Badminton Horse trials 2023 - Best falls and refusals

[@berylemeraldnose1359]

oliver townend kept pushing that horse so hard even when it was tired, it is so shameful.

[@abigray8585]

Was that the one with the grey horse or???

[@coraautumn1130]

@@abigray8585 yes

[@angiedyer1511]

Makes me lose faith in humanity

[@gillianlillis1984]

Oliver Townend is the worst eventer. 100% cares about winning over the horses welfare every time.

[@VK-qe7if]

And wasn't it the officials who pulled him up cause they could see the poor horse was struggling? Oliver should be ashamed of himself, but a lot of the horses were so tired towards the end. The ground was taking it out of the horses, but thankfully some sensible riders withdrew from the x country.

[@Ilovemyhorse310]

Emily King decided to pull up her horse (Valmy Biats) because she could feel he was stating to tire! We need more riders like here!❤

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

Clear headed decision.

[@equestanton1017]

Really, I think not. I think we need eventing to be banned.

[@Ilovemyhorse310]

@@equestanton1017 do you know what I even mean? I said a rider could feel her horse starting to tire ( get tired) so she stopped the course. Well we don’t need eventing banned it’s racing we need banned

[@equestanton1017]

Yes I know what you mean. Sadly even with the odd rider who knows when to give up the majority just don't and never will. They get so caught up in trying to get around that the horse comes second. This is typical. Most are not even riding their own horses then there is the sponsorship the money. That bond between horse and rider doesn't exist, the horse just becomes a tool to an end. Fix all that then there may be a chance but fixing it is basically impossible at this stage as this is what eventing today has become. On pure welfare grounds it should be banned. Don't get me started on horse racing. Is it worse? Probably not all things considered. For starters horses at race tracks are presented with far more condition that eventers generally who often look grossly underweight, without enough cover to do the job required safely for their health. There is definitely a collective cognitive dissonance involved here because riders still present horses in this state and expect to compete. Yes some will be disqualified but you have to imagine what is going on at home to see the horses already looking like that, most are on the margins whether they get through inspection or not. I cant say the same for riders, many are too big for the horses even if the horses did have enough cover blah blah blah, even with regulation. It's just a very self regulated sport and this is the problem. Still too long still not enough horse safety, still not enough regulation......in other words change all that and eventing wont exist anymore and that's my point. It shouldn't. Horse racing needs to go the way dog racing went in some parts of Australia and America, Macau China etc just end it. The cognitive dissonance involved in horse racing is so complete there will never be enough change possible to make it right. Self regulation is always a complete failure. The FEI in their disciplines I'm afraid are just not up to the job. Look how far endurance racing was allowed to go to the horses detriment before anything was ever done. Yes this was all self interest and internal politics involving the UAE and the FEI president. The FEI as an org had to change first and it didn't seem to matter how long that took, decades! This is unacceptable for any governing regulating body. There you got a mouthfull. I do understand what you mean, that would be nice in an ideal world, it's just not and we have to recognise when it's broken for good. Lip service on horse welfare is what it has all become about, nothing but lip service.

[@Ilovemyhorse310]

@@equestanton1017 I completely get you with horse racing. But with eventing, like Oliver Townend (think I’ve spelled that wrong) he pushes his horse to where it gets to the point they are getting so tired but just has to finish it, I don’t agree with that. But if a rider can recognise that they’re horde is tiring then that’s not abuse. Because they’re is an eventing yard not far from who treats their horse like royalty. So really it depends on the Person.

[@rabarba6076]

Please do not name it "Best Falls". This is not fun. Most of the riders know their horses health and train it well for extream cross country or jumping events. There are a few that overdue it and give the whole horse sporting events a bad name.

[@ellepetersen1733]

Yes 'best' is a horrible way if wording it. I can't even watch the whole video - it's horses being injured on many cases 😢

[@Equestrian_posts]

Ye ‘best’ is so dr and riders and horses here where seriously hurt

[@charlottethomas3545]

ur gay

[@Kimberlyk12]

A lot of these spills were by exhausted horses! The riders could hardly keep their horse's canter they were so tired and they still thought they should approach the fence. Really sad actually 😢

[@shepherds.pie.youtube]

Can you imagine what was going through their heads? I doubt there was much thought, to be honest... Adrenaline, the pressure from their peers... Still, it makes you cringe to watch these poor horses.

