Rumba is absolutely amazing. He is the textbook definition of a hunter. John French, on the other hand... well... you can see how his equitation affects Rumba. 4:07 Rumba shakes his head in discomfort after John slams on his back during the landing. I respect a rider of this caliber, but I also am a follower of the "George Morris style of riding." The purpose of good eq. is not just to look pretty, it is to allow the horse to perform at its best without the restriction of the rider.
a truly stunning animal. this horse is amazing. Rumba is one of the best movers i have ever seen. and Mr.French and that horse form together as one and are both incredible. good ride!
it's amazing i've actually been able to meet him, what a rider he is! He deserved to win. Rumba... let's not forget about you! Rumba has the most beautiful trot i've seen yet:) Congrats to both of them!
I'd love to see you out ride John. And while his equitation is not pretty, he is very well balanced and he communicates very well with this horse. ALSO, he did most of the training on Rumba, so are you saying that he doesn't deserve to ride this amazing horse that he made? That doesn't seem quite fair.
beautiful round, a lot of horse... for a lot of rider. :) Yes, John French has a few eq flaws but I'd love to watch a single of you take the reins the way he does.
Congrats to John. Having been the original owner of Keltic, the other gray horse that did so well by John, I truly enjoy his style and how his horses love his ride! If i could only find out where Keltic is now!
I love watching this horse show. Gotta say though, he gets less and less snappy as the show goes on. Day one he's peeking and jumping so wonderful and round, by day .... 3+ he stops looking and (still jumps fantastic) just breaks his back less and less. But *dies* DAT TROT. gorgeous animal.
they do judge flat work, the judge that in an undersaddle class, basically the same thing as in an over fences class, but with out the jumping part.. so smooth transitions, a sound horse, a quiet horse, "long and low", big strides, even pace, balance, effortlessness, loose-ish rein, even space between horses, stuff like that.
Rumba the amicable evident in how he responds to the woman at the prize table at the very end. what a very honest horse. a gorgeous horse. his four white socks alone are winning. he uses every part of his body just right and extremely fancy. he is very charismatic and has lovely displays of power of fences. he's quite expressive. there are some different styles in there but all and every jump is very pretty. this is a gorgeous hunter derby ride. how could it be better. ive liked this horse a long time. a beautiful horse. john French is an amazing rider. every choice was perfect on both courses. I thought. thanks
@OTTBloverMEGAN Agreed, I can't STAND how this guy rides. There is a hilarious blooper video floating around where you can watch him come off... not all horses are quite so willing to go when you get ahead of their motion all the time!
absolutely gorgeous horse, so amazing!! Fantastic filming, by the way. I love how they were playing Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack in the victory gallop!
Such a beautiful expression on top of everything else. He still is like that with his current owner, Destry Spielberg, though not ridden quite as masterfully as John French. Clearly you'd have to be from Hollywood royalty to afford this animal -- haha. Beautiful at every gate, scopey, relaxed -- the whole package!
Wow!!!!!!!What a good boy! I hope he gets a bag full of carrots! That trot is to dies for! His jump super cute! I love how he carries his head! I don't think his head is rounded as far as I can tell. I actually thinking about buying a greenie for a lot less then he is with that movement and head set. Maybe but that hose kicks butt!
easness of strides, overall appearance of the horse, roundness of knees/neck, even pace throughout, "long and low", big strides that appear effortless, balanced, a powerful hind end, slightly loose rein (as the horse must appear as effortless as possible), and the use of the arena.. There's probably other things that judges look for, but this is just off the top of my head..
Wow, not often that you see a horse with that outline, head carriage, and balance in a single-rein bit anymore, no one takes the time to train that! Lovely horse, great rider, fantastic round!
GOOD GOD. This horse is a beast! I'm usually oriented around Arabian hunters, and I typically hate when horses have their noses sticking out a foot in front of the vertical, but... WOW. Even with myself just getting into the hobby of following hunters, this is... holy cow. I don't even know what to say.
