Dressage Disaster: Dark Legend Shows Charlotte Fry His Dark Side At The World Cup Grand Prix Final 

If this is considered a disaster my riding can be classified as a whole catastrophe

The horse spooked several times at objects/people outside the dressage arena, and Fry handled it beautifully. Kudos to her!

This is not a disaster, it was an unfortunate glich! The horse is a highly trained very sensitive animal,spooked a bit at something x the rider delt with it!! This is a good recovery NOT a disaster. Gives people who have no knowledge of dressage or riding completely the wrong idea!

In a difficult situation, if a rider keeps their seat, whether or not the complete the required functions, it's NOT A DISASTER. This gal did well, kept her head, and was able to keep herself and her horse safe in the ring. Kudos. Another time, another place, and things will be better.

You can see the worry on her darling face at the halt and salute! She's like "oh no, here we go, what am I in for? Wish me luck"!! She handled it well, she is such a lovely young lady. Nothing to do with her, the horse was just spooked and scared of the environment. She did everything she could. Love her style and nature!

Overall I really like your content but I wonder why do you post this kind of videos… “Dressage disaster “ it’s not a disaster, every horse has its bad days and by posting this you are only putting the rider in the spotlight but in a negative way

In interviews she said there was a huge camera. He spoked in the short GP and they put it higher up on some piedestal for saturdays freestyle and it made it even worse. I think Fry handled it well and she was certainly one of the softer and more balanced riders in the World Cup Final. Horses are flight animals. Just one of thoose days...

What a gorgeous animal. The power and agility is awe inspiring. I don't care if it didn't perform perfectly, this was still amazing to watch.

I’m impressed with the recovery on the rider’s part when the horse became upset. She definitely knows her stuff.

It is incredible how only by bad test Lotte Fry is criticized. I think that the title can get to anchor it, it is clear that it has not been at all its best test. But I think she has more than proven that she is one of the best riders of today, maintaining the security of finishing the test without losing the papers with the horse. More than a disaster I would say that it has been the proof that something can go wrong for all of us but that if we propose it we can finish it to be able to improve for the next show.

it happends sometimes, horses are not robots, they can be scared of something (here a camera) and i think she handled the whole situation pretty well

Not every day is a good day. Most certainly that was not Dark Legend 's day... Horses are so sensitive that sometimes it's hard for them to understand what's being asked from them. It seems that was the case.😟

Thank to all of you positive commenters, I thought I had missed something. Yea, disaster is just click bait. I’m really glad it wasn’t a disaster. Great recovery on the riders part. Great seat.

Sitting that spook was amazing, my admiration to you.

All horses get nervous after all they are herd animals, she handled him very well , and he kept trying for her ❤️

The horse is not a mashine. It is a living creature and it can get scared or uncomfortable.

I am thrilled that people see it for what it is; a horse having a bad moment. She did a great job of trying to recover but once you and your horse loose your rhythm it is really hard to get it back.

Talk about making a mountain out of a mole-hill!! Horses, just in case you're wondering, are REAL LIVE Animals with a mind of their own and get the jitters just like we do. His young rider stayed calm and well done too, to both of them 👏 What a Beautiful Horse 😍

Great to watch so we can see how to handle it when things dont go as planned. Always learning. Cheers

I like that horse...He has a mind of his own !

i like how even his disobedience was graceful beautiful dressage moves :) hes got spirit

I love when horses say NO. And 'tell' that curb rein pressure/hyperflexion is shit

I saw no disaster. Beautiful horse. All handled perfectly.

To see a top horse like that spook at something makes the rest of us feel not feel as bad when our horses do it. I saw Valegro spook in a test and pull his shoe off at Hickstead one year.

Fry handled the buck and rear up like a champion she stayed calm and quiet with her body and hands and didnt get angry wirh her horse what a superb rider

Por un momento no perfecto, no se puede negar que el caballo lo hizo bien casi todo, es hermoso.

Wow! This is an incredibly beautiful horse and a very competent rider!

That Horse is Unbelievable He will be a Legend

Oh my, this horse really had much stress and discomfort.

That is wonderful riding. I could never look as good!

What an absolutely beautiful creature wow and rider did awesome

He spooked, not his dark side... just instincts kicking in.

