Classic Eventing Nation

#TheTeaFromTokyo: Horses Over Hill and Dale (and Island)

By on Aug 1, 2021 6:58 pm -

What a day it’s been: from 4 a.m. starts for our Tokyo compatriots (after sleepless nights for many of them, we expect), through drama and excitement on Sea Forest Island, to misting tents and ice vests and long, lazy grazing sessions as the evening faded away. It’s been a rollercoaster ride, whether you’ve been tackling the course or watching on from home. Let’s have a little recap, with some of our favourite social media posts…

The media reps — including friend of EN Libby Law — got into position to snap the superstars: 

And boy, did they deliver. The action was fast and furious:

In the end, no one could beat the British:

Riders and horses alike kept cool in the blazing heat:

And after a long, tough day, everyone headed back to Baji Koen Equestrian Park to relax, unwind, and prepare for the next day:

And what a day it’s going to be:

Finally, we all gave our horses an extra hug tonight in honour of Robin Godel and his gorgeous Jet Set, because our hearts broke with him when he knew he wouldn’t be able to do so: 

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The Good, the Bad, and the Weird: Weather is the Worst Enemy

By on Aug 1, 2021 5:11 pm -

There was plenty of good, bad, and weird going around during the cross-country phase. Like the rest of the world, we had eyes glued to the TV during prime time, with our world-beating journalist Tilly Berendt doing live updates up until the moment that our website crashed. We’re back up and functioning but crossing out little chinchilla whiskers that all systems remain good! In her latest opinion piece, Maggie Deatrick shares some thoughts on cross country day.

Tokyo Bay’s Sea Forest, where eventing cross country took place. Photo via Tokyo2020.jp

I do not have any numbers-based analysis today simply because the online scoring system is not very good and I am not confident in my breakdown of jump versus time penalties as I tried to manually record them while watching. I plan on breaking down the penalties next week once the FEI database updates with their results and will bring you a more nuanced analysis at a future date. If you’re really jonesing for some math, the EquiRatings Instagram is always a good source to get your fix.

Sadly we are going into the bad news first, as we have to address the tragic news regarding the loss of the Swiss horse Jet Set.

THE BAD

Switzerland’s Robin Godel and Jet Set. Photo by Sally Spickard.

The Tragic Loss of Jet Set: The former Andrew Nicholson ride, now piloted by the Swiss rider Robin Godel, was en route to a solid completion for the Swiss team when, by on-grounds accounts, he faltered after jumping through the final water at fence 20 and the screens went up. Although standing on his own, he was transported to the vet hospital immediately where he was ultimately euthanized due to a catastrophically ruptured ligament.

Our thoughts and sympathies go out to all connected to Jet Set, including the rider, owners, grooms and teammates. It is devastating beyond words anytime we lose these tremendous athletes and to do so on the world stage is the worst nightmare of any rider.

The Weather: Much has been made in the mainstream media about how truly difficult the conditions have been for all athletes, not just the horses. Images of triathletes strewn across the ground after their finish line and accusations that the Tokyo Olympic bid and IOC both glossed over true weather conditions this time of year, simply because the end of July is best for TV ratings, have highlighted the issue. Indeed, the Tokyo Olympics in 1964 were held in mid-October, not the end of July, precisely because weather conditions were more favorable.

It was evident across the board that the heat and humidity impacted our equine athletes as well. Many horses looked absolutely drained as they crossed the finish line, despite the fact that the course was shortened to just under 8 minutes off of the originally planned 10 minutes. The Brazilian horse Fuiloda G simply stopped only 3 fences from home and looked in severe distress while Diachello was notably exhausted and masterfully nursed home by the New Zealand rider Jesse Campbell. Many others were visibly out of gas more than a minute from home, and of the U.S. horses, Vandiver particularly seemed to be a bit wilted right at the end. 

Unfortunately, there’s not much that can be done under the Olympic umbrella, with Equestrian being a niche sport with little power to influence either the bids of potential Olympic locations or the IOC. The only thing that we can do as a sport to really prepare for a Games in weather conditions like this is lean on the national federations to insist on sending horses who have proven their fitness in similar conditions. That will not be possible for all nations, some of whom have the bare minimum pairs qualified to even fill a team, but it is perhaps the best we can do.

The Online Scoring System: The Tokyo Olympics result website was fine for dressage but absolutely abysmal for eventing. The live fence scores were difficult to view all fences, and only available for horses actively running. Once completed, any fence breakdown was impossible. Once added to the leaderboard, scores were not broken out by jump penalties versus time penalties, making it difficult to figure out the final breakdown of who had what type of penalty, and the finishing times were not indicated. This last thing is minor and simply keeps us from determining who had the fastest ride of the day without manually recording each finishing time of those who completed inside the time. However, this is the Olympics; Tokyo had an extra year to ask our sport what was important and failed to. A fence report has since been released but the leaderboard itself continues to show penalties for both time and jump in one lump sum rather than broken apart. Oh, and did anyone else have a heart attack when a rider fall for Weerapat Pitakanonda was misattributed to Laura Collett? 

The Technical Eliminations: In the end four pairs received technical eliminations, three of whom completed the course and were much, much later listed as eliminated due to missing an element of an obstacle. According to the official fence report, Louise Romeike (SWE) with Cato 60, Janneke Boonzaaijer (NED) with Champ de Tailleur, and Malgorzata Cybulska (POL) with Chenaro 2 all received technical eliminations later in the day at fences 18B, 18C, and 14C. Merel Blom (NED) and The Quizmaster were also technically eliminated at 8C but were not pulled up until the approach to fence 19.

This many technical eliminations typically results when the lettering system is too complicated; while this is the Olympics and competitors should be expected to know their route options inside and out, two of the four riders have considerable experience under their belt. To see this many technical eliminations at this level is a result of a lack of clarity in the options. Additionally, the fact that three of the four riders completed the course and the fourth took ten fences to pull up is a failure on the part of the officials. In this weather, horse health was very much at stake and all of these horses could feasibly have been re-routed to the European Championships next month if they had been pulled up.

If the lettering was sufficiently unclear that the officials were unsure themselves if these riders had been eliminated and therefore were reluctant to pull them up in case they were wrong, then the lettering was too complicated and should have been addressed by the officials prior to the start of cross-country.

THE GOOD

Laura Collett and London 52. Photo by Sally Spickard.

Team Great Britain: The Brits came into this weekend as the heavy favorites, then left the door slightly open for the Germans after slightly underperforming in dressage. We’re literally talking about a point or three from each rider, but it adds up – and suddenly it looked like the Germans were in with a chance for gold. Team GBR put that notion to bed on cross-country day by adding no penalties across the board, with all three of their riders finishing clean and inside the time. They are ahead by four rails of the second-placed Australian team on a set of jumpers that combined has only one occasional rail. Unless something catastrophic happens, they’ve all but tied up first place. 

French anchor Karim Laghouag and Triton Fontain. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Team France…: France went into Rio with high medal hopes and delivered with a team gold. This time, they came in with a younger, greener team with horses more on the cusp of experience rather than in the midst of it. The loss of Birmane under Tom Carlile before dressage was a huge blow to their medal hopes, and yet the three riders have risen to the occasion. All three finished with a total of only two time penalties between them, putting them in bronze position only 0.9 penalty points behind Australia in silver. 

…and French Breeding: Also notable is how many Selle Français horses are being ridden across the board now, and how well-suited they seem to be to the hot environments. Of the ten Selle Français horses ridden by team riders (as opposed to individual riders), eight were clear cross-country and nine finished within seven seconds of optimum time, with the sole exception being a horse ridden for Japan who incurred a stop. Three of the seven horses who were clear inside the time were Selle Français, and five of the top ten individual placings headed into stadium are mounted on French-bred horses. (Andrew Hoy’s Vassily de Lassos is registered as an Anglo-Arab, not a Selle Français, but was bred and produced in the French system.)

Andrew Hoy and Vassily de Lassos. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Teams from the South Pacific: Ok, 5 of 6 pairs on Teams NZL and AUS are based in England, but these riders all continue to be a testament to the strong eventing tradition that originates in both countries. Both teams finished with three clear rounds from three riders, with Australia clocking in two of three riders inside the time (including the fastest clear of the day from Andrew Hoy) and with only seven seconds of time from their third rider, while the Prices from New Zealand combined had eight seconds of time. Although Jesse Campbell had to nurse home a flagging Diachello, he did a masterful job of managing the horse’s performance through the final minute, minimizing the damage on time penalties while keeping the horse’s energy into account.

Julia Krajewski and Amande de b’Neville. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Julia Krajewski and Amande de b’Neville: Julia has not had the easiest time of it since her last appearance on the world stage iat the 2018 WEG; first, her world-beating talent Chipmunk FRH was sold and secured as a ride for fellow team rider Michael Jung, then earlier this year, her father passed away and she was forced to retire her long-time partner and 5* winner Samourai du Thot after he lost an eye. While a one-eyed horse can indeed compete at the top levels, an adjustment period is usually required and at this late stage in his career, she felt it was unfair to ask it of him. So she came into this Games far from assured from a team slot with her young Selle Français mare, who has not yet started a 5* event. Now she finds herself in the silver medal position, the sole German rider to go clear across the country.

Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne: It’s been no secret that the Japanese have been gunning hard for this Olympics, and with much success lately, there was perhaps a bit too much pressure in the team overall in their home country. However Kazu, who started eventing only in the last few years after switching from show jumping, is a beacon of light for the Japanese program, which will hopefully continue to receive investment after this Olympics. Paired with the Selle Français horse previously ridden by Astier Nicolas of France in the 2018 World Equestrian Games, Kazu made the course look like nothing. They now sit in fifth position and within a rail of the gold medal. As a pair they’ve only incurred one rail, so are in a strong position to put pressure on those above on the ranks. An individual medal for Kazu would justify all his sacrifices and give the Japanese a reason to continue investing in their program.

THE WEIRD

Alternate Routes: Earlier in the week, course designer Derek di Grazia revealed that while doing the design, he took into consideration the weather conditions and wanted to make sure that the alternate routes weren’t turning horses around in circles. Considering the weather conditions did in fact have a huge impact, this was a well-considered choice. However, in practice, the alternate routes all had very minor impacts on time and were therefore utilized extremely consistently across the board, making a significantly easier course for the well-established countries. Amongst the Big Six countries (AUS, GBR, GER, FRA, NZL, USA), only one horse incurred jump penalties for a disobedience. 

The coffin in particular was notable as only two riders, both of the Russian Olympic Committee, attempted the direct route, both having stops. With the ‘long route’ not only placed directly next to the direct route but also notably lacking even a ditch element, every other pair in the competition chose to go to the alternate. In the end, time penalties seemed more to depend on the condition of the horse and their ability to handle the weather and less on the rider’s choice to employ alternate routes.

Michael Jung gallops away from 14B; the rail dropped a split second later. Photo from Jarno Debusschere via Instagram.

Frangible Penalties: Over and over, we saw the frangible corner at 14B break. Sometimes it clearly prevented the pair from a serious fall, but on at least a couple of occasions, the rail appeared to break from a lighter tap on the hind end. The frangible penalties were applied across the board to whomever the pin fell for, which has traditionally been the process. 

But surprise! One thing that appears to have gone by the wayside is the appeal process for pairs who lightly tap a fence, as they might during show jumping, and have the rail fall. In 2019, the proposed rule changes for the 2020 rulebook were discussed, with the primary focus being on the controversial flag penalty. Under the radar flew the removal of any clarifications to the frangible pin penalty and as of 2020, the FEI rules now read that the 11 penalties will be applied to any change in dimension of the fence with no qualifications regarding strength of hit.

This is the third time this year that the application of a frangible has had a hugely significant impact on the top placings of the biggest events; without a frangible penalty, Tamie Smith and Mai Baum would have finished second at the Kentucky 5*-L and Michael Jung and fischerWild Wave would have won the Luhmühlen 5*-L. While fischerWild Wave was unmistakably saved by the pin at Luhmuhlen, Mai Baum’s penalty was debatable due to hitting it with his hind end on the way down and by all reports, Chipmunk FRH’s penalty was extremely suspect and would have certainly been removed under the previous wording of the rules.

Without the frangible pin, which reportedly fell several seconds after Chipmunk FRH completed the fence, Michael Jung would be leading the standings heading into the jumping phase. At this point, it is clear that the application of 11 penalties again needs a further look to keep the cross-country phase from turning into a showjumping-style ride.

Doug Payne and Vandiver. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Team USA: Clear rounds with single digit time penalties from each pair is an accomplishment for the USA; an American team hasn’t finished a team with three clear cross-country rounds at an Olympic games since Athens in 2004. (We came close in London when there were five members on a team in 2012, but ultimately one of our three clear cross-country rounds did not pass the final horse inspection.) We’ve had trouble with this, too, at World Equestrian Games, failing to complete a team at the 2014 World Games and moving into the stadium in 2018 with only two clears. So this is a step in the right direction – if still slightly underwhelming, particularly since our riders were by far the most experienced at Derek di Grazia courses than any other team. 

Hopefully tomorrow will continue to be a step in the right direction as we continue to develop our equine depth and experience to hopefully take the next step at 2022 WEG in Pratoni and contest for a medal, while simultaneously obtaining our Olympic slot in Paris.

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Marcio Appel and Iberon JMen Substituted In For Brazilian Team

By on Aug 1, 2021 4:31 pm -

Marcio Appel and Iberon Jmen at the World Equestrian Games. Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.

Brazil has made an overnight substitution to their team ahead of the final horse inspection and showjumping. Substitute pair Marcio Appel and Iberon JMen will come forward to jump in place of Rafael Losano and Fuiloda G, who retired on course two fences from home when the mare pulled up. Under the new format, there are certain circumstances in which a horse and rider who don’t complete cross-country can come back to showjump, and as Rafael and Fuiloda didn’t have a fall, they would technically have been eligible to present at the final horse inspection, but it has been decided that the 11-year-old mare’s week will end here. Marcio will inherit their first-phase score of 36, plus 200 penalties for the non-completion of cross-country and a 20-penalty substitution ‘fee’. His starting score of 256, plus teammates Marcelo Tosi and Carlos Parro‘s scores of 40.3 and 58.9, respectively, will put Brazil on an aggregate score of  335.2, which keeps them in 12th place.

The final horse inspection begins at 9.30 a.m. local time on Monday, August 2 — that’s 1.30 a.m. if you’re in the UK, and 8.30 p.m. this evening (August 1) if you’re on the East Coast. The showjumping finale will begin with a first round to decide the team medals from 5.00 p.m. local time/9.00 a.m. British time/4.00 a.m., and will be followed by a second round for the top 25 riders to decide the individual medals. Because he hasn’t done a dressage test or ridden the cross-country phase, Marcio Appel is ineligible to jump in the individual round, but will jump in the team decider.

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Robin Godel’s Jet Set Euthanized After Injury on Tokyo Cross-Country

By on Aug 1, 2021 3:19 pm -

Switzerland’s Robin Godel and Jet Set. Photo by Sally Spickard.

We’re heartbroken to share the incredibly sad news that Jet Set, the mount of Switzerland’s Robin Godel, has been euthanized after pulling up late on course on cross-country day at Tokyo. After jumping the final water complex at 20ABCD, a sudden and extreme lameness prompted the rider to pull the experienced 14-year-old gelding up. Immediate veterinary attention was given at the fence and the horse was swiftly transferred to the on-site clinic by horse ambulance. There, it was discovered that the horse had sustained a low ligament rupture, the severity and location of which meant it was irreparable, and the decision was made with Robin and Jet Set’s owners, Jean-Jacques Fünfschilling and Olivia Sellar.

In a statement on his social media, 22-year-old Robin said: “It is with a very heavy heart that I regret to announce the far too hasty departure of my dear Jet Set, following a ligament rupture on the cross here in Tokyo. In a gallop just a few jumps from the finish, the injury forced us to let him go. Jet was an extraordinary horse and once again he was performing a magnificent cross. He set off on what he loved to do the most: gallop and fly over obstacles. I thank you all for your support and am deeply touched by it. I hope you will understand my absence from social media for the next few days.”

Robin and Jet Set’s partnership began in late 2019, after the horse had enjoyed a fruitful career with New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson, which had seen them win Bramham’s CCI4*-L in 2016 and finish in the top ten in four-stars at Tattersalls and Chatsworth. The Spanish gelding, who was bred by the New Zealand team’s showjumping coach, Luis Alverez Cevera, also finished in the top ten at the Seven-Year-Old World Championships at Le Lion d’Angers. He joined forces with Robin after the talented young rider began looking for another horse to join his string in preparation for Tokyo. Andrew, by then the cross-country coach for the Swiss team, suggested he try Jet Set — and the decision was made from the moment Robin had his first ride on the horse.

This was an Olympic debut for both horse and rider, and they had been on track for a polished, professional clear round. Per FEI Veterinary Regulations, a postmortem analysis is underway.

All of us at Eventing Nation extend our deepest sympathies to Robin, Andrew, and all of Jet Set’s connections on the loss of this much-loved horse who touched so many lives.

