DefinitelyDressage.com

Okay first...where is it streaming? Second, who wants to gossip it up? Because I definitely do.

I think it's streaming here:

http://www.feitv.org/live

I've got a subscription to FEI TV, and it will be on there.
However, it's on a bit early for me and then during the morning, but I"m a bit excited for it!!

Who's everyone's favs??

I'm excited to watch!

Okay I subscribed!!! It's almost on!!!! A friend is there and posted some warm-up videos from yesterday. I will say, Carl's work looked the most classical and Isabell's work was probably the most impressive in terms of the way the horse was going. I was not super in love with SP's work, but it's a warm-up, so will be curious to compare with the actual tests. Many on here would say there were too many low, tight necks from what I saw...I wouldn't disagree entirely thus far.

I'm also super excited to watch the big jumping!

With the withdrawal due to lameness of Flirt (HPM) and Jessica's Nee, the highest score going in is Werth, followed by Gal/Oatley/Hester/Graves.

I think that Isabel Werth and Weihegold will be hard to beat.

It's good to have an Aussie in the mix too. But yes Isabel Werth may well be the winners

edited to add, FEI TV is only showing the freestyle, I was hoping for the GP too, but it's all showjumping GP. I take that back the GP is in the replays.. wahooo!

I loved Laura Graves' ride. I was surprised Werth beat her, but what do I know. She is a technician for sure. I did feel that Rosamund was too cranked in the neck and her hind end was swinging a ton in the tempis. Gals horse is I credible. I've never seen a horse like that in person. He does anot odd stamping thing before transitions, but maybe he'll outgrow that?

(but it is a result of his training methodology imho......)

StraightForward wrote:I loved Laura Graves' ride. I was surprised Werth beat her, but what do I know. She is a technician for sure. I did feel that Rosamund was too cranked in the neck and her hind end was swinging a ton in the tempis. Gals horse is I credible. I've never seen a horse like that in person. He does anot odd stamping thing before transitions, but maybe he'll outgrow that?

Okay I actually bust out laughing when Rosamund started the 1's. Like SWINGING. Also, was less cranked in the test than the warm-up videos I saw yesterday. The extensions were definite highlights though.

Did anybody else find Voice's feet strange looking? Like his front feet almost looked like club feet they were so tall and the heel was soo high off the ground. Very different.

There was a grey dutch horse named Rustique that was really stunning and well ridden.

About to watch the rest I missed next.

Also, Rosamud was sooo over collected in the piaffe I'm not sure what to say about it. Like very much front legs back and so then impossible to get out of rhythmically. I dont' know what people call that, but the announcer said "pedestally - like on a pedestal" and it was pretty accurate.

Okay done watching. I think Wgold was so clearly the best and also the most classical presented. I did want to push her saddle back like 6 inches, but pretty amazing otherwise. I think LG does a great job with Verdades, but I'm just not a fan of his type - very dutch harness horse look. I also think their piaffe is very far from classical. Of course, there are also some real highlights and I think she brings the best out of him, which really is the whole point in my mind, so that is also nice.

I thought maybe KPG was a little underappreciated in scoring given that there was some really nice correct work in there.

Overall, very enjoyable to watch and the jumping tonight was pretty amazing too!!!

I'll have to finish watching tonight.
HafDressage, I've thought that a few times now about Gal's horses feet. They are really high in the heel and like funny boxes on the end of the legs!

(imho Werth's training methods are far from traditional) https://www.writingofriding.com/in-the- ... erflexion/

I've been trying to find out why the New Zealand horse was disqualified.

Re, feet. It is my opinion, that Gal uses weighted shoes and gait enhancement shoeing methods. I wish there were rules about shoes, weights and length of hoof in dressage.

Regarding the rides, hafdressage, I agree with most of your observations. I thought Isabel's ride was straight, and most technically correct, showed good collection. But not error free.

Verdades was more powerful but a bit tense and. Not as technically correct or straight at times.

Nip Tuck needs some of what Diddy (Verdades) has. Power and expression.

I know he is a top rider but I just do not enjoy watching Gal ride. He is masterful, but to me the horse appears r to be too transformed.

Now, I do admire Peters, although one must admit he seems to have a constant supply of good horses, but Rosy is not a favorite of mine in this field. There were aspects of her carriage in piaffe from her first video and I hoped it was simply because she was young and would strengthen, but they are still there and she is more mature.

So much to enjoy and be amazed at. However I do not really find anything to quibble about wet their placing.

Agree with Chisamba about how the height is partially trained in, it becomes obvious the methodologies. But What about the scores per se (not the placings which are more about the mistake free aspect)? Did anyone notice the open mouths, compressed outlines and how that impacts straightness (both in alignment and how the horses become more and more base narrow), or the quality of the halts, or the height of the raising of the hind legs in P&P?

gallop, while I have not seen many of the rides I did see some of IW's and especially the halt at the end. Horse is camped out behind in the halt, FROM passage no less. Of course I have seen IW ride in person at WEG 2010 and of all the riders she was the one I wanted to rip off her horse. Rode Warum there and it was horrid to watch in the warm up. We got to watch the Freestyle warm up the night before the Freestyle, where riders ran through their freestyles with music. (we had stayed late to see reining and walking by the stadium for dressage and they were running through, sat in the stands until they finished, saw IW then. As in no one else except our little group there) I do like the mare she is riding now, but know how incorrect IW's training is, find it hard to believe that the mare puts up with it, most will not.

