Only Fools On Horses

I'm not sure which one I watched, but if it was last nights episode I watched this afternoon, it was Ruby Wax. She was really quite sad to go. It was between her and Sally Gunnell.
 
I thought it was between Ruby and Nikki - mind you, I watched it last nigh nearly midnight......

I thought the bit between Matt and Peter was really sweet - but he always comes across as very sensitive to his dog on Blue Peter as well......... I used to take it as a compliment if a horse didn't get up when I did evening stables.
 
Peter disgraced himself tonight, so there won't be any sweet footsy-wootsy in the stables, I'm sure! I thought Suzi did a cracking round, while Anna R-R tied up a bit - looked very tense and knocked down 'Goliath'. But fair play to them all - I used to be physically sick before I competed, and couldn't speak to anyone. I was doing SO well with a clear round one day, I was so amazed that I took the wrong course! :cry: And that's from someone who'd been riding a few years by then, not a few weeks. Well done, team.
 
Trudi, Suzi is looking particularly good I agree - especially as she has had limited experience in the saddle. I still think Sara Cox is progressing well, albeit she has clearly ridden before. I like Jenni Falconer too, although she hasn't bonded at all well with her horse although she tried to correct that last night.

For anyone interested, Sally Gunnell was voted off last night.

Krizon, Peter is looking to be a bit of a difficult ride, although I am unsure why he is playing up now, as he has been an absolute gent up to last night. I did feel Matt looked tense last night before his round, and that must have surely been conveyed to Peter. Let's hope Matt and Peter do lots of schooling today and are back on track again this evening.
 
The way I see it is that although Matt Baker looks pretty neat in the saddle whilst everything is going to plan, he doesn't back that up from the saddle and is a heartbeat "behind" his horse's movements rather than urging him on. His legs swing back when jumping which is fine while everything goes to plan but if his horse refuses, like he did last night, his legs swing so far back that he loses his balance entirely and it all goes Pete Tong.

Sara Cox rides pretty well, she looks neat - in fact she looks like a teenager jumping a pony in competition but again, she isn't always there to back up signals from the saddle - ie she's not particularly postive in pushing her horse on.

Jenni Falconer and Suzi Perry are doing very well considering their limited experience previously and I still think Anna Ryder-Richardson is probably the best rider in the field, or at least very close to it. Her nerves got to her last night as she became the only rider in the competition to move up a level - she was unlucky to get the gate down and it is understandable that she jumped 'David' rather than 'Goliath' as in that advanced class 'Goliath' was a big fence for riders at this stage and she was up in size anway.

Kri, I think that maybe you're getting mixed up between Sara Cox & Anna Ryder-Richardson? A R-R didn't jump 'Goliath' - she jumped 'David' and didn't knock it down. If you are meaning Sara I agree that she did look pretty tense.
 
I just think it really showed who had ridden in any shape or form before,their seat is so much more natural.The main thing I seem to be shouting at tv is "ride on you stupid muppet,use your bloody legs".They all seem to be just pilots instead of in charge.
 
Still loving the "jump leads" comments, think it's a great phrase.

Other than that can someone teach Diarmuid (sp?) the rules regarding refusals please.
 
Originally posted by Colin Phillips@Jul 10 2006, 09:07 AM
If that's the way you would like me to be, Kathy. :shy:

Oh and I did notice the surplus "very". :angry:
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I'd guess that Kathy isn't overly sorry at all.
 
Trouble is, all Cox look the same to me, Shadz... B) yeah, I expect I got them mixed up as now you say it, I remember being surprised that ARR didn't attempt Golly. Pity she didn't, as tactically it would've been the right thing to do.
 
Originally posted by Spoons@Jul 11 2006, 10:54 AM
I just think it really showed who had ridden in any shape or form before,their seat is so much more natural.The main thing I seem to be shouting at tv is "ride on you stupid muppet,use your bloody legs".They all seem to be just pilots instead of in charge.
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Spoons, I have been shouting at the TV too, much to the amusement of my dog :blink:

You are right, few of the contestants are physically egging their horses on. So many times the horse has been the one to get them out of trouble even when I am convinced that there is a refusal on the way.

If some of the less experienced would only realise that putting the leg on, in the right place, it actually helps the horse to know when to take off and they just need more imputus and encouragement. Even a few encouraging words whilst sitting forward would help in some cases.

I have noticed, on a few occasions after a shakey jump, some riders are so wrapped up in trying to balance whilst still trying to look behind them to see if the jump has gone, they consequently unbalance their horse, who is desperately trying to get the rider over the next jump.

I hope they replay the video footage to the contestants the next day, so they can learn from their mistakes.
 
Yes, a lot of the riders aren't very good at riding their horses into the fences - but then again they are novices and they are nervous so they will be hesitant. Having the 1) confidence to ride a horse into a fence and the 2) ability to see a stride into a fence are only things that come with experience. Not to mention knowing that you don't fiddle with a horse's stride once you are in the final 3 strides into a fence - you leave it to judge for itself once you have committed that far or things are more likely to go pear-shaped.
 
Having watched this show, I am now sorely tempted to start show jumping lessons again. I have turned into such an expert from the safety of my settee, I would like to see if I can still practice what I preach.

There is a great riding school not far from me and one of my tasks this week is to book up for a couple of lessons. I can almost see myself being carted off to A & E with a broken arm after my first attempt at a cross pole on a 14 hands schoolmaster pony. :unsure:
 
Jumping is something I need to get back to as well. I completely lost my confidence, started again last year and ended up on the ground after the third fence I jumped. I haven't left the ground since.
 
I came a cropper at Christmas Triptych, ended up in A&E and have had problems with a shoulder injury ever since. Having seen how brave the contestants are and the height of some of their fences, I thought I might as well give it another go.