Wow! Where do I get me one of these? What a wonderful hunter type horse, it is no wonder Rumba and John French won the inaugural USHJA Hunter Derby Final!
wow that is the longest first round I have ever seen lol. Rumba is an amazing hunter and I am glad Destry Speilberg has him now b/c they will make a great pair.
Its amusing how people think that John French needs some lessons.... LOL - Just shows how little some people know. Love this horse! I believe he is up in Canada now a junior down the road bought him....
Ah ;) They're from Woodside. Near where I live - LOTS of snobby, expensive hunters. But they make a gorgeous pair - if he'd get off her neck! x] Her movement is exquisite.
I actually just looked it up and first place gets 25% of the 100,000. The 100,000 is distributed to the top 20 competitors. For this show, the entry fee was free. But its an invitation only show, horses must have earned over 500 in prize money for the year to be eligible to receive an invitation.
@thebluebot I think that sounds about right. It definitely isn't 9 million for a horse, not even grand prix horses would go for that much all the time.
@Eamloo I'm pretty sure John French knows what he's doing. A release doesn't need to be to a horse's ears for it to be effective. His release is more than adequate, please notice the slack in the reins over each fence. His "leaning", as you called it, though he's obviously very balanced and not using the horses neck to do so, is the hunter style of staying out of the horse's way as much as possible to better show them off. Hunter's is about the horse, not the rider.
its not slouching; this is a hunter class. The rider's job is to make sure his horse jumps the jump in the most correct forum. A good HUNTER rider does this "slouch to stay off the horses back and to prevent the rider from interfering with the horse take off or landing. A good rider is able to adjust their style of riding depending on the type of class, and the horse.
Does anyone know how to get videos from the early 2000s. Every video I have from WEF,Upperville, Keswick, indoors, Devon, pony finals and many other were destroyed. I would pay good money to be able to get some of my videos back. I stopped showing after my last JR year. Riders name Chantel Thyng. I was champion at some of them and would love nothing more to get a part of my life back. Please let me know if you have any advice. Thank you, Chantel
Do you know who some of the people/companies filming were? I would be surprised if a filming company didn't have archived footage. If not, maybe ask around to other riders/trainers and see if they remember some names?
Watching this live was unreal I’d bet money the 4:20 WOO was me - we were sitting just behind the camera and i got over excited - I know it’s obnoxious - I was 14 sorry!
The horse is stunning. Does that mean he won 100K in that class?! bloody hell the most you win in a 140cm class where I live is £500 if you're lucky ....
to be honest, hunters is about making your horse look as nice and easy as you can. you need to give your horse a huggeee release, that's why rumba jumps so lovely with him. he really is the ideal hunter rider. as lovely as this horse is, he has a HUGE ass jump and i'm sure it's not that easy to stay with. that's why equitation horses jump smoother. this isn't equitation- they're two totally/extremely different rides
Oh, I would not be throwing stones here. . . . He is fluid and kind and stays out of the way of the horse masterfully. He was the person who made that horse as I understand. does that not prove something?
is it just me or do all guy riders all slouch over when they ride? great horse, but i think there were probably riders there with a bit better equitation
@SilverStirrupProd well since you're a follower of the "george morris style of riding" i think you should know that george morris himself was a judge in this class and he had ranked them first out of all the top hunters in the country. john's ride allowed the horse to preform at its best. he was soft, quiet and worked WITH the horse and they really trusted each other which allowed the horses talent and athleticism to really shine. i suggest being more educated before criticizing a professional
A lot of riders "duck" it is a bad habit, but this isn't an equitation class. In hunters it doesn't matter. It is all on the horse and this was a very nice horse and an excellent round.
I understand that, but just to point out so everyone knows that this is not what proper equitation is. (because there seems to be a lot of people out there who strive to be on their horse's necks and believe that it is proper equitation) The horse is very nice, and I am sure he is a good rider, he just has less than perfect equitation.
during the victory gallop...rumba goes by and then all of the other horses and they look like they are stomping compared to his canter....its too good.
So many hunter riders these days have ridiculous equitation that interrupts the horse's natural jump. I love to see a virtually flawless ride like this where the rider stays in proper balance.
