Olympic event removal
Comments
-
WheelieBad wrote:If these horse events are allowed in, then why not sheep dog trials too!
Plus, given the Yorkshire crowd think they are now leading the Olympic medal table, why don't we add pigeon racing?0 -
izza wrote:WheelieBad wrote:If these horse events are allowed in, then why not sheep dog trials too!
Plus, given the Yorkshire crowd think they are now leading the Olympic medal table, why don't we add pigeon racing?
Combine the pigeon racing with the new less boring shooting event that replaces clay pigeon shooting. Real racing pigeon shooting must take far more skill than those blue clays. Survivors get to race home for gold.0 -
Sorry, just being new here, are *some of* you lot actually being serious about The Equestrian events?
I may not know much about them, but let me put it all into a bit of perspective for you:
A. They are the only events in the games where you are having to control an animal, and you need to be able to do it sometimes with inch perfect accuracy. That takes a lot of skill to do actually, especially when you take into account....
....B. These are horses, not people, but horses, they can be unpredictable and they notice everything, a click of a camera, someone talking in the crowd, a flag waving.... Do you not appreciate that even a very small thing can spook them or cause their attention to slip for even a fraction of a second, sometimes right at the vital moment? Actually, it is a three way partnership, because the crowd also need to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible, and if you are watching one of these events, you need to respect the horse and rider, a bit like staying quiet for other sports. You will notice that some of the horses wear ear mufflers (the cute little hats) and sometimes even, I'm led to beleive ear plugs. Well, that helps the horse not get distracted by any unwanted noise, but it still obviously has its other senses.
The rider can only do so much, the horse is very much their partner, and as such they both need to be trained to the very highest level, which brings me too....
...C. It is not just about riding about a course in the fastest time, it is also about psychology.
Now, I said that horses notice everything, well, that includes you, your body language, your mood, they pick up when you are nervous, when you are scared and so on. Like a lot of dogs, these are intelligent animals!
Now, for the horse not to get too excited or sense that something is up, like an Olympic Final, you need to be able to stay calm, keep your heartbeat low, just ride like it is back at the stables or the country fair and not flap. If you don't, the horse can get over excited or get anxious and not perform at its best. By all means, get excited afterwards, but not before!
It is very much a partnership between human and Equine and feck all to do with who has got the most expensive horse!
D. Despite how it looks, it also happens to be a very dangerous sport, not just because the horse can be unpredictable or get spooked and so on, but also if you are to fall off the horse at say, a jump, then the injuries can be very serious indeed.
Did you not hear that one of the guys in the Gold Medal winning GB team had broken his kneck amongst other things?
How more serious an injury do you want?
You also need to be able to handle your horse so it doesn't injure itself too!
E. The horses are very often owned by other people, not the rider themselves. Think about the riders as being like jockeys if you will. They usually do not own the horse they are riding, do they?
F. It harks back to the skills of old, and just happens to include some gorgeous, gorgeous animals in the process!!
G. Say what you will, to me horses are amongst some of the more beautiful animals put on this planet! What more do you need?
H. I actually have tickets for one of the Paralympics Equine events becuase I want to see it for real, so if you ban it, then I'll have to come round and give you a good wallop!
I. Yes, the horses all have 4 legs in that!0 -
Mad Doug Biker wrote:A. They are the only events in the games where you are having to control an animal, and you need to be able to do it sometimes with inch perfect accuracy. That takes a lot of skill to do actually, especially when you take into account..../quote]
Ok, so we need to include training guide dogs into the olympicsPeter0 -
DF33 wrote:Mad Doug Biker wrote:A. They are the only events in the games where you are having to control an animal, and you need to be able to do it sometimes with inch perfect accuracy. That takes a lot of skill to do actually, especially when you take into account..../quote]
Ok, so we need to include training guide dogs into the olympics
Canine agility, obedience and dancing too, how does that sound? 8)
Actually, Cannix might be popular!0 -
Mad Doug Biker wrote:G. Say what you will, to me horses are amongst some of the more beautiful animals put on this planet! What more do you need?