Chisamba wrote:I've been trying to find out why the New Zealand horse was disqualified.

Blood was found in the mouth at tack check/inspection after the ride.

For those interested: http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/ ... cup-finals (and remember last years winner is out for lameness and the other highly place horse is out from surgery).

DJR wrote:

Chisamba wrote:I've been trying to find out why the New Zealand horse was disqualified.

Blood was found in the mouth at tack check/inspection after the ride.

Yes, as she was riding I thought there might have been blood in the mouth and then I saw she was DQ'd, so I assumed that is what happened. I think her horse just got way over tense in the atmosphere and so that was unfortunate. It was a cute horse.

Gallop - I can't judge Isabell based on what she might do at home. I can only say that she presented the best, most classical looking, ride of the day.

I think the entire US team was overly round and short in the neck, with KPG being the best. Also, after watching it again, I have to say I think Verdades was overscored. Personally, I think Rosie was the best horse in the field because she can both sit insanely well and extend beautifully, but is not being ridden in a way that is maximizing her potential. Yes, I think Steffan is a wonderful rider and I'm not pretending I could do it better, but I think maybe some changes in the way they train her could be fruitful. I don't know how she is trained now, so I don't know what those changes might be, but it would be nice to see her make some progress in a different direction instead of practically stepping all over herself in the collected work.

What I thought was not great from most riders was the reinback. It looked like unhappy donkeys backing up out there. But for every negative a positive and I thought at least 3/4 of the field offered some nice even, stepping under passage.

Did anyone go back and watch the white horse I loved? That wasn't the best ride of the day but was definitely my favorite.

HafDressage wrote:Did anyone go back and watch the white horse I loved? That wasn't the best ride of the day but was definitely my favorite.

I enjoyed that horse's test as well! As you said, it wasn't the best, but it was fluid, positive, forward, and showed more relaxation than most of the others. The rein back was one of the better ones, too!

I loved Rustiques freestyle. So fluid and harmonious.

I literally thought Rosamunde was going to sit down during piaffe, and she was doing a weird crouchy half pass, but she was fine when he let her out.

Well, now I've seen a 90% GP test in person. It was amazing. No critique from me.

Oh my gosh Isabell was about as close to perfect as you can get. That was one of my favorite GPs I've seen in the last 4 or 5 years I think. I thought it was so well rounded with more correct piaffe and passage than we see most of the time now days. Also, she's had the horse since it was a foal, so obvi easy to cheer for that.

I thought Verdades didn't start out strong at the very beginning, but really built to a strong finish and ended with the best extensions I've ever seen him do. While I'm not a fan of his type and I think the Piaffe is overscored always, she won me over at the end....although then lost me again when she looked unhappy and fake smiled after Isabell's rides.

Madeleine WV had a nice ride too, although I want to buy her a new helmet.

Nip Tuck, I thought started well, but faded a bit at the end. I would have put Vancouver K, who had the hardest freestyle I've ever seen, over Nip Tuck. That Irish girl really went for it in there and so that was fun.

My grey sparkley unicorn was once again charming and I feel like his rider looks like Mary Poppins and is adorable. I thought a little underscored.

Du Soleil - I mean extensions!!! Those have to be a 10. Some good stuff in there with that horse.

I thought Steffan was massively over scored. I mean what on earth in the piaffe, piros, and then swinging 1's. I thought that was a mess. Of course, no one asked me.

I'm sad it's over.

I had Rusitque and Mister X as the two I would actually like to ride. I always pick my favorite in the "rideable" category, separate from the best to watch.

Can anyone explain why Rosamunde piaffe's like that? Is she just collecting herself too much?

The horse is too compressed/low, so it is straightening the hocks rather than folding them. It is not collecting/engaging,it is an avoidance. So the horse leans onto the fore legs, and does what is called triangulating (goat on a mountain top stance).

galopp wrote:The horse is too compressed/low, so it is straightening the hocks rather than folding them. It is not collecting/engaging,it is an avoidance. So the horse leans onto the fore legs, and does what is called triangulating (goat on a mountain top stance).

Very problematic. Not sure why she is being shown when that was happening with such consistency.

Overall, I was not exactly inspired by watching WC, although I did find it interesting and enjoy the groups' comments. I admit to really loving Carl Hester's seat and way with his horses. I also think the partnership between Diddy and Graves is outstanding, even as I'm less a fan of that particular horse.

galopp wrote:The horse is too compressed/low, so it is straightening the hocks rather than folding them. It is not collecting/engaging,it is an avoidance. So the horse leans onto the fore legs, and does what is called triangulating (goat on a mountain top stance).

Thanks for explaining!

I quite enjoyed watching it all, the differences in horses and riding. Very interesting.