Oliver Townend and Great Britain Lead the Way on Tokyo Cross Country Day; USA in 5th

By on Aug 1, 2021 1:30 pm -

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

It was a challenge of epic proportions for the Olympic eventers today, in more ways than one. As soon as we got off the shuttles at 7 a.m. this morning, you could at once feel that the lovely sea breezes we’d glimpsed on course walks were…not really existent. It was hot, and the air wasn’t really moving, making for even tougher conditions that would test the combinations setting out on cross country in Tokyo. After our trailblazers, Thailand’s Arinadtha Chavatanont and Boleybawn Prince, had an unfortunate peck on landing at the first water, fence four, it was all we could do to wait and see how the upcoming rides would
unfold. But as top-ranked rider and FEI World Number One Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class made it through the intense first minute of Derek di Grazia’s track — which contained an eye-popping seven jumping efforts – we began to see
that the questions were doable, the conditions looked as though they could be manageable. And the time, he proved, was gettable — Oliver crossed the finish in 7:40, five seconds under the optimum time, to dislodge the knot in many of our stomachs and send team scouts back to the barns reporting that the time we all thought would be nearly impossible might actually be more achievable than originally thought.
In the meantime, as always: Go Eventing.

The Juicy Great Big Tokyo Cross-Country Live Updates Thread

By on Jul 31, 2021 6:48 pm -

It’s happening! It’s really, really happening! We’re just about to get underway at the Sea Forest cross-country course in Tokyo, and it truly is all to play for. Here’s how the top of the individual leaderboard is looking at the moment:

And here’s our team leaderboard. Note that Sweden has now moved down to 13th following a last-minute substitution:

 

Here’s a look at how things could play on for each of our riders:

Cross Country Powerhouses of Tokyo

And, finally, our team and individual form guides.

Making Moves for Medals: Your Guide to the Tokyo Teams

Form, Function, and Fun Facts: Your Guide to the Tokyo Eventing Competitors

Let’s do this!

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3.33: And our individual leaderboards have had a shake-up, too, with Oliver Townend moving into the lead:

3.29: Let’s take a look at how our leaderboards are stacking up now. We’ve lost a couple of teams today: none of the Thai riders completed, while Sweden opted not to send their sub rider out onto cross-country after a non-completion and jumping penalties accrued by the previous two riders.

3.26: 22.8 time to add for Carlos and Goliath. We’ve had six riders clear inside the time today — though we’re expecting an appeals process over the next few hours, since that frangible at 14C broke SO many times. Any rider who feels their horse wouldn’t have fallen if the fence was solid is in a position to launch an appeal to try to have the penalties removed. So in theory, we could see Michi back up at the top.

3.24: Carlos is well down on the clock but he’s making the right calls here — he’s not chasing the time, but rather, using it as a teaching experience and building his horse’s confidence. This should be a Paris horse, for sure.

3.22: Our final horse and rider pair on course are Brazil’s Carlos Parro and Goliath, a ten-year-old who looks to have a really exciting future ahead of him.

3.21: Oliver Townend will leave overnight! Michi is the latest rider to take out the frangible pin at 14C. It’s fallen so many times today — and what a shame, as he romps home ten seconds inside the time. He moves down to tenth.

3.18: Tim Price pops through the final combination; he’ll be three seconds over the time to add 1.2 penalties to put the Kiwis in provisional fourth and himself in individual fourth for now.

3.17: Sarah Ennis finishes with that 20 and 17.6 time penalties. Ireland will go below Italy in the team standings. Tim and Vitali are looking so much more established than they actually are; they’re clear to 15 so far.

3.15: Oh, it’s all happening now! Michael Jung is out of the box to try to maintain his lead and take one step closer to winning his third consecutive Olympic individual gold.

3.13: Super stuff there for Italy’s Arianna Schivo and Quefira de l’Ormeau, who add just 2.8 time penalties. Sarah Ennis, meanwhile, has picked up a refusal at 16C — this isn’t Ireland’s day, though Austin did provide a wonderful pick-me-up for them.

3.12: This is a big round — New Zealand’s Tim Price and Vitali are right up there, but this is just their third-ever international cross country run as a partnership, and Vitali’s third since 2018.

3.09: Right, apologies for the delay here, folks — we’re having some technical issues. Super-committed Jard and Jan have come home with 12.8 time penalties, France’s Karim Florent Laghouag and Triton Fontaine have produced a clear inside the time, and Ireland’s Sarah Ennis is doing some good, scrappy riding to make it all happen out there with Woodcourt Garrison.

3.04: A clear round for Bao and Flandia! That’s three clears for China — what a super day for this historic first-ever team. They add 38 time penalties to put the team on 185.6.

3.00: Jan looking there or thereabouts on the minute markers. This is a reserve combination — they stepped in to fill the very big shoes of Pawel Spisak and Banderas. Bao now clear through 20ABCD but racking up time penalties with some long routes.

2.58: Wow, Jan and Jard are fighting for it! An aggressive, positive ride so far. And Bao and Flandia are clear through 15 and look to be having lots of fun out there.

2.55: A sweet pop and a nurturing ride through 12AB and 13. Poland’s Jan Kaminski and Jard off and away now after some wobbles at the start.

2.54: Fab through the water for Bao and Flandia. We’re hearing that Robin Godel’s Jet Set is up and receiving care from the vet team now.

2.53: Bao Yingfeng and Flandia 2 out of the box now as the final pair for China. Go on, lads!

2.49: Andrew’s looking very, very good on the time – in fact, he’s the fastest of the day so far, ten seconds inside the time. He likely won’t have been able to track his minute markers after that hold, so that really is impressive.

2.47:  A couple of rather diving efforts from Vassily here, particularly to the skinny after the Mt Fuji drop. Andrew’s experience carries them through.

2.45: And we’re back in business! Andrew and Vassily soar 12AB and settle straight back into a confident rhythm.

2.42: Andrew Hoy is back on Vassily and walking back to the course. We should be underway again shortly.

2.39: Horses still in the misting tents here, but it looks like we’ll be coming to the end of the hold shortly. There is some movement at the site.

2.36: Looks like Andrew Hoy has been able to dismount and take Vassily into the cooling tent while he waits. This could be a long hold.

2.34: We have a hold on course now. We’re hearing of a fall for Robin Godel. No other info currently, but Andrew Hoy has been pulled up.

2.32: UGH. Calle 44 takes a huge leap off the Mt Fuji drop and can’t quite make the skinny happen. Yoshi has a very slow-mo fall and his day ends. Japan will need to decide whether to pull him forward to jump tomorrow or call their sub, Ryuzo, in. In any case, they add 200 penalties to their team score.

2.30: Andrew Hoy in his eighth Olympics for Australia, now on course with Vassily de Lassos. They were the fastest in the hot CCI4*-S at Luhmühlen in June, which was full of many of the horses and riders in this field.

2.28: NO. No, no, NO. Yoshiaki Oiwa and Calle 44, the last for Japan, get a 20 at 5C, and then have a really awkward clamber over the boat in the water at 8. It’s not going Japan’s way — so the country’s hopes will rest on Kazu Tomoto as an individual after his super pathfinder round.

2.27: That looks like an 11 for Robin — 14C doesn’t collapse, but there’s some movement there. Boyd and Tsetserleg are clear with 3.2 time to add — though we haven’t been able to see much of his round.

2.25: Boyd digging deep out there to make some of these lines happen – just keeping things exciting for everyone, I guess?! 22-year-old Robin Godel and Jet Set are absolutely zooming out there for Switzerland. I really rate Robin as a cross-country rider — even pre-Andrew Nicholson, he was great. This is actually a former Andrew Nicholson horse, too.

2.23: He does it! Tom McEwen is home clear with no time to add — in fact, he’s five seconds under, just like Oliver was, even with a long route. Great Britain stay in the top spot, adding absolutely nothing to their first-phase team score. Wow!

2.22: Tsetserleg makes a bit of an awkward stag leap over the boat in the second water but they’re through the complex clear. Korntawat has a second stop, this time at 20A, and opts to retire. His breastplate has broken, which can’t be helping much.

2.21: Tom clear to 15 so far and looking swift. Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg now on course as the last for Team USA; they’ve made it to 8A so far without issues. Tom McEwen clears that pesky corner at 14A without any problems.

2.20: 56.4 time penalties for Mikhail Nastenko. Korntawat picks up 20 penalties at 8C but has made it to 17 with no further issues. Tom McEwen clear to 14A!

2.18: Final team rider on course now for the team in the gold medal position — it’s Tom McEwen and the exceptional Toledo de Kerser for Great Britain. Copybook through the first water.

2.17: Into our final set of team riders now: Thailand’s Korntawat Samran clear through 10 with Bonero K. Nicolas and Altier have made it to 20A with no further issues so far after that early run-out.

2.15: Sweden are out of the team competition. After Therese’s fall and Louise’s issues, they’ve decided not to send their sub in, as she can’t even compete for an individual medal since she didn’t do a dressage test.

2.14: Merel has finally been pulled up late on course. Ecuador’s Nicolas Wettstein is having some issues with Altier d’Aurois; they have a run-out at 5B, a skinny in the first water.

2.12: Another on course for Russia, who are competing under the Olympic flag following the Russian ban from the Games. This time, it’s Mikhail Nastenko and MP Imagine If, and they’re clear through 14ABCD. Miroslav and Shutterflyke finish with that 20 and a further 46 time penalties.