[@NBF1865]

OTTB's don't have that problem getting exhausted their like the energizer bunny. It's all these people trying to event dumbloods that's the problem.

[@lumini3172]

@@NBF1865 Tell me you don’t know a thing about horses without telling me you don’t know a thing about horses. _All_ horses will get exhausted at some point. These courses are one jump after another, over ditches, up and down steep hills, and through water. Any well-conditioned horse (of any breed) would start flagging. Also, thoroughbreds have toothpick legs, so they’re more at risk of leg injuries. I never use my OTTB in any more competitive jumping for that exact reason.

[@sydneyromero4378]

@@lumini3172 and thimble-sized feet! gosh, I love my horse, but I wish those things were bigger.

[@lumini3172]

@@sydneyromero4378 It really is unfortunate. Breeders cared so much about speed they didn’t seem to think about the long lasting consequences of such small legs.

[@coraautumn1130]

Oliver is repeatedly disappointing in his lack of care for his horses... its consistent

[@coraautumn1130]

he gives eventing a bad name

[@jeanienejones8639]

@@coraautumn1130 Watching his exhausted horse stumble over jumps was horrifying. They should penalize him.

[@NettiieB]

I don't understand why his horse was struggling so much, I know the conditions were bad and he was carrying weight compared to the winner, (who looked full of running at the end of the XC and even after the SJ) but surely at his level and experience the fitness should be spot on?

[@sydneyromero4378]

@@jeanienejones8639 the grand jury pulled his grey horse up and forced him into elimination/withdrawal two or three jumps after breaking the pins on the wood oxer

[@jeanienejones8639]

@@sydneyromero4378 A true horseman would have felt how spent the horse was and pulled him up without being told to.

[@graphicgirl7266]

It's obvious to me the first horse shown on this is tired. The rider, Oliver Townend, should have pulled up.

[@abtap]

he rarely pulls up but usually falls down

[@Etwinsedits]

So frustrating watching this happen year after year, some good riders, great horses but incredibly hard questions. Especially with the ground, this was very challenging. The length of this course really took a toll on all of these horses, was it really necessary? Not to mention at this level of the sport these riders really need to be prepared, they need to be taking in account so many things including their horses fitness and wellbeing, this course and ground is hard and challenging and if the riders aren’t prepared then it could lead to serious injury and damage.

[@leonoregignoux1432]

Blame the ground not the course !!

[@lucyvincent8750]

This is the hardest course in the world, and a lot of these riders looked unprepared! They should go and spend some time with the top riders and have an idea what’s coming to them. I feel sorry for their poor horses.

[@NordeggSonya]

Years ago they removed roads and tracks and steeplchase so this is very much easier than it was in the olden days.

[@Etwinsedits]

@@lucyvincent8750 yes that’s very true! I’m so disappointed with the way some of these riders rode, and the decisions they made.

[@VK-qe7if]

I totally agree with you. And the heavy water sodden ground played a big part in the fact so many horses were tiring by towards the end of the course. And I felt it was a big challenging course, time for the course designers to rethink the course building. And they could take a tip from me, get rid of those stupid idiotic corner fences which often are a cause of injury to the horses. I think I should be a course designer. 😊

[@sheilahackney5149]

What an appalling sight. Oliver Townends exhausted horse being pushed to the point of collapse.

[@m.schube9434]

Number 51 did the right thing to retire because his horse was exhausted. I wish more people realized their horse was being pushed to far and it's now worth the ribbon.

[@LaGameOver21]

Some of these people really make me wonder if they really like/care about the horses. You can tell by the way they behave after a refusal and, specially, after a fall.

[@jenniferbeyer6412]

The horse who lost the rider. The rider ended up underneath the horse. That horse knew the rider was there and stopped. That was spectacular.

