It is really scary how many horses are having issues with these courses. These are very fit and very well trained horses with well trained riders. I think that a serious change needs to be made to eventing so that horses and riders don't keep getting hurt or dying.
I agree it's dangerous, but I aim to be an eventer when I'm older, and mainly for the thrill of the cross-country course!! it might be dangerous, but I like the idea of having something to lose!! btw day don't mean I want me/my horse to die........
+Georgia Vallender I think they should make the jumps easier to knock down...a bit like they are when show-jumping, so if the horse hits it, it falls. I do a bit of eventing but not professionally. I love it but I think it's import to put the safety of horse and rider first.
Some of these jumps are just ridiculous, plus the riders aren't even thinking of how the horse sees it, they have a different depth perception and are putting themselves in danger because of the rider wanting to win so bad.
Not really, it’s supposed to be difficult, remember it was 4* now 5* and the horses get really special treatment afterwards. I know this because the horse with the big white face (Bradeley Law) my grandparents own!
I hate seeing an honest horse who made an honest mistake get a smack on the ass - especially when he did his best to save himself and the rider. Some of these riders are too trigger happy on the crop, and a few caused the problem in the first place.
This is completely untrue. A smack with the crop does not hurt these animals and it's used as a reminder to focus and pick up his legs during cross country. it's not like they're beating them with it
Great video! I was searching for 2016 falls but couldn't find one that i haven't watched yet. If you're wondering why i enjoy watching this is because i learn from this ^-^
Thanks for putting in the description that all riders and horses were fine👍 I love watching falls and fails as I'm a rider too but when I don't know if they were OK it isn't fun at all as I worry
I hate it when people who ride there horses get mad at them when they fall off or refuse because it's amazing the animal even trusts you enough to let you on Its back!😄
I know it's been a year ... but I just watched this. I really can't most of you all believe that the use of whip is questionable. How about the horse that slides into a solid fence because the footing is slippery, or a misstep happens, or crawls over the fence possibly tearing a muscle or worse. I'm amazed that horses in this field don't incur more broken legs... I know the riders do.
...guy at 3:45 craaaaacks me up! The ultimate look of pure defeat... rolling til ypure lying face down in the soggy grass on your belly as your horse takes off for the barn- bahaha. Classic. Hope they were both ok- but what a Riot!
zThis jump at 1:56 is crazy. The horse has to land on sideways on a slope one leg uphill and one leg downhill. One shoulder up and one down. No balance point.
Being a fan of horsracing, especially National Hunt, I am shocked after all the changes to jump construction in NH racing to see huge timber obstacles that do not appear to collapse or break when struck by a falling horse in eventing. It is no wonder this is the most dangerous of UK equestrian sports with the most rider deaths.
When they get hit with a whip its probably just to say come on listen to me now. I do it all the time and I ride a horse who is very fast and gets very sharp, little tap just to go 'pay attention to me Whips don't hurt horses and they are air cushioned...
well i guess you wont mind if someone whipped you with a whip everytime you did something wrong, horses can feel a tiny fly walking on their skin, its extremely sensitive. whips are abusive and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot. if you cant get a horse to listen to you without hitting it then you're just a bad rider.
irisroon STFU a lot of people use crops just to get the horse listening. THEY ARE NOT ABUSIVE IF THEY ARE USED RIGHT. honestly I hate seeing idiots spreading lies.....
irisoon I agree with you, dont smack horses, EVER, to get them to do what you want them to do.. that is just stupid and inhuman. If they wanted to be there in the first place there would be no need for crops.
Freedisch Wallin well what about if a horse is just being plain naughty? Don't try and tell me no horse is naughty because every horse can misbehave now and then. Let's say your riding a horse who doesn't want to walk past some flowers, they have walked past them loads of times before with no issues. A little tap on the shoulder just to say come on isn't going to kill them. Don't say oh they might have back problems because some horses do just misbehave without have problems like that. Some horses do also misbehave because they have problems but not all of them do
Honestly there is only one element I disagreed with due to the footing upon landing. The other question that had so many problems was 100% rider error, it shouldn't have been approached directly (the team with the brief rearing issue rode the approach beautifully)
02:54/55 when the horse gets smacked crazy wtf??! How did that help, the horse almost broke its legs, this was a real fun event for this horse :) :) :) Smack yourselves riders, you are the ones who are failing.
The only time I saw that rider smack the horse was on the approach to the fence before the water and the brush jump after the bank out of the water. I think often these crashes happen after previous bad fences and a gradual loss of confidence by the horse. It is essential that the horse accelerate when the rider asks because the rider has walked the course and knows what’s required and I think that’s what the smacks with the crop are trying to accomplish.. Ideally the riders would retire when they first feel the horse starting to back off from fences and losing confidence.
