Comments on: Let’s Discuss: Pentathlon

By: LN

LN — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 00:04:19 +0000

Well first of all, I think pentathletes need to learn how to ride correctly and need to focus on riding well, because it’s the most dangerous part of the sport. I know from experience that pentathletes, unless that have an extensive background in rising, ride terribly, putting themselves and the horses in danger.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:48:34 +0000

I have never watched college competitions so can’t fully say. I will say that if they jump anything like the pentathletes then my answer is a resounding YES!

There is risk…and there is stupidity.

Karen O’Conner going over a XC course is risky. A pentathlete strapping themselves to an unknown 1300 lb animal that can run 40 mph and then jumping 3’9″ with very little training…is stupid.

By: JPC

JPC — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 20:26:12 +0000

This is how college competitions are held. Riders arrive at the college they are competing against and draw straws to see which horse they ride. The jumps aren’t 3’9″, but it’s the same thing. Should we stop the equestrian sports in college? We’ve become such a soft, risk adverse society.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 18:21:57 +0000

I made my 1st comment without watching the Full Event Replay…I since have and all I can say is wow…poor horses. I watched the Women’s event and I would consider very few of them “equestrians.” They’ve clearly only done lessons on schoolmasters because they have no concept of striding or preparing the horses for the jump. Very few of them even came in to the jumps straight! Most of the horses were runaways after a few jumps although who can blame them because the riders looked very nervous and were probably clenching with EVERYTHING! Tight hands yanking mouths…not allowing the horse to arch over the jump…tight legs speeding them along flat. Running them in to the base of the jump! YIKES! And for pete’s sakes where is the One Fall Rule!

Jumping definitely needs to be ousted from this event. The biggest supporters of this would probably be the pentathletes. They look so SCARED when they 1st come in that arena and utterly wiped when they go out.

By: Lorraine

Lorraine — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 17:47:28 +0000

That horse had nowhere to go but up. Can’t say I blame him. Soft hands saves lives, y’all.

By: griffin

griffin — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 16:46:04 +0000

This sport was originally developed for the military–cavalry officers who rode all the time had no problem riding new horses (are were in fact expected to ride new horses easily as part of their job). For modern competition they choose swimmers and then teach them the other sports. Military vestiges such as fencing and riding are now add-ons. Fencing bouts are for one point, which means that you only have to master limited forms of attack rather than a complete understanding of the sport. Rididng, well, the video says it all. . . .

By: clm08

clm08 — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:33:57 +0000

When you mention the Americans rode sofly and forward you musn’t have referred to the male American, right? He was an embarassement to the country! So sad he ended up selected for the Olympics when there are some fine pentathletes who can ride, and who came from Pony Club.

By: Zoe

Zoe — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 13:05:03 +0000

I think the equestrian section of the pentathlon is out dated, dangerous and irrelevant. It should be removed for the sake of the horses and athletes

By: Briana Timmerman

Briana Timmerman — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 03:32:20 +0000

I think the option of requiring pentathalon athletes to ride a dressage test instead is an excellent idea. Would show as much (probably) more in the area of skill differentiation and be much safer (though dressage horses can rear too…)

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 02:39:56 +0000

I dont know much about the penthlon. I just started jumping my own horse a few summers ago, it was strange jumping him for the first time. So for a rider to have a new mount can be scary but I also saw that the rider had way to short of rain i would not want anyone to have that short of a rain on me if i was a horse but it is a good experience i would not mind tring to ride a diffrent horse around a jumping course but it would be better and safer for all of us if the jumps were smaller. you don’t have to jump high to prove anything you just have to ride right and also ride safe. If people want to show off and jump high and take the risk of hurting them or the horse they should ride their own. when ridding a new horse a jump 2” will prove more than a jump 3” 9′. the jumping should be more on skill then on how high can they make a new horse jump.

