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Originally Posted by LiquidTurbo
(Post 7995528)
Without the horse, the human wouldn't even be capable of competing. Therefore it's fair to say the horse is essential to the competition. So how can you say it's 100% human effort?
All you seem to be saying is "You guys don't understand, you don't know a damn thing about the sport." Well, I want to learn exactly why it deserves a place on Olympic stage.
For example it's pretty easy to defend why Badminton or Table Tennis can get a spot in the Olympic games. I sincerely hope that events like Equestrian will be toned down in the decades to come or removed completely. Something is wrong when a dude like this can compete in the OLYMPICS. It's technically possible to win a gold medal at the age of 71 (Hiroshi Hoketsu of Japan)!
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The horse is essential to competition, but what you see being judged is entirely the human component. The perception seems to be that it's primarily the horse extending the effort, and therefore, an average rider on a world class horse would be capable of competing at the highest levels of equestrian. It takes decades of training and an unbelievable amount of talent to develop the skills necessary to instruct the horse to perform the moves we ask of them as skillfully as Olympic riders. It's the riders skill in balancing and maintain a seat through movement of the lower body that keeps a horse balanced in dressage, allowing the horse to lift its hooves at an even height, which is one of the aspects judged; in that way, dressage is sometimes compared to aspects of gymnastics. It's the riders ability to time the cues given to the horse perfectly between changes in gait that determines the smoothness of the transition, again, balance being very important, this is also an aspect which is judged in dressage.
People associate the Olympics with nothing but the raw physical prowess events, but really that's just one style of event. Like I've said a few times, equestrian isn't about raw physical prowess like sprinting. It's more akin to fencing, archery, shooting, where skill and fitness are in play, which is why athletes in those sports compete to comparable ages as equestrian riders.
One thing to note, Hiroshi Hoketsu competing at 71 is unprecedented. Most riders don't even compete into their fifties.
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I'm probably an extremist, but I feel events like this are border line animal abuse. Just let the horses roam wild and do their thing. It's the 21st century and we still have people riding horses? But no, let's force them to do grueling training regimes and make them jump over things for no purpose whatsoever!
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I'm a vegetarian, I care more deeply about animal rights than anything in my life. I would never support, much less engage in, something that makes any animal even moderately uncomfortable. Unless a small horse is carrying a severely overweight rider, a horse is worked before it's body has matured, or a horse is subjected to an abusive training regime, what we do with them is not hard on their bodies. There have been a few studies testing lactic acid build up, stress on bones, etc. that support this with real data. The empirical data that the average wild horse lives to about 15, and domestic horses live to 35-40, also supports that domestic horses really live pampered lives. Science aside, horses enjoy the jobs we give them just like dogs. When I drive up to the barn, my horse comes running up to the gate to greet me. When I ride, my horses body posture, ear position, head position, shows that my horse is happy to be working. Not to mention, 1500lbs versus 200lbs, if a horse doesn't want a person on it's back they'll throw them without hesitation or difficulty, and could quite easily kill them with a kick.