Could do without the berk sat on them?0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:Mad Doug Biker wrote:G. Say what you will, to me horses are amongst some of the more beautiful animals put on this planet! What more do you need?
Could do without the berk sat on them?
The rider is quite clearly anything but a Berk...... Unless they are actually from Berkshire of course!0 -
Cannix, running with your dog! They take it all very seriously with various events up and down the country and Europe, and have this show race at Crufts every year and believe me, the sound does not do justice as to how loud and utterly manic it really it!
The dogs are clearly loving it!
See at about 4.25 onwards, and then at 18.00. That's the spirit!:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CZYO-SRoF0k0 -
The horses should get medals, they train as hard as the riders.All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
No, because you can't break your neck training a dog(well I'm sure you could manager somehow...), which is apparently something that's on the Olympic sports criteria :roll:DF33 wrote:Mad Doug Biker wrote:A. They are the only events in the games where you are having to control an animal, and you need to be able to do it sometimes with inch perfect accuracy. That takes a lot of skill to do actually, especially when you take into account..../quote]
Ok, so we need to include training guide dogs into the olympics0 -
dw300 wrote:The horses should get medals, they train as hard as the riders.
I agree, but maybe an item they can actually appreciate/use instead of a medal. Heck, what can a human really do with a gold medal as it is, short of selling it to the local Ramsdens? 0 -
No, because you can't break your neck training a dog(well I'm sure you could manager somehow...), which is apparently something that's on the Olympic sports criteria :roll:
True, but there other injuries out there instead. 0 -
I could be amusing getting the horses to get up onto a podium and stand still for an anthem. Would Peirs Morgan allow the horses not to sing along?dw300 wrote:The horses should get medals, they train as hard as the riders.
What, like a shiny new whip?Mad Doug Biker wrote:I agree, but maybe made out of something they can actually appreciate/use. 0 -
WheelieBad wrote:I could be amusing getting the horses to get up onto a podium and stand still for an anthem.
The theme from Champions perhaps? Champion The Wonder Horse? Black Beauty?What, like a shiny new whip?
Something nice, I don't know if horses really like whips. Not like some humans do anyway :?0 -
Mad Doug Biker wrote:....B. These are horses, not people, but horses, they can be unpredictable and they notice everything, a click of a camera, someone talking in the crowd, a flag waving.... Do you not appreciate that even a very small thing can spook them or cause their attention to slip for even a fraction of a second, sometimes right at the vital moment?
Well you've convinced me - clearly the horsey events aren't suitable for the olympics, or indeed anywhere that there's a big crowd expected. The best horseyist should be rewarded with gold, and not the one who is lucky enough not to have their horsey spooked. Deffo ban the events now!!
PS if the horses all have 4 legs, how do they qualify for the Paralympics. Actually, given what you say above - a deaf and/or blind horse should be at an advantage over a non-disabled horse. In that case they can compete with my approval. 3-legged horse Grand National - that would be worth watching.0 -
Can't believe no one has mentioned beach volleyball! That's something you do on holiday surely and is in the same league as swIngball or those bats and balls that people insist on playing with on the beach in the Meditteranean. I have been watching the BMX in spite of myself though, secretly quite enjoying it.Bianchi ImpulsoBMC Teammachine SLR02 01Trek Domane AL3“When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. “ ~H.G. Wells Edit - "Unless it's a BMX"0
-
Mad Doug Biker wrote:Sorry, just being new here, are *some of* you lot actually being serious about The Equestrian events?
I may not know much about them, but let me put it all into a bit of perspective for you:
A. They are the only events in the games where you are having to control an animal, and you need to be able to do it sometimes with inch perfect accuracy. That takes a lot of skill to do actually, especially when you take into account....
