- 17 Aug 08, 11:32 AM
While the rest of the world watched the fastest men on the planet go head-to-head in the 100m final in Beijing, I was in my usual spot in Hong Kong watching the best dressage riders on the planet!
I have to confess that just before the race I did my own 100m dash to the media centre to watch it on the telly and I wasn't the only one. The place was packed with journos and photographers enjoying Usain Bolt's record win. I guess we all love sport, whatever it is.
Surprisingly, the Hong Kongers nearby were glued to the tennis and completely missed the race, very strange!
Anyway back to the job in hand... the horses. This was only the first stage of the individual dressage competition but inevitably it became a battle between Anky and Isabell. I think I want Anky to win, partly because I met her at Olympia and she is lovely (I've never met Isabell), partly because Isabell already has the team Gold, and partly because the Dutch media here are looking after me by letting me use their results computer to see the team scores.
It's not easy reporting live whilst also trying to add up scores to work out who's in the medals! Plus of course, a win for Anky would make her the first person ever to win three individual Olympic dressage titles. Go girl.
Anyway, both riders did beautiful tests and Isabell's was one of the best I've ever seen and showing 82% on the board until Satchmo had a freak out. It's a measure of how brilliant it was before and afterwards that she still finished in the lead with 75.2.
Emma Hindle will be Britain's only representative in the final next Tuesday. She rode another stunner. Not quite as good as before but there was so much pressure on her. I felt very proud to be watching a Brit ride so well at an Olympics.
There was heartache for Laura B. I for one was expecting her to qualify for the final. I really thought she'd go out and show them what she and Mistral Hojris could do but I think she just played it a bit too safe and her score of 67.16 reflects that. 'Alf' didn't look like the great horse many believe he is. I think Laura was probably worried there may be a repeat of her nightmare test in the team competition when he spooked at the screen. It was still a good test though and let's not forget Laura's only 23, very young in dressage terms. She'll be back.
Now I've sat through a lot of dressage at these games and I have to admit sometimes I find myself drifting away but every now and again a combination really grabs my attention. Some of those that stuck in my mind are the Russian Alexandra Korelova's test on the albino-looking stallion Balagur. The horse really tried for her and it's so nice to see an unusually coloured horse doing well at the top level. How about a skewbald at an Olympic games?! (Though someone reading this will probably tell me it's already happened, I'd love to see if for myself.)
I also enjoyed watching Andreas Helgstrand's Don Schufro, so light on his feet and I love the way he kicks them out in front in passage.
Sadly the judges didn't share my view!
About this blog
Links to the blogs of all the contributors can be found below.
Subscribe to BBC Sport: Olympics blog
You can stay up to date with BBC Sport: Olympics blog via these feeds.
BBC Sport: Olympics blog Feed(RSS)
BBC Sport: Olympics blog Feed(ATOM)
If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful.
Olympics headlines
Visit the BBC Sport website
Visit the Olympics index
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Comments
Sign in or register to comment.
Horseracing is completely and utterly pointless and a massive waste of time, money, space and life. They should all do something useful instead, i feel.
Complain about this comment
Why does the BBC give any coverage to this incredibly pointless sport? Lizzie, we're not interested, sorry.
Complain about this comment
And I suppose 11 grown men running up and down a field chasing a ball about once a week whilst getting paid millions of pounds for doing so, ISNT pointless??!!!!!
Complain about this comment
no, it isn't, you're right. oh, and trying to put it in such simple words won't actually make anyone think it's stupid. please don't comment on football until you understand it, which you clearly don't, as i find it insulting.
Complain about this comment
brianface
have you ever considered that what you've just said is insulting?
perhaps you don't understand equestrian.
Complain about this comment
We don't have to understand other sports in order to show them some respect.
I used to enjoy the BBC showjumping in the 70s, with that big wall of polystyrene bricks and Harvey Smith on the rampage.
Football's much more my thing but a lot of televised games can be a bore...or a sporting disgrace.
Complain about this comment
Why do people post such rubbish on blogs. If you don't like anything Horse related, don't watch it and don't post your rubbish on the Horsey journalists blog.
And this comes from a bloke who likes his football and enjoys a flutter on the horses once every blue moon. Just so happens that I take an interest in other sports as well as having respect.
Complain about this comment
Moutarde, the BBC are giving equestrian events coverage because it is an Olympic sport. The BBC affords coverage to all Olympic sports, it does not pick and choose between ones it 'likes'. Some people who have more than one braincell to rub together are able to do that for themselves.
Furthermore, Brianface, horseracing is not an Olympic sport. So you are obviously in no position to comment on the value for money or pointfullness, if you do not even understand the equestrian events taking place.
