New GP Test at Olympia, all of it

[Tanga]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwbi5u4 ... u2sApU_vRA

[musical comedy]

Wonderful Tanga. No time for it all now, but watch just the start of Garth riding.

[Dresseur]

Interesting... this shorter format. It definitely flows better than what they tried before. I'm torn over the athlete interviews. On one hand, from a marketing perspective, I understand that they are "star" building and trying to impart drama for views. On the other hand, as a horse person, quickly dismounting and handing off the reins feels off to me. But then again, when I come out of a test, I often stop and discuss with my coach - but this happens with horse in hand as I'm loosening the girth and taking care of the horse. Having the groom lead it away just... I don't know... gives the impression that the horse is just a vehicle, which is something that feels at odds with the FEI's 2Hearts messaging, which is all about partnership.

[Ryeissa]

Interesting... this shorter format. It definitely flows better than what they tried before. I'm torn over the athlete interviews. On one hand, from a marketing perspective, I understand that they are "star" building and trying to impart drama for views. On the other hand, as a horse person, quickly dismounting and handing off the reins feels off to me. But then again, when I come out of a test, I often stop and discuss with my coach - but this happens with horse in hand as I'm loosening the girth and taking care of the horse. Having the groom lead it away just... I don't know... gives the impression that the horse is just a vehicle, which is something that feels at odds with the FEI's 2Hearts messaging, which is all about partnership.

yeah, I hear you but maybe the person is super anxious, was sick, has to be somewhere in a hurry, etc. I wouldn't suppose they don't care about the horse- we need to know context.
The worst I saw was on one of the eq finals- a trainer rode right to the ingate and the teenage rider got on...all on a worldwide livestream. grr.

[Dresseur]

Yea, I agree, sometimes shit happens. But I'm talking specifically about pulling people off horses in order to stop and give an interview. That feels off to me.

[Flight]

Thanks for the link. They make it seem like a game show. I really hated what they did at the end of the test!!! To me it seemed so tacky and less about watching the horses. I hope they don't keep doing this.

[Tanga]

I went past the interviews.

In reading about this test, I don't know what they're going to do about it. I actually really liked it, and though it is "easier" and faster than the GP, I really liked it. If they switched to something like this, it might fix the huge problem of the GP just becoming a P/P fest.

And as sort of a tangent, maybe having more tests at FEI legitimized is a good idea. If you know about my fiasco with not being able to ride I-1 and I-2 at the same show, you know where I am. If Intermediare A and B and the short GP test became legitimized everywhere and used, maybe it is an answer. At least where I am, the PSG and I-1 can be the biggest classes, but many people stop there. If there were easier steps in between, that might be a good answer to a lot of things.

[piedmontfields]

Thanks, Tanga. I'm enjoying watching now. I don't hate the format because drawing new fans/sponsors getting drawn in is important for the future of the sport. Also, it truly takes a serious team of many people to make a good GP pair (but I'd like to see the commentators recognize that). Hopefully some riders also admit their mistakes and just praise their horses for all of their efforts. I love the one heart campaign but clearly people vary in expressing this intention.

[Ryeissa]

Yea, I agree, sometimes shit happens. But I'm talking specifically about pulling people off horses in order to stop and give an interview. That feels off to me.

Yeah, I can see that. This show has a huge press component so hopefully it's just a one-off this session. I don't think it means anything about the riders per say. This is a business with PR.

[Aleuronx]

Yeah, I can see that. This show has a huge press component so hopefully it's just a one-off this session. I don't think it means anything about the riders per say. This is a business with PR.

Unfortunately not a one off. This is the 2nd iteration of the short Grand Prix test with interview component. This is their idea to make Dressage more exciting. This is a quote from their attempt last year.

"The aim of this pilot phase is to maintain a pacey and interesting competition on the first day, keep the audience engaged, expose emotions with direct interview of the athletes still mounted at the end of the test," the FEI stated in a press release.

http://www.eurodressage.com/2018/10/10/ ... -published

Anyway I haven't watched all the rides but do think this test flowed better than the first. Will be interesting to see where this goes.

[Ryeissa]

Yeah, I can see that. This show has a huge press component so hopefully it's just a one-off this session. I don't think it means anything about the riders per say. This is a business with PR.

Unfortunately not a one off. This is the 2nd iteration of the short Grand Prix test with interview component. This is their idea to make Dressage more exciting. This is a quote from their attempt last year.

"The aim of this pilot phase is to maintain a pacey and interesting competition on the first day, keep the audience engaged, expose emotions with direct interview of the athletes still mounted at the end of the test," the FEI stated in a press release.
.

well, sure, dressage shows have problems generating buzz, so I support the idea of more engagement and interaction. It might just need some smoothing out.

[PhoenixRising]

I watched a good hour of this last night. I have to agree I'm not a fan of the riders having to immediately dismount to give an interview. It doesn't feel right. I'm all for drawing people to the sport, but as a rider I would be upset with that. It was fun to watch the interviews, true, but at the same time at a certain point you realize the riders are all basically saying the same thing. "Yes, I'm happy with our ride. The new test is fast but I enjoyed it. I'm happy to be here".

[Ryeissa]

yeah, time will tell. They might have to tweak it a bit to find the right fit. Dressage riders don't give a lot of interviews, so it will take time for everyone to adjust.

[Flight]

I just think spectators are likely to be dressage fans anyway and doing this isn't going to draw more people in to watch. I like it to be a bit more peaceful between tests, not so 'game showy' with the loud presenter making the scores be exciting. Maybe I'm a humbug too

[Ryeissa]

I just think spectators are likely to be dressage fans anyway and doing this isn't going to draw more people in to watch. I like it to be a bit more peaceful between tests, not so 'game showy' with the loud presenter making the scores be exciting. Maybe I'm a humbug too

I guess we will see....

[Kelo]

It takes time for the interviewers and interviewees to get good at making interesting comments - it's hard to think on the fly like that, so a lot of times you get standard answers. I would wager they get better at it with practice.

I guess I'm surprised the interviews bother you guys. It's just a couple minutes, they will rejoin their team momentarily, and they have a groom taking care of the horse the entire time, I don't understand what is wrong with it? Doesn't seem any different than if I had to, I dunno, desperately go use the restroom - I'm pretty sure someone could hold my horse or lead him back to his stall without the world coming apart.

Not sure how I feel about the short test and interviews, but I am glad they're trying something new to make it exciting and interesting. If it doesn't work, they can always regroup, but you don't know 'til you try it.

[Flight]

I guess we will see....

Yes, It will be interesting to see if this does improve spectator turn out and maybe get non-dressage people interested. I guess from my viewpoint, I just want to watch the horses and am obsessed enough to not need any encouragement

[Ryeissa]

I'm not seeing any interviews after the GP freestyle at Olympia today. I guess it's class dependent....I enjoyed the H&C streaming very much.
Merry Christmas everyone