Dressage Disaster: Cathrine Dufour Eliminated From Grand Prix Special

The pressure is on and so is the countdown to the Olympics in Tokyo! Catherine Dufour and Bohemian are one of the top-ranked pairs in the world. Unfortunately, it was a hard no from Bohemian this weekend in France which led Catherine Dufour and Bohemian to be eliminated from the Grand Prix Special.
The battle was expected to be fierce. After the Ville de Compiègne Grand Prix on Saturday, Sweden and Denmark were only separated by a tiny point, yet far ahead of the other nations. However on Sunday, the last day of competition at the 10th "Internationaux de Dressage of Compiègne", organised at the Grand Parc equestrian stadium, the suspense didn’t last long.
In the Grand Prix Special, Denmark’s Cathrine Dufour was unable to persuade her gelding Bohemian (by Bordeaux x Samarant) to enter the arena. The horse spooked at the score board, reared and then refused to set a foot further. A huge disillusion for the rider, who is ranked 6th in the World with this horse and who considers Bohemian her ticket to Tokyo. The pair's last outdoor competition was the CDIO Aachen in July 2019. The elimination of the rider and consequently her team, prematurely brought an end to the Danish hope for the Nations Cup.
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[@syzygyfarm]

They had a few lovely conversations just then. She had soft hands, asked him if he was okay (checking bend), and it seemed like after the third 'no' from him, she said, 'Okay.. another day!' Great example of how to handle that situation.

[@jonjonwp]

She did what she could to calm him but she was timed out and eliminated by the judges.

[@janets6474]

Checking bend? That was the rollkur training coming out. He had his nose on his chest at several moments. Then he violently shook his head up and down. That is a clear signal of great discomfort or pain. He had finally had " enough ". That horse didn't spook. He refused to go forward and endure any more pain. The problem with rollkur training is how cruel it is. When a rider has to resort to these tactics then they should be banned from competition. Isabel Wirth is another example. Has anyone really watched her ride? She is bouncing in the saddle & her horse is a rigid yet she is considered the " queen " of dressage and is a user of the rollkur method. It's abuse sanctioned by FEI.

[@janets6474]

@@jonjonwp Granted she seemed patient and kind. BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Now take a real close look at the hyper extension of this horses neck. It's a tell. The horse does it even when he isn't asked too. That horse was trained with rollkur and he simply said he wasn't going to take it anymore. If there is nothing wrong with rollkur, why not use it in the ring? The Europeans (Dutch, Germans) keep using Rollkur. I'm getting sick of it. I see Isabelle Werth taking all the awards and quite frankly she doesn't ride have as good as other riders and her horses are not nearly as nice. She rides stiffly, bounces in the saddle and her horses do not look relaxed. There are so many riders who ride correctly, keeping their horses trained in traditional dressage methods. They use careful training methods which takes time to strengthen muscles. But traditional training builds muscle with repeated, steady, kind and ethical means keeping a horse happy and comfortable in his work. People who use rollkur should be banned from competition. Horses should not have their necks cranked around in a cruel, unnatural position. Reminds me of western methods where they tie a horse's head up inside a stall for hours at a time in order to make the horse lower his neck. Rollkur, falsely and inhumanely makes a horse put his neck & head in painful positioning. It's disgusting. It keeps cropping up throughout the video.. additionally right around the 40 second mark of the video, he violently tosses his head up. That is a sign of anger and pain. I think in his case it's both. There is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional and should not have that severe a reaction. Excuses are being made for his behavior, when,the horse is aactually a victim. It is a sign of the abuse horses are continuing under. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Watch the horse carefully. Once the initial so-called " spook " took place, he etermined he was going no further. He was not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward, towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore; just as a child who is abused begins to act out, horses will do the same. But they have no voice except if we listen. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. They take years to develop horses because you can't have a true dressage horse overnight. Nor can you manufacture the look: c4 qThe horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@janets6474]

Well, she wasn't listening because he wasn't all right.

[@syzygyfarm]

@@janets6474 From the back of a horse, that feels like spooking. She did the right thing by asking the horse forward. She didn't push or punish, she asked softly. Checking for bend is NOT the same thing as rollkur. Rollkur is not a moment in time where the chest meets the nose, it is a prolonged training style. Otherwise, my horse would be rollkuring himself when he uses his teeth to scratch his chest. She clearly checks left and right bend. She asked, he gave his answers and she backed off. In a moment lioe that, you always try to give the horse time to settle down. She did good. Had the horse actually been in pain, the behavior would have continued even after she turned away from the trigger. Let's not pretend like we see something that simply isn't there. 😉

[@alysonweege6399]

“Disaster” is a strong word. I think we’ve all had these bad days. The rider handled it well. Why was this even considered newsworthy?

[@beannamated]

Was it because of her standing on the road to the Olympics? (I'm not a dressage or competitive rider)

[@janets6474]

Maybe because it took so long for her to decide to call it a day. Granted she seemed patient and kind BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@janets6474]

@@beannamated No. Maybe because it took so long for her to decide to call it a day. A rider shoukd make that decision before a judge makes it for you. CLEARLY there was something not right with her horse. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. He/she is not looking at one particular thing. The horse just wants nothing to do with going in the ring. While she tried to regain control, the horses chin is almost touching the neck. It was an indication something was really wrong. When a horse is extremely sore, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a minute or two, if her horse continued, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what many competitors do is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@janets6474]

Maybe because it took so long for her to decide to call it a day. Granted she seemed patient and kind BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@syzygyfarm]

It's a series title used by the channel when things don't go well.

[@lorettatooke6402]

She handled this horse kindly with compassion. She tried , he said no and she listened. This is the kind of patient rider we need to all be. Horses are animals, not machines and they will have issues as animals do.