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

The problem is the FEI upgrading other 3DEs to 5* which makes riders think that badminton and burghley are on the same level. They aren’t. They are run on demanding hilly terrain in an English Spring and Autumn which are invariably wet seasons. That is before the size and scope of the fences is added in. They should be classifying these events as 6*, but they won’t because they want the entries. This is the result.

[@Starry_Night_Sky7455]

I'm now quite in the mood to see a course walk of either cross country course. Your suggestion has me wanting to analyze different courses.

[@sydneyromero4378]

yes, I really struggle to see how Land Rover/Rolex is the same level. Burghley and Badminton are much more technical and -- dare I say it -- dangerous.

[@glenyssmith1698]

Disgusting horsemanship by these riders. 😢

[@lori5455]

so many horses completely punched half way around I dont know how they would have managed to do roads and tracks in old form eventing. conditioning is paramount and that grey at start should have been pulled up. He had nothing left in the tank and was obviously struggling

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

Tina cook made the point that the top placed horses were at least 50% TB. I believe Walter ( the winner) is 74% TB.

[@laurendixon7073]

Love number 54 😂 sucks to fall off but he just embraces it

[@forensicgirl]

I admired his ability to make light of what must be a frustrating scenario. He was very funny and I'm glad he and his horse seem fine.

[@itz_scarlet_rip_teddy]

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@patchyxx]

Some are shameful, some are accidents, some are good sportsmanship, some are disgusting. All are unfortunate and avoidable.

[@amberblyledge7859]

At least more of the jumps look like they are collapsing for safety.

[@Stella_and_ponies]

It was really nice to see some of the riders that were patting and praising their horses❤

[@Kayla_equestrian]

People need to start listing to their horses and let their horses say no. All my respect goes out to the people that quit with a healthy horse. I have 0 respect for the people that kept pushing their tired horses

[@phoenixx6380]

Oliver's horse was exhausted and he kept pushing and hitting him. Stewards didn't act! He needs to be banned, its happened before. 😡

[@eloiseclareeventing]

oliver was actually pulled up 3 fences after the broken fence by the stewards :)

[@TenderheartPC]

That first rider... that horse deserves a medal for still trying when he was clearly exhausted with a poorly balanced rider flapping around on his back, while pushing hard and riding heavy on the bit. It demonstrates a clear lack of awareness and empathy on the part of the rider. Someone needs to remind him that this sport requires a partnership with the horse and communication has to be open both ways for that bond to remain healthy.

[@meganproffitt424]

Ollie has a track record of whip overuse and running his horses into the ground.

[@zambiieunicorn8466]

Very few riders willingly pulled out during this course, while way too many kept pushing the horse until they suffer a bad fall or had to be yanked out by judges.

[@Quiltedcobra_529]

The best? Idk man thats a bit messed up these poor horses dont deserve to be pushed like that, and at pro level thats pretty shamful

[@VK-qe7if]

Thanks for this video 👍 Oddly enough BBC and iplayer didn't show any of these bad falls, and the commentator casually mentioned the fact a horse who had suffered an injury sadly had to be euthanized. 😢

[@harveywetdog]

As this video is taken from the Badminton TV coverage I would assume the falls and refusals are still there to see if you pay your subscription. The BBC coverage did show some of these clips in what has to be a balanced 30 mins coverage of 4 hours of XC. I also think you are unfair about how they covered the news of the euthanised horse which I thought Rishi handled with dignity

[@ellie259]

This is literally footage from the stream, and the horse that was euthanized wasn’t until well after they got him home and the cross country had ended, so I’m not sure that’s true.

[@harveywetdog]

@@ellie259 “the stream” is Badminton TV and the BBC programme was pulled together Sunday morning

[@katieowens4585]

its so sad to see course designers designing courses that are just stupidly hard that its causing serious injuries and then putting some of the worst jumps at the last when horses are tired and not full focused and they get even harder each year. its also disappointing that the riders try to carry on even after multiple faults. truly believe badminton has lost all aspect of fun and safety and now is just a case of how many jumps can we squeeze in to make it interesting for viewers to watch making us money.