In addition the ability to ride horses has been a vitally important skill in very recent history (what did people use before the car?!) and therefore rightly has its place as an Olympic sport, where fundamental survival skills are on display.
Complain about this comment
Once again I feel vindicated. Blogs and comments, like my own one, are virtually worthless. All that ends up happening is vacuous people saying dumb things and everyone becoming depressed that the world is full of pathetic and self opinionated people with very little of any use to offer anyone else. And they know it.
Complain about this comment
Glad quijote1303 feels vindicated. Not self opinionated at all.
Complain about this comment
I think these blogs are brilliant.
Massively entertaining.
Apologies to the people looking for some interesting debate on the equestrian events...
Complain about this comment
I wish the BBC would remove most of these witless and unhelpful comments. No-one is forcing you to watch 'horseracing' (which shows total ignorance, as it isn't even in the Olympics). And as you have to search hard to watch any of the equestrian sports anyway, you could quite easily miss them completely.
Dressage is a fascinating display of skill and harmony between horse and rider - dealing with a half-ton unpredictable animal is an achievement in itself.
Today's showjumping has obviously been challenging so far - with a lot of the horses refusing or spooking at the waterjump, and many clattering into the narrow upright gate. Haven't had a chance to see the Brits yet, but come on Tim et al!
Enjoyed the blog today Lizzie, v informative.
PS On a sillier note we were thinking up new olympic sports today - and thought Equestrian Synchronzied Diving is a must!
Complain about this comment
8. At 4:41pm on 17 Aug 2008, flyingtomcob wrote:
Moutarde, the BBC are giving equestrian events coverage because it is an Olympic sport. The BBC affords coverage to all Olympic sports, it does not pick and choose between ones it 'likes'. Some people who have more than one braincell to rub together are able to do that for themselves.
So, if the IOC told the BBC to jump off a bridge, should it immediately go and find one and take a leap? Sorry if you are a big equestrian fan and I've offended you, but check the viewing figures and I imagine that less than 100 people in a country of 60million would have watched more than a minute of equestrianism. It has NO place in the Olympics.
Complain about this comment
Oh be quiet. If you have freeview or sky then u can watch other sports not the equestrian events. There are alot of peole out there that enjoy watching a good dressage contest and seeing a good round of jumps. Do not spoil it for them with your stupid and pointless coments.
Oh and i was so pleased for Tina Cook and her bronze medal well done you!
Complain about this comment
What a laugh! Football yobs and horsey toffs on one page! Particularly liked the synchronised horsey diving comment from Poppy. Oh, my word! However, I agree that all sports should be respected and promoted. I thought handball was rubbish until I played it. To all those who don't like horses, get onto other pages, respect those who do and admire the skills involved. I am not very interested (except for the medals), but a lot of time and sacrifice has been put into this.
Complain about this comment
"I imagine that less than 100 people in a country of 60million would have watched more than a minute of equestrianism."
Well I have to tell you according to BETA's National Equestrian Survey 43% of the uk have an interest in equestrianism and there are 4.3 million riders in the UK. So your comment on only 100 people out of 60 million is WAY out!!!!
"horsey toffs "
I am offended by that comment. I ride and have horses and I am not a toff. You do not have to be a toff to ride and even if I was what is wrong with being well educated and having money?
Complain about this comment
Absolutely nothing. I am most in favour of those who have a good education, and generally, with hard work, one thing leads to another. You have to admit that having horses and money, generally leads one to an image of "toff" if you are using terms to characterize the two extremes of British society. I imagine that the "football yobs" label, which is also presupposing that all those who like football, as I do, are yobs, which I am not, got onto this page thinking it was about the 100 m rush at the Olympics. Good evening to you and I apologise if you felf insulted.
Complain about this comment
How sad is it that people who are not interested in equestrianism have the time to tell us just that.
Best wishes for the final Emma, and thanks for the post, Lizzie.
Complain about this comment
Did Pippa Funnell and Bits and Pieces ever compete at the olympics? Bits and Pieces was a famous skewbald (or possibly piebald?) event horse and my dream horse when I was a teenager.
Good on the BBC for actually putting the equestrian coverage on even if its on interactive, I was absolutely glued to the showjumping phase of the eventing and so pleased for Tina Cook!
Complain about this comment
"according to BETA's National Equestrian Survey 43% of the uk have an interest in equestrianism and there are 4.3 million riders in the UK"
BETA = British Equestrian Trade Association
Cui bono, We_Do_It_In_Whips_N_Spurs, cui bono?