[@khricket]

Hirse said no and the judges said no not her

[@elizabethsakurai4253]

Horses are COMPLETELY mistreated in the horse community. ENOUGH SAID!!

[@dressageization]

Why would you sensationalise this with dreadful music?

[@jerrysegal2903]

enjoyable video but why the distracting music. in order to watch i had to shut down audio

[@balsall6720]

Agreed the music is distracting and adds nothing to the video a job for the mute button

[@LlerasFederico]

Why the disgusting noise that some have the temerity to call music?

[@ameliam8431]

Exactly, it’s just a video of a horse having an off day and his rider trying to calm him down. No need to sensationalise it with a click bait title and awful music.

[@amystuckey5900]

Let him be a horse?? Maybe

[@sandieadams9529]

When your horse is telling you something always best to listen.

[@kristinalewis3534]

love the you-tube trainers.... :/ I think we all know this. The horse was spooked by something. (judges booth perhaps?) and she handled it well.

[@katelogan5091]

The only thing this horse was telling his rider is that he was going to be a complete tool.

[@lottejensen5028]

Yup. That horse is in pain. Mine acted very similar when his back started aching. Ive retired him now as its from years of previous owners using ill-fitted saddles on him and theres not really much to do about it

[@yoicapellaers782]

@@lottejensen5028 girl this was his first competition after a year. Bohemian is/was not in pain, he was just spooked. Cathrine adressed this, their last show went great and they got second.

[@niveusnimbus]

The way he throws his head, is not just a little spook

[@sxyfaye]

Brilliant example of horsemanship, they aren't machines and can all have off days. She handled it very well and was kind and patient with the horse and accepted that today just wasn't the day

[@janets6474]

I respectfully disagree. Granted she seemed patient and kind BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@annalatrocka680]

@@janets6474 I May not know all the details as I wasn’t there with them but yes, it was a refusal for sure. I don’t agree with you though, she handled it very well. Most professional riders push the horse forward, kick them, pull on reins and make them go further. She, however, gently asked him to go anyways, didn’t fight with him as most would do. She’s also stressed and cares for the competition, but she didn’t fight with the horse. You don’t know what happened - it seemed that something was hurting him, so it may not necessarily have been a training issue but rather something that happened there, some ache, maybe an unexpected injury. How do you know they didn’t call a vet later?

[@janets6474]

@@annalatrocka680 you have valid points. But the rollkur method of training could be the cause of that pain. At around 1:38 on the video she's pulling pulling not yanking) his head all the way to the left then right and the horse reacted immediately Ina negative manner. At approx 1:50, she turns him back going toward the judges stand again. But the turn was made in the rollkur. You are right I don't know they didn't have the vet check him later. My point was the decision to scrap this part of the completion happened far to late. I suspect by looking at him the warm up may have also had indicators of potential problems.

[@annalatrocka680]

@@janets6474 I rewatched this. It’s not rolkur. She’s pulling him to the side, look at her hands, she’s giving him space. The horse is in clear distress, it’s hard for him to listen to her commands at that moment and most likely put his head closer to his neck from the stiffness and didn’t want to look in the spooky direction nor go there, therefor his head ended up in that position. Mind that it’s just few seconds of the video, if she would constantly do that I would react differently. Also see that that was one of her “last chance” reaction, she was in distress herself and a lot of pressure. For that pressure I think she reacted well. Why she reacted so late? I do agree that was a mistake, she should have reacted earlier, dismount or whatever. That was too late. But also let’s remember that horses will be horses. And the same applies to humans, she’s only a human, they make mistakes. Such pressure, big competition, something goes wrong - maybe even she had a bad day as well and it ended up that way. I wouldn’t hate on an actually good rider for one minor mistake. I’ve seen many riders riding horses in such situation and she’s the very first one I just feel sorry for, not angry at.

[@janets6474]

@@annalatrocka680 I don't disagree with your observations. I also agree that we are just looking at a couple of minutes in time and yes we are all humans. I'm sure she could have felt insecure with a horse reacting like that. But I stand by my conclusion the horse was not spooking and the rider trains under rollkur. Granted, her trainer may have guided her using this method and maybe not as severe. It seems like with anything there are extremes ( Isabel Werth for instance). But pulling on the horses head like that with two bits in his mouth was certainly not helping. Maybe part of his problem was bitting (?). Anyway, we agree on some things and not so much on others. But enjoyed the conversation!

[@sharihazlett3774]

She handled it well trying to encourage him. He just was like , " nope, no way today ". It happens

[@californianinkansas]

We’ve all had similar experiences. Horses gonna horse

[@SuperLucifix]

She did, but it was in a public and tbh I've never seen a horse act this way without a reason, usually some king of pain.

[@californianinkansas]

@@SuperLucifix Hello from Kansas! Someone downthread said that it was their first test in an outdoor arena since 2019, and that it was one of the judges that he was spooking at. I am so very, very impressed which how tactfully and kindly she handled his spook. I loved that she kept giving him encouraging neck pats. My (halter-bred, sigh) beloved gelding is very smart and sweet and affectionate and agile but is VERY hot and reactive and spooky. I think that maybe I relate a bit too much to this video, LOL

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@californianinkansas the young horse did indeed spook at the judge. Because of his age he is more prone to that

[@claudia273]

She said on Instagram that he was spooked by one of the judges. Very unfortunate for her, but we’re dealing with horses, so those things can happen to everyone.

[@claudia273]

@@animallover4101 well, if that was the case he would’ve done it before right? And his mouth is closed and quiet, wouldn’t he at least open it when it hurts or discomforts him ? This horse is obviously scared, seeing how and when he reacts.

[@jonjonwp]

@@claudia273 His mouth is most definitely not closed and quiet. Zoom in and see.