Well ridden. Nice salvage. Probably will concentrate more on working him around elevated flowers before his next show.

In other news: horses spook. Lottie Fry is an amazing rider, the horses love her, she has huge talent. And the horse spooked. Shit happens.

That ominous music made it sound like the poor horse was about to sprout wings, crash into the roof of the building and burst into flame. If a small spook is really a "disaster," it's a wonder we're not all dead at this point.

Cheers from Australia 🦘🐨👍😊 great video 👍

As the owner of a big, sensitive chestnut mare with the courage of a mouse, my heart goes out to this rider.

Hardly a disaster! I few silly spooks with brilliant recovery! 👏

What an exceptional rider.

Just an observation that Charlotte looked tense at the salute so the horse may have been spooky beforehand. And all riders can relate to that situation😮

When one of these horses bunches up underneath you your brain offers you a moment of terror.

They’re not robots and neither are their riders. It’s sad to see it happen, but it happens. These riders shouldn’t feel ashamed for it. I honestly would’ve loved to see her not rush away from it. They both could’ve been nerved up. They get the best of us sometimes.

Just beautiful!!!!!!!

She did amazing considering . Most would have given up. Kudos to her to get him back on track and focused.

Being new to this all saw I was an absolute Legend.

So gorgeous.

Beautiful animal. Simply beautiful ❤

she handled that so well

Great job Lottie! There's a reason you're at the top! Keep your chin up

Amazing riding to stick those shenanigans! Bet she was thanking her saddle maker!

It shows these horses are real animals not automatons. Seeing perfect performances one after the other we forget the reality of dealing with a living breathing thinking being. Well done Lottie. Superb recovery.

Wow that was heart stopping. ❤️ from a former dressage rider. Horse's spook what's new. Next year is yours.

If we look at the training of most dressage horses, in Europe especially, they are ridden in a very tight short necked way. Even when the rider releases the rein many stay curled up. It is not correct or classical but based on a system of hold in front and push hard from behind. Correctly trained advanced horses shouldn't need a double bridle or spurs. This tightness may produce extravagant showy front leg action but the tension caused by the discomfort is evident in the mechanical movements. It should look relaxed and effortless, not jerky and false.

You are both stunning ❤❤

Rider did great handling the situation. these things happen and it just plain sucks. Beautiful horse.

Good recovery. She kept her cool. Just like they tell us in dog training they can feel it travel down the lead/leash so she did good.

Man I don't blame this horse for acting out. Her spurs kept hitting the horse in the sides, which I know wasn't comfortable. If u take a set of spurs and hit ur sides constantly it does hurt and bruise. This horse was clearly unhappy from the very start it looked like in the beginning they spooked at something. The horse looked like it had a lot of pressure on the mouth from the bit and reins. This horse's body language and behavior showed clear signs of discomfort and stress. So many think a horse foaming at the mouth is a good sign when it isn't. Horses in acute stress display signs of forward-pointing ears, wide-open eyes, widened nostrils, a high head, a stiff stance, a raised tail, along with blowing through their nose, and defecating. Horses just coming out of stressful situations often lick and chew as a sort of involuntarily reaction. This occurs because switching from a sympathetic nervous system response(acute stress) to a parasympathetic nervous system response(rest and restore) causes the horse to go from a dry mouth to a wet one causing them to salivate, which causes licking and chewing. People put horses through stressful situation and then mistakenly interpret the horse's body language of licking and chewing as a sign of submission or special bonding, but that isn't the case it's a sign of a horse being released from a higher to lower level of acute alert, alarm, or stress. Personally I think it's the positions the riders put the horses in for extended periods of time like forcing their heads down for instance, which, causes airflow restrictions as well as development issues. Many dressage horses r ridden wrong like being ridden behind the vertical plane aka riding "behind the bit". Many people don't understand a horse's body language and behavior. I think many people just don't realize their horses r unhappy and uncomfortable not because they don't care about their horses, but because they don't know any better. Many people r taught different training techniques, riding techniques, grooming techniques, feeding techniques, learning techniques, ground work techniques, etc from different cultures, traditions, and experiences. I think people just need help being educated on what makes the horse happier and what makes them live longer healthier lives. A lot of horses live good lives, but they r constantly put in uncomfortable situations that make them unhappy. Personally I don't like dressage because it just looks uncomfortable and unnatural to me, but I do know there r riders out there that put the horse first, and we need more of those people.