....B. These are horses, not people, but horses, they can be unpredictable and they notice everything, a click of a camera, someone talking in the crowd, a flag waving.... Do you not appreciate that even a very small thing can spook them or cause their attention to slip for even a fraction of a second, sometimes right at the vital moment? Actually, it is a three way partnership, because the crowd also need to be as quiet and unobtrusive as possible, and if you are watching one of these events, you need to respect the horse and rider, a bit like staying quiet for other sports. You will notice that some of the horses wear ear mufflers (the cute little hats) and sometimes even, I'm led to beleive ear plugs. Well, that helps the horse not get distracted by any unwanted noise, but it still obviously has its other senses.
The rider can only do so much, the horse is very much their partner, and as such they both need to be trained to the very highest level, which brings me too....
...C. It is not just about riding about a course in the fastest time, it is also about psychology.
Now, I said that horses notice everything, well, that includes you, your body language, your mood, they pick up when you are nervous, when you are scared and so on. Like a lot of dogs, these are intelligent animals!
Now, for the horse not to get too excited or sense that something is up, like an Olympic Final, you need to be able to stay calm, keep your heartbeat low, just ride like it is back at the stables or the country fair and not flap. If you don't, the horse can get over excited or get anxious and not perform at its best. By all means, get excited afterwards, but not before!
It is very much a partnership between human and Equine and feck all to do with who has got the most expensive horse!
D. Despite how it looks, it also happens to be a very dangerous sport, not just because the horse can be unpredictable or get spooked and so on, but also if you are to fall off the horse at say, a jump, then the injuries can be very serious indeed.
Did you not hear that one of the guys in the Gold Medal winning GB team had broken his kneck amongst other things?
How more serious an injury do you want?
You also need to be able to handle your horse so it doesn't injure itself too!
E. The horses are very often owned by other people, not the rider themselves. Think about the riders as being like jockeys if you will. They usually do not own the horse they are riding, do they?
F. It harks back to the skills of old, and just happens to include some gorgeous, gorgeous animals in the process!!
G. Say what you will, to me horses are amongst some of the more beautiful animals put on this planet! What more do you need?
H. I actually have tickets for one of the Paralympics Equine events becuase I want to see it for real, so if you ban it, then I'll have to come round and give you a good wallop!
I. Yes, the horses all have 4 legs in that!
I'm not suggesting the horses stuff isn't difficult or a good sport to watch.
I'm questioning it's position in the olympics, given that there's another living thing involved, with its own mind and ideas.
Like I said, to me, dressage is akin to crufts. Cross country is like rally driving.
I think Formula one and motorsport generally is sport, and I enjoy watching it, but I wouldn't put it in the olympics.
The only thing it has going for it in the olympics is that its' a sport dominated by chins, and the olympics historically has a penchant for sports chins do (all the equestrian, shooting, modern pentathlon etc etc).0 -
Pretty easy thread to sum up, no?Everybody wrote:Get rid of all the sports that I don't like0 -
Mens football. Its dreary even during the World Cup.0
-
Crescent wrote:Can't believe no one has mentioned beach volleyball! That's something you do on holiday surely and is in the same league as swIngball or those bats and balls that people insist on playing with on the beach in the Meditteranean. I have been watching the BMX in spite of myself though, secretly quite enjoying it.
What are you talking about? Beach volleyball stays!
0 -
greasedscotsman wrote:Crescent wrote:Can't believe no one has mentioned beach volleyball! That's something you do on holiday surely and is in the same league as swIngball or those bats and balls that people insist on playing with on the beach in the Meditteranean. I have been watching the BMX in spite of myself though, secretly quite enjoying it.
What are you talking about? Beach volleyball stays!
The problem is that the TV pictures show the view from the other side a lot and it is hardly ever as good!0 -
WheelieBad wrote:
I could be amusing getting the horses to get up onto a podium and stand still for an anthem. Would Peirs Morgan allow the horses not to sing along?dw300 wrote:The horses should get medals, they train as hard as the riders.
What, like a shiny new whip?Mad Doug Biker wrote:I agree, but maybe made out of something they can actually appreciate/use.