I tried my hand at polo a couple of weeks ago and absolutely loved it as one of my customers has just started lessons and suggested I came along. It is a completely different way of riding and the ponies are so highly schooled I was totally gobsmacked by the whole thing. I have since been to watch two more polo matches (including the Queen's Cup) as Guards is only a few miles away from me. Jack Kidd has fairly recently opened a polo school nearby, so if I can pluck up enough courage I may sign up for a few lessons here too.
 
The girls at teh vets bought me some polo lessons for my 30th - I loved it!! At the time i was still quite nervous,but by the end of the first was cheerfully swapping onto all the ponies - and was dumbstruck when they told me the pony id got on best with broke the South Today weathergirls arm a few weeks before.....

Im not brave by any stretch of the imagination - but I would fairly happily take any of those horses and have a crack at teh courses - they are all stars,and I reckon between us wed be ok.

IS - I reckon Diarmuid was trying to commit showjumping suicude - he looked to me to know exactly what he was doing - but noone expected Sally to make quite such a pigs ear of it!!
 
The horses are fantastic. I wish my eventer helped me out of trouble as much as they do. (I didnt mean that at all. I wouldnt swap her for the world. And am pleased and gutted at the same time that she is in foal now. Ive been the weak link the past few weeks.)

I really hope ARR wins it. She has the best persition and the only reason she had that fence down was because she over rode it which is a common mistake when your nervous.

I like the judges comments on the whole although Jodie Kidd is annoying me. I can understand why theyve got her on it though, when jessica and robert have a go at someone she can at least find something nice to say.

Ive never played polo but used to play polocross which was great fun. Id recomend anyone to try it.
 
I actually thought Jodie was good tonight when she told Mat off for blaming the horse . I was cheering at the screen , don't like him ataall now after he blamed the horse last night for not liking the course . Unbelievable . The ego of celebrity knows no bounds
 
I reckon Peter frightened himself, then they both lost teh plot.One of those things really. Paaul did well on Phoebe ( poor old Funtime - hope hes OK) and thats a horrible way to go out, but at least Im still safe with Suzi !!

Sara Cox didnt annoy me as much tonight either.
 
Last night was first time I tuned in again after the 1st night bored me to tears!Must say it was far more exciting than before now everybody left is that bit more confident.
Matt seriously lost his cool after his horse acted up,did you see how sweaty he was.I think Jessica and Robert are perfect judges because they're upfront,honest and don't give them any namby pamby compliments.Diarmuid has now taken to picking up his horse and carrying him over the fence,his hands really are awful.Sara and Jenny are by far the best at speed rounds which is impressive as Saras horse is hardly the speediest around.It annoys me slightly to watch them yank the horses around corners by mouth alone,I definitely wouldn't give a horse of mine for competition.I am falling more and more for Prelude though.
I also think it was bit dodgy how everyone said they didn't want to vote people off and then both people got equal votes,perhaps it was fixed!
 
Suzi and Anna have both been voted off. I am glad that Anna has gone, as as I said from the word go, I think it should be the person that improves the most. Anna (bless her) is clearly a very emotional person as she has cried in nearly every episode.

Jenni is still looking good and is building a much better rapport with her horse, and Sara Cox is clearly a very good rider. Matt is getting on so much better with Peter (his horse) and has got his confidence back. Well done Matt! Diarmund is riding out of his skin too. Lots still to play for and the fences now getting harder.. and higher! Nicki could still be the dark horse. She has improved immensely and comes across as a really nice person:ph34r:

I am really enjoying this, as you may have gathered. B)
 
Matt didn't ride Peter last night - he is lame. He rode another horse & did horrendously badly in the first round.

Anna shouldn't have been voted off last night - she was the far better rider of the two and had improved a lot since the beginning of the week - indeed she was the first person to attempt going up a level this week and was riding at advanced whilst Matt had to drop down a level to intermediate.

Sara Cox is bound to win the competition now; not only is she a pretty good rider (she has certainly improved and isn't quite as compalcent as she was earlier in the week) but she has the Radio 1 listeners & now the CA voting for her - the horse she is riding, Solomon, is a regular out with the Oakley hunt and is owned by the hunt's farrier.

I can't really have Matt now - after looking pretty good early on he has since proved that he can look good whilst everything goes to plan but he can't handle it when things go wrong - he rode a shocker of a round last night & should never have let his horse stop at that first fence he refused.

Diarmuid really should go tonight - I would say Jenni but she appears to have the GMTV viewers all voting for her which is saving her at the moment. She isn't too bad but I would have seen her go last night if it was up to me. Diarmuid is improving but he still rides with hands like shovels & his elbows up in the air.

I also agree that Nicki may be the fly in the ointment to Sara, she has improved considerably and is trying her best. She's actually a good little rider too, she would be more of a horseman than any of the others and anticipates possible problems better than the rest too. She must have been pretty shaken up after her nasty fall the other night but she rode brilliantly last night.
 
Originally posted by Shadow Leader@Jul 14 2006, 11:12 AM
Matt didn't ride Peter last night - he is lame. He rode another horse & did horrendously badly in the first round.
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That will teach me for fast forwarding on Sky Plus this morning! The programme is so long, I just record the whole programme and watch the interesting bits! :)
 
Gutted that anna has gone so now Im backing Nikki. She went way up in my books when she fell on that fence and yet was more concerned about the horse. She has also improved the most of anyone and is actually riding her rounds. It was nice to see her ride sensibly last night and go for a clear. Dont like Matt at all. He doesnt have any horse sense. That line he attempted would have been hard for anyone to get let alone someone on a horse theyve hardly sat on. He would have been much better to go for sensible fences and try to jump the 10 pointer clear when hed got a feel for the horse.
 
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