[@claudia273]

@@jonjonwp the moments that matter are 0:16 and somewhere around 1:55 , that’s where he starts. On these moments his mouth and her hands are calm. It is common sense that whenever the panic is already there, any pressure at all results in more panic. That’s how every animal and human reacts in case of panic. So when she seeks contact while he is panicking, to get him towards ‘the scary thing’, he starts rearing or whatever he thinks is necessary. There is another moment where she sits forward and pets him, where there is contact between her hand and the bit, here he doesn’t panic. That’s because he knows at that moment he does not have to do the thing he does not want to do/is afraid to do. If he had pain somewhere he had reacted there and before his ‘rampage’.

[@jonjonwp]

@@claudia273 Don’t agree at all. I made my assessment.

[@claudia273]

@@jonjonwp that’s fine, but it is simply how horses react. Like I said, why didn’t he do it before and exactly at that moment? Why did he stop when he went the other way and started again going towards that side of the arena?

[@christabyrd]

She couldn’t of handled that any better! She did everything she could without getting mad and let him stop and think and he still said “Nope!” I think someone should of stepped in to help a lot quicker though! That could of went a lot worse but she handled it the best a rider possibly could! Good for her! Some of the best horses have bad days too!

[@angelikakoch-mehrin406]

Totally unrelated question and out of curiosity since I keep seeing this more and more (and I'm not a native English speaker): is this a new thing to use "should of" or "couldn't of" instead of "should have" and "couldn't have" or is this an auto-correct feature that just happens?

[@annemillington5437]

@@angelikakoch-mehrin406 It is a colloquialism; not really considered correct.

[@dianamarhula4990]

It’s a mistake that a lot of people are making now. It definitely should be HAVE not OF

[@shammydammy2610]

@@angelikakoch-mehrin406 It's a mistake, people hear should've as should of and believe that's how it's written.

[@newlife8318]

Sorry to see the horse so upset bless

[@halewich]

I love when dressage horses have finally had enough and refuse to put up with one more second of madness.

[@LisaAlioto-dc3eg]

Shut up & troll another page

[@guydegroof9415]

Saying you know nothing about horses without telling me you have zero understanding about horses. 😂

[@garyandsusannayoder8392]

sheesh if I had to hear music like that on a regular basis i would freak too.

[@shakia000]

Pretty shit choice of music to put the video to. Silence or the sounds of the show itself would have been a better choice

[@IndigoFirebird]

very well handled! lovely to see a rider stay kind and patient under so much pressure!!

[@stephanierutherford2683]

I call this the "lightbulb off" moment. My childhood horse was very similar. Nowadays we have fancy terms like trigger stacking. Essentially this horse was exposed to stimuli to the point where it reached its tolerance and shut down. Adrenaline is pumping at this point and their natural instinct become predominant. It's a difficult ride, same some horses will always be a challenge. Just as some of us are born more confident than others, horses are the same. Some can develop more confidence over time with success, and that depends on training strategies too. Glad they both got out of the ring intact. Surely a disappointment but nothing to go bananas over.

[@janets6474]

But this horse is a very seasoned professional. I respectfully disagree. It took to long for her to decide to call it a day. Granted she seemed patient and kind BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@janets6474 this horse is young. Not a prof yet

[@GoToPhx]

@@janets6474 I understand what you are saying. However, without being able to see the warm up, the horse on other days, etc. I can't necessarily agree with you. I would think that most top level horses are treated like gold. With so many amazing treatments available (horse chiropractors, equine body workers, state of the art diagnostic equipment, shockwave treatments, ice boots and healing blankets, aqua therapy, etc., etc.) I believe any physical ailment would have been noticed, diagnosed, and treated. I don't ride at Olympic level, but from personal experience I loved and rode a horse that had serious physical talent but would sometimes reach a point where he would say "no". It would be as another person commented, 'trigger stacking', which term I never heard before but, but I understand because this describes my horse. For example, at one show, we went to our warm-up arena on day 2 (day 1 and day 3 were fine). On this day there was a roping dummy (looks like a fake cow with horns but no legs) along our route, and my horse took exception to that-he was terrified! I calmed him down, and we took a different route to our arena. We started warming up, no problem. After a few minutes, a clinic started in the arena next to us, and suddenly there were 3 or 4 horses galloping around at liberty. Yes, this worried my horse again! I let him have a few minutes to assess what was going on, and we were able to continue our warm up. I could feel that he was tense, but we were working through it and he started to relax again. At this point, a man came out of a nearby barn with two very fuzzy miniature horses; they looked like little bears. The man tied them outside the barn and left. My horse had enough. He halted, got light in front (lifting his front legs in preparation to rearing), and started trembling. I needed him to go forward, but he decided to back up, and back up, and back up. I didn't fight him, and he backed almost the entire length of a large arena, out the gate, past a restroom, and past several barns. I got him to stop, and walked him forward a little. He was still tense, so I walked him around the showgrounds until he calmed down and we were done for the day. After the first two 'upsets' we were still able to regroup and could have continued with our show. This behavior wasn't a physical problem- he was checked, re-checked, vetted, taken care of on a regular basis, etc. This was my horse's personality. He got better with time and was able to handle more pressure. So, if this horse is like mine, I think this rider was giving this horse a chance to calm down, and continue. Simply giving up at the first instance of the horse being upset wouldn't be beneficial training. I guess I'm saying that while I agree that horses will balk at working if they are in pain, they can also balk for other reasons.