Not allowed to use a whip in dressage
I would agree with dressage being removed. I would keep show jumping though and have a single event cross country instead of the 3 day event.
I would also put free running in as a gymnastic event at the expense of rythmic gymnastics.0 -
Crescent wrote:Can't believe no one has mentioned beach volleyball! That's something you do on holiday surely and is in the same league as swIngball or those bats and balls that people insist on playing with on the beach in the Meditteranean. I have been watching the BMX in spite of myself though, secretly quite enjoying it.
Unfortunately there's another sport at the Olympics, which makes beach volleyball look hugely amateurish, slow and lacking in rallies .. i think it's called .. volleyball. Faster, larger court, more players, more rallies and you don't have sand retarding your movement.
Are we gona get that game where you stand up to your waist in the sea and hit a rubber ball to each other with massive table tennis bats in the Olympics next?All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
dw300 wrote:Unfortunately there's another sport at the Olympics, which makes beach volleyball look hugely amateurish, slow and lacking in rallies .. i think it's called .. volleyball. Faster, larger court, more players, more rallies and you don't have sand retarding your movement.
OK but they need to start wearing bikinis if they want to be taken seriously!0 -
Should the horses be wearing bikinis too?0
-
Pross wrote:dw300 wrote:Unfortunately there's another sport at the Olympics, which makes beach volleyball look hugely amateurish, slow and lacking in rallies .. i think it's called .. volleyball. Faster, larger court, more players, more rallies and you don't have sand retarding your movement.
OK but they need to start wearing bikinis if they want to be taken seriously!
Yup exactly .. it's not hard making sports better is it!
Just like in archery they should be coming down in score from 501 and having to end on a double, with an MC calling the scores!All the above is just advice .. you can do whatever the f*ck you wana do!
Bike Radar Strava Club
The Northern Ireland Thread0 -
WheelieBad wrote:Should the horses be wearing bikinis too?
Watch the beach volley ball, they are!0 -
Wirral_Paul wrote:Well you've convinced me - clearly the horsey events aren't suitable for the olympics, or indeed anywhere that there's a big crowd expected. The best horseyist should be rewarded with gold, and not the one who is lucky enough not to have their horsey spooked. Deffo ban the events now!!
Yes yes, very good, but that is why you need to train the horses with the very best temperament (and ability obviously) to do it, there will be distractions galore and the last thing you want is your horse to freak out at something, but nonetheless, it can still happen. Surely not every horse makes the grade, just like I'm sure not every horse could be a Police Horse or one of the ones used by the Household Cavalry etc etc.
It is still nonetheless a beautiful expression of man (or woman) and animal working together at the very highest level.PS if the horses all have 4 legs, how do they qualify for the Paralympics. Actually, given what you say above - a deaf and/or blind horse should be at an advantage over a non-disabled horse.
I doubt you want a blind horse though, it'd probably just run into the first fence and that would be the end of that!In that case they can compete with my approval. 3-legged horse Grand National - that would be worth watching.
Considering 4 legged horses cannot get round that bloody awful course without running the risk of having to be put down, I imagine a 3 legged horse would have no chance. Interesting idea though.
I have a 3 legged dog by the way!0 -
Synchronised swimming.......... f*ck it off !!!
And horse dancing !
In fact anything with animals and anything with dancing.
And twelve year olds waving ribbons or battons (more f*cking dancing !)Science adjusts it’s beliefs based on what’s observed.
Faith is the denial of observation so that Belief can be preserved0 -
Pross wrote:I would agree with dressage being removed. I would keep show jumping though and have a single event cross country instead of the 3 day event
A bit like the argument that nobody else uses the Velodrome, down at the showground, why would you need to get rid of anything at all? In fact, they could have a lot more events than they have!
Dressage and the, erm, horse dancing, like the other events is being able to control the horse perfectly. Just leave it be, it isn't getting in the way of anything!
I agree that Parkour could be a sport though.0
