Munster Express Online

One salient lesson we may learn from the Olympics is that the days are over of going into international eventing with the idea that the cross country phase will be pivotal to success. In years past we had the devil may care attitude that we could pick up any leeway we needed on the cross-country, but nowadays that is a naïve outlook that is past it’s sell-by date.

Over the years, many Irish teams had relied on the cross-country phase to put the team into a relevant position. That was partly because unlike other countries we have a cross-country tradition from hunting. But nowadays it is the dressage that has come to be crucial in eventing.

It has become so because being the first phase of an event it gives the leading teams a psychological as well as an actual lead over the other riders. And it means in effect that after the dressage phase that many are playing catch up and with very little chance of making any relevant impact.

In Hong Kong, the Irish team was playing catch up after the dressage phase and despite valiant efforts they were never going to get into the Gold position. Now it is obvious that with an eye to the future that the Irish riders at this international level must concentrate on improving our ability at dressage.

There is no mystique about dressage which is basically only intelligent ground work. It may be boring to some but it is an integral and vital element of horsemanship, and anything that can prove an asset in horsemanship is a vital addition to the armoury. After last week it is time Irish equestrianism woke up.

Happily, our team were brilliant across country, but that was not enough to get us into contention for a medal. What our teams with aspirations of winning abroad need in eventing is a coach that can teach them the finer points of dressage.

The winning German team was beautifully drilled in the art of presenting a dressage display and they built on this ability in no uncertain way. And for the ordinary rider it is worth noting that the Individual gold medallist from the German team is a dentist by trade. He is no professional medal hunter but a very intelligent rider who wishes to be a horseman, who has done something anyone with aspirations and diligence can do.

By the way, I noted that the Individual bronze medal went to Tina Cook, a member of the British team. Many of you will remember her as Kristina Gifford before she married. She first came to our notice when in the money at Punchestown in the Junior Championship on Song and Danceman in 1988.

A daughter of the trainer and former champion jockey Josh Gifford, she later finished in the money at Punchestown on Harbinger in 1997, when she finished on her dressage score and again in 2000 on Captain Christy. The little girl who earned a junior ribbon in 1988 has come a long way.