[@janets6474]

@@GoToPhx Horses never lie. My experience taught me to watch h the horse. If horses refuse in any manner, if their behavior or attitude is altered, there is ALWAYS something physical behind it. It's our job to figure it out, know our horses regular behavior to get to Health issues before the escalate. I would make note of each horses urine output & color, poop output & texture, how they ate their meals, how they behaved in the field, what was their behavior with other horses and how they were when handled. In almost all cases I figured it out. My boarding barn was known for its care of horses. When you SEE bad behavior there is something wrong; especially to this degree. That's why I am so emphatic with my opinions. While spooking can happen to any horse, st times, that is even a sign. We had a horse that hot " girthy " & after sometime the owner figured to call the vet. The vet came and diagnoses epm. The horse rec mess & is healed.

[@Spotted_lily_exotics]

I love that this is shown. She handled it really well. It’s an inspiration to not give up on those off days. Even the best have those odd/bad rides. Back to the drawing board to figure out why it happened. I applaud her. She’s what a rider should. Patient, kind, confident and ultimately putting the horse first

[@norikerfreundin]

Das Pferd sieht für mich so aus, als ob es diesen ganzen Leistungszirkus einfach nicht mehr aushält….

[@vlg1728]

It's the problem with professional competition : when it's amateur there's no real stake, si when the horse is refusing to perform we can say "ok no need to insist, it may be better next time". But for professionnals, they are pressured to perform so they try and try to make the horse do what they are here for, and it can lead to abuse and injuries

[@IngenaBos]

As soon as the tension was off the horse ,it left the arena with no trouble.

[@GilraenTook]

My thoughts exactly. It's almost like we shouldn't be rewarding riders for breaking FEI rules and jacking their horses' heads behind the verticle.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@GilraenTook She didn't

[@Cassado98]

@@ShikadaiNara10 She did.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@Cassado98 she didn't.

[@Cassado98]

@@ShikadaiNara10 When the horse went back his head was behind the vertical. Also in walk. That‘s a fact.

[@californianinkansas]

What a tactful, compassionate equestrian! I am so impressed by how she handled this!

[@elenasereix9590]

Some horses are extremely sensitive in the mouth and cannot deal with the double bridle. Watch every time the rider pulls back the rein (about all the inside rein), the horse goes mad. Even the slightest back-movement with the hand, hardly to perceive by the observer, is unbearable for the horse because it reminds him of the pain.

[@ShintogaDeathAngel]

It's not the bridle that's the issue - if his mouth was that sensitive to having two bits, he wouldn't even have made it to this competition since the bridle is mandatory at this level (and therefore, the horse would have already been trained in one) - the horse was having a bad day and didn't want to go in the ring. Happens to human athletes of all levels, too.

[@allisonhulley5970]

It’s getting very common to see these horses not coping with all the pressure put on them, when it becomes evident the horse does not want to perform they need to take th shores out. These are not inexperienced horses still scared to be at a show for the first time. No these horses know their job and are just literally saying no. I’ve had enough. Give the horse a break.

[@janets6474]

Granted she seemed patient and kind BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@ShikadaiNara10]

He is inexperienced. He is still young and they were off show for awhile so it was his first in a long period of time

[@allisonhulley5970]

@@ShikadaiNara10 then she should still have not put the pressure on and let him leave. Obviously not ready and not coping with situation.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@allisonhulley5970 no because the horse Will take advantage of that the next time. Thinking he'll always be allowed to leave if he refuses. She is a Grand prix Rider. She knows her horse better than your internet trainer ass does.

[@allisonhulley5970]

@@ShikadaiNara10 no actually, he is not that young of a horse if he is competing at that level. He is just out of his depth and should be allowed to retire. Tomorrow’s another day and she can work on the problems she’s having another day.Horses retire/leave the ring all the times in shows. What happens if he’s eliminated? Does he get to stay and sort things out? I have trained many actual young horses and it’s not always the answer to make a horse perform until he gets it right. Sometimes the answer is to let the horse do something more relaxing and let him keep his confidence. This is the equivalent of “over facing” a horse just the same as what happens in jumping horses of which I am also familiar with.

[@Ingridlosneslokken]

So beautiful seeing how soft and patient she was with her horse. This really shows how much us riders care about our animal and that it is a team effort and not animal slavery or anything like that. We listen, they listen! ❤️ so beautifully handled!

[@m3r3dith]

She handled it very well, nice and calm 👌🏽

[@corneliatillmann7500]

Das ist vorbildlich gelöst. Ruhig, mit weicher Hand, konsequent und Lob. BESSER GEHT ES NICHT👏👍

[@lynettedundon1410]

That horse does not like doing dressage. Hes certainly making a statement. Nothing worse than seeing a horse hating what he's doing. He also may be in pain.

[@sarahwagland1559]

Exactly. The amount of people who can't see that and even praise the rider is depressing.

[@jaweth9373]

I went into a competition not knowing that the judge (a former owner of my dear horse) was a former owner of my dear horse. He did everything wrong and tried to burst into the mid arena as if to attack her. I fought him and excused myself from the ring. Only later did I find out she was his former trainer. He totally wanted to take her down even w me on his back. My dear horse and I had competed in many shows where we won the blue or red. Until this show where we came into the arena and my dear horse was out for blood and I had to excuse us out of the ring. Later I found out who SHE was - an abuser of horses- and checked closely who was the judge. We did fine and won quite a few blues. EXCEPT for that day when he ignored my cues and was intent on doing some harm. Scary at first - but when I heard the whole story, I was very proud of my mount calling her out (if you will). She tried to say my horse wasn't qualified for the ring. Horse people were smarter than that and disqualified her from being ever a judge again after they found out she had once owned my horse cuz he was pretty dang good in the ring until boomda she was the judge. End of her shitty horse shows and being exposed for the horse abuse she was so guilty. My dear horse went on to winning many blues.

