starts today with the Trot-up, and previews of the cross country course, so by now there'll have be plenty of indecision in the wardrobe department as the ladies decide whether it it's the Chanel wooly coat or the Gucci tailored jacket with the knee length skirt and long boots, whilst Mark Todd just play's it safe and wears jacket, tie and body warmer. There will undoubtedly be a few colour co-ordinated teams, I predict most notably the Americans and Canadas. I'm just as interested to see what the ground jury will be wearing, as here in the UK, it's pretty much always tweed and a bowler hat.

One thing's for sure there'll be no ugly bibs in this phase!

WEG 2010: Dressage (Not In Jeans)

Moorelands Totilas | Photo: Samantha Clark

Another day nearer to Eventing, and it really isn't too far away now.......

Today though was all about pure dressage, and for those of us not at the World Equestrian Games, a first chance to see some Kentucky action via the TV. Now normally you wouldn't catch me watching this much dressage even at a horse trials, but there was such a buzz beforehand about Totilas, and one or two others I just had to take a look. Even though I find some of these pure dressage movements a little laboured (like the canter pirouettes), I was in total awe at how athletic these horses are, and with such control.

Moorelands Totilas, ridden by Edward Gal, did live up to his reputation, and I'm no dressage aficionado or geek, but even I could appreciate the silky elegant of this horse's performance. For me this was almost over shadowed by the incredible performance of the British team who wiped the floor with the remaining competition producing personal bests to win silver. British dressage hasn't been this good since Torvil & Dean!

WEG 2010: Aren't We All An Eclectic Bunch

Equestrian Sporting Athletes | An Eclectic Bunch

Only 2 days to go before the start of the World Equestrian Games eventing discipline - it's getting closer!

So far we've seen two of the 8 disciplines and I don't think you'd ever find a more eclectic bunch of people across any other sport. We've seen the ye-ha cowboy dressage sport of reining, which bears very little resemblance to the more serious formal sport of pure dressage, but is taken just as seriously (seriously good fun), by not just the gold winning host nation, but a number of European nations as well. The big story was dressage diva Anky Van Grunsven switching to reining and representing the Dutch at WEG.

Generally, when you think of world championship or olympic athletes, it conjures up images of  fit lean six-pack toting men and women that you see in track and field, but you've only got to look around WEG disciplines to see we really do come in all shapes, sizes, demographics, and any other segmentation you can think of. Although sifting through the multitude of photos from the bun-fight that was the Endurance race, these guys do all pretty much resemble marathon runners!

WEG 2010: A Right Royal 100 Mile Slog Round The Park

Sheikh Mohammed | Entered for WEG Endurance
Photo courtesy of 2010 Radio Show

I'm still waiting for the Eventing to start! But endurance is about to begin, something I know nix about, apart from:

• They ride in fluffy saddles
• The horses all have dish faces
• The best riders all have dark hair, beards or mustaches

 It's one of those equestrian sports you have to admire though, because a bit like watching the London Marathon, you think "yeah, I could do that" right up until the moment you start training, then it's "I really admire those guys".

With Zara Phillips out of the running, and her Grandfather (Prince Phillip) no longer driving competitively, at this year's World Equestrian Games, the Endurance is the only chance you'll get to see Royalty competing in the shape of Sheikh Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai. Unless the American's class Lyle Lovett's horse as royalty!

You Can Please Some Of The People.....

Flags | A Popular "Souvenir"

Trawling through the web over the last 24 hours, it's very plain to see the AllTech FEI World Equestrian Games are imminent, and rather like a baby elephant, they have been two years in the making. You can feel the buzz from across the pond over here in the UK, just by reading the multitude of blogs, facebook pages, twitter and no end of other online social phenomenon that collectively we call the Internet.

In terms of organisation, a WEG or Olympics is like no other, in that with the usual annual horse trials, you always have the benefit of 'what worked and what didn't work last year'. You then have the added complication of horses, competitors, team staff, uncle tom cobbly and all heading your way from all corners of the globe speaking all manner of languages, and if you're not careful the tail spin can gather momentum...(do a google search on the Delhi Commonwealth Games, you'll see what I mean).

