This year it was Adelinde Cornelissen of the Netherlands on her horse Parzival. This rider's position, and more specifically her use of her upper body, is pretty remarkable...
Friday, December 19, 2008
Winning ride, FEI World Cup Dressage 2008
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My trainer (an "R" judge) thinks it's a sign of how low the sport of dressage has fallen that this horse/rider combo could win an international show. Parzival's front end isn't even in the same country as his back end, and the reason his rider is leaning so far back is that she's desperately trying to kick him forward and hold him together at the same time. This is the nadir of international dressage, not the epitome.
ReplyDeleteI guess my main observation is that his neck seems a little short, but it's not like I'm an upper level rider myself :-). Could she be trying to overcome a conformational challenge through a very strong seat (use of her abs in my book)...
ReplyDeletedoes he look lame at the walk to anyone else? at least around 2:30...or maybe thats just how he moves...if so...it looks awfully rigid...
ReplyDeleteHideous ride. She would work less hard if she got off and ran along beside him. I would think anyone could see the lack of harmony and unity. What would Klimke say?!!!
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I can see what you're saying but really can't bring myself to critique this pair in light of my own shortcomings as a rider. At least some of my blog readers know my struggle with sitting trot, and this woman is just a part of her horse.
ReplyDeleteOn a slightly different note, is Parzival (sp?) pretty much a classic dutch warmblood? His gaits are very round, and the front leg action reminds me of the high stepping driving/carriage horse horse. Just a thought...
i think we all struggle with sitting trot! i agree that the stillness of this rider's seat (and to some extent her leg) is impressive. but i've never been a fan of this leaning back, riding behind the motion, attempting to drive with the seat style. i think it serves no purpose and looks ridiculous. i doubt a horse of this quality needs her to do so much work up there - it's almost like she wants to take all the credit by appearing to "create" his movement with her seat, when she's probably only disturbing it.
ReplyDeleteas for the horse, he's adorable and seems a really nice type (plus i love his name - wolfram's parzival is one of my favorites ;-) but apart from the fact that his front end seems completely disconnected from his hind at times there is something else about his movement that bothers me, though i can't quite put my finger on it (is it the left hind, or something in his back...?) and his head never moves - it looks as if his neck is being artificially raised and held in place with the hand, making him look like a wooden rocking horse. even when she lets the rein out for free walk he is overbent...
he does resemble a carriage horse! i was impressed that, to go along with his high knee action he at least had a similar amount of flexion behind - something you don't always see...
by FEI standards, this was probably a deserving win, but then there are those of us who don't necessarily agree with FEI standards and will probably always find fault with competitive dressage performances like this. but i guess taken in its context, it was a good ride.
I remember WAZ warning about "passagey" trots. I think this kind of presentation comes from breeding for movement instead of confirmation that produces balanced gaits. I am a musician and can't play at a concert level, but I have an ear that understands what is going on. I think the same can be said for watching somethig like this. I have seen this in the dog world, dogs bred for flashy movement and coats but loosing the essence of the breed. In my mind, this kind of faux movement sets and impossible standard for "average" breeds. Well, that's also why I'm not inpressed with the stallion, Quarterback.
ReplyDeleteStacey-
ReplyDeleteWhether you (or I :) struggle with sitting trot should have no bearing on how we judge international FEI riders. This video represents everything that has gone wrong with competitive dressage: a horse that is completely disconnected, but compensates with his flashy gaits. A rider who isn't seeking to find her horse's balance, but is kicking him forward as hard as possible, and then leaning back trying to hold him together. When she's leaning back like she so often does, the effect is to push the horse more forward, and then--since the horse isn't carrying himself--she has to use all her strength to hold him up. Yes, it looks flashy, but flashy isn't the actual goal of dressage. This particular video reminds me of a saddleseat ride more than classical dressage. And take another look at the German championship videos you posted last week: don't the riders generally look like they're holding on for dear life? Look at them, and then compare them to Klimke, or Nuno, or any of the Spanish Riding School guys.
I can't add anything to what's already been said here. I agree with the other commenters.
ReplyDeleteAbsolute shame. The FEI fails us all. Dressage is turning into what horse is bred with the nicest looking gaits, not which horse is more collected. The horse looks completely untrained and lanky, he just got by because he was obedient (a sad side effect of rollkur) and his natural gaits were nice enough to fool the judges. Maybe they're paid. The piaffe was a disgrace. He was behind the vertical the entire time, therefore his chest was horribly sunken. His head bobbed all the time at the trot, as he used his shoulders to push his body up.
ReplyDeleteA complete disgrace.
I've heard similar things about this pair (the lows to which the sport has fallen).
ReplyDeleteI'm not an upper level rider by any means, but by all I've been taught, she is sitting too far back and pumping too much. I also personally don't like it when I can see a dent in the horse's side where the spur is digging in. :/
I didn't like the way the horse looked in collection, either. There was a rigidity there that belies what (I think) the point of collection is supposed to be.
I don't know if she could get any farther behind the vertical without falling off backwards...guess I'm not one to judge though ;)It was still a great ride, no doubt.
ReplyDelete