Well, let me tell ya, this whole horse ridin’ thing at the Olympics, it’s got folks all riled up. The American team, them fancy dressage riders, they got the boot. Can you believe it? Disqualified! All because of a little scratch on the horse’s leg.
I heard tell it was this fella, Marcus Orlob, and his horse, Jane. First time at the Olympics, big deal for them, I reckon. But before they could even finish their fancy dancin’ with the horse, the judges stopped ’em. Said they saw a cut on Jane’s leg, back there on her hind leg.
Now, I ain’t no expert on horse rules, but apparently, there’s this “blood rule” or somethin’. If a horse bleeds, you’re out. Don’t matter if it’s a big cut or a little scratch. And that’s what happened to them. Poor fella, Orlob, must’ve felt like he got kicked in the gut. All that work, all that trainin’, and then poof! Gone.
They say the horse got spooked, you know, like when a chicken gets all fluttery. Must’ve bumped herself and got a little cut. Happens all the time on the farm, ‘cept nobody disqualifies you for a cow gettin’ a scratch. But these fancy horse people, they got different rules, I guess.
- They call it the “FEI Blood Rules for Dressage.” Sounds mighty important, don’t it?
- But all it means is if your horse bleeds, you’re done for.
- And because of that little cut, the whole American team got disqualified. No chance for a medal, no nothin’. All that way to Paris, just to get sent home. Shame, I tell ya, a real shame.
Folks are sayin’ it ain’t fair. Orlob said the horse just bumped herself right before they went in. But the judges, they didn’t care. Rules are rules, they say. But sometimes, rules just don’t make no sense, you know? Like when they tell you you can’t put your tomatoes out till after the last frost. Sometimes you gotta take a chance, or you ain’t gonna get no ripe tomatoes.
And now, there’s all this talk about whether horse ridin’ should even be in the Olympics. Them PETA folks, they’re sayin’ it’s cruel to the horses. Sayin’ they get hurt and pushed too hard. I don’t know about all that. We always treated our animals good on the farm. But maybe these fancy horses are different. Maybe they ain’t used to bumps and scratches like a good ol’ farm horse.
Anyway, it’s a big mess. The Americans are out, the horse is probably fine, and everyone’s arguin’. Seems like a whole lot of fuss over a little cut. But that’s how it goes sometimes, I reckon. One minute you’re on top of the world, and the next you’re packin’ your bags and headin’ home.
I just hope that Orlob fella ain’t too heartbroken. And I hope that horse, Jane, gets a nice big carrot and a good rubdown. She didn’t do nothin’ wrong, after all. Just a little clumsy, maybe. But ain’t we all a little clumsy sometimes?
So, that’s the story, as best as I can tell it. The American horse team, disqualified. All because of a little cut. Makes you think, don’t it? Makes you think about rules and fairness and whether some things are just plain silly. But what do I know? I’m just an old woman who likes to watch a bit of the Olympics on TV sometimes.
Tags: [US Equestrian Team, Disqualified, Olympics, Dressage, Marcus Orlob, Jane, FEI Blood Rules, PETA, Horse Welfare, Paris Olympics]