WEG 2010: Dressage in Jeans

Reining | Not Exactly!

It's intermission time whilst we wait for the Eventing discipline to gather some pace and the horses to arrive at Kentucky and settle in. Today I rode the Great White Charger in jeans and long chaps as I tried out a new brand of French saddle making an appearance on the UK scene, and this got me thinking, one discipline I had absolutely no clue about was Reining, and boy was I surprised to find out what it's all about. I was expecting it to be more cowboys without the cows, more cowboy gymkhana, but....

WEG2010: Aussie Eventing's Kings of Comedy

Samantha & Glenn
courtesy of Samantha

Whilst Eventing & the WEG is a deadly serious business sport it's important to laugh, even at oneself, occassionally! Surely that's why we have sites like hahahorses.com and eventing nation. What's tickled me pink very recently is, not just the banter from the 2010 Radio Show dynamic duo (Samantha & Glenn) and the two aforementioned sites, but the new Aussie contenders, Hamish & Dave.

Although I find myself deep in the English countryside I am surrounded, it seems, by Australians & New Zealanders, and they really are the best humoured bunch you could come across, and you'll rarely find a photo of Clayton Fredericks, Andrew Nicholson or Matt Ryan where they're not smiling or joking. A few months ago I found a hilarious interview with Heath Ryan, which I would encourage you to revisit. His brother Matt can be quite infectious too.

First they gave us Dame Edna & Les Patterson, then we were fed Kath & Kim, now the Australian's have sent forth Hamish & Dave on their "Kentucky Adventure". These two dusty outback characters describe themselves as "Elite Riders & General Larrikins". According to my google search a Larrikin is A person given to comical or outlandish behavior (unknown Australian origin). Now I thought that described every Australian, except Wayne Roycroft!

Gatcombe CIC**

Pippa Funnell | Running Right Up To WEG

Gatcombe's September event when they run a CIC* and CIC** is one of my favourite events, and whilst my own horse wasn't ready for this event, I was asked by a friend to help walk a few lines on the 2* cross country, which meant a final opportunity to watch one or two top riders competing some of their up and coming horses.

For those of you unfamiliar with this event, it runs over completely different ground to the 'main' Gatcombe Festival, but is undulating nevertheless. Unfortunately I didn't take any photos, and only a few short video clips at the water fence (below). I wouldn't say either course was "massive", but they are both very technical, and there are quite a few long steep descents and climbs to contend with.

On the  CIC** course there was almost no let up with real thought provoking fences all the way through from the 4th fence right on to the second last. Halfway through the course in the woods, there was a very deep but small natural bowl with an upright on entry, a drop fence in the bottom (yes!), then a steep climb out over another upright at the top. This was where the majority of those that didn't go clear, had problems, including Matt Ryan.

WEG 2010 Eventing: The Top 6

William Fox-Pitt | Favourite For A Medal

Why 6? Well if Team GBR get into the top 5 the top 6 auto qualify for London 2012. Now I've never really understood the concept of this being a "team" sport, considering there really aren't any tactics you can undertake to effect the outcome that can't be achieved in the individual listings, and it's format is still laid out as a 'test' rather than a competition. But I'll play along for now and leave that discussion for another post later on.

What's very exciting at about these World Equestrian Games is they are being held in the US, and there have been a number of excellent performances from a variety of nations during this season. It's always so different watching eventing during a Games year. I think it'll be even more interesting in 2012 as with the Olympics being held in the UK I think we'll see so many teams looking to train in Britain that year, and we've already been fielding calls about riders wanting to be based at our yard.

WEG 2010 Eventing: The US & CAN Selections, Finally!

Kim Severson | Off To WEG

After something that looked nothing like a selection trial at the US national championships last weekend, the American eventing selections for the World Equestrian Games has finally been announced, and there really are few surprises - the two Australians, the two stalwarts, the two tough greys.

They are:

Philip Dutton - Woodburn (T)
Boyd Martin - Neville Bardos (T)
Buck Davidson - Ballynoe Castle (T)
Karen O'Connor - Mandiba
Kim Severson - Tippery Laidhnan (T)
Becky Holder - Courageous Comet