2.10: Well, they looked great to 18, but not so much through 18. Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke are one of the rare combinations to go straight at 18ABC but have a seriously frustrating glance-off at the C element.

2.08: Uh-oh. Merel Blom makes a tactical decision with her route at 14ABCD — and it’s the wrong one. She mixes and matches her routes, jumps two B elements, and will be technically eliminated, though they don’t appear to have pulled her up yet.

2.07: The Czech Republic’s Miroslav Trunda and Shutterflyke, who were in the top ten at the Six Year Old World Championship in 2017, are looking great to 18!

2.06: Gurza looks like a horse who loves its job, in a way that suggests that Andrey has always provided good, confidence-boosting experiences. What a fun pair!

2.05: Russia’s Andrey Mitin and Gurza are doing really well out there — this horse is full of running and looks to be having a jolly time out there. They’re clear through 19, and we love this horse.

2.03: 14C’s frangible goes for Janneke Boonzaaijer, too. She also picks up a refusal at 18C. This is another big learning experience for a rider making a championship debut. She’s only 24.

2.02: We’re hearing some feedback that it almost looked like the horse stopped for a wee, which is obviously very unusual and rather concerning. We hope the horse is okay.

2.00: Rafa has retired Fuiloda three from home after the horse just…pulls itself up. Odd.

1.59: Victoria going great guns after that pin. They look really good, this pair.

1.57: Back into some individual riders: South Africa’s Victoria Scott-Legendre and Valtho des Peupliers are the latest to break the frangible at 14C. The Netherlands’ Janneke Boonzaaijer and Champ de Tailleur are clear over 11A.

1.55: Second of the Brazilians, Rafael Losano and the inexperienced Fuiloda G are clear and heading to the Mt Fuji drop combination. Down they pop, and he finds the skinny on the long route after a slight loss of balance. This young rider is based with Mark Todd and often rides out racehorses at home, and you can tell in how he travels across the country.

1.53: Viamant du Matz still ripping Sandra’s arms out. He doesn’t seem to mind this weather at all. I’d love to know what she feeds him — rocket fuel? My lazy mare could use some, anyway.

1.51: 14.4 time to add for Jesse Campbell after a seriously close moment at the Stumps and Bumps ‘coffin’ at 18. Diachello looks much more tired than he did at Kentucky.

1.49: THIS IS HUGE. Sandra and Viamant have a drive-by at 9C, and the horse looks particularly hard to control. This throws Germany’s hunt for gold into a tailspin.

1.48: Jesse clear to 15 so far; Austin sails home four seconds inside the time to add nothing to Ireland’s score! What a super, super round — this just goes to the show the exceptional strength in these sub pairs.

1.47: Sandra Auffarth — our former World Champ — leaves the box with Viamant du Matz. We saw them finish second at Luhmühlen 4* in June on their last time out, and they were super there. They need to be just as good today to put the pressure on Britain.

1.45: Susanna comes in three seconds inside the time but carries that 11 penalties. Jesse Campbell out for New Zealand with Diachello — they were 11th at Kentucky this spring and Jesse is picking this horse up over some of these fences to make it all happen. He gives himself some space to play with on his turns at the second water. Austin is clear to 20A, meanwhile.

1.44: Susanna Bordone also has the frangible at 14C. Wish I could show you playbacks of these without being sued by the IOC, because we’ve seen some perfect examples of why frangibles exist.

1.43: One second over the time for Nicolas Touzaint! That puts him on 33.5. Ireland’s Austin O’Connor and Colorado Blue clear through 13 now – they were subbed in after the first horse inspection.

1.40: Nicolas Touzaint and Absolut Gold HDC are on the go and clear through 21 – we haven’t seen much of them! Italy’s Susanna Bordone and Imperial van de Holtakkers are through 14A. We’re hearing Malgorzata lost her stirrup on cross-country – as in, it fully came off the saddle.

1.39: Regardless of whether Therese Viklund is allowed to jump tomorrow, it’s really over for Sweden’s competitive hopes this week.

1.38: It’s all unravelling for Louise, and for Sweden. After that pin she has a refusal at 18B, the Stumps and Bumps coffin.

1.36: Malgorzata and Chenaro pick up a 20 at 14C, that open oxer that so many have had a pin at. In fact, Louise Romeike and Cato 60 have just broken that exact pin.

1.34: Home clear for Sun Huadong and Lady! Super, super, super stuff – they might be a bit slow, with 42 time penalties, but they got the job done. Malgorzata and Chenaro are incredible at the Mt Fuji drop combination – not even a moment’s hesitation!

1.32: Tough job for Louise Romeike and Cato 60 now: they have no reserve rider, after a last-minute sub, and the first Swedish rider fell on course earlier. She won’t know yet whether they even still have a team, but she’s in the top ten individually. She’s got her game face on. Sun Huadong clear through the Stumps and Bumps at 18 but having some kind of tack malfunction — it looks like an overgirth, perhaps, that’s dangling below the horse’s belly.

1.31: Malgorzata Cybulska and Chenaro 2 on course and clear to 11A for Poland. This 23-year-old Psychology student has one horse and together, they’ve made it to the Olympics — the stuff of dreams!

1.29: China’s Sun Huadong and Lady Chin V’T Moerven Z are clear to 14A. They look super – really putting a tumble at Luhmühlen CCI4*-S last month behind them. Kevin heading towards home right now and flying! They’ll add just 2.8 time penalties.

1.28: NO! Heartbreak for Japan as Toshi picks up a 20 at 20A while well up on the clock. He finishes with 30.8 penalties to add. Kevin and Don Quidam are clear to 20A so far.

1.26: Andrew Nicholson has worked his magic with Melody. She finishes – though with a frangible at that open corner at 14.

1.24: Shout-out to Emma McNab, who has represented Australia herself. I know she wishes she could be here to support on her husband’s Olympic debut, but she’s being kept company at home by baby Charli, who was born just over a month ago.

1.23: Australia up next: it’s Kevin McNab and the utterly, utterly splendid Don Quidam, who stepped into the team from the reserve spot before dressage. They were sixth and clear inside the time at Kentucky this spring – they should be able to repeat this today. This is one of the best horses in the world, in my opinion.

1.22: It’ll be 4.8 time to add for Phillip and Z after the adjustment. Fouaad finishes clear with 11.2 time penalties — so he probably won’t be in the top ten tonight, but he really is the most impressive newcomer of the competition so far. And he’s quite hot.

1.20: Melody’s only been riding Toubleu for a year or so, but he’s super experienced — this is his third championship, and each has been with a different Swiss rider. Second Japanese rider out now — this is Toshiyuki Tanaka and Talma d’Allou, and Toshi is really going for it. Some super riding here!

1.18: Phillip home clear, and we’re just waiting for his adjusted time as a result of that hold. Fouaad and Seigneur Medicott looking good so far as they try to stay in the top ten. Melody Johner and Toubleu du Rueire for Switzerland are out now as well – Melody has only been eventing three years, but the Swiss are helped by Andrew Nicholson, so she couldn’t be in better hands.

1.16: WOW! In true Phillip style he has an INSANE save — remember his mad Rio gravity-defying moment? I hope there was a photographer there!

1.14: Phillip and Z have been restarted and look to really be going for that time. They come out here with huge amounts of experience, and also all that valuable intel from Doug. Now we have Fouaad Mirza finally starting! So excited to see this pair.

1.13: This is just an extraordinary moment for Laura and London. Let the naysayers be damned!

1.10: Phillip Dutton and Z on course now – and it looks like Phillip may have been pulled up. Laura jumps through the final combination looking strong and confident — and she finished two seconds inside the time! That’s both Brits thus far on their dressage score to keep Britain in gold medal position, and Laura moves onto the podium herself!

1.09: Oh no! Weerapat hits the deck at the final water.

1.08: Weerapat and Carnival March pick up 20 for a glance-off but regroup and continue onward.

1.07: Laura and London clear through 14ABCD so far!

1.05: Clear and lovely through the first water for Laura and London 52. She was slightly disappointed with their 25.8 dressage – but a clear inside the time would put a big smile on her face. Lea Siegl and Fighting Line add just 2.4 time penalties, which actually moves her ahead of Alex Hua Tian — even though he was third after dressage and she was 28th.

1.04: Back to team riders, though Weerapat Pitakanonda will only compete as an individual now with Carnival March after the elimination of Thailand’s first pair. He rides a former Piggy March ride and is clear so far. Laura Collett and her Pau CCI5* winner London 52 are out now!

1.02: Some issues for Peter Flarup and Fascination at the final water to add to issues at the Dragonfly Pond earlier. This is another ten-year-old. He tries to stop at the corner in the water after already leaving the ground and he spreads himself over it like butter on hot toast. They regroup and take the alternate route.

1.01: Fouaad Mirza will be starting later than his intended time, but will still be starting. Phew!

