Critique of the riders: was the final too difficult?

The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Las Vegas (USA) was anticipated with a lot of excitement – and not only from the sportive point of view. The Thomas & Mack Arena caused a lot of talking before the event even started becaus of its unusual size and shape. But everything seemed fine, after all the World Cup Final has been held in Las Vegas before and the course designer was the well experienced US-American Anthony D’Ambrosio.

Now, just a day after the final, some riders are criticizing the courses. The World Cup Final was too difficult in their opinion and even overburdened some of the horses.

One of the critics is Mclain Ward (USA). The two-times Olympic Champion has already taken part in 15 World Cup Finals and ended up in the top ten seven times.

On his Facebook page McLain Ward talked about his feelings regarding the competitions in Las Vegas:

„From time to time I reflect on a big events or championships on facebook, mostly to thank people and horses who have helped me be successful but I normally don’t feel it’s the appropriate place to comment on controversial topics. But in my reflections of this years WC Final I have to comment on the courses and how I feel they affected the competition.

For me it was the worst sport I have seen in any championships in my career. I am always to first to look to myself for reasons why I did not succeed but I have to say this is the most beaten I have felt in any recent memory.

I honestly felt I could not find a way to answer the test presented by riding well, forward and smooth. It seems that the majority of the other riders faced the same challenge as I did. Even the eventual champion basically crashed through two oxers on his way to a very deserving victory.

Though I am sure Steve is thrilled to be champion I am also sure the final round and road to victory was not as he had dreamed of it happening. I have never seen so many top horses stop, crash and seem totally lost or so many top riders having to pull and kick there way to simply get in range of a good distance. The problem was not the hight or width but was the approach to many of the fences.

This weeks designer was a great rider and has been a top designer but just as we as riders and trainers must reflect on the job we do and our own performance so must course designers to creat a test that not only challenges the best but also produced great and fair sport. My most heartfelt congrats to Steve, no more deserving champion, a great guy and rider. Well done. On to the next.“

Three-times World Cup Champion Marcus Ehning (GER) also talked about the courses in Las Vegas:

„I was not really happy with them. On the first day you did not see the really good rounds from a few horses that can jump a World Cup Final. The beginning was quite hard with the first double, and a few strange turns. And on Thursday, the last line was totally unnecessary for me. It was a bit more like a joke with too many hard falls. The result at the end with six clear rounds was perfect. But the way it went it was not really nice.

Yes, it can be more technical, it can be bigger, and if you can handle it as a rider and have a possibility to handle it in a good way, then it’s totally fine. But on Thursday, even if you were a really top, top rider it was a bit of luck to catch the vertical just right, and then it was impossible to get to the triple very straight, and I think that was a bit unfair. You’d see a few really struggling, and we didn’t need this.

As far as it being late in the course, the triple combination had nothing to do with the point of where it was built in the course, but how it was built.“

Source: Mclain Ward / Noelle Floyd