[@yolandapalmer1477]

In my opinion the riders should condition and prepare their horses and themselves better. It is Badminton, it is known to be hard. I wouldn’t blame the course designer.

[@AccidentallyOnPurpose]

The whole point is for the horses and riders to prepare and condition themselves for the course. It's meant to be hard, it's 5*. It's obvious that some riders/trainers were sloppy and rushed training.

[@katieowens4585]

@@AccidentallyOnPurpose yes true it is a hard course to finish but if training and conditioning was such a problem then maybe the whole qualification process and vetting should be re thought as clearly something isn’t working with nearly 13 different riders struggling to even get through 5 jumps successfully also the course was sloppy it had some of the biggest jumps just a few strides out of a corner from water causing the ground to be slippery it also had too many jumps for such a short period that horses were tired and uncomfortable for most of the route and a clear example of trying to push a horses to limits they shouldn’t be pushed too as badminton is meant to be fun and we shouldn’t be seeing year after year horses being put down or riders nearly killed

[@bossmare1480]

Horse #42 is a very nice horse. Even when the rider was bouncing around, the horse kept its focus and jumped through. 👍 That's a horse who likes its job. 💞

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

That was katherine coleman (usa). She needs some xc riding lessons.

[@anna13lak]

As does Oliver Townson; he was bouncing around like a sack of potatoes - and that horse still gave his ALL. ❤😢

[@alicehicks9500]

Absolutely disgusted to see these horses pushed to face jumps when either exhausted, riders incompetent and people thinking it's funny when a horse falls and a useless rider pretends to swim Badminton officials need to be ashamed of themselves

[@elkefaber3103]

RIP Carthago 🥀

[@Gracies.Diamond]

Which Pony was that?

[@emialice3825]

@@Gracies.Diamond i don’t think it’s shown in this video

[@elkefaber3103]

Horse of Fiona Kashel

[@nerosiskou04]

Why are these course designers making these cross country phases harder and harder. It's absolutely ridiculous! Seeing how exhausted most of these horses are and are simply falling because of pure fatigue. Because seeing horse and rider struggle to finish courses is more entertaining? Horses don't make this sport dangerous, the people around them do! Being spured, whipped, yanked around when those horses are clearly trying to show they just can't cope with the demand, it's appalling! Rare are the few riders in this video that seem to listen and stop rather than push on to satisfy their own ego..

[@karenlee8068]

The course was very sticky due to the rain on the previous day, unfortunately it's very tiring for the horses and they run out of umph quickly. Retirement when you know your horse is tired is far better and safer than probable irreparable damage to your horse than any winning, or is that just me, I would never ever push my horse when he is clearly exhausted because I love him and care for his well being as well as my own. There were some good highlights like swimming in the lake ?? 😂

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

Someone needs to tell the french that if they try riding forwards with short ungiving reins over massive badminton fences, the outcome is inevitable.

[@lulabellegnostic8402]

Time was when every XC had to carry a minimum of 11stone 11pound. Taking nothing away from Ros- she is a fantastic rider and always has her horses beautifully balanced and pinpoint accurate, the weight some of those horses had to lug round in heavy going was bound to take it’s toll over 4 miles of hilly terrain.

[@dimplechops88]

Yes imagine carrying fox~Pitt around lol

[@kellytyrrell1253]

Kudos to the riders who actually pulled their horses, before ambition hurt them!!!especially #58!

[@simonenetjes5316]

I feel so sorry for the horse being subjected to a course that they are not able to understand. Humanity pushes for recognition dispite the innocent fragility of the horse.

[@toribrittain6897]

Most of these “ riders” are so selfish these horses are so tired and even after the horse refuses they push them even more because they don’t want them refusing again.

[@sherinnovak729]

Townend ought to be banned from eventing. That horse will never be the same. Remember Might Tango and Davidson in the one and only Olympics that young horse ever saw?

[@elkefaber8873]

After falling Quintana starts grazing. Other horses are running away from the scene.

