Dressage Fail: Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle Gone Wrong

This Grand Prix dressage horse already had a feeling that 2020 was going to be a disaster and was calling for a hard no as Julio Cesar Mendoza Loor entered the Friday night freestyle at the Global Dressage Festival last season. Rosali was feeling a bit electric under the excitement of the lights and the crowd which led to a dressage disaster and an epic grand prix dressage freestyle fail.
As a true horseman, we do see Julio retire Rosali without completing the Grand Prix dressage freestyle, at which point he was required to hand walk the hot horse out of the dressage arena.
Most of the dressage disasters we have featured here on Dressage Hub have a lot to do with aggressive riding and a horse saying no. In a sudden flip of the switch we see a compassionate rider trying to calm a hot horse and leave the arena on a positive note, rather than continuing with the grand prix dressage freestyle to the detriment of the horse.
We are looking forward to seeing this combination back in the dressage ring for the 2021 season at the Global Dressage Festival. Especially after checking out the hind leg action of this horse when it was at its worst!

NOTE: Due to copyright issues some of the music for the Grand Prix Dressage Freestyle has been replaced.

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[silverpurkat]

I like how the rider knew to stop while he was a head to avoid a disaster, was gently petting him, then jump off and worked him in hand to help the horse stay focused on him. Excellent horseman!

[juliagray]

The title of this is misleading, should be "GP Dressage Fail Gone Right" because this is the exact way it should have been handled. I think we could have seen SO much worse if the rider hadn't stopped when he did, that horse was close to having a meltdown. Glad the rider was experienced and sensible enough to know to stop before it reached that point.

[sylvanathornton]

Wonderful display of horsemenship. Loved how he even got off at the end and walked him out, not caring about anything other than reassuring the horse. Never once lost his patience. Wish we had more horsemen left like that.

[ChowChowPups]

Julio Mendoza shows his excellent horsemanship, empathy, and professionalism in this video. It's clear that he cares a great deal about the welfare of his horses.

[monikacurrier]

I wouldn't call that a fail!!
Wasn't this horses' day. The rider did all the right things. I've never seen a rider dismount at this level. He clearly was trying to soothe this horse. Never showed anger or frustration. Gold star, as far as I'm concerned.

[cfwatson]

Shouldn't have been labeled as a disaster! I'm sure it felt like a train wreck, but horses are emotional animals. His rider handled it very well.

[lindamusso]

That’s what a true horseman does, this makes me happy . Horse safety comes first

[equineame]

If you are reading this please remember that this is normal, this happens to every horse and rider out there.
Most important thing is to NEVER give up 💕

[foekebunny]

Have followed Julio for YEARS in the Friesian world. Have always been impressed with his Horsemanship. A class act Rider!

[jesszerkel]

I see a very “hot” and sensitive horse. Julio handled this with sensitivity and compassion. I don’t see a fail at all. Kudos to Julio!

[remycallie]

I'm not a horse trainer, but I do train dogs. So many people don't want to be "embarrassed" when their dog isn't performing well, so instead of de-escalating and taking a few steps back, they insist on pushing forward. Then they get bitten or something else bad happens. I don't know much about dressage, but I could see there was something going wrong in this horse's head. Good for this guy for doing the right thing and caring more about the horse than the performance.

[erinwarwick]

Amazing horsemanship right there. Tried to ride it out we all do that but when it wasn’t helping he stopped and once he was out he got off and hand walked him back good job to the rider we all get good days and bad horse and rider so great job for the rider for putting his partner first

[sherrieludwig]

One of my first trainers said, "some days either horse or rider or both have forgotten which end of a horse goes forward. Best you can do is first try to work through it, but recognize when it's time to pat the horse and try again another day."

[AmyLouiseYT]

Horses have bad days too. Good that he bowed out. Just hope that behind the scenes he was as caring for the horse as he was in front of the crowd.

[elizabethlatz]

I have had lessons and have done clinics with Julio. He truly has the horse’s best interest in mind! Professional and caring!

[jackiedoyle]

This is a perfect example of a rider paying attention to his horse. He noticed his horse was becoming agitated and asked for music to stop and started rubbing his horses neck and telling him he's OK and to stop the routine. He did this with compassion and love not punishment 😃. Never ever punish the animal for being agitated.

[NolanMCruz]

It sucks when these rides happen, but the rider handled it like a champ. Kinda makes me smirk: we know the audience is just trying to show their support by clapping, but they really aren't making things easier. Their hearts are in the right place, though. On the bright side, this is really helpful for amateurs to see that even experienced riders struggle. I've been watching the legs in the UK and riders will have their Oopsie days on it too--dropping their reins, messing their, falling out of piaffe into, etc, losing their spot to their music in the freestyle. It happens to everybody and while we feel bad for the riders, it is nice to know it's not just us who are struggling.

[alinebrandau]

Julio Mendoza is a great trainer, rider, and person. Horses experience this kind of tension in the ring all the time. God bless Julio for his expertise and compassion. It is an intimidating experience with the lights, the crowd, and the loud music. He showed the ultimate professionalism.

[WildHorseFeathers]

Horse: about to lose his sh*t. Announcer: “Everybody give him a BIG HAND!” really give him something to spook at 🤦🏻‍♀️

[laurendixon]

Love the way the rider handled it, such care for his horse