The country that exerts the most power in the world of English riding is, ironically, not England, but Germany. For decades we watched German event riders struggle with those long cross country days, with the long steeplechase tracks at 690 meters per minute, the one hour and 20 minutes of actual riding, that didn`t suit the horses being bred in Germany. It was no surprise to me that the FEI, heavily influenced by German interests, started the gradual erosion of the speed and endurance components of eventing, which culminated in the total scrapping of long format three days. Now the Germans, a tough, determined, focused people, have it the way they want it, and, no surprise, they dominate the sport. And we Americans stood there and let it happen without any real fight. And the riders who are our current upper level riders, those getting mauled by the Germans, are the same riders who let the FEI roll them over. Very interesting dynamic. (The horses below are 18 mile galloping horses from 40 years ago, before the Germans took over.)
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 12:28:41 +0000
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