[@sfwarhawk]

Shameful riding from Oliver Townend. Swallow Springs was exhausted. Should've gotten that final sign when he stumbled.

[@EvanBear]

It's not the first time he's done this either. The lad is a terrible rider. This is what happens when you have the money but don't have the skills.

[@jacky3580]

This isn’t an event I enjoy watching. I’m scared for the horses.

[@linda-x9t]

All those who complain about the Grand National have clearly never experienced eventing 🙈

[@reginamaier1201]

7:30 ff. Funny guy swimming in the pond 😂🏊‍♂️🦆

[@alicehicks9500]

Not funny Just a useless rider

[@HopeCreekConnemara]

This is sickening. Watching exhausted horses give their last ounce just to be asked for more and crash.

[@danielstickney2400]

Utterly appalling. If a US course designer put that many horses on the ground he'd never be allowed to work in the States again and most of those riders should have been pulled off course and suspended for unsafe or abusive riding. Compare this to LRK3DE the week before, which showed a course can be plenty challenging without being stupidly dangerous. Maybe they should send someone to Kentucky to learn the difference between challenging and abusive. Just imagine what the carnage would have been without frangible fences.

[@ldevine07]

Thank God some people don’t subject horses to this abuse and the others should be ashamed!!

[@sofiavynnychenko]

He did a halt so 3:08

[@evaa4260]

that first one was so painful to watch, he looked like he had no clue what he was doing.

[@linda-x9t]

And people think the grand national is bad!

[@eq_Cassandra]

hoi het is weer een leuke video gaa zoo door en ik hou van hallowien

[@lionatdawn]

oliver should lose that horse over this, such a shame that he can’t control his “competitive spirit”

[@suemaher5282]

I will never watch Eventing again while Oliver Townend rides. Why wasn't he pulled up. He is always so hard on his horses uncomfortable viewing

[@peppermintpixie9240]

Woah!!! I dont remember ppl riding like starfish having a seizure......😁

[@annasracking123]

Is the horse at 1:38 okay’

[@crnnlsch6696]

Yes she ist =) They spend the following day happily grazing in Badminton and arrived home safely a few days later! No injuries at all!

[@matildatrickett16]

People need to understand it’s designed to be a testing course for horse and rider, although some of the efforts from Sunday were inexcusable and not good horsemanship

[@Makado14]

I saw nothing fun or best of in here. All of these horses are exhausted and the majority of the riders are not concerned about the horse. If there's a best in this, it would be the two or three riders in the last couple of video minutes who held their hands up to the judges to indicate that their horse has had enough. I salute them.

[@claudiamaierhofer5267]

Best falls ??? Animal cruelty would be a better title these horses are completely exhausted and are still driven further at 1:38 the horse can't even get up anymore, unbelievable, how can anyone do something like that to a horse??? To risky for this Horses they all got hurt 😔😔

[@briarcunningham7284]

I don’t know how some of thee horses are expected to jump when the rider is hauling on their face .🤨

[@luciaseraphina8999]

I kinda think just cause a horse can jump something doesn’t mean it should, a lot of these r hit and miss 50 50 chances. I know they are trained but the jumps are huge and risky, and the risk of getting it wrong and putting the horses life at risk is not worth it at all for me. (I’m a show jumper) at least with showjumping the rails knock down and it’s less likely for the horse to have a rotational

[@ronja_larsson]

First one is just embaressing for him, he can’t even ride. Poor horse is such a saint for not throwing him like the garbage he is

[@Toast_wcuer]

Its bloody disgusting how these riders keep pushing their horses when they are so tired

[@beauttifyx]

That poor grey is exhausted, the amount of falls is actually sickening. How could you keep on going when your horse is obviously distressed and not ready for eventing. That's disgusting and I hope that horse finds a home who will let him rest before big shows.

[@justnix4487]

Townsend should be punished as its not the first time hes pushed a horse to exhaustion this was a punishing day for a lot of horses and the way some of the m ride 😮😢😬

[@naoswirl]

The guy on the grey horse is a horrible rider one hes pushing it too much and you don't jump and hold the reigns like that he looks like a fool that poor horse 😢

[@jacquelynburke157]

I used to love eventing....NO MORE. Some of these rides border on cruelty.