[@honesttraitorbear3527]

Like a movie of something

[@elliehensey7691]

Everyone saying horses over bend to way behind the vertical when they're tense, I've never seen a horse do that with a loose rein... whenever someone says the horse is choosing to do that why is it there reins have no slack to encourage them out of that, I only see horses so used to the pain that they hold themself like that and that takes a lot of retraining for them to not expect constant pressure and pain in their mouth when riding

[@ShikadaiNara10]

that's actually not true. Horses can still run normal with their head. She just asked him to hold it like that for dressage and it goes back to normal after. The bits don't hurt if you use them correctly

[@elliehensey7691]

@@ShikadaiNara10 you miss my point, he's being held in an unnatural position which he would not do of his own choice

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@elliehensey7691 you can't force horses to do things. Ofcourse they wont do this in the wild but they have for centuries since dressage was used age's ago in the time of princesses and knights. They also used dressage in the army. So horses are used to that. They aren't thought those movements in the wild but if you look at fighting scènes of wild Mustangs you can still kinda see them

[@elliehensey7691]

@@ShikadaiNara10 theres a difference between wild horses bowing up momentarily and a human holding so much pressure with harsh bits that the horses chin is on his neck and hes staring at the ground, you're trying to justify this damaging frame for horses?

[@elliehensey7691]

@@ShikadaiNara10 plus the medieval thinking of using metal in sensitive places for control is exactly what I'm against, just because it's been done for centuries doesn't mean it's right..

[@slunt3123]

When a horse tells you he is so upset he is going to rear, and says so several times, get off and find out what’s wrong.

[@inamunch267]

Das sehe ich auch so, aber sie bleibt stur sitzen.

[@biscuit1230]

I’m so glad she was gentle and continued to calm the poor boy.

[@catbarr924]

I love Cathrine, she is such a brilliant horsewoman.

[@Gabrielle937]

He is utterly confused 1:14 so sad to see. Couldn't imagine what is going through his mind, being helpless and pushed to where he doesn't want to be. He's had enough.

[@Musicmix21]

"Oh no those scores, I can't do that' said the horse. No seriously, these things can happen to anyone.

[@lyndachabane1931]

A prime example of a good rider. Soft hands, reassuring pats and she recognised he was not happy. Well done for retiring. They can have off days too remember riders.

[@sarahwagland1559]

This horse is in pain, it is not merely having a bad day. If you sent your child to school and it behaved like that would you simply dismiss it as them having a bad day?

[@spiridoulaathanasopoulou9244]

the equine right to say NOOOOOOO

[@fionaclayton1234]

Bless his heart, hope he is OK

[@someone-bt5lu]

Who is here after Annika Schleu

[@impunitythebagpuss]

Class act under severe pressure to perform. Well done ....sorry about results though.

[@myblueskye7505]

I saw behavior like that one time when a bystander ignorantly started smoking a cigarette at the rail. One horse got a puff of smoke blown by his face and that was the end of that ride! Bucking rearing trying to run away from danger! NO SMOKING AROUND BARNS OR ANIMALS!

[@anb2526]

I don't understand, because to me it looks like the horse calms down and stops as soon as she gives him the rein. Then her answer instead of asking forward while giving the loose rein, is to yank on the rein. Nope that's not what it would have seemed logical to do (from here)!

[@ShikadaiNara10]

she didn't yank on the reins at all. The horse calmed down because he was allowed to go back to a place he feels more safe in the end. The young horse spooked

[@eddemoss8228]

( using husband's YT acct. ) We've all been there in some way but most of us do not have the eyes of the world watching & second guessing . Let's just hope they are able to work thru whatever the cause . Personally . I had a rock solid QH mare who had " been there, done that " one day get very tense during a warm up at an arena we were very comfortable with ; therefore , we did not show but just walked quietly around the grounds . The next day at another location , she showed calmly & did well . Still a mystery but luckily no trauma . Wishing us all good rides & happy horses !

[@JillDAoustRealtor]

The rider handle her horse kindly and with respect. For those who think that these horses are treated badly, you are way off base. They are loved, cared for, and respected for their talents and enjoy working and doing their best for their riders . This was just a day when this horse was spooked or upset about something and the rider was kind enough to listen.

[@hydrangeadragon]

even when there is absolutely nothing to spook at dressage horses still manage to see ghosts, this is why I do jumping lol

[@hossjulia]

Pure pain response to all the crap on his head. Poor thing. Over bent on entry and he said NO! So sick of seeing horses ridden behind the vertical. It's abuse.

[@karolaheimann6501]

Poor horses. So much suffering. Fed up with all! Bring me back in the field..

[@ShikadaiNara10]

shut up

[@fxllenluc.2955]

Horses are not robots. On a stressful day like this, the right thing is to pull them out and give them a second chance another day.

[@caroledavis9362]

On any given day...the horse can just not feel like it... it can happen to anyone.

[@dianawatters7643]

Every time she pulls on the reins to 'get his head down' he says no. He's had enough going with a broken neck. On the buckle & leave. Hope he is listened to & they can find harmony.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

... Are you stupid? The horse spooked at the judge. He is very young and she handled it fine without pulling on the reins. Not even a little

[@jeanwierzbinski7610]

@@ShikadaiNara10 I'm guessing you don't have a lot of experience with horses.

[@dihamilton7611]

@@jeanwierzbinski7610 I'm guessing that you don't ride at anywhere near this level?

[@rebeccaotis8056]

My background is with dogs and not horses, but this is kind of painful to watch...why is she not just releasing him and allowing him to relax and walk around a bit?

[@anschano6575]

As you said: a dog is not a horse. If they perceive danger, they flee... if they get in excape-mode one has to show them, that there is somebody on their back. She acted as well as she could and one can see the connection between them. There is nothing with pain. btw she used the reins simply as guideposts.

