# Older Riders - who was Mark Philips thinking of?



## Orangehorse (18 August 2019)

Mm, this is stirring things a bit.  Mark Philips was praising Mark Todd but added something about some older riders going on too long.  Wonder who he meant?


----------



## splashgirl45 (18 August 2019)

who do you think he meant?


----------



## Mule (18 August 2019)

I don't know but I'm curious. I wonder was it a dig at someone specific?


----------



## ycbm (18 August 2019)

Lucinda Green had a nasty fall recently, might have been her, she was his era?

Odd thing to say, though, surely it's nobody's business but the rider if they feel capable? They aren't endangering anyone but themselves, and perhaps their horse, eventing isn't a team sport.

.


----------



## Mule (18 August 2019)

ycbm said:



			Lucinda Green had a nasty fall recently, might have been her, she was his era?

Odd thing to say, though, surely it's nobody's business but the rider if they feel capable? They aren't endangering anyone but themselves, and perhaps their horse, eventing isn't a team sport.

.
		
Click to expand...

Agreed, it's no one else's business.


----------



## splashgirl45 (18 August 2019)

i have never looked at any of the older riders and thought they should give up, however some of the younger ones worry me...


----------



## Rowreach (18 August 2019)

I don't know, I posted on here last year about a very well known and respected older rider who literally whacked her very tired horse over a relatively simple fence, and then overturned shortly afterwards.  You'd think age would = experience


----------



## Red-1 (18 August 2019)

I have seen a rider, whom I used to really look up to, ride a simply awful round XC on the TV. The rider looked really stiff and uncomfortable in their hips/back. I was quite sad to see the change, their balance was wrong and it was just not a pretty picture.

Having said that, they were a stack better than I would ever be! 

Double scary thought, I am nowhere near the rider I was once, but I intend to keep going while ever it is enjoyable. 

TBH, I think it is rather judgemental for someone to say someone else is too old to do stuff.


----------



## MotherOfChickens (18 August 2019)

there's one very popular older rider that I just can't bear tbh but everyone seems to love them! I expect RR are talking about the same one-I've always disliked her though, even when she was younger


----------



## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (18 August 2019)

Am just scratching my head and thinking about who was around when Toddie started out..................

It would have been helpful if he'd said whether they were lady riders or not........ I can think of one who's been around a very very long time and would certainly tick the box of having been around when Toddie was, but I'm not aware she's been in any major events for a good while now as I know she hasn't got anything that's good to compete on.


----------



## ycbm (18 August 2019)

Why is everyone being so shy of naming which rider they are thinking of?

.


----------



## {97702} (18 August 2019)

Mary King always used to make me gasp later on in her career - the London Olympics was a good example - where she scarcely appeared to be in control when she went XC.  For me personally it didn't make pleasant viewing.

That said, naturally she has more talent and ability in one hair folicle than I will ever possess......


----------



## MotherOfChickens (18 August 2019)

Mary King. although I suspect she's not the rider in question-dont remember her being around quite as long as Todd.


----------



## stormox (23 August 2019)

Young riders have good days - and bad days. So do older riders.  Young riders fall off. So do older riders 
How can anyone generalise like that???


----------



## Velcrobum (23 August 2019)

I spend a lot of time helping at events there are a fair few "names" who have more not riding well days than good ones. The independent seat that older riders had ingrained due to messing about bareback on ponies is not there for many. Those whose parents knew the value messing about bareback have that advantage. Carl H learnt that way. The modern risk adverse pony club/riding school is paranoid about kids falling off which IMHO is part and parcel off learning to ride.


----------



## Clodagh (23 August 2019)

I rarely watch showjumping nowadays but I watched Hickstead. One of the Whitakers should certainly give up, he looked awful and that was someone I have admired since a child. (Not eventing I know but sometimes older people need to face up to the passage of time).


----------



## {97702} (23 August 2019)

Clodagh said:



			I rarely watch showjumping nowadays but I watched Hickstead. One of the Whitakers should certainly give up, he looked awful and that was someone I have admired since a child. (Not eventing I know but sometimes older people need to face up to the passage of time).
		
Click to expand...

OMG please please tell me you donâ€™t mean John ðŸ˜±ðŸ˜±ðŸ˜±

I didnâ€™t watch Hickstead so I donâ€™t know, but Iâ€™ve idolised John all my life as the best horseman I ever seen bar none


----------



## stormox (23 August 2019)

Clodagh said:



			I rarely watch showjumping nowadays but I watched Hickstead. One of the Whitakers should certainly give up, he looked awful and that was someone I have admired since a child. (Not eventing I know but sometimes older people need to face up to the passage of time).
		
Click to expand...

Even if he did one dodgy round why should he give up - the horse might have been having an off day,  or got spooked, it mightnt have had anything to do with the riders age!
Or should we all give up doing what we love at 65 just in case we do a bad round- after all we should be perfect all the time at that age, with all our experience surely?
Anyone can do a bad round for all sorts of reasons. It doesn't mean they should give up.


