Rio Grande TROTS a Grand Prix Jump!

I'm back! My four-month lack of new uploads was due to a computer crash having wiped out all of my video digitizing/editing software, so I was unable to create any new ones. But now I'm back, and plenty more to add! ;)

How's this one for a start:
RIO GRANDE, pride of the Great North!

Here he's being shown by Eric Lamaze as a 9yr-old, already at international derby competition level, despite his late start to the showjumping discipline. He handles the course amazingly well for a greenie, vaulting his way up to first place in the order of rank! And as the title details, watch him **TROT** a fence nearly 5ft in height! See it at 2:29

This amazing stallion was indeed among Canada's great superhorses of the '90s. His style, scope, and smooth way of going were only surpassed by his striking good looks.

Speaking of looks... um, check out Eric Lamaze at the start of this clip. H-O-T-T-I-E!!! lol

Footage is from the 1995 Shell Cup Derby, at Spruce Meadows.
Another amazing round over this grueling course can be seen by yet another of Canada's amazing superhorses, Easy Boy, at the following link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfm4ZnURRAQ

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• SHOWJUMPING
• Erik
• Lamoz
• Grand
• pretty
• stallion
• hot
• hottie
• cute
• trot
• trots
• fence
• derbies
• darby
• horse
• jumper
• jumping
• show
• showjumper
• jump
• Calgary
• Equestrian
• Canada
• super
• rider
• English
• Devils
• Devil's
• Dyke
• Dike
• bank
• hill
• cliff
• water
• refuse
• refusal
• try
• crop
• buck
• bucks
• bucking
• salute
• Chuck
• Wilson
• President
• dressage
• international
• ring

[softballchicks33]

jeez the horse is breathing soo hard

[ImmortalSynn]

@softballchicks33

...um, wouldn't you be too, were it you jumping 20+ objects, while running a kilometer at the same time, with an additional 15% of your body weight on your back?

lol

[Gingerrism]

Haha, Rio was such a little jerk sometimes! I love how he kept bucking and at one point in the first line he was on both leads. I'm impressed by the fact that he only had one refusal and one fault. Silly horse.

[ImmortalSynn]

@Gingerrism

Um...... kayyyyyyy. :-/

[CanChaser159]

Dang!! That's all I gotta say! Very very impressive horse!!

I do have a quick question though: Does the rider ask for lead changes between jumps or does the horse just do some of them? I know that he would have to change leads at times but at around 1:20ish, he switches two or three times between jumps. Was that the rider or the horse?

[ImmortalSynn]

@CanChaser159

Could be both. Some horses "randomly" switch leads (though that could be inadvertently caused by the rider shifting his weight, leaning to one side, etc); and considering that this was a highly trained dressage horse before becoming a showjumper, I'm willing to bet that his sensitivity/attention to that sorta thing was sky-high.

At 1:20, notice he doesn't get his change in the back, so he might've switched the front, left it there for a stride, then just corrected.

[ImmortalSynn]

@MegaHorsesforlife

Oh for the love of hell, here we go again...... :-/

[horseyyikelove]

I couldn't remember this course if my life depended on it....

[crazyxforxcookies]

damn eric looks SNAZZY :| <3

[NoVices04]

His strides are beautiful. Oh my GOSH. He looks like he's floating *^*

[MyHorseyCosmo]

Oh... My... Gosh... THAT IS AN INCREDIBLE HORSE!!! BEAUTIFUL just BEAUTIFUL!!!

[rupertbunyip]

Stunning horse, and wise of the rider not to try and push for canter after the bank, the chance of hitting the fence or the horse refusing from lack of balance/bad rhythm would have been huge. It's always important to know how to take a jump from trot or from canter for times just like that!

[saddlepotato159]

definitely doesn't look like any easy ride:P what an athlete though!

[walk4trot2canter3]

Powerful horse. Not just anybody can ride a horse like this.