[@NikoleTutton]

In addition, a panicked horse is looking for for guidance from his leader(the rider) that everything is ok. She tried to avert his gaze from the predatory stare of onlookers going up and down the stairs (could you have waited maybe a minute or two for your hot dog??) and did a good job of assuring him that they were no threat but then, who knows? A fleeting horse is a loaded gun firing in the air - it will injure himself, his rider, onlookers, etc. A career, years of work and talent, and millions of dollars, gone.

[@rebeccaotis8056]

@@anschano6575 when I said it was "painful to watch" I meant for me, not necessarily that I thought the horse was in any pain. I just wondered why she kept asking him to perform instead of "releasing" (maybe that is just a term we use in dogs?) him from the exercise and allowing him to walk naturally? That is what I found to be painful. The animal is obviously stressed and she seemed to keep asking him to perform. She had him stand a couple of times for a split second. I feel for her, as I know what it is like to be in the ring and have your animal partner not want to cooperate with you.

[@rebeccaotis8056]

@@NikoleTutton If a "fleeting horse is a loaded gun firing in the air" then wouldn't that be all the more reason to release the animal from the exercises and just guide him out of the area? Or was the horse just doing those gaits on his own? Sorry if I sound judgemental, I am just trying to understand the choices that she was making and why. I am a former 4-H kid, so animal husbandry, behavior, training, breeding, etc is sort of my thing that I am into.

[@NikoleTutton]

@@rebeccaotis8056 it is tough to know what she is thinking but that horse is not cooperating. The one thing I know is that she is calming him. Horses are completely different than humans and canines when stressed they look to the herd for guidance. This horse has no herd. The rider is his herd and is trying her best to say to him "I got you. It's OK." and walk him out? Compete? She knows that horse best. However he was too irrational to listen for a time. It happens. She did what any good rider would. I know that is is very difficult to make a horse walk when he has that much adrenaline running through his veins. I usually point his nose in the other direction and do some big circles or canter, get his mind thinking about other things and blow off steam. But in that enclosed space, sheesh. She's got. my vote for cool head of the year.

[@xSophieX]

Why is this even on KZbin? You're just highlighting someone's bad time at a show and singling them out. Not cool..

[@jackiekittridge-steele385]

Yes, the pressure is "on", and imho the horse perceived this full-on. I think that this stress is very uncomfortable for the horse and disrupted the performance. Consider how much your handwriting changes when you are under stress: the muscle memory that allows you to write without thinking about it is contorted and the writing is affected. So then think of riding aids/cues and how your subtle signaling may be changed by your stressful state.

[@DressageHub]

That's a great analogy

[@sherrieludwig508]

Well, yes, but this was not a green horse's first show by a long shot. Any individual, human or animal, has an "off" day, this was his.

[@Wraftor]

We really don’t know what happened, because we don’t know that horse personally, nor were any of us in the saddle. So we shouldn’t make quick judgments. However it APPEARED as though this was extreme behavior from the horse that was out of the norm for him. Although what she did was fine. If my supposition is correct that this was unusual for him, I think I would have dismounted, calmed him on the ground, then led him out. Then I would immediately start checking him over for anything out of the ordinary on his body, his mouth, his ears, the tack, etc.

[@donnac.1609]

That horse needs a vacation with a lot stress free riding. Professional horses go thru a lot of constant repetition during preparation and training. Sometimes tg they become over whelmed....can happen in any discipline....

[@Lea-wm3pm]

This was the first show of the horse after a very long vacation. 😉

[@lizday11]

Yep, very overstressed..head jammed up even with her light hands. Makes it very hard for the horse to actually see and becomes very unbalanced. I would not allow a horse that is bent like that in the ring. You often wonder when you see them if they have achieved this past the perpendicular in the natural way.

[@IRL-pony]

I love how when he was on his hind legs and was too anxious and didn’t know what to do next she just let her reins slack and patted him in a very calming way. Not asking him to do anything he didn’t want to do. And because of her calm demeanor he relaxed and halted square. And she noticed his anxiety even when she got him moving a little, and she didn’t want to risk it ❤respect to this amazing rider!!

[@cherrylane79]

There might be something wrong, pain etc. IDK about dressage, but in the trotting industry 80% of horses had injury from the bit in Finland.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

She uses the bit correctly so it doesn't hurt. It's a very young horse and he got spooked by the judge

[@liselottenormannsrensen7867]

Titanic was a disaster, this is a super horse and a very talented rider, who had a bad day❤ stop the talk about Rollkur since Cathrine would rather chop of her leg, than hurt her horse. This video is 6 min long, take the time and watch interviewes and other videos with Cathrine riding or if possible watch them live. Watch her with Cassidy and then try to imagine, that she would hurt him. She was offered millions and millions for him, but no he is retired and stays with her, grassing her backyard and being fed appels through her bedroom window. Cathrine comes from an "ordinair" family and has worked her way up, still riding other peoples horses since she cant afford million dollars horses. She trains and ride with compasion, respect and care for the horse. It is so easy to sit behind a screen, pretending to be an expert and judging other people, after watching a glimse of their life. But not fair. Do better🤨

[@barbrice721]

Somethings wrong. These horses are too well trained to behave like that.

[@Lauren-vd4qe]

I DONT see him spooking at a scoreboard; but i DO see him spooking at those potted tree bushes; which many horses do; such dangerous looking bushes!!!

[@karencostanzo2906]

I've had this happen - just riding in the ring that we always ride in. I could not get her to go into 1 corner for love or money. After she refused even with my trainer leading her, we heard a rustle in the leaves - and it was a blacksnake. (Common aroung barns, they eat rats and mice, too small to harm a horse, non-venemous) Once we got the snake unstuck from the netting it had gotten tangled in, it took me 2 months to get her back into that corner.