The Vicarage Vee? It's renowned for being such a tough jump. This is due to the size, the angle at which it is jumped, and the ditch; all combined these necessitate the riders being spot on with the angle to it, as well as having a horse that is brave and doesn't try to duck out when they see the ditch
Horse trials (and 4 star ones like this) are designed to test horses and riders' skills. The horses and riders train for years and years to get to this level, and even then not just anyone can compete, they have to accumulate enough points. Cross country is an extension of the horses' natural behaviours and instincts, in the wild before they were domesticated they had to run long distances to escape predators and jump over obstacles sometimes bigger than they were. The riders using whips aren't abusive, because they're using them as an aid and not as a dominating force. They can be used as a reminder to pay attention. As in all horse riding events, all are dangerous, and there will always be people in every sport who push their horses to the limits. But we shouldn't judge ALL equestrians by the actions of those few.
I have a question. Is the Badminton Trials for inexperienced horses and riders? Because some of these fails are because of bad riders or uncertain horses.
It's a 4* event, one of only 6 held annually in the world. So top horses and riders here. However as a result it means that the entire course is incredibly testing for both horse and rider asking difficult questions. This means that the combination need to be able to meet the fences spot on (eg at the Vicarage Vee) and have the scope and braveness to clear it as well as still listening to the rider and focusing on the job on hand
Oh okay, thanks. I just think some of these mistakes could have been avoided by better riders. I have never ridden more than 3* myself (and in Denmark), and I know you almost never make a perfect ride, but still.
Depends on how well the horse is listening as well. Some of these mistakes are due to the riders being unable to get the horse focus on the fence and see what is being asked of them. Like with the logs, a lot of the horses seem to have assumed that they've finished after the top so don't see the last log until it's too late and they can't jump. Or with the ditch, they don't see the ditch till too late and misjudge how wide it is. Some are definitely purely rider mistakes (which at this level does cause falls), but there are a number where they were unable to get the horse focusing enough on the fences
I just don't get why this freaking events have to be so dangerous... Look at 1:06. Why are massive tree trunks used when even a simpleminded idiot can see that the horses could get hurt very bad or even killed. Any ideas?
kleineblack i think it's fine, the horses are trained for years to compete in this area and are used to it, I don't see anything wrong with it, and was at this competition and saw some of these falls in real life, then again you can have your opinion.
Beginning @ 38 Secs? Girl in Blue top - No. 14 - on grey: does not seem to know what to do with the combination - clearly that's communicating itself to her poor mount
I think they make the jumps too difficult and dangerous. So more people get around, at least they are not getting hurt and riders falling off. Their times should be the deciding factor. And I don’t understand why the stirrups are so short. It looks like the riders are sitting in a chair. Their legs should be longer, around the horse so they are straddling the horse. With these short stirrups there is nothing to grab on to. I know the riders need to raise in the saddle when jumping, but these super short stirrups are a hinderance. Riders are falling off left and right and someone is going to get hurt! Cross country jumping should be fun, not dangerous!
How is falling good ? And why is it the best ? Is it because it’s funny ? Well you try ride a terrified horse over a 130 centimeter fence about a meter high without falling of .
Ok, i COULD BE wrong but I swear 1 of these riders WAS Mark Todd... and ANYONE who thinks they have the right to insult a 7-time, Multi-discipline OLYMPIC RIDER needs to pull their head out of their ass... cuz Toddy is the shizzzznit- he's 1 of the greatest xc riders/eventers/jumpers of all time, accidents happen. Period. Don't insult the Toddy- or the KING Mikky Jung, EVER!
Really disagree with cross country. The riders (most of them, not all) are focussed on speed, and not safety. They make the horse jump in weird, dangerous angles, and then are mad (most of the time at the horse) that they fell while they set up the horse and themselves to fall. I see kicking and pulling on the reins too: not a fan of that either. The jumps are dangerous, if the horse didn't jump correctly, it'll hit it's legs against a hard log or will end up stuck and panicking because the jump just doesn't budge. Jumps with a big gap after them can't be good for the horses' legs and back either, if it does a lot of them. All and all, i'm surprised that the horse world allows this dangerous sport, even on Olympic levels... I liked the video though, a good learning experience of what not to do.
This level of xc, yes, I disagree with too. However the level I compete at (80cm highest) has nowhere near as many dangerous combinations or fences as this. Any equine event can be dangerous, even dressage.
ummsnnorty contorty..didnt "Anyone" SEE C the gdlitch in this video @2:03? I told u somepeople dont deserve to be videographers or journalists..they jump/junk up our internet for someone elses job...jennneee u better ruunn...theives r awezomr than breyers...whhhittntty!
schau mal zB ab 2:15. sorry, aber dass das pferd da stehen bleibt, war abzusehen. jedoch sollte ich meinen ersten kommi dahingehen, dass ich sage, wie EINIGE da drauf hängen, da hast du recht. btw: solche sprünge bin ich nie gegangen und würde ich auch niemals gehen. das risiko, dass mein pferd sich verletzt, wäre mir viel zu hoch. allein schon, dass die sprünge fixiert sind und nicht nachgeben, reicht mir als grund. ich würde niemals einem pferd solch einer gefahr aussetzen!!! für mich ist das kein sport, sondern tierquälerei
