Poor Parzival!

The Horse | WEG: Jerich Parzival Eliminated From Dressage

This is old news by a few days, but oh well. That's what happens when you're stuck in Texas due to epic schoolwork and not at the World Equestrian Games haha!

This elimination is just ironic because I was reading an article by Adelinde Cornelisson (Parzival's rider) in the most recent Dressage Today, and I do recall that the second I read that she trained under Sjef Janssen that she probably did rollkur riding. And what do you know? Pictures of them in the warm up ring only confirm this. So I am suspicious that the horse simply bit his tongue, though where the source of blood is shown it would make sense (it's at the very tip). But still. I am sure that the rollkur nonsense didn't help any. Extreme tension in the jaw and inability to move one's tongue can lead to tongue biting ;)

Afterall, we all saw that rollkur can lead to zero blood circulation in the tongue. Thank you, Patrik Kittel, for demonstrating that point. Sorry, Watermill Scandic, for having to be the demonstration "dummy".

I am very disapointed. But mostly, I feel bad for Parzival. Such a lovely horse (and quite tolerant too if he puts up with that). He is beautiful and talented and it is just a shame to see such talent thrown away in such a painful manner.

I just really don't like Sjef Janssen, and now even less than I already did. In my honest opinion, he's just not a good coach, what with his training methods (also, I believe I read someplace that he's only been riding since his 30s? And that qualifies as coaching material?) And the part that really does me in is that they WIN international medals with these methods! Why?

But hopefully this elimination (along several scattered others previously) will be a start. People are already aware of it and many know it's wrong. That is a start. Thank you, Stephen Clarke.

And back to that article: it was a very good article on getting your horse to focus on you by focusing yourself and your aids. Some very good advice. But I simply cannot look at it in as shining of a light as I did. The advice is good, but there's that shadow simply lingering over it now.

What a shame. The thing is, in all of my 12 years of riding and working with horses, never have I seen a horse bite its tongue under saddle. I asked around at the barn, and neither had anyone there. Just a little suspicious ;)

Oh, and it was a British judge that eliminated them. Gotta love those Brits :)

This also allowed for non-rollkur rider Laura Bechtolsheimer (another fantastic Brit!) to get individual silver in dressage with an 81.70%! Edward Gal won gold. SURPRISE! Nobody saw him and that Horse God Totilas coming!

I was being sarcastic there. I hope you noticed.

But I really do believe that Totilas is on the road to being canonized!

AND STEFFEN PETERS GOT BRONZE!! YIPPEE!!!! VIVA AMERICANA! Did I mention he's coming to Texas in October to do a symposium?

And now I'm ready to sit back and watch how eventing goes!! And the individual grand prix freestyle Friday!!