Apart from the phenomenal courses, that TROT is so dreamy! Wow
That is about as close to perfection as I've EVER seen a hunter round.
He got a PERFECT score in both rounds.
Rumba is absolutely amazing. He is the textbook definition of a hunter.
John French, on the other hand... well... you can see how his equitation affects Rumba. 4:07 Rumba shakes his head in discomfort after John slams on his back during the landing. I respect a rider of this caliber, but I also am a follower of the "George Morris style of riding." The purpose of good eq. is not just to look pretty, it is to allow the horse to perform at its best without the restriction of the rider.
OMG!! The trot out of the ring is SOOO Amazing!
John, That was flawless. Congratulations!! You finally remembered what I taught you and didn't go to slow. That was perfect! Tony
this horse has all of it. every single speck of talent. amazing rides. congrats
a truly stunning animal. this horse is amazing. Rumba is one of the best movers i have ever seen. and Mr.French and that horse form together as one and are both incredible. good ride!
I could watch this horse trot all day long and never become bored.....
I heard somewhere he was sold for 400k for people who were asking. EVEN though it doesn't matter. This horse is utterly gorgeous.
it's amazing i've actually been able to meet him, what a rider he is! He deserved to win. Rumba... let's not forget about you! Rumba has the most beautiful trot i've seen yet:) Congrats to both of them!
OH MY GOD WHAT A LOVELY CREATURE! This horse is sooo beautiful! His little ears forward when he sees the jumps. Aww, such quality!
I'd love to see you out ride John. And while his equitation is not pretty, he is very well balanced and he communicates very well with this horse. ALSO, he did most of the training on Rumba, so are you saying that he doesn't deserve to ride this amazing horse that he made? That doesn't seem quite fair.
beautiful round, a lot of horse... for a lot of rider. :) Yes, John French has a few eq flaws but I'd love to watch a single of you take the reins the way he does.
Congrats to John. Having been the original owner of Keltic, the other gray horse that did so well by John, I truly enjoy his style and how his horses love his ride! If i could only find out where Keltic is now!
I love watching this horse show. Gotta say though, he gets less and less snappy as the show goes on. Day one he's peeking and jumping so wonderful and round, by day .... 3+ he stops looking and (still jumps fantastic) just breaks his back less and less. But *dies* DAT TROT. gorgeous animal.
AmRambo
AmRambo
AmRambo
IMO Rumba with John French is the best hunter past or present. This video still gives me chills.
That horse has gorgeous movement
they do judge flat work, the judge that in an undersaddle class, basically the same thing as in an over fences class, but with out the jumping part.. so smooth transitions, a sound horse, a quiet horse, "long and low", big strides, even pace, balance, effortlessness, loose-ish rein, even space between horses, stuff like that.
Rumba the amicable evident in how he responds to the woman at the prize table at the very end. what a very honest horse. a gorgeous horse. his four white socks alone are winning. he uses every part of his body just right and extremely fancy. he is very charismatic and has lovely displays of power of fences. he's quite expressive. there are some different styles in there but all and every jump is very pretty. this is a gorgeous hunter derby ride. how could it be better. ive liked this horse a long time. a beautiful horse. john French is an amazing rider. every choice was perfect on both courses. I thought. thanks
@OTTBloverMEGAN Agreed, I can't STAND how this guy rides. There is a hilarious blooper video floating around where you can watch him come off... not all horses are quite so willing to go when you get ahead of their motion all the time!
absolutely gorgeous horse, so amazing!!
Fantastic filming, by the way.
I love how they were playing Pirates of the Carribean soundtrack in the victory gallop!
Such a beautiful expression on top of everything else. He still is like that with his current owner, Destry Spielberg, though not ridden quite as masterfully as John French. Clearly you'd have to be from Hollywood royalty to afford this animal -- haha. Beautiful at every gate, scopey, relaxed -- the whole package!