[@blueeyebeauty6364]

The music accompanying this video is dreadful. Muted it so I could watch the video. Even horses become burned out from neverending training, traveling, and showing. Horses need breaks just like humans.

[@WildDomesticated]

I'm an animal communicator and he said she was being selfish. He desperately wanted to go back home and was pleading for someone to help him. He was reaching out to the people in the stands without any luck. He did NOT want to be in this competition. She knew before leaving that he didn't want to go but I'm glad she listened to him and respected him in public. Horse people tend to be sensitive people. So, when your horse leads, please listen, and let them. You'll make quicker progress together if you do.

[@Hverdagshesten]

She had like ten chances to get of the horse, but kept trying to ask it to go. Why would one continue. And why did no one say. Hey you tried long enough dear. Your horse is clearly not okay. Scratch it!

[@tinekeduinker4359]

Not rough? Pulling his chin on tis breast is considered completely nornal these days. I wiished all these poor horses refused that kind of behaviour.

[@CocoandKitty]

Good to see she stayed calm and tried to help him through and didn't add to his stress. Today he just couldn't 💞

[@mycrazyaklife]

Wonder what initially spooked him at the direction turn....he did okay going past in one direction, so what was either behind him or suddenly appeared? Either way, good handling by the rider.

[@Holly84124]

I don’t think he spooked. He ring sour!

[@ShikadaiNara10]

no he did spook. He is a very young horse so tends to spook more often at stressfull things like this

[@MaplewoodWarmbloods]

Happens....they aren't washing machines.

[@jessj7735]

Shame poor boy just want to give him a hug. Also so much goes into a show day I'm sure she needed a hug too. Well handled ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@elenacaddell3639]

Wonderful. Why ever he didn’t want to work we might not know. Even horses burnout. She was compassionate toward him Excellent to watch👍

[@sporter8851]

She handled that so well. Very Impressive.

[@debrabiderman4275]

Not this horses day. Great try though. Looked like something was startling the horse. My boy would ride past the scariest boogers and then shy at a birch log or a white rock. They aren't machines.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

He spooked because of a judge :) That's a fact they are not machines and shouldnt be treated as such. She handled it lovely

[@shadowlakew2005]

It's a shame this is newsworthy and everyone is amazed by her humane-ness.

[@chrissie6120]

Warum wird diese Reiterin nicht ausgeschlossen. Bei so aufgerollten Hals bekommt das Pferd kaum Luft und wie wäre Zügel lang lassen. Stattdessen eine harte Barde nach der anderen. Unmöglich. Hoffentlich kommt das arme Tier bald in gute Hände. Horsemanship ist bei dieser Reiterin ein Fremdwort. Gott schütze dieses arme Pferd.

[@helenijuht1938]

Schade, dass so wenige Leute das sehen... Richtig gesagt 🙂.

[@foundationdressage]

This horse didn't "spook at the scoreboard"..it simply didn't want to go into the ring, it was frazzled...did you see that nervous piaffe stepping as it was being encouraged by the rider, mostly with her hands BTW and not her legs oddly - ? The horse was so full of anxiety about the pressure of the upcoming test it simply melted down and said I CANNOT DO THIS. It took way too long for her to get the message in MHO. AND my god what kind of MUSIC was that??? any horse listening to that wouldn't want to perform to that. It was so sicko techno - yuk!! what happened to grace and lyricism around a horse's work?

[@janets6474]

Or ..... there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@GPC-tu7ti]

The music was added to the video. It's not actually playing at the competition. LOL. Goodness.

[@wernerheuser634]

a horse in pain and fear

[@jillmanifold8725]

We sometimes ask too much of them, forever asking more, they aren't machines😡

[@coldwhitespring5004]

What is this? I haven't seen this type of behavior before. The horse doesn't appear scared, and the behavior starts as soon as she ask something of the horse. When she stops, the horse stops. Is it in pain? And then she just goes straight to rollkur, this is painful to watch.

[@sarahwagland1559]

Oh, it's definitely scared, scared of the pain it's experiencing.

[@magicpony9]

Beautifully handled.

[@justanotherhorsegirl1494]

everyone has bad days, wonderful riding ❤️

[@philanna38]

The poor horse seemed confused. I hope he wasn't hurting from something.

[@anneflynn1691]

Horse is saying no,the only way it can.I am glad the rider listened to her horse.

[@jacquelineschnider3264]

Tiere sind fühlende Weesen und sollten nicht für den Sport missbraucht werden. Egal für welchen auch immer.

[@ginadodemont6942]

No of us know how hard this woman and horse have worked to get to this level! The rider was amazing at staying light with cues and reins! The horse was very clear it was not willing to do what was asked on the left lead. The rider is a class act.

[@YourBestieee25807]

We need more people like this. I really appreciate on how well she handled the situation and made sure the horse was okay instead of some people wipping the horse and stuff thinking that the horse is going to listen. I have great respect for her and she handled this amazingly 🩷

[@jesscvideo]

Something was really bothering the horse, I wonder what was wrong?

[@ShikadaiNara10]

The young horse spooked because of the judge

[@818nooner]

Thanks for posting it. Interesting to see the pros and how they handle off days.

[@ngc4486diane]

i don't think she did well nothing lovely about it either, i just feel sry for the horse i'm glad it protested about time most probably, that proves zero partnership. That's not an off day that's a seriously trained horse having a meltdown cause it's had enough. She kept pushing thou i'm glad he put his foot down plus 1 for the horse. Look how she backs him how his mouth is wide open not rough u say i wouldn't let her ride a beach donkey with hands like that. Nothing kind about her behaviour she new she was on show that backup was brutal seen enough.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

The horse spooked. He is young and that happens. She handled it lovely. You know nothing about horses.

