Uthopia rocked the championships! I have to say I like this horse more than Totilas, even when he was being ridden by Edward Gal. Looks like the Brits are in a good position to bring home the gold this year. Hester and Uthopia earned a score of 82.568%. Here is footage of both Totilas and Uthopia at this competition...
by martinehp
Totilas
by martinehp
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Woo go team GB! Bring on the Olympics!!
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check it out once I get home! Looks lovely from that picture!
ReplyDeleteCatherine Haddad had blogged about this horse just before the championships, so I was looking at videos of him in particular. I love Carl Hester, so love that he's on such an incredible horse.
ReplyDeleteI love a horse who carries its neck longer, who is more relaxed through its back, etc. So I am with you on much preferring this horse to Totilas at his best, even if they don't quite have the final spit polish Totilas did yet. It just means they can get even better!
I would still like to see more swing in the horse's whole body, but really - quite amazing, and it's not as if "perfect" is something which exists in dressage!
Looks as if the "playing field" is finally leveling. Uthopia's test was truly lovely with super accuracy and correctness on nearly everything. I loved the extended canter.
ReplyDeleteIt is SO nice to see Great Britain win the team competition with such good scores over the board. Way to go!
And yes, I do like this horse better than Totilas. Much softer looking but with extravagant gaits. He should get better and better.
I am in love with this pair. I also like this horse better than Totilas, but I think a lot of the difference has to do with training. Carl Hester is a true master and has obviously brought out the best in Uthopia.
ReplyDeleteWoo... Uthopia was so relax and was eager to please. The extended work was so nice and I can see Uthopia was enjoying it. Carl and Uthopia make a good team. Do you know how old is Uthopia?
ReplyDeleteAnd, I was just reading more about the horse and I am quoting from a BBC news article ""This is even more fantastic because [Uthopia] is a family pet who's turned into a superstar," said Hester."
ReplyDeleteThat's incredible!
Thanks for posting this neat comparison. I love the way Totilas uses his hind end - that horse can practically sit down. I don't like the tension in his mouth and neck. As he was going around outside the ring it looked like he was tilting his head to the right. Did anyone else notice this?
ReplyDeleteWow I love Uthopia's back end! He's really got an engine back there. Kind of the opposite of the "hyaena looking" Salinero-type horses.
ReplyDeleteTruly amazing to watch in passage and piaffe. For personal issues mainly, I am not entirely sure I like a four-beat canter and the tempi changes seemed "awkward" because of it. I might just be talking out my rear though.
ReplyDeleteAlright, alright, I'll admit, after watching through the ENTIRE videos, I will take it all back. Anything I didn't like about Uthopia was erased from my mind when I saw the extensions. *droooool* HERE is a horse a 5'2", short-legged girl such as myself truly could not ride. He is so expressive and uses every muscle to the utmost for every stride, so I would likely just be off after the first "boing" in passage. Maybe it's just jealousy that makes me try to find something to critique ...
ReplyDeleteBecause honestly, I could see myself being able to stay on Totilas who, though lovely as heck, is perhaps a little flatter in gait and less noisily cadenced ...
Wow. At the beginning of the Uthopia video, when he's trotting around the outside of the arena, you can really see how much swing through the back this horse has. Super impressive!
ReplyDeleteHester had a lovely ride. Very fluid and harmonious - no wringing tail in the horse or pile-driver seat in the rider. Just lovely
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