V 11 N. 71 Horses Out of Modern Pentathlon

 I saw the following article in the November 2, 2021 The Guardian by Sean Ingle.

Apparently horses are being taken out of the modern pentathlon and bicycles are replacing them.   We do not however know what kind of cycling will be the replacement.  Skateboarding might have been an option, but cycling at least resembles the posture required to sit on a horse.  This hoo haaa seems to have have evolved from the incident in last  summer's Olympics when a German rider's mount refused to jump a hurdle and the German coach followed up by punching the horse.   No problem with the rider's equestrianship apparently.   I do not know if horses were provided by the host country or if modern pentathlon teams transport their own horses.  Seems a bit elitist in these pandemic times.    Aren't riders supposed to be given a horse that is not familiar to them to ride in a modern pentathlon competition?  

Wikipedia explains it this way:   "

• The riding discipline involves show jumping over a 350–450 m course with 12 to 15 obstacles. Competitors are paired with horses in a draw 20 minutes before the start of the event.^{[Note 1]} To ensure fairness for all athletes, all horses which participate have successfully completed the set course. This segment has received criticism for being perceived as being a lottery should an athlete draw an un-cooperative horse;^[8] others argue that most incidents of horses refusing to jump are result of poor rider ability on the part of the athlete and adopting behaviour which unsettles the horse."

Sort of like being behind enemy lines, you steal a horse and off you go?   If they were Japanese horses then maybe the horse did not understand German commands even though the Japanese and Germans  had been allies 70 years ago.  

Here is the link to Mr. Ingle's article:      Horses Voted Off the Island

Here is the link to the horse punching:    Horse gets punched

George Brose

  I say keep the horses and send home the German coach.  It reminds me of when two drunk UC basketball players in the 1990s were confronted by a mounted policeman near campus and opted to hit his horse.  It was a doggone poor decision for those dudes since the horse barely felt it and they got a free night in the hoosegow.

 Bill Schnier