Anyone see the Kur on wednesday?

[holi]

I went and was disappointed by Anky's performance. Technically it was way ahead but really dull and certainly not worth the percentage that she beat everyone by. I suppose it was the 'anky factor' and the judging was biased but the mumblings of the crowd around me certainly dissaproved. What I want to know is that if the Kur is so dependent on accuracy how does it differ from a 'normal' test - for me its the wow factor that should take precedent when the music and everything else is just right. For that Isabelle Werth was much better. My friends that I went with all agreed. What did anyone else think?

[sarah1765]

wow i wish i cud of went! do u no if it'll b on tv ne time??

[chrissiew]

I watched it on Eurosports but I managed to fall asleep for the 5 mins while Anky was on!!

However, I always find her performances a little mechanical (bad word - suppose I mean less inspirational). I thought that when she won the Las Vegas comp (can't remember what it was, big one though?) that others were better artistically.

I thought Isobel Werth rode a lovely soft test on Wednesday, whereas some of the others looked a bit tense - particularly I thought Wayne Channon's horse.

Artistically I absolutely loved the Russian lady - her and her horse looked like they were having a ball! He did have a bit of a weird snatchy action in the piaffe though which was a shame.

I thought Edward Gal was technically lovely to watch, but his music left me a bit flat. Also what on earth was Kyra K thinking with her music - it was dreadful!

As you say, surely whilst the tests still need to be technically good, it should be about the artistic side as well, as I never particularly find Anky's music etc very inspiring, but obviously the judges did!

[holi]

Yes some of the horses were very tense but it was great to see how happy some of the riders were and the affection towards their horses. I loved the french guy who was first - we thought the horse would end up concussed from the fuss it was getting!! Strange about Kyra K's music - my friend thought it fantastic but it left me a bit cold. Having watched them all I really liked the music that was soft and flowing - it just seemed more empathetic towards the horses than the harsher stuff - Isabelle Werth was a great example of that but some of the others were too 'choppy' and bitty'.

[kex]

Totally Agree about Anky! I was there on Tuesday too and that night she was way better than everybody else without a doubt. However for the Kur I was slightly disappointed as it seemed quite dull. Edward Gal was actually better than her (IMHO) on Wednesday but unfortunately not Tuesday. Especially liked the Elvis routine!!

[boz]

I was there as well and have to agree with the Anky comments, but then I also felt that Laura receive extra marks because of who she was - I was not overly impressed with her test and thought that the Russian girl did really well with such enjoyment. I would prefer to see markeing done as they do at Badminton, a mark for each movement displayed on the screen so as the audience you can see where the arks are coming from . I loved Isabelle Werths horse - how relaxed was he and those fabulous ears.

Wednesday was a fabulous evening, just spoilt by the awful finale, it really seemed so random after such a professional show, almost like someone forgot they had to do it and threw it in on the day. Such a shame when everything else was so fabulous.

Did anyone else have seating problems? We booked ours on the internet and paid extra to get seats on the side of the arena so you can see the tests, we arrived and found they had renumbered the blocks so our block - 8 was on an end and we were sitting well away from teh side of the arena. We did complain as thos seats were definitely not what we ordered and when we checked the programme seating plan it was the same as we had originally booked from. the seating manager looked really worried, gave us 2 new tickets where we should have been and shot off muttereing something alongthe lines of I'll kill the programme designer. Said he was going to have to move all the block numbering around before THursday Pm or he could have an entire audience compaining about wrong seating. Would not want to be in his position!!!!

[holi]

We had brilliant seats just behine the judges at C and without seats in front of us - will definitely try and get those again. Didn't bother with the finale - bit sad of me really but we had a 2 hour drive and I didn't agree with the result (how sad is that). Did you notice that the commentator had to rouse the audience after Anky rode as she didn't get a rapturous response?

[sulasmum]

We were hoping to go to see the KUR but could not make it. Looked on Euro sport but only saw showjumping listed.

[kas]

I picked this up from another forum. Maybe it explains why Anky's performance wasn't all that...

Go to www.saddletude.com/

click on Portfolio

click on video bits

click on Anky Van Grunsvan Secret Schooling in Sydney

[jo]

KAS - is the position of the horse's head what they mean when describing the RollKur? in the video of Anky at Sydney?
ie its nose into its chest and looking almost like horse is looking between front legs

[kas]

No, don't stop Vanda, you always make so much sense on this dressage stuff, even when you're a few sheets to the wind ;D
You wouldn't ride your horse in like this would you?
My understanding is that Anke has been known to work her horse like this in Rolkur for up to 2 hours as a warm-up. She must have muscles like a roadbuilder surely?
This is completely alien stuff to me, but I look at video like this and think "and people go on about NH???". For me personally it seems a high price to pay whatever the results, and I have been taught that a horse foaming to that extent in the mouth isn't soft, but more in a state of mental overload.
Like I say, this is alien to me and maybe my gut instincts are completely wrong. I don't often like what I see in Anky's tests anyway, but assume I'm not expert enough to know a good thing when I see it.

[holi]

When Anky did her masterclass she kept saying about putting the head in different positions so obviously she is trying to justify what people are saying about her

[kas]

Babble on!
I am influenced by a video I was shown of Anky working a horse in that was more severe than this, but I don't have a copy and I don't think it's freely available. I have to disagree about her dressage being soft, my feeling is that some of what I have seen is tense and forced, but the judges seem to love it, so again I'm obviously wrong
I simply don't understand all this enough, I just know what I instinctively feel, and it's not for me.

[Amanda Dolby]

Ahh Kas
i know where you are coming from I think.
Truely the path one takes to get the desired results should have integrity and truth to self and horse. Surely results gained by force and coersion are not desireable, rather those that come from empathy and truth.
Err does that make sense?
Im in the support of the classical bods here.

[Yann]

I have read elsewhere that the attrition rate amongst continental dressage horses is appalling, with many unlikely to make it past their tenth birthday. If it's true then it's clear that this general approach to training is far from harmless.