Complain about this comment
Thanks for the blog! I love the equestrian events. I wish more were on TV. I know that many people underestimate the level of difficulty involved in riding, the precision required in dressage, jumping or eventing, and the sheer physical rigor of it all. Riders wear nice clothes during the events, and it may look like they are "doing nothing except sitting there", but most of your muscles are involved in balancing and communicating, and it's hard work! There aren't too many other sports where each arm and each leg is moving in a different way, and all must be coordinated at once, while using other muscles to balance, see, etc. Even though I'm an American, I'm cheering on Team GB too! My husband is British and my son is 1/2 British, so I do have a stake in Team GB's success! I would also like to see Anky win in the dressage. She's a great rider.
Complain about this comment
I wish people wouldnt stereotype so much, and would respect sports they are not familiar with or interested in.
I'm sure there would be far more people riding and competing if they could afford it. I learnt to ride on Tooting Bec Common (sadly the stables are no more), where the instructors were hard as nails south London girls, and now scrimp and save to afford riding holidays.
If you have ever tried riding you'll know how difficult it is. Do you remember that 'Only Fools and Horses' reality show where various 'celebs' learnt to showjump? (with Tim Stockdale one of our Olympic showjumpers) One thing that made me laugh was Scott Mills (apparently from Radio 1) contacted the show, saying he could do that, it looks so easy, so they took him up on the offer, and he fell off almost immediately, on a lunge rein, at a trot...
Anyway, looking forward to the next rounds of showjumping and dressage...and the football season too!
Complain about this comment
Going back to Brianface's comment, 'They should all do something useful instead': There was a time when all the world's nations observed truce during the Olympics so their best athletes could compete in a celebration of human achievement. In a world that no longer honors such traditions, in world where there is a very real nuclear threat at the same time as the Olympics, what could be more useful than equestrian sport which reminds people of balance, harmony, judgement, teamwork, and years of dedicated training coming to fruition at international competition?
The sport of eventing was originally planned as a test of a cavalry charger and his/her rider. As an event rider, I am glad the sport has moved on to be open to non-military competitors, but I also respect the original intent of the discipline. Wouldn't the world be a better place if the world's military powers decided to show their worth not by how big a bomb they could build, but by how well their event teams did at the Olympics?
To help my strength and coordination for eventing, I play football. My position is striker. That's the great thing about sport - it's all about developing the potential we each have inside of us.
Thanks to the BBC for showing the equestrian competitions, especially online, as that's how I can watch the coverage. Please show more of it!
Good luck to all the athletes still competing, and congratulations to everyone who made it to the Games.
Complain about this comment
Hear hear, Olympicrhymer. I'm not sure how many people are watching greco-roman wrestling, or shooting, or handball buts its great that all these sports are available for people who are into them, and to introduce new viewers/participants. We need to be promoting all sports, especially Olympic ones, in the next four years, not just the big four or five...
Complain about this comment
Moutard
Your point is?
Complain about this comment
Our world is so deluded...Horses have gone from being the most important means of transport to an animal used for our pleasure not purpose. Equestrian just exploits this in the highest manner possible. In effect, we are just taking the piss out of horses by training them to do these unatural movements on our terms. The only relevant dispute is that interaction with any animal must only coincide on the animals terms. A horse is not conscious that it's sole purpose for life is for transport, show jumping, racing etc but it will accept it because essentially it doesn't have a choice. Humans are even more unware of our consciousness - but that's a totally different subject altogether. So, why do we have pets etc? It's all pleasure not purpose and with life there is overwhelming pleasure than purpose because we are not conscious of our purpose, so we just enjoy. Everyone has their own ways to fulfill enjoyment and if sitting on a horse yanking it and spanking it is a way of fulfilling enjoyment then who is anyone to judge? Whether this can still be regarded as an olympic sport or not is questionable...I love sport and admire an athletes ability in any sport. After watching these games, i have noticed that there are so many sports that don't receive the credit they deserve. Gymnastics for one is incredible, pure stength, agility, flexibility, power, speed and so on. Even weightlifting - little people realise that the above components and more are also required for weightlifting. But again, most are so deluded they don't see it or respect it. So why do the majority of us prefer sports like football? It's easy, accessibility. I'm one of them! I love it. The money around it is ridiculous and unjustified but that's how messed up our world has become. It's still funny to hear things like "what's the point of 11 men running around chasing a ball etc", it's far from that but we'll leave those who are struggling to withold a brain to it, say what you want - as long as it makes your feel better that's all that matters, honestly. Anyway, back to the equestrian debate; have you ever seen a horse roam in the wild? It's beauty is speechless, this is where they belong but it will only occur again when we have maximised ruining our planet, when we eventually disperse because of it.
Complain about this comment
View these comments in RSS