just heard the news about Kauto Star's new career - dressage! interesting but the stable at Ditcheat appears to be very upset that he has gone so soon. it does seem a shame that he can't enjoy a well deserved retirement.
My personal opinion (just so no one gets offended) - a joke to be sending a Cheltenham Gold Cup winner to compete in that nonsense. Making horses perform like ballerinas. Load of old bollocks. No offence.
Oddy, each to their own, but if a horse still has enthuisasm for his work, then dressage is as good as hunting (ala Denman) isn't it? As long as they are kept up to their work and enjoy it, then it is all good for me. Remember The Tatling, and how he retired and returned? Perhaps he could have been a star at Dressage (joke - he was a sprinter, and he knew it!)
Ultimately it is the owner's decision what happens with the horse, and to be honest the comments coming out of Ditcheat smack of entitlement and arrogance - the horse never belonged to Paul Nicholls so, technically, he has no right to lay claim to him staying with them. Clive Smith is right that the horse deserves an active retirement, not standing around in a field, if that is what the horse wants. Dressage is an immense test of training for horse and rider, it has its roots in military training for cavalry horses - all of the "Haute Ecole" (extreme dressage as it were) moves displayed by the Spanish Riding School are moves designed for battle. I know it is not for everyone, but it truly is the ultimate test for a horse/rider partnership. At this stage, as I understand it, Kauto Star is simply being sent for an assessment with Yogi Brisner - the Team GB Chef d'Equipe. He will make a recommendation as to what he thinks the horse should try his hand at after a month or so.
Maybe Yogi can learn something from Kauto's jumping technique and finally get Long Run to jump a fence properly?
Send him here. We'll have him show jumping. Much more interesting than dressage. please log in to view this image What a mouth watering thought. I reckon Amanda would wet herself with excitement.
Sorry, but I think dressage is the physical ---ts. No one can tell me that a horse likes this nonsense; I just don't believe it. OK, if Kauto is still raring to go, fine, then let him have a bash at show jumping, but not dressage, never!
I'm saddened by the way it's gone down, hardly the end you'd want to such a successful partnership. To be honest, as long as Kauto is happy and enjoying himself, I don't care where he is. It was obvious at Sandown that he was rather bored and eager to race, so it sounds like he needed to be doing more than he was at Ditcheat. Remember, he's only trialling dressage, if he doesn't take to it then they'll find something else for him. Re Nicholls, I feel bad for him and everyone at the yard, but Kauto is still Clive's horse. It was obvious from a long time ago that Kauto's eventual retirement could cause issues with Paul being so emotionally invested. What would be a nice gesture by both sides is that they agree to let Kauto go off and have a nice active second career doing something, but when he is finally, completely retired, he's brought back to Ditcheat to live with Clifford.
Yes, he made the decision today that it would be best to get the move over with and so Kauto left around noon. Here's his version: http://betting.betfair.com/horse-ra...-kauto-leaves-for-the-last-time-111212-9.html You can never know exactly what the interactions were like but it really looks like Nicholls has thrown a bit of a fit and made a rash and hasty decision that I think he'll regret.
it's a real shame it looks like a disagreement happened over kauto star when we're used to hearing nothing but praise and updates on his health. it was in the racing post (online) as well that paul nicholls said he didn't want to prolong the wait for the yard staff. there's a few different reports and i'm not totally sure what to think. if it were me, i'd stick to the original date but something else happened that made it imminent i spose. it was already known that dressage might be the plan surely? my first thoughts were for kauto star, because it's not his decision whether to leave his current home and go to another. although horses can be wilful and not play ball with something they don't like. i hope it resolves into something happy for him. it could work. i see neptune collonges is doing dressage and won a 1st prize (there's a link in the horse and hound article ron posted). i never knew he was called nipper though
I think the key thing to remember is that no one is suggesting for a minute that Kauto Star be retrained to an Olympic standard, as that is just not the case. For a start he is far too old to be able to make the grade in the time allowed. My understanding is that he is likely to be retrained and potter about doing a few competitions here and there, not Grand Prix level events. Of course the fact that he has gone to an Olympic squad member has got people jumping to conclusions, but the fact is that he has been sent to a top class rider so that he can get the very best of experience and training, and the best riders are on the British squad! The two go hand in hand. As I said before, and others have also said, the whole thing smacks of Paul Nicholls having a bit of a tantrum and making a spur of the moment decision. Clive Smith had said the horse could stay till Boxing Day to allow staff members to say goodbye, but it is Nicholls that has denied them that opportunity by saying "take him now". His new rider has also said that Ditcheat staff are free to go and see him anytime they want to, so it's not as if they have been banned from seeing the horse.
From reading Smith's comments it seems unlikely he'll be putting any more horses in Nicholls care ................
I think nicholls is bang out of order. Its not his horse. I can understand him being gutted but hes acting like a child. I always think he comes across a bit arrogant and lacks The class of henderson when things dont go his way. Great trainer that he is. Completely agréé with The post about him potentially regretting his réaction
At The Races article complete with a good quote from Yogi: Breisner was asked by Sky Sports News Radio about Kauto Star's attributes for potential success in the dressage arena. He said: "This is up for us to assess at the moment. As we know he's had a fantastic racing career, he's been brilliantly trained and looked after by Mr Nicholls and his staff at Ditcheat and so this is just a matter of getting to see if he will settle into a different type of routine in life. "If he does that comfortably, then maybe there's an alternative thing he can do, but we don't know that until we have started to work with him. Number one is how to look after the horse's best interests, his welfare and care and give him what he deserves in life after a magnificent racing career." Breisner explained a little about what Kauto Star would be doing with Collett and himself, adding: "It's not a matter of putting him through anything at all really, it's just ride him away and see a little bit where we are with him and how he takes to a different routine. As a racehorse they go out in a string and they are worked very much to get them fit, etcetera and that routine will be slightly changed in that he would be doing work in an arena, and gentle exercises in that sort of way, and then we will see a little bit how we go after that." Breisner did, however, scotch any suggestion Kauto Star could go on from winning a Cheltenham Gold Cup to an Olympic dressage medal, saying: "If a horse is going to reach Olympic level, they really need to start their education when they are young, sort of four or five-year-olds. So it would be a tremendous exception if a horse could come out of retirement from racing and then go into an alternative career that was going to lead to Olympic level, never mind a medal, in any of the three disciplines."
I completely agree with Princess. Low level dressage can actually be very good for stiff older horses. Similar to pilates or yoga it releases tension from the body, builds up muscle and improves flexibility. The people who are moaning about "horse dancing" being an undignified retirement for Kauto are projecting human emotions onto the horse. A horse cannot feel "undignified" or "humiliated" for crying out loud! A load of ignorant twaddle being thrown around.