By: Courtney

Courtney — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 01:51:24 +0000

I have competed in tetrathlon and I mut say that 90% of the problem is that after you have swam, run and shot your riding even on your own horse is horrible. I personally think the best way to make it safer is to make it the first or second thing and allow riders to bring their own horses. I would also like to point out that while everyone is up in arms about pentathlon no one has admitted that the US eventig team was just as embarrassing.

By: Patti

Patti — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:54:04 +0000

Im thinking maybe learning to ride should be a prerequisite for participating in the pentathalon at the Olympic level? It does take that much riding experience before you figure out prying on a horse’s mouth when they are runnng backwards and attempting to rear isn’t the best choice!

By: Cheryl Knobloch, DVM

Cheryl Knobloch, DVM — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:44:42 +0000

I rode regularly in shows against the U.S. Pentathalon team from Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio when I was in high school in the early 60′s. Their trainer was a longtime European cavalry officer, and those men could ride. They had training in all phases of the Pentathalon regularly, but the horses were big, and their riders could really ride. They didn’t happenn to like it much when I showed up with my 14.2hh mustang/QH cross as he could (and did) jump 5 ft. plus easily and could easily out maneuver the big horses in jumpoffs. I don’t know when they moved from Ft. Sam to Colorado Springs or how much they have changed the program over the years, but it was obvious that few of the men, but most of the women, could really ride well. I watched all of the jumping for both.

By: Vita

Vita — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 20:28:00 +0000

I think they could keep the riding but have it more reasonable, like a… I forget what they call them… a Road Hack class maybe??… it’s basically walk, trot, extended trot, canter, hand gallop and you jump just two jumps that are about 2′ or 2’3″… it would be safer and easier on the horses. They would have to be judged subjectively on their skills and equitation. Maybe we could avoid these sorts of situations altogether. For this type of class we would not require such athletic horses and could use more tolerant types of mounts. I do have sympathy for this man, he wasn’t hurting the horse purposefully, I personally thought he TRIED to be tactful in the part of the clip just before the rears/rearflip. He was scared, got injured and could have been killed.

By: Amanda

Amanda — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:04:55 +0000

Exchanging Jumping for Dressage is exactly what I was thinking. If people still want a “thrill” they could do a Prix Caprilli test! That would be fun! ….and much much safer.

Good grief who volunteers their horses for such things. These horses are obviously kind and very talented. I would never trust my mount to strangers. 8/

By: 48northfarm

48northfarm — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 19:00:52 +0000

The horse in the video was just indicating its opinion of the riding skill–or lack thereof–of the rider. If you are going to ride an unfamiliar mount over jumps, the focus should be on horsemanship, not staying on while jumping. And learning how to read the horse takes much more than once a week. If a rider learns nothing but how to hang on–probably on the reins–I certainly can’t fault the horse for not being overly diplomatic. They should lower the fences and educate the contestants, or take jumping out of the pentathlon. It’s not fair to the horse and too dangerous for the horse AND rider.

Maybe they could substitute a Training level dressage test for the jumping: not as dangerous but certainly a way to show riding skill.

By: julie

julie — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 17:37:58 +0000

I would like to see the height lowered, but otherwise I think it’s great. You know how we constantly have to defend our sport, convince our friends that it’s not so easy? Well, pentathlon helps us make our case.

By: Kristen

Kristen — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:39:09 +0000

I agree with Kait and Liz–except that most IHSA teams are riding a minimum of three times a week to prepare! If these athletes are just getting a riding lesson a week and not working on horsemanship on unfamiliar mounts but just overall riding, then 3’9″ and little prep time is too much to ask.

By: Jocelyn

Jocelyn — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:37:04 +0000

Once a week? Andd they are competing in the Olympics? I don’t know how seriously I take this sport anymore….

Maybe I don’t want to be a penthalonist-ist anymore!! :p

By: Kait

Kait — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:33:15 +0000

Sounds like IHSA on steroids if you ask me….I am not familliar with it at all, so I can’t speak on that portion of it….