[@khalfani414]

Anyone saying that this is normal is dead wrong. This should've never happened in the first place. If a horse is correctly trained and schooled, and is ridden by a firm, soft, confident rider, and they have a bond of trust (that ANYONE should have with their horse, especially upper level riders), this would absolutely never happen. There's something going on deeper than this, either it's an extremely insecure rider, or the horse is incorrectly trained and has been trained using abusive 'shortcuts' and the horse had just had enough, or it's a combination of these plus the fact that the horse has zero trust in its rider and there's not really a bond there. This is dangerous, and this is sad. The horse doesn't even want to enter the ring. There's something going on here, and the fact that the horse was threatening to rear and then tried to rear?? That's blatantly disrespectful and would never happen if the horse was correctly trained and schooled, and the rider was trustworthy. The horse is either really scared, in pain, or both.

[@dihamilton7611]

They're a living being, not a robot.

[@lauraamick463]

Such a beautiful horse! Too bad he just wasn’t feeling it that day

[@11buleria]

I feel sorry for the stressed out horse.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

Horses get spooked all the time. No need to feel sorry

[@ginaw603]

Sehr sehr schön und lobenswert!!😍 so eine tolle Reiterin, hört dem Pferd zu und sagt, dass es okay ist 🥰 wirklich vorbildlich, so muss das sein 🥰 ist leider bei den meisten Leuten nicht der Fall 🥺

[@wednesdaymac]

3rd such refusal to perform. Rolkur hurts. Might be seeing a few more horses with sore necks and wicked hands pulling on them saying, "no more" in the next few months.

[@katiebaby60]

on a brighter note it was the first time i have seen a horse doing a moon walk,very mpressed

[@bitbybitfarmseast3085]

You don't have to ride at that level to see the tension, dreadful over bent frame, and the fact that disengaging his hindquarter and flexing him inside would take away his power to go vertical. Also horses usually act up in the same place. Turn around and if you have time on the clock enter from the other direction. This horse now knows how to get out of a situation he clearly dislike.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

The young horse spooked because of a judge. They aren't allowed to go from another side. She handled it well

[@SongMom8]

The rider remains very still and calm. I am impressed.

[@hannetjie4817]

Yeah! Anyone could see the horse was not okay.!!

[@user-ok2qg7po2f]

Total überfordert, verweigert sich komplett, so sieht es aus wenn Pferde zur Hochleistung gezwungen werden.

[@MaritvD]

Love the way she handled this. Great rider who loves her horses

[@joeyagirl]

So sorry you had to experience that. You handled it so well. ❤️

[@sarahwagland1559]

She shouldn't have put her horse in that position. Clearly he is in pain and shouldn't be there.

[@flemmingheilmannpallesen3996]

Maybe we don’t need this kind of sports! Never thought about that 🤔

[@ShikadaiNara10]

maybe you should shut up

[@helenijuht1938]

When Dressage is done nicely then it should be harmonious and horse friendly but nowadays the Dressage isn't what it use to be.... People should learn about biomechanics first not just try to shut up other people who do not like overpressured ways..

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@helenijuht1938 the horse industrie always has bad sides. But that does not mean the sport shouldnt exist. I ride dressage to. The rider handled his spook just fine so op's comment is out of place.

[@Blue2816]

the true disaster here. are the judges in all of grand prix and below.

[@nobordernonation8155]

Why is she overflexing his neck? That has nothing to do with kind hands. If a horse has no possibility to go elsewhere it goes upwards. Stopp using all those harsh bits not letting the horse any possibility to refuse.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

She left in the end allowing him to refuse. This bit doesn't hurt if used correctly and she isn't overflexing his neck. That's just how dressage looks

[@nobordernonation8155]

Don't agree. If dressage looks like this it is overflexion.

[@ShikadaiNara10]

@@nobordernonation8155 From this angle it looks like that. But it isn't. I recomment you go check out her training videos

[@betsydoylelevy8861]

He and she are a talented hard working team and he says he cannot at that moment for some reason they will figure out later. Let’s cherish the way she handled the moment 👏🏻

[@janets6474]

Granted she seemed patient and kind BUT clearly there was something not right with her horse. Some riders and trainers seem to be kind and patient yet can ignore simple signs that something is wrong. It ends up being "a training issue ". Also, there is a lot of pressure on this pair to get to the Olympics. This horse is a seasoned professional. So a reaction this extreme should raise a red flag. I don't really buy the explanation the horse " spooked " at the scoreboard. It's not really a "spook" either. It was a refusal. Was the horse sick? Was it the back or hocks? I've seen horses with that kind of reaction with serious hock and back issues. The horse knows what will happen in the ring and what's expected - especially when the horse just went through the warm up. Also, watch the horse carefully. Once the initial " spook " is over with it wasn't going any further but not really looking at anything in particular. The horse just wants nothing to do with going forward towards the entrance of the ring. Horses will communicate when they become uncomfortable and sore. If we don't pay attention, reactions become more severe. While no one seems to be listening, they can rear, take a violent turn - then bolt or buck. Once her horse exhibited this kind of reaction, after a few minutes, and as her horse continued the rejection of moving forward, it's time to get off, go back to the barn and call a vet. Why would you want to push your horse like this? It upsets me when competition comes before a horses wellbeing. That's why I appreciate Charlotte DuJardin & Carl Hester so much. Their training ethic is one you don't see very often. I believe that is the reason Valegro was retired. If you watch his final performance, you can see some missteps and he seemed to be having slight difficulty in performing lead changes and piaffe. But he wasn't pushed any further. That was the right thing to do. To push him past that point, which is what some competitors do, is unkind & frankly unethical. The horses wellbeing should ALWAYS come first!

[@maureenwelch9684]

See perfect horse is not. Off day something sure was bugging him