[@tykeandjonsieshow3595]

You're allowed to still love eventing. The event is not the problem. The ones who do the eventing correctly are not the problem. It's just the bad eggs that you don't like, and there's bad eggs in every profession. Has nothing to do with it being a horse event.

[@jacquelynburke157]

@tykeandjonsieshow3595 The problem is with the course designers...not the horsemen!!

[@sandralogue1774]

Oliver Townend is a disgrace,it's evident his hirs was not only exhausted but carrying the much higher than the 20% horse to rider weight limit put down for the horses welfare ...disappointing

[@kellytyrrell1253]

That grey was so bloody obviously exhausted….shame on the bloody rider!

[@DarcisEquineJourney]

The water one is funny how he swims 👇 if u agree 😂😂😂

[@emmasquires9570]

Pushing them till there absolutely exhausted 😢they don’t deserve them

[@yolandapalmer1477]

I am disappointed by the amount of tired horses! Riders should prepare them better or pull up when they feel the horse is tired. It is great that the ground jury is able to command a hold up and retire a horse who is obviously struggling with the course (for whatever reason: lack of condition, control, education or ability). I wish it would be done more often or earlier. This way riders would be forced to pay more attention to the preparation of their horse. Animal welfare should be more important than money and the influence of a famous rider.

[@megseals]

Omg Oliver townend kept going that horse was so tired I would of just retired

[@katrinathompson7828]

Half these horse were just plain exhausted 😢 I used to love watching it but every year it keeps pushing the limits more at the risk of horses and riders

[@Lpks]

Tous ces chevaux n'en peuvent plus; honte aux cavaliers qui n'arrêtent pas. Cela conduit au drame. Le chef de piste est un malade ou un incompétent.

[@michaelaruck3444]

Das ist doch immer unglaublich wie wenig da auf die Pferde geachtet . Erschöpft und kraftlos und die Reiter treiben sie einfach weiter und weiter . Egoisten. 😮

[@2005Kohl]

Alot of these top trainers (not all and you know who you are, but this TOP level sport is so dangerous for the horse who is being forced to do this) are not interested in the horses welfare they do anything they can get away with to win to hell with the horses welfare. Where are the horse/animal welfare groups? This equine sport should be brought down a notch in difficulty. Dont get me started on the dressage group of torturers along with many other TOP level horse event participants. Its all about the money !!!! I have had horses for over 42 years and have seen horrendous things done to the horse and have spoken out everytime. Disgusting selfish people taking advantage of these beautiful animals. GOd will be your judge!

[@sarahequestrian4833]

Thank you for compiling all these fails, year after year! Really amazing to have a channel only dedicated to the falls in the top leagues. I was excited to see this video for days, see you next year! ☺️

[@showingjumping_123]

That’s a bit concerning that u enjoy watching tired horses flip over high fences year after year bc they’re pushed on and on when physically exhausted

[@suemaher5282]

What are u talking about do u even care about the horses. I can imagine Eventing having trouble with the animal rights protesters and using this to show how much we care about the horses. What a comment sick

[@ldevine07]

OMG what are you thinking, this is Abuse!!!

[@tykeandjonsieshow3595]

​@@showingjumping_123Then why are you on this video too? 😂

[@tykeandjonsieshow3595]

​@@suemaher5282Then why are you on this video too? 😂

[@marilynbowe650]

That is an exhausted horse. How could they let it run for crying out loud!

[@GamblingGal]

If all else fails, keep trying until someone gets hurt.

[@stephenjordan6374]

There are a few riders that bounce around in the saddle a lot and if the twins get out of place they give up and start to flail there arms and do nothing about it until after the jump for example rider 54 explains every thing I just said

[@sherinnovak729]

Too many exhausted horses in this clip. Either the horses’ trainers aren’t properly conditioning their horses, or the expectations for horses are vastly beyond their abilities as judged by the course designer and the governing body of Eventing.