----------



## Clodagh (23 August 2019)

stormox said:



			Even if he did one dodgy round why should he give up - the horse might have been having an off day,  or got spooked, it mightnt have had anything to do with the riders age!
Or should we all give up doing what we love at 65 just in case we do a bad round- after all we should be perfect all the time at that age, with all our experience surely?
Anyone can do a bad round for all sorts of reasons. It doesn't mean they should give up.
		
Click to expand...

He looked really over faced and almost confused. A friend, who show jumps at a high level, said he should give it up and that was not on one round.
By your reckoning my Dad should still be driving even if he does crash into other cars!


----------



## stormox (23 August 2019)

Clodagh said:



			He looked really over faced and almost confused. A friend, who show jumps at a high level, said he should give it up and that was not on one round.
By your reckoning my Dad should still be driving even if he does crash into other cars!
		
Click to expand...

Hardly the same. Crashing into other peoples cars affects other people. Doing a bad round doesnt. Its just a bad round and he could win next time out!


----------



## MotherOfChickens (23 August 2019)

you don't have to give up the sport you love, just maybe not do it at the top levels-its a sport that has a partner that has little say in the matter.


----------



## Mule (23 August 2019)

MotherOfChickens said:



			you don't have to give up the sport you love, just maybe not do it at the top levels-its a sport that has a partner that has little say in the matter.
		
Click to expand...

Someone at the top isn't going to go down a level though. When they've had enough they retire.


----------



## MotherOfChickens (23 August 2019)

mule said:



			Someone at the top isn't going to go down a level though. When they've had enough they retire.
		
Click to expand...

ok, so maybe they should do that then.


----------



## Mule (23 August 2019)

MotherOfChickens said:



			ok, so maybe they should do that then.
		
Click to expand...

I wouldn't fancy telling one of the Whitaker's to retire


----------



## MotherOfChickens (23 August 2019)

mule said:



			I wouldn't fancy telling one of the Whitaker's to retire 

Click to expand...

thats alright, we won't make you.


----------



## Mule (23 August 2019)

MotherOfChickens said:



			thats alright, we won't make you.
		
Click to expand...

Off you go so.


----------



## ester (23 August 2019)

I'm not sure that's true if you look through some of the previous big names records, they are often out at lower levels.


----------



## Mule (23 August 2019)

ester said:



			I'm not sure that's true if you look through some of the previous big names records, they are often out at lower levels.
		
Click to expand...

Is it because they're bringing on young horse's though? I had been wondering about Mary King because she doesn't seem to have been in the big competitions for ages. I thought I read, or maybe just assumed that was because she was bringing on younger horses.


----------



## ester (23 August 2019)

Not if they don't ever come back, ie they aren't bringing on those younger horses for themselves, just producing them for others because they still enjoy doing that side of it even if they don't really fancy badminton anymore.

Obviously it's hard to know that any of them won't do the top levels again for certain unless they mention it.


----------



## Mule (23 August 2019)

ester said:



			Not if they don't ever come back, ie they aren't bringing on those younger horses for themselves, just producing them for others because they still enjoy doing that side of it even if they don't really fancy badminton anymore.

Obviously it's hard to know that any of them won't do the top levels again for certain unless they mention it.
		
Click to expand...

Good point.


----------



## stormox (24 August 2019)

Lester Piggot came back, Mark Todd has already retired once....


----------



## Velcrobum (25 August 2019)

mule said:



			Is it because they're bringing on young horse's though? I had been wondering about Mary King because she doesn't seem to have been in the big competitions for ages. I thought I read, or maybe just assumed that was because she was bringing on younger horses.
		
Click to expand...

She has reduced "her string" and is producing younger homebreds. Has a 9year old entered at Bleheim King Robert II and has a 5 year old Kings Tilly according to results/entries on BDWP.


----------



## Clodagh (26 August 2019)

stormox said:



			Hardly the same. Crashing into other peoples cars affects other people. Doing a bad round doesnt. Its just a bad round and he could win next time out!
		
Click to expand...

Yes well letâ€™s not worry about the horse.


----------



## stormox (26 August 2019)

Clodagh said:



			Yes well letâ€™s not worry about the horse.
		
Click to expand...

I am sure an older John Whitaker , Mark Todd Mary King or whoever is not going to do harm to a horse theyr riding unlike some of the younger totally incompetent riders I have seen.


----------



## MyBoyChe (26 August 2019)

Im sure I read somewhere that Mary has taken a step down as she had an injury that hadnt gone away completely and has affected her riding to the point that she feels she isnt as good as she was so limits herself to what and where she rides.


----------



## Lexi_ (26 August 2019)

She wrote a H&H column recently and mentioned that her neck flares up every few months (I think?)


----------