00.59: Fighting Lines swaps his lead back and forth as Lea squeezes him down to the skinnies – a disconcerting feeling for her, but they get the job done. This is such a cool, quirky, keen horse.

00.58:  20-year-old Tayberry still looks feisty and buzzy at the end of the course – they add 55.6 time penalties, with a fair few trots out there on course, but they’re here to make history and get the job done. Austria’s Lea Siegl — the youngest rider at 22 — is on course with Fighting Lines, which…is a fitting name for this horse, if we’re honest.

00.57: Peter Flarup and Fascination are out on course now – but India’s Fouaad Mirza and Seigneur, who are in the top ten, should have started before them. They don’t appear to have left the box, but there’s no word on why yet.

00.55: 35.6 time and two problems on course but Francisco is home and will have learned a lot. Tom Heffernan Ho has a good save after Tayberry pecks on landing — but they’re flying on! What a cool partnership.

00.53: We hear that Francisco and Source de la Faye had a 20 at the dragonfly pond at 11. Now they have another coming out of the final water complex.

00.52: Tom and Tayberry trot a bit down the hill to the dragonfly water to rebalance, pop the skinny first element nicely, and then work together to sort out an awkward twist over the second. They’re clear still!

00.50: Ah, man – Lauren Billys jumps the first part of the coffin at 18 and lets Purdy just cruise on by the next and pull up. She’s retiring on course. Meanwhile, Tom Heffernan Ho – the first-ever Hong Kong eventer at the Olympics – is clear through 10 with Tayberry, who at 20 years old and 15.1hh is both the oldest and smallest horse in the field.

00.49: Spain’s Francisco Gaviño Gonzalez clear through 10 with Source de la Faye, who was SUCH a spicy chestnut mare in the dressage. Now, she gets to do the fun stuff and is looking great so far. Lauren Billys does some savvy riding and goes long at the Mt Fuji drop to buoy Purdy’s confidence, and they’re clear through 17.

00.47: Home with 11 penalties for the frangible and 19.6 time for Miloslav, who has to rather nurse his tired, inexperienced horse home – but again, this is such valuable experience. I can’t wait to see this horse’s campaign for Paris 2024 (if I don’t steal him in the meantime).

00.46: Miloslav and lovely Ferreolus also take the frangible at the open corner at 14C, but it saves them big time. That would definitely have been a fall otherwise, and Miloslav is still nearly rocketed out of the plate. He gets himself back in, though.

00.45: Colleen is home clear with 7.2 to add! Big up Canada!

00.44: 61.6 to add for Alexandr Zelenko of Belarus after picking up that twenty and lots of time on course – but they’re home, and both will have learned plenty out there. These rounds are still so valuable to help develop these fledgling eventing nations.

00.42: Colleen and Qorry still sailing through and making this course look like a walk in the park, rather than a mad gallop across a landfill. Lovely to watch! And now Puerto Rico joins us – Lauren Billys and nineteen-year-old Castle Larchfield Purdy are clear through 5C.

00.41: Alexandr Zelenko goes long at the Mt Fuji drop combination. They’re through there clear, but they scramble down the drop when the horse goes very green. My surprise favourite horse, Miloslav Prihoda’s ten-year-old Ferreolus Lat, has started now for the Czech Republic.

00.39: Colleen Loach and Qorry Blue d’Argouges clear to 10 so far for Canada, and looking like they’re having so much fun out there. What a wonderful partnership this is — and this is going to be Qorry’s final hurrah before his retirement from the sport.

00.38: Marcelo Tosi and Glenfly come home clear with 8.8 time! They’re the most experienced Brazilian pair – the other two team members are on very green horses, so this round is so, so important. He’ll be able to impart tonnes of wisdom to his teammates.

00.37: Julia just showed everyone exactly what she’s made of after some bad luck at championships in the past. She is truly, truly top-notch. Alexandr Zelenko and Carlo Grande Jr, unfortunately, grind to the halt at the base of 11B and pick up 20.

00.36: Julia does it! Home clear with 0.4 time to add. That puts her on 25.6, which means she can be no lower than fourth – and right now, she’s in silver medal position!

00.35: I’ve never seen a horse as liberally greased as Carlo Grande Jr. He’s been iced like a cake. Is this The Great British Bake-Off? Has anyone else got a soggy bottom?

00.34: Time for our first individual rider! This is Alexandr Zelenko with Carlo Grande Jr for Belarus.

00.33: Jonelle and Grovine de Reve finish with two time penalties to add! Marcelo Tosi and Glenfly have decided to leave a shoe behind.

00.31: Marcelo Tosi and Glenfly for Brazil will round out our first team rider rotation. This is the only full Thoroughbred in the field; he unsuccessfully raced over fences but has been a super eventer at the top level.

00.30: Amande — or Mandy — looks a bit green at that four-part water on the curving line, but Julia gives her the helping hand she needs and they fly through. 2 time penalties and 11 jumping penalties for Sam and Flamenco. Such a shame in what was otherwise a lovely round.

00.29: Julia is an exceptional stylist and such a wonderful producer of horses. She produced Chipmunk, who leads with Michi Jung, to four-star and rode him at the 2018 WEG. She really, really deserves an exceptional result here.

00.27: Jonelle Price and Grovine de Reve are out for New Zealand and attacking in fine style, just as they did in Kentucky for third this spring. Vittoria Panizzon adds 3.6 time penalties but what a smart clear! She truly left her tricky dressage test behind her. Now time for Julia Krajewski and Amande de b’Neville, who were fourth after dressage. This mare isn’t super experienced, but has won Saumur four-star this year.

00.25: We hear Felix triggered a frangible at the coffin at 18, which means he adds 11 and drops down the order. That moves Christopher Six up into third of the riders who’ve gone so far. Argh!! Sam Watson now also triggers a frangible at the open corner. Bugger.

00.24: 1.6 time to add for Christopher Six puts him on 31.2. He was 13th before cross-country – he may be able to hold a good spot like that.

00.23: Sam Watson and Flamenco, the gorgeous golden horse, leave the start box for Ireland in their Olympic debut. COME ON, SAM!!!

00.22: Therese was in the top ten individually, too, so that’s a real heartbreak for her. Italy’s Vittoria Panizzon and Super Cillious have started, and Christopher Six is coming to the end of the course and still looking super attacking and very French — they always ride so positively. Allez, allez!

00.20: A double-dose of trouble at 18 — the Stumps and Bumps coffin. Joanna Pawlak picks up 20 here, and the next pair to tackle it – Therese and Viscera – hang a leg at the final element and Therese hits the deck. That’s a real shame, but doesn’t necessarily knock Sweden out – if Therese is deemed fit to jump, she can finish her competition tomorrow. She’ll add 200 penalties for failing to complete this phase, though.

00.18: The course here is so beautifully presented – lots of nods to Japanese culture, with an intricate hand-painted drop fence depicting Mount Fuji, and even some sushi wood carvings that look good enough to eat.

00.17: Sweden’s one-eyed superstar Viscera and Therese Viklund are just under halfway round and looking super confident — and quick — so far. France’s Christopher Six and Totem de Brecey leave the start box looking super-keen.

00.16: Alex’s super ride did exactly what it needed to as a team trailblazer round – but he’s sure to be so disappointed with those time penalties. He drops out of bronze position and goes below both Kazu and Felix.

00.14: Alex is home clear but will add 12 time penalties. It’s hard to go truly economically on these easily-distracted horses. Fantastic Frieda has lost a front shoe, but doesn’t appear to be slowing down.

00.13: Alex opts to go straight at the coffin and makes a beautiful job of it. Don Geniro is never an easy horse, though he’s exceptionally talented – he just has a very busy brain, and Alex is managing it exceptionally so far. Poland’s Joanna Pawlak and Fantastic Frieda are really kicking on!

00.11: Clear and four seconds inside the time for Shane and Virgil, even with a long route. That’s two inside the time so far, and course designer Derek Digrazia only predicted three or four…!

00.10: Virgil looking like he’s taking some riding today. He was named after Virgil Tracy, because apparently he ‘moved like a Thunderbird puppet’ as a young horse.

00.09: Okay I’m crying for the first of many times today: Kazu is home clear with just 1.6 time penalties. Few people have worked as hard or sacrificed so much, and all to try to build Japan’s eventing culture. He’s done something incredible today, and it’s the tip of an enormous iceberg for this awesome human being.

00.07: Shane’s balance saves him after an awkward jump at 12A, but nothing to add there! Kazu is clear through the final water with some real gung-ho riding, and third-placed Alex Hua Tian is on course now for China. Oh god, I feel sick!

00.06: Just two seconds over the time for 0.8 to add for Felix and Colero – but don’t get complacent about this time. This is another very experienced pair who have been top ten at Kentucky.

00.05: Australia’s Shane Rose and Virgil out of the start box. Kazu nearly gets booted out the side door over the open corner, which wobbles on its frangible but doesn’t break. A bit of a heart-stopping half-second but they’re bowling on well again now!