This horse is overall stunning.

I have been watching too much of these I got an ad for horse food 😅 I don’t even have a horse

It’s not a disaster she stays calm and she doesn’t get angry on the horse

This looked good to me. LOve the stately horses.

This isn’t the horses dark side, it’s the horse becoming spooked at cameras.

Poor horses get overwhelmed with control and demands

She's a fabulous horsewoman!

I watched this live and I think she totally handled it the way it was best for these two. Definitely not an easy thing to di but you saw how the horse got used to the big arena of Leipzig

My event horse: *big spook, bucking* This horse: *spooks in dressage*

She still did so well and kept her cool the whole time

Sublime horse riding and patience .

Huge amount of respect for Lottie. She handled that very well. For the people saying that she’s abusing her horses, no. Her horse is having a bad day and she did everything correctly. 👏👏👏👏

I hate how the title demonises the horse for showing natural behaviour

Ah, the joy of horses. Sometimes they just act like... well... prey animals. 😅Great riding and really a lovely horse.

on a positive note, if you can get that under wraps you're gonna have a bomb ass test 🤣 nothing like a little extra hop in there

Is it just me or did the rider look nervous? She still gave him pats though even if they weren't having the best day.

You can tell the horse is very nervous From the beginning he was very tense not relaxed and was shaking the whole time

There was a TV Camera, that was not there before in the training.

If you reckon that is a disaster I would hate to see you try to ride the station horses 😂🤠

Why do we still need to show dominance over our fellow creatures....?

Bella 👏👏👏💥

I have to say that "disaster" seems like a fairly uncharitable description. Gorgeous horse, skilled rider.

Both are incredible riders, but Charlotte Fry really gained my respect when her horse Dark Legend spooked multiple times during a competition. She didn’t get mad at him for acting up, she handled beautifully. And that’s how a true professional rider is. So Charlotte Fry all the way ❤

I thought he was going to go crazy and loose the plot🤣😏☮️🇬🇧

Hardly a disaster 🤨so hec spooked..once.. before going in the ring, then was perfect 🥱clickbait

Before criticizing riders at the Grand Prix level ! Perhaps one might realize horses have off days as well ! Who knows what happened that ride ! I am sure if you spoke directly to his rider you might have some insight into what when wrong ! Think about how disappointing it was for her ! I am sure the next ride will be much better ! I felt for both she and her lovely horse 🐴

good recovery. rider stayed well composed. music was awesome

Again with the foaming, these horses cannot swallow with their neck in this position. Imagine being asked to perform like that!

I think Charlotte handled this well. She’s an amazing equestrian.

The horse spooked at something. She handled it beautifully.

How can anybody look at this, and think it is beautiful. Look at the mouth of this poor horse.. Jesus christ I dont get how it is legal

This is excellent riding. This is a hot FEI horse. It happens. I am doubtful any of us commenting nor the person who posted the video have competed at this level nor could handle this situation so well.

The horse had some tiny problem but it wasn’t a disaster , she dealt with it and he did well!

Il y a un sacré niveau impressionnant ❤

Looked pretty good. She’s working him through it.

Small piece of dark lambs wool on either side of headpiece usually does the trick!

Well done Charlotte for keeping her seat. In fairness the horse looks anxious before starting the test. Just not this pairs day. Beautiful horse, talented rider, far from a disaster. The next test they'll be foot perfect and hit the markers.

Great rider, I love the way you praised him when forward became his motion. Awesome job with a definitely do not want to do it today horse! When he did float for a few steps it was grand. Go for next year! Best of luck.

It’s not his dark side. He’s a hot horse and clearly something is spooking him

IMO this is a well schooled horse. In my experience with timed event horses, this is in my opinion is a horse that is experiencing discomfort.

Struggling to see. If I hadn't been looking for an error I probably wouldn't have noticed anything. A "disaster" to me would have been rearing up, ditching the rider, bolting, falling over etc. Not a minor spook.

Every horse has their bad days. She handled it beautifully.

This is some top level riding, jeez. What a talented animal.