Ride or Die

Our pony tossed us off his back yesterday. In the few midair seconds, flying out over his neck before we thudded onto the bridle path, we were thinking about those bad-ass Olympic equestrians. More than any other athletes, these riders risk it all.

When Michael Phelps hits the water for the 200-meter freestyle, he's out there, flanked by competition, racing against the clock. He probably gets water up his nose; maybe scrapes his knuckles against the side of the pool. We do not mean to undermine his athleticism. Certainly he risks injury. He works damn hard. But we want to point out a difference. A missed stroke in the swimming pool might sacrifice a few seconds on his time. With horses, a misstep could be the difference between life and death.

Equestrian sports can be like Russian roulette. Horses are unpredictable. They will spook at almost anything. Unlike tennis partners, they are non-verbal, and therefore unable to let their riders know that they might not make it over that 2.2-meter high triple bar. No matter how much a rider prepares, no matter how well he knows his mount, there are never any guarantees. Previous successes have no impact on game day performance and there are always at least two lives on the line.

Yesterday we walked away with skinned elbows and some bruises. Dutch showjumper, Albert Zoer, and U.S. Olympic eventing horse, Teddy, weren't quite so lucky.

Ride or Die