TCJpart76 Spooking

  

IMPERIAL CAVALIER:

...and how even the professionals (and I mean the horses), aren't completely spook-proof!

Let me paint you a picture:  we're at Greenwich Park in a temporary stadium built for the Olympics.  The crowds are heaving and the atmosphere is electric, the wind has picked up, there are lots of new noises about for a horse to cope with, cheering, flag waving, incredible amount of clapping and some screaming (not just me), the screeching of the  camera going over the arena on a wire, the score board making a whizzing noise, and everything else, plus the sights....again flag waving, umbrellas, a new venue and of course....weird jumps.

Now, most normal horses would have a fit and head for home whether the box was ready or not...mine?  I can't even get mine past sheep without an intervention...so just imagine what it's like for the competitors....?

After the amazing spectacle of GB winning team silver at the 2012 London Olympics at Greenwich Park,  and after we had all stopped crying with joy, the nations' favourite eventer Mary King explained that her horse, the amazing Imperial Cavalier, had spooked at the bronze lion that stood at the other end to the Nelson's Column at the Trafalgar jump, leaving him unsettled and not able to perform to his best.



“I felt I made a big error with Imperial Cavalier. There was a big copper  statue lion in the middle of the arena and I stupidly rode near it and it  really frightened him,” 

...she clearly blamed herself, we all would too since it’s our job to protect our charges.

“Then, when they rang the bell he was a bit strong and nervous. I should have circled and calmed him down and then set off. Imperial Cavalier is the best horse I’ve ever had but he’s going to be too old for the next Olympics and whether any of my younger horses are going to be good enough to do better than him, only time will tell.”

Mary King and Cavalier are at the very pinnacle of professional riding, they train intensively and perform wonderfully together.  A great team whom have faced tough courses together and have overcome difficult hurdles to be one of the most successful teams of all time.....


....if ‘Archie’ as he’s affectionately known spooks (and who’s blame him it was a lion!!!), what chances do us mere mortals have??

 

And thinking about it, it’s a wonder more horses didn’t spook at a lion for heavens sake, in the arena..., don't lions eat horses?  aren't these big cats (whatever the colour of their fur) the horses natural enemy?  

 










Of course they’re not going to be happy with it!!  

A test indeed, well it is the Olympics after all.  Well happy hacking, and watch out for lions....luckily we don't have any in WW!!!

Greenwich Park Equestrian Eventing

OMG!!
OLYMPIC DAY:

Not even at Metallica was the crowd so incredible..., I have rarely been swept away in the proceedings, but here's how the day panned out for John and I.

After some outfit anxiety and major fiddling about with accessories we finally left home.  The sky was grey with rainclouds but the temperature was warm, so difficult to decide what to wear.

After a woefully inadequate signage to Greenwich Park from Stratford we managed to 'guess' our way to the correct DLR platform which welcomed us with posters telling us we were in the right place.  Hoards of horse-mad girls and boys from Essex were trying to find their way through the already heavy crowds, it was still quite early...John and I don't hang about!

After that however there were a huge team of awesome volunteers showing us the way, every step of the way, accumulating with 2 police horses at the end, so it was easy...in fact on the way home there was a lady and her young daughter handing out free juice along the route to passing revellers...how cute are the Brits?  

One local Police Horse and one boxed in from Humberside.  They have walked the cross country course too!!

The security we had been warned was like an airport so we couldn't take liquids etc in and there was bag search too.  The Royal Navy manned the x-ray machines, and it was brilliant and light hearted as well as serious, and the excitement was beginning to build.

Next to find our seats, find a cup of tea (which we never did), then walk what was left of yesterdays cross country phase, already being dismantled to return the park as promised as soon as possible to normal, we were told for Health & Safety reasons we couldn't go near most of the jumps, they even had the army guarding it!!!  

...a shame, everyone at the Showjumping would have liked to walk that course.  the 'Over the Moon' jump was right on top of the hill next to the Observatory.

..as the jumping began, and I got more and more excited...the anticipation finally got me when Mary King came out on Imperial Cavalier, I have never cheered so much in my life, and the whole crowd almost lifted the stands off the floor!! the support was tear-jerkingly, spine-tinglingly emotional...tears ran down my cheeks as we learned we'd won team silver...Miners Frolic was incredible again, did you see 'Henry' doing his dressage test in the pouring rain?.  I have never clapped and screamed so hard in my life, and the whole stadium was the same.

The 'King'(Mary) and the 'Princess' (Zara Phillips) did the Nation proud, William Fox-Pitt, Tina Cook and Nicola Wilson were thrilling to watch in real life.

The anticipation of the event overtook us and we all cried like babies, banging our feet on the floor of the stadium, rocking it's foundations to the core!!!!!

See our pictures of the day...we took well over a thousand!!!

Back at home Tom & Henry had won team Gold for Gorgeousness and were relaxing in their field!!

TCJpart75 Olympic Fever

EQUESTRIAN EVENTING
Olympic Tickets...and the run-up to the eventing.

...the anticipation has finally got me. When I thought I might get 2 tickets to the final day of the eventing, the showjumping...I calmly waited, not to assume until the pieces of official invite papers lie in my hot little hand. 

This attitude I learned from my Dad: never expect anything then you'll never be disappointed. I did a lot of showjumping as a kid, so naturally I'll be giving John a blow-by-blow about 3 faults versus 4 faults, time penalties and whether I'd have gone inside that line for a faster time....he'll be so interested!! (it's pay-back for the off-side rule!).

But the time has come, the tickets are here, via tracked Royal Mail, and I can't help the feeling that John and I are about to witness the single most important equestrian event, on our home soil, of all time. Except those events back home at WW, T&H related!

We have the strongest team we have ever had, with fantastically talented horses, Tom & Henry were washing their hair that day.

They'll be used to the venue, it's on home turf so acclimatising wont be a problem, the horses wont have to travelled very far either.

Relaxed and happy, and the fittest they've ever been, we stand a greater than good chance of medals.

A female strong team for the eventing, I find myself excited to see Mary King again. John and I stood next to her Auntie at Burghley and cheered her past the finishing line - amazing, we clapped and shouted so hard, a tear came to our eyes as she passed us all happy and cuddling her horse still galloping along..

Tom & Henry will of course be cheering on Team GB as they lounge around in the shade with a cool drink at home, or playing a game in their fields. Glad it's not they who have to get up early, brush their hair and perform in front of the worlds press.

No, my 2 will be at 'The Paddock', a trendy retreat for gorgeous horses, it's where they stay during the hot spells, it's a very classy establishment, breakfast in bed, the works!

By the time you read this, it'll be almost time to go. Greenwich Park final day of the team eventing. Can't wait....






















..and T&H, they'll be resting up, chilling out, galloping around and having an Olympic breakfast!

If there was a stay-at-home-event for the most gorgeous Trakehners..T&H would have to share joint gold!