00.04: Felix and Colero go long at the very imposing Mt Fuji drop combination. They’re clear and jumping through the final combination now.

00.03: 8.02 is the finishing time for Doug Payne, which is 6.8 time penalties. A conservative clear that ticks the fact-finding box for Team USA – now Doug can pass that intel back to Boyd and Doug so they can plan aggressive rounds.

00.02: Kazu sits seventh overnight and is working his socks off with his teammates to win a medal at this home Games. We’re all cheering him on like absolute mad!

00.00: All the talk has been about how tough that time will be, so that’s a huge, huge round to get the day started with. Felix Vogg and Colero are clear through 12AB and looking very classy. Japan’s first rider – Kazuma Tomoto and Vinci de la Vigne – are on course now.

23.59: WOW! Oliver and Ballaghmor Class FLY the bullet trains and sail across the finish five seconds inside the time! He has seriously put the pressure on leader Michael Jung, and this bodes really, really well for Team GB as they chase their first Olympic team gold since 1972!

23.58: A long route for Doug at 12, by the looks of it. All on course are clear so far!

23.57: And now we’ve got Switzerland’s Felix Vogg and Colero on course as well. They sit eighth at the moment.

23.56: Oliver and Ballaghmor flying through the complex at 14. A flag wibbles in its holder but stays up, and they’re well inside the line anyway. They fly along past the five-minute marker.

23.55: They go direct at the third water. Make it look like a novice. Doug Payne and Vandiver leave the start box for the USA.

23.54: Much better over the frightening looking angled log drop into water at the second water complex. That’s a serious question, with a boat in the water, a bank up out, and then a corner on dry land – and all on a massive half-circle of a line.

23.53: Ballaghmor Class is a bit sticky over the log into water that Arinadtha fell at, but he keeps on going and jumps through the line perfectly.

23.51: And they’re out and over the first three fences in fine style. This is a first Games for Oliver, and this horse is one of the most consistent top-level competitors in the world. He’s won two five-stars and has never finished lower than fifth in all six runs at that level.

23.50: That really was no one’s fault; the rider worked hard to balance her horse and her horse, in turn, tried his best to stick the landing, but momentum wasn’t on his side. They do look fine walking away, and now we’re still waiting for our second pair to start. One minute to go until Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class, currently sitting second. A lot of pressure on him, and not a great confidence boost to know the rider prior didn’t make it past the first minute.

23.46: And she’s off. Gosh, this is a real shame – they look super over the first few single fences, but just get caught up on the log into the first water and both go down. They’re up very quickly but that’s Thailand eliminated as a team, as they have no reserve pair.

23.45: And we’re off! Thailand’s Arinadtha Chavatanont is first out of the box with Boleybawn Prince.

Sweden Makes First In-Game Substitution of Tokyo Eventing

By on Jul 31, 2021 6:25 pm -

Ludwig Svennerstal and Balham Mist. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

The new Olympic format of three to a team has felt like the hottest topic of the last couple of years – mostly because in all that time, and with all that discussion, most of us still haven’t quite managed to figure out how on earth the substitution rule works. We saw the format trialled in Boekelo in 2019, though only in part, because there the subs were allowed to contest the entire event as individuals. Realistically, it’s been a rule change that will need to be seen in action to be understood. And now, just half an hour prior to the start of cross-country, we’ll see the first-ever Olympic eventing substitution.

Ludwig Svennerstal, who sat 40th after dressage on a score of 35, has withdrawn Balham Mist from the rest of the competition due to a minor injury sustained since performing his test yesterday. This means that the travelling reserve, Sara Algotsson Ostholt and Chicuelo will step into his role. They didn’t do a dressage test, as they were still on the bench at that stage, so they will adopt Ludwig’s score of 35, and will add on a 20-penalty substitution ‘fee’, bringing their score to 55. That puts Sweden on a team mark of 111.1, which moves them from fifth place to thirteenth.

Now, Sweden doesn’t have a reserve pair on the bench, which means that all three combinations – Sara and Chicuelo, Louise Romeike and Cato 60, and Therese Viklund and Viscera – will need to complete this phase to remain competitive.

THE NEW FORMAT: A REFRESHER

The first thing you need to know is that the teams will be smaller – we’re used to seeing teams of four, with the three best scores counting, and one rider’s score dropped. In the new format, we won’t have drop scores at all anymore – instead, each team will have three riders, and each score will count.

Comprenez-vous? Great. But, we hear you asking, what happens if someone falls on cross-country, or doesn’t make it through a horse inspection, or comes up against one of the myriad other pitfalls that can crop up through an event? Without a drop score, do they just have to accept 1000 penalties for a non-completion and move on?

Nope. This is where the system really starts to look different, because for the first time ever, we’re now using a substitution system, which allows a reserve horse and rider to step in at any point in the competition.

That means that four horses and riders will travel to Tokyo for each nation, but one – the reserve or substitute pair – will not be accredited and won’t be able to compete unless they’re drafted in. What they do have to do, however, is pass both horse inspections. The team of three will be named ahead of time, and the reserve can be subbed in up to two hours before the start of dressage with no penalty to the team. The horse that was taken out can then wait in the wings as the new team reserve. After that? Get your calculators out, because it’s time to do some counting.

If all three combinations on the team complete each phase, nothing changes – they’ll each have their final score as usual, and those three scores will be combined to create the aggregate, or team, score. But if a rider fails to complete a phase, they’ll incur penalties for the non-completion. That works like this:

  • If a rider is eliminated or retires in the dressage (bad luck, pal), they add 100 points to their mark. Because they haven’t earned a dressage score, their starting score is 100 penalties, and the team is stuck with it no matter what.
  • If the elimination or retirement occurs on cross-country, they add 200 points to their dressage score, and no matter what, the team is stuck with that combined score.
  • If they’re eliminated or retire in the showjumping, they add 100 points to their score, and again, the team can’t get rid of those marks.

Once the elimination or retirement has occurred, there’s a couple of options. First, the horse and rider can be substituted, which means that those penalties they notched up as described above are kept on the team score card, while an extra 20 penalties is added on as penance for making the substitution. Then, whatever penalties the substitute earns are also added onto the score card.

Or, they can forego the substitute method, and the horse and rider that were eliminated or retired can continue on to the next phase with those non-completion penalties on their record. This isn’t always allowed, mind you – if the non-completion occurred because of lameness or injury to the horse, any sort of abusive or dangerous riding, a disqualification, or a horse fall, they are ineligible to continue. Likewise, substitution isn’t allowed in cases where abusive or dangerous riding or a disqualification has led to the non-completion of a phase.

Another important point to note is that only one substitution can be made per team, and that substitution must go to a new horse and rider – that is, a team rider can’t simply have a reserve horse waiting in the wings as a substitute. Any substitution made between the phases – let’s call these overnight substitutions – will still incur the 20 penalties for substitution, but won’t incur non-completion penalties. For example, if a team horse and rider complete cross-country, but the horse doesn’t look right the next morning, they can be replaced by the subs for just 20 penalties. They won’t add 200 penalties, because they completed the cross-country, and then won’t add 100 penalties, because they never started showjumping.

If a substitution can’t be made for any reason – because the sub has already been drafted in, or because of a disqualification, or simply the lack of a sub option – it can get expensive, and fast. If a rider is eliminated on cross-country for dangerous riding, for example, they’ll incur the 200 penalty ‘bonus,’ plus 100 penalties for failing to showjump, because they can’t be replaced.

(Oh, and another thing? Only horse-and-rider combinations who complete the entire competition are eligible for individual medals. Which is, you know, fair.)

In any case, any scores earned throughout the competition are kept on as part of the final team score, because drop scores no longer exist. So if a team member completes the dressage with, say, a score of 30, but then takes a spill across the country, they’ll have 230 points on their scorecard. If they then opt to sub in the reserve to showjump, they’ll add the substitution penalty – 20 points, so a total tally of 250 so far – and then the substitute’s showjumping score. Let’s say the sub knocks a rail – the final score is 254 for that slot on the team. If two riders fail to complete the cross-country, they’ll each add the 200, but because only one substitution can be made, they’ll need to decide whether one of them will still showjump the next day. If they can’t for any reason, they’ll add another 100 penalties.

If all this sounds incredibly confusing, we hear you – it’s a huge departure from what we know, and it all sounds pretty bonkers. These changes have been brought in to mitigate the confusion that surrounded drop scores – though we’re used to them, many new viewers of the sport found them difficult to understand, and so this system, it’s hoped, will prove clearer. It’s easy to make a snap judgment on what we’re seeing, but this week’s competition will offer some clarity – watching the system in action will, at the very least, help to demonstrate how it works, which is always easier than reading and re-reading the rule book until you go cross-eyed.