I love this pair. Love the horse so much
Wow!!!!!!!What a good boy! I hope he gets a bag full of carrots! That trot is to dies for! His jump super cute! I love how he carries his head! I don't think his head is rounded as far as I can tell. I actually thinking about buying a greenie for a lot less then he is with that movement and head set. Maybe but that hose kicks butt!
easness of strides, overall appearance of the horse, roundness of knees/neck, even pace throughout, "long and low", big strides that appear effortless, balanced, a powerful hind end, slightly loose rein (as the horse must appear as effortless as possible), and the use of the arena.. There's probably other things that judges look for, but this is just off the top of my head..
He's a beautiful horse with gorgeous gaits. Hunters are so pretty. How high are the jumps?
Just WOW!! I could watch this horse for hours.
this horse is absolutely stunning.
Wow, not often that you see a horse with that outline, head carriage, and balance in a single-rein bit anymore, no one takes the time to train that! Lovely horse, great rider, fantastic round!
GOOD GOD. This horse is a beast! I'm usually oriented around Arabian hunters, and I typically hate when horses have their noses sticking out a foot in front of the vertical, but... WOW. Even with myself just getting into the hobby of following hunters, this is... holy cow. I don't even know what to say.
Catherine Meyer
I could watch this horse alll day long.
honestly horses this amazing are rarely ever created..
I love this pair. What an amazing duo!
amazing horse. has incredible style. fantastic pair. period.
ridiculously gorgeous horse! look at those knees... there are none! the perfect hunter
Could this horse be any more gorgeous? It's kind of ridiculous how perfect he is...
Wow! Where do I get me one of these? What a wonderful hunter type horse, it is no wonder Rumba and John French won the inaugural USHJA Hunter Derby Final!
@actsix have you ever ridden a big hunter derby? do you understand how HARD it is to stay with a horse that jumps that well?
this is the best cride i have seen in my entire life! i idolise JOHN
this horse used to be at my barn a long time ago :) I've seen this horse before he's perfect
that is the most nicest horse ive EVER seen . LOOK AT ITS TROT!!
this horse is to die for. perfect in all aspects
This horse has the prettiest gates ever!!!
@actsix i also was taught the george morris style. but what exactly would you call this style?
wow that is the longest first round I have ever seen lol. Rumba is an amazing hunter and I am glad Destry Speilberg has him now b/c they will make a great pair.
Either that or his lead changes. What an awesome horse!
what a beautiful round, the way that horse moves is beyond perfection, wow!
Thank you. How much would the entry fee's be to enter a competition like that?
Stunning video and lovely hunter.
Its amusing how people think that John French needs some lessons.... LOL - Just shows how little some people know. Love this horse! I believe he is up in Canada now a junior down the road bought him....
Actually it shows how much people know.
Ah ;) They're from Woodside. Near where I live - LOTS of snobby, expensive hunters. But they make a gorgeous pair - if he'd get off her neck! x] Her movement is exquisite.
do they not do the flatwork side? its really interesting seeing how you guys do it over there!
This sounds silly but can someone explain to me what the Hunter Derby is, compared to jumpers and such.
that horse has a beautiful trot and canter
wow you are one amazing rider and a great horse
What breed of horse is Rumba? He is such an amazing mover!!
I actually just looked it up and first place gets 25% of the 100,000.
The 100,000 is distributed to the top 20 competitors. For this show, the entry fee was free. But its an invitation only show, horses must have earned over 500 in prize money for the year to be eligible to receive an invitation.
I bet when you're riding him it feels like you're soaring through the sky on a winged horse to the gates of heaven.
@thebluebot I think that sounds about right. It definitely isn't 9 million for a horse, not even grand prix horses would go for that much all the time.
what do they get judged on in the hunter classes in america?
GAHHHHHHHHH look at that trot!!!!!!!!! ....im sold....i could have not even seen his round and just saw that trot and KNEW he won :D
@LnWillow they do that because it let's the horse stretch their neck over and right before the jump. All advanced hunter riders do that
@Eamloo I'm pretty sure John French knows what he's doing. A release doesn't need to be to a horse's ears for it to be effective. His release is more than adequate, please notice the slack in the reins over each fence. His "leaning", as you called it, though he's obviously very balanced and not using the horses neck to do so, is the hunter style of staying out of the horse's way as much as possible to better show them off. Hunter's is about the horse, not the rider.
i like in the first round how every time rumba jumps you can hear the audience say "whoa"
oh my lord. look at him move. what an amazing athlete!