[@Starandhope]

Some of these riders are pushing their horses too hard… some of these horses look so tired and out of breath 😮

[@Carol-Ann-zz3ur]

Is it me or do so many of those horses look not fit enough and struggling?

[@JewelJohnson-i8n]

Is the rider at 4:47 wearing a fixed peak hat?

[@eventingmyrockstars8271]

Yep

[@sdm715]

Poor exhausted horses it’s getting to be a worry again

[@simonenetjes5316]

If the horse is not able to visualize depths and height and length, why do they get subjected to these challenges??

[@ilse-u6x]

Think of those small bones in the horses legs getting pounded w/ each jump

[@oregonwanderer]

Whats the point if you can't see it properly because its blurred out?

[@lovexcountry]

some of these horses are so exhausted. it was a disgusting day for the sport of eventing.

[@Chloe_eventing32216]

1:39 I’m so glad that the onwer actually checked on the horse other than the other ones hope the horse turned out ok bc it didint get up

[@My-perfect-interest-in-horses]

Is the horse at 1:40 okay!? The one at 6:30 you can see how they just got up and patted the horse. 7:22 7:31 😂

[@crnnlsch6696]

Yes she is! Thankfully Quintana was perfectly fine after the fall. She spend the next day relaxing with her rider Anna-Katharina Vogel, grazing in Badminton and arrived home in southern Germany safely

[@nickjames3055]

@@crnnlsch6696 That's good to hear. It looked like a soft fall, but a lot of pressure on the front legs. I've seen horses suffer fatal injuries through that type of fall, though it's very very rare (1 in 1000). Glad she was all good.

[@nitaruiz140]

Some of these riders should be absolutely ashamed.

[@suzanneterrey4499]

To many of these horses were being overfaced and exhausted. This course is being made too hard and a not legitimate test. I'm appalled at the senseless abuse of these fine animals. I love a good test for a horse, but this is beyond reasonable. The riders need to show more character, and STOP when their horse has give their all and are exhausted.

[@EquineMetalhead]

Oliver Townend is a disgrace. His horse was visibly tired and he kept pushing them. I’m pretty sure he lacks care for his horses too. At least that’s what I’ve heard I’m not sure. But I mean he probably does if he keeps pushing them like this to the point of exhaustion. And his riding at 0:18 is horrible. Like what are you doing? Flapping your arms like a chicken? Ridiculous. Edit: The music is horrible 😂

[@kane6194]

Yeah you can see he legged the horse to jump WAY too early…. Horse could have broken its back 2 legs. And see how wide and high his hands are??? What’s he doing a circus act???😂

[@Oswald_Thatendswald]

Oliver clearly did not condition his horse properly. How someone of that level could make such a mistake is baffling.

[@elkehof4238]

Höher schneller weiter, bis zum erbrechen. Wozu muss ein Pferd über diese Monsterhinternisse getrieben werden. Volkommen reseptlos dem Partner Pferd gegenüber!

[@EvanBear]

Dude that first horse was clearly not up for the task.

[@topcat32349]

The riders know that one jump missed, refused, or fall eliminates the possibility of winning. They should have the courage to pull out when the horse exhibits tiring because, again, they wonʼt win that day. So much work, time, and money goes into preparing for these events but you have to leave it for another day.

[@cherylbradbury4875]

This is a sport that should be banned along with the Grand National. These people can't love their horses and continue to subject them to so much stress and pain. It's cruel and abusive. The majority of these beautiful animals were so tired the riders continued to force them to keep going no matter how many times they fell. A horse in nature will purposely go out of its way to avoid jumping over anything unless there is no other way. 🤬

[@EdenKing-qb5yv]

These poor horses. Round of applause to all the riders who chose to retire there horses after something happend instead of pushing them to keep going! xx

[@Maishley]

Disgusting. That 1 horse was obviously exhausted! Ffs!

[@summerhorse]

These horses are not well conditioned at all. Most of these falls and refusals are from exhaustion.

[@Pellija4321]

No air bag for riders ?

[@madisonpoiry3783]

A lot of these horses just look plain exhausted. :/