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Student Life, Spinal Surgery, and a Horse Who Likes to Party: Meet Poland’s Malgorzata Cybulska

By on Jul 31, 2021 5:37 pm -

Malgorzata Cybulska of Poland. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Every Olympic story is an extraordinary story – and one that we really love comes from 23-year-old Polish rider Malgorzata Cybulska, who sits in the top twenty after dressage with her horse Chenaro 2. A true one-horse rider, she balances her competitive ambitions with being a full-time student – and she’s had to overcome medical challenges along the way, too.

At the beginning of 2019, Malgorzata – who goes by Gosia – was sidelined after a major spinal surgery to reverse the effects of a degenerate disc condition that she’d been managing since she was a child.

“I had this problem when I was twelve because I’m quite tall, and I had grown more than twelve centimeters in one year,” she explains. “The shape of my spine is also not really good for riding, for sure. But you know, when you’re twelve, it’s like – oh, it hurts, okay it stops, and like, that’s it. So it’s not that it came from nothing, [just that] I was just neglecting it for quite a long time. But always, people are clever after the fact, right? So this is me.”

By the time she was 21, though, the problem had worsened enough that she needed to make a decision.

“The thing was that I was for sure not able to ride, but actually I was also not really able to walk, and there was possibility that I wouldn’t be able to feel my legs if we won’t do anything,” she says. “So I had two options: operation or rehabilitation. But with rehabilitation, the problem was that if something happened, like if I fall down from the horse, it suddenly could just cut off [the feeling in] my legs and that would be it. And rehabilitation for like a few months, it would maybe stop the pain and so on, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. And [I kept] thinking that I was just 21 years old,  you know, and it would be in my head that whatever I do. If I fall on the ice or something, it would be ‘oh my gosh, my back, oh my gosh’. So, having in mind that the Olympics were coming and this was our priority, and also for my health, and because I just love horses and riding, we decided to do the operation.”

The surgery was a success – but Gosia had to spend a long four months out of the saddle. With the European Championships at Luhmühlen looming that summer, her boyfriend Alexander Kadlubowski kept the horses – including Chenaro – in work.

“After I started riding again I had like, three months before the European Championships, so I got three competitions [before them]. So it was really hard time; a really stressful time. But we managed. And actually, what’s funny is that before operation, jumping was my weakest point, but when I saw my boyfriend riding my horse and jumping so well I just thought, ‘gosh, this is possible – this is not that there’s something wrong with this horse or something; he can do it, I cannot do it. So I actually can ask my trainer, after this break.’ [As a result,] I started to ride the jumping much, much much better than before, even without riding. This is the good point of this operation.”

That August, Gosia contested the Europeans, which was her first-ever Senior championship. She did so riding Chenaro 2, a horse she’d had since he was five and she was fifteen, and with whom she’d competed for Poland as a Junior and Young Rider. They proved the strength of their long partnership that week, impressing across all three phases to finish just outside the top 30. But despite their obvious connection, and their list of accolades and national titles, it wasn’t always plain sailing for the pair.

“Chenaro is the sweetest horse ever,” she says, but “when I got him he was like, five and a half years, and I have to say that I hated him. I hated him so much! He was like, ‘party!‘ all the time. I was not able to work with him; my dressage tests were like, 45%, because [he’d go down the] centerline like, ‘woohoo, party time!’ and just freestyle. So at first I really hated him, and I was afraid of him. But now, we’re already working like, seven years together. And, yeah, now everybody say that he’s an angel, and he’s so calm, and so on!”

Their major strength as a partnership is on the cross-country course, where Gosia says the 12-year-old Oldenburg is a generous, genuine ride.

“What is the most important about him is that I really trust that he will help me with, for example, cross-country – this is a huge thing, because this is my only horse. I’m not training five horses a day, so I don’t have too much [mileage]. And competing at this level, I have to have in my head that if I do make a mistake, he will help me out – so he has a huge heart for this competition and yeah, we are a great couple. He just loves running, and the great thing is that he is really focused on me and the fences, and we have quite good harmony that he reacts on my aids quite quickly, so that I have control, I know what is going on, and he helps me when I did a mistake. This is like most important for me.”

Unusually, Gosia is a one-horse rider, though she does occasionally share the ride on Sagenhaft 5, a relatively inexperienced three-star horse, with Aleksander. At the moment, one horse is enough, though – she balances her time in training with a five-year degree in Psychology at the University of Warsaw. With two years left to go, she’s honing her focus in on Sports Psychology – and she’s found the constraints of the pandemic a surprising help in managing her juggling act.

“Now everything is online so there’s no problem with driving there and back and whatever,” she says. “Especially when you have to prepare for this kind of competition, and now we are already a month away from home,  this is really helpful that it’s online. But actually, I would really like to come back to school because for me, it’s totally exhausting just to sit in front of this screen. I just like to see people face to face and and actually, how can you study  human relationships when you have just a picture on the screen?”

Malgorzata Cybulska and Chenaro 2 lead the way for Poland after dressage. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Gosia and Chenaro began their Olympic debut on brilliant form, posting a 31 to go into cross-country in 18th place. They’ll leave the start box at 9.18 a.m. Tokyo time/1.18 a.m. British time/2.18 a.m. Central European time/8.18 p.m. Eastern time.

“I’m really happy with it,” she says of her test, which scored incredibly consistently through each movement. “Many people that know me, they know that I’m most of the time not really happy with my tests, because I expect so much from myself and my horse. And this one – I have to say that it was really great.The horse was really concentrated on me, and I could request from him everything I wanted. And that’s why I could do the precise test, and he was responding, he was relaxed, and he was great. I’m really really really happy about it!”

“It’s a huge honor [to be here], especially [considering] that, you know, I’m not the most experienced. I’m the youngest and so on, so on. Three years ago, when my trainer [Piotr Kulikowski] told me that this is the plan we were like, ‘what the heck? Like, what?! I should go, you know, to the European Championship of Young Riders, not the Seniors, right?’ If he didn’t see this potential in us, then we wouldn’t be here – so it’s been a huge, huge plan.””

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The Good, The Bad, and The Weird: We Can’t Expect the Unexpected

By on Jul 31, 2021 3:22 pm -

Oliver Townend and Ballaghmor Class. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Dressage is done and dusted, and yet we can’t seem to stop talking about it. Dressage is unique in the three phases in that there is effectively no cap in what you can achieve, while the other two phases tend to be pass/fail. In show jumping and cross-country, if you jump all the jumps high enough and within the right amount of time, you pass and add nothing to your score. But in dressage, there is no level of sufficiency that allows you to pass with no penalties: extra credit is given for better and better performances. Is this the way the sport should be? That’s a conversation for another day, but this is the way the sport is now.

THE GOOD

Baji Koen Equestrian Park. Photo by FEI/Christoph Taniere.

Shortened Dressage Tests: I for one am a huge fan of the shortened dressage test. I’m about as die-hard of an eventing fan as you can get and yet I find my brain straying to other things during two days of dressage.  The shortened test is a good thing for our sport and I’d love to see it rolled out across the board, particularly at the lower levels. A shorter dressage test could bring us back to the days of a true three-day event, with all the dressage completed in one day. That would have the advantage of saving money for organizers and competitors alike by shortening the competition for a day and opening up more competition opportunities to populations who have limited time off from work or school.

The Judging: There will always be overall variances on an individual level; some horses love the arena, others hate the weather. On any particular day we will see some pairs shining and others faltering. But as a field, those variances should really fade away if the judging is consistent with the international standard. That’s exactly what we saw at this venue, with the overall field averaging only +1.12 points above the expected field average. There was no apparent session bias or halo effect and the largest disagreement between the three judges was a 5.00% difference between Jane Hamlin and Nick Burton for Virgil’s performance. There was agreement to within 1.00% between all three judges on a whopping 16.1% of the field (10 pairs) and a very solid 75.8% of the field had scores that fell within 3.00% of one another. All in all a very successful panel for this weekend.

Malgorzata Cybulska and Chenaro 2 lead the way for Poland after dressage. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Team Poland: Poland in particular should be pleased with their performance, although they find themselves down the order. Losing at Banderas as the jogs was a huge blow but the team members responded beautifully by each exceeding their expected dressage score by an average of 1.5 points.

Tim Price and Vitali. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Tim Price and Vitali: With only three 4* tests under their belt as a pair (and only four total overall for the horse), Vitali stepped up in a big way for Tim Price. Tim has a bit of a rough spring, with most of the experienced campaigners he had in his string having rough times of it at their long formats this spring. Taking Vitali was a calculated risk; perhaps better the unproven potential world beater was better than horses who might not be on top of their game. These two equaled their previous personal best, which takes the New Zealand expected dressage score down by just over 3 penalty points. Pairing that up with two scores within one point of expected from both of his teammates could prove huge if things fall their way on cross-country day.