@WishfulThinking711 this is hunter not eq?
that horse is priceless... gorgeous :)
its not slouching; this is a hunter class. The rider's job is to make sure his horse jumps the jump in the most correct forum. A good HUNTER rider does this "slouch to stay off the horses back and to prevent the rider from interfering with the horse take off or landing. A good rider is able to adjust their style of riding depending on the type of class, and the horse.
This horse looks like he was just having a ball out there!! Seemed to just float around that course.
I know its just a hunter derby I was just saying. The horse is beautiful and he did a great job with the horse.
that horse's trot is to die for!
Does anyone know how to get videos from the early 2000s. Every video I have from WEF,Upperville, Keswick, indoors, Devon, pony finals and many other were destroyed. I would pay good money to be able to get some of my videos back. I stopped showing after my last JR year. Riders name Chantel Thyng. I was champion at some of them and would love nothing more to get a part of my life back. Please let me know if you have any advice. Thank you, Chantel
Do you know who some of the people/companies filming were? I would be surprised if a filming company didn't have archived footage. If not, maybe ask around to other riders/trainers and see if they remember some names?
Watching this live was unreal
I’d bet money the 4:20 WOO was me - we were sitting just behind the camera and i got over excited - I know it’s obnoxious - I was 14 sorry!
this is my new dream horse! holy shit.
The horse is stunning. Does that mean he won 100K in that class?! bloody hell the most you win in a 140cm class where I live is £500 if you're lucky ....
to be honest, hunters is about making your horse look as nice and easy as you can. you need to give your horse a huggeee release, that's why rumba jumps so lovely with him. he really is the ideal hunter rider. as lovely as this horse is, he has a HUGE ass jump and i'm sure it's not that easy to stay with. that's why equitation horses jump smoother. this isn't equitation- they're two totally/extremely different rides
Oh, I would not be throwing stones here. . . . He is fluid and kind and stays out of the way of the horse masterfully. He was the person who made that horse as I understand. does that not prove something?
is it just me or do all guy riders all slouch over when they ride? great horse, but i think there were probably riders there with a bit better equitation
AWESOME !!!, ... John & Rumba ROCK !!!
it's so sad to see him being stuck in the childrens hunters with the spielberg kid. loved rumba with john french.
Beautiful horse
@SilverStirrupProd well since you're a follower of the "george morris style of riding" i think you should know that george morris himself was a judge in this class and he had ranked them first out of all the top hunters in the country. john's ride allowed the horse to preform at its best. he was soft, quiet and worked WITH the horse and they really trusted each other which allowed the horses talent and athleticism to really shine. i suggest being more educated before criticizing a professional
Thanks.
How high are those jumps
why was this actually the longest course in the world
he doesnt jump he soars. right on right on
OMG this horse is amazing!
OMG!! This horse is amazing
Ya! The horse world is VERY expensive if you have the right horses, training, and equipment.
A lot of riders "duck" it is a bad habit, but this isn't an equitation class. In hunters it doesn't matter. It is all on the horse and this was a very nice horse and an excellent round.
I understand that, but just to point out so everyone knows that this is not what proper equitation is. (because there seems to be a lot of people out there who strive to be on their horse's necks and believe that it is proper equitation)
The horse is very nice, and I am sure he is a good rider, he just has less than perfect equitation.
@JumpAndRein yes, it is. but a good rider always makes a horse look better :)
during the victory gallop...rumba goes by and then all of the other horses and they look like they are stomping compared to his canter....its too good.
prettyprettyprettyyyyy horse
Was He really sold for how much does anyone know???
This horse looks like he was just having a ball out there!!
So many hunter riders these days have ridiculous equitation that interrupts the horse's natural jump. I love to see a virtually flawless ride like this where the rider stays in proper balance.
this horse is every judge's dream.
ya 2 million..i think that's insane!!
effortless, What was his score?
400 points in the first round
782 points overall