Marcelo Tosi and Glenfly exceed expectations for Brazil. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Marcelo Tosi and Glenfly: The sole Thoroughbred in the competition also rose to the occasion beyond any other horse in the field, scoring more than five points below his expected score. His final score of 31.5 edged out his previous personal best, not just at 5* but at 4*. The pace on cross-country will still likely be a problem for him but hopefully the Brazilian rider can exceed expectations once again.

THE BAD

Over-Reliance on Lead Changes: I’d like to see less reliance on one specific skill. Four changes in a shortened test means that 18.2% of the dressage score is reliant on the ability of the horse to execute good changes. It seems like overkill to be insistent on testing one specific skill and weighting it so significantly in our method of scoring. To put this in perspective, a change that is late behind is an automatic 4; if you’ve gone from a possible 8 then you’ve lost 4 points on that mark. That loss equates to 4.5 seconds worth of time penalties or 1.8 rails….if you’ve flubbed four changes, then you’re now spotting 21 seconds of time on cross-country or 2 rails in stadium. The committees who create the dressage tests should be taking into consideration how much weight one particular skill is given in relation to the penalties in the other phases.

Laura Collett and London 52. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.

Team Great Britain: This team came riding high into the competition with high expectations that this was their competition to lose. Make no mistake, this team is still the favorite and of course lead the way, but it wasn’t by the ten point margin they should have had. Both London 52 and Toledo de Kerser underperformed by approximately four points, which is fairly remarkable considering their respective scores of 25.8 and 28.9. However, that left the door open for Germany to be hard in the hunt for the gold instead of chasing after Great Britain for the next two phases.

Teams Ireland and Italy: Although neither of these teams came into the Olympics with dreams of leading the way after dressage, they will now both find themselves in a much bigger hole than expected after two members on each team underperformed to the tune of 4 to 7 points. That loss adds up quick.

Boyd Martin walks out of the arena after his test on Tsetserleg TSF. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

Boyd Martin and Tsetserleg TSF: Despite a lovely entry, things seemed to come off the rails after the rein back, when Thomas clearly thought he was supposed to step into the canter. The mistake seemed to rattle the horse, who spent the remainder of the test worried he was doing the wrong thing, causing major issues when picking up the counter-canter after the walk. The result is a major blow both to Boyd himself who had a shot at an individual medal, and to Team USA, whose other members put in performances within 2.5 points of their expected score.

THE WEIRD

Event Scheduling: Having the eventing dressage immediately after the pure dressage really highlights the differences between the two types of rides and not in a way that is flattering to eventing. While I know this is not under the control of anyone except the IOC, it would really suit better to have eventing either go first, or at least follow show jumping; following dressage is akin to watching the equestrian phase of modern pentathlon….compared to the pure dressage horses it looks rough.

Three Members Only: There’s a lot less calculating going on behind the scenes without the drop score, which on one hand is nice but on the other hand is clearly not the right way to run a team for eventing. It’s jarring seeing the alternates load up to travel over to the cross-country, clearly preparing to step in should something go wrong with the team horses; quite frankly it makes no sense to have not had a fourth dressage session in the evening and allow the alternates to compete as individuals unless called up for the team.

Team USA surrounding Doug Payne after his test. Photo by Shannon Brinkman.

USA Team Selection: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — it’s absolutely bizarre to me that the selectors felt that it was best to leave what is possibly one of our generational equine talents off the team. Tsetserleg TSF’s surprising issues aside, Vandiver and Z are both horses whose 5* averages vary significantly from their 4* averages so despite false hopes that we should have been better off across the board, two of the three members performed within their expected ranges. However, I have the utmost faith that the selectors would have taken this performance variance between the dressage tests into account and we will hopefully see both of these two horses prove their mettle and reason for selection in the coming days.

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Cross Country Powerhouses of Tokyo

By on Jul 31, 2021 10:12 am -

I’ve lost track of the day, the hour, and possibly my mind. There’s spreadsheets on spreadsheets and my computer has crashed several times, but it’s worth it to see all the lovely graphs that I’ve developed. There’s nothing quite like looking at performance in a graph; when I look at numbers, they tell me a story. But when I put them in a graph, they come alive for others, and that is even better.

Let’s briefly talk course designer. Derek di Grazia has a very solid record of track design in America; he has designed the Elkton (Fair Hill) 4*-L for decades and has been the Kentucky 5*-L designer since Mike Etherington-Smith stepped aside after the 2010 World Equestrian Games, alongside a couple of short formats here in the States. The percentage of horses who have successfully navigated Derek’s course clear on any particular date has ranged from 35 to 75% of starters; overall 60% of all horses who have attempted his courses have run clear.

With Lara de Leiderkerke-Meier’s withdrawal, that range means we’ll likely see approximately 21 horses run clear for sure. An additional 15 would run clear if we see more of an average Derek course in terms of difficulty, and if it turns out to be a bit softer than he expected, up to 46 total pairs would be entering stadium with no jump penalties. With this being the Olympics, you’ll probably see an odd mix; those looking for a completion may come home with a surprise clear having taken mostly long routes but adding a boatload of time penalties while team and individual medal hopes will rely on the best pairs to go out and have a crack, taking calculated risks that could result in a mistake they would otherwise never make.

In terms of time, only 10.7% of the pairs who attempt Derek’s courses have come home inside the time; with 45 jumping efforts over only 7 minutes and 45 seconds of courses, time is likely to be tougher to make than a typical long format event. If Derek’s pattern holds, we should see approximately 6 pairs come inside the time.

With no further ado, behold the performance of every team horse. All time penalties are for runs that are direct, with no pauses for stops at fences. 

Arinadtha Chavatanont & Boleybawn Prince (THA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 12.0

Oliver Townend & Ballaghmor Class (GBR)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 0.8

Doug Payne & Vandiver (USA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 4.0

Felix Vogg & Colero (SUI)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 3.2

Kazuma Tomoto & Vinci de la Vigne (JPN)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 1.6

Shane Rose & Virgil (AUS)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 7.2

Alex Hua Tian & Don Geniro (CHN)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 12.0

Joanna Pawlak & Fantastic Frieda (POL)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 9.6

Therese Viklund & Viscera (SWE)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 15.2

Christopher Six & Totem de Brecey (FRA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 4.4

Vittoria Panizzon & Super Cillious (ITA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 0.4

Sam Watson & Flamenco (IRL)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 4.4

Jonelle Price & Grovine de Reve (NZL)

Predicted to Have Issues: No 

Predicted Time Penalties: 3.6

Julia Krajewski & Amande de B’Neville (GER)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 3.6

Marcelo Tosi & Glenfly (BRA)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 13.6

Weerapat Pitakanonda & Carnival March (THA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 10.8

Laura Collett & London 52 (GBR)

Predicted to Have Issues: Possible Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 0

Phillip Dutton & Z (USA)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 1.2

Melody Johner & Toubleu de Rueire (SUI)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 4.8

Toshiyuki Tanaka & Talma d’Allou (JPN)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 6.0

Kevin McNab & Don Quidam (AUS)

Predicted to Have Issues: Possible Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 6.8

Huadong Sun & Lady Chin V’T Moerven Z (CHN)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 26.0

Malgorzata Cybulska & Chenaro 2 (POL)

Predicted to Have Issues: Possible Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 10.0

Lousie Romeike & Cato 60 (SWE)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 6.0

Nicolas Touzaint & Absolut Gold (FRA)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 3.6

Susanna Bordone & Imperial van de Holtakker (ITA)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 5.6

Austin O’Connor & Colorado Blue (IRL)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 5.2

Jesse Campbell & Diachello (NZL)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 0

Sandra Auffarth & Viamant du Matz (GER)

Predicted to Have Issues: Possible Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 4.4

Rafael Mamprin Losano & Fuiloda G (BRA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 16.4

Korntawat Samran & Bonero K (THA)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 10.8

Tom McEwen & Toledo de Kerser (GBR)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 6.8

Boyd Martin & Tsetserleg TSF (USA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 2.4

Robin Godel & Jet Set (SUI)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 6.4

Yoshiaki Oiwa & Calle 44 (JPN)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 6.8

Andrew Hoy & Vassily de Lassos (AUS)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 0

Yingfeng Bao & Flandia 2 (CHN)

Predicted to Have Issues: Possible Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 13.6

Jan Kaminski & Jard (POL)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 0

Ludwig Svennerstal & Balham Mist (SWE)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 0.4

Karim Florent Laghouag & Triton Fontaine (FRA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 0

Arianna Schivo & Quefira de l’Ormeau (ITA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Probable No

Predicted Time Penalties: 13.6

Sarah Ennis & Woodcourt Garrison (IRL)

Predicted to Have Issues: Possible Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 2.0

Tim Price & Vitali (NZL)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 5.2

Michael Jung & Chipmunk FRH (GER)

Predicted to Have Issues: No

Predicted Time Penalties: 0

Carlos Parro & Goliath (BRA)

Predicted to Have Issues: Yes

Predicted Time Penalties: (Direct Round) 25.6

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