Wow, what a week it was.

All medals in both Dressage and Show Jumping, individual and team, were decided this week. As it should be at the Olympic Games, all kinds of unexpected things happened.



Quite a few favorites in show jumping were finished before they got started, meaning that for example the teams of the USA and Germany were not really in the running anymore. The Dutch performed admirably, with silver medals in the team competition and individually for Gerco Schroder and London.



In dressage it was a relatively open competition with several favorites, without the results being known before the competition has even started. :-)

At this Olympic level, with gold medals on the line, it is a shame that the head judge admits to having "chosen harmony today". Could it be power tomorrow? If Olympic medals are decided by such arbitrariness we have a long way to go. And the instruments to improve the system are there: look at other sports with judging, implement the research of Stickland and Wolframm.
In every other sport the future is embraced, new methods are implemented, but in dressage progress has halted in 1850.

Nonetheless, we have seen great sport, emotionally witnessed outstanding performances, and thoroughly enjoyed the chance of photographing it all.



And we'll keep adding images of these Olympic Games: they may be over, but we are still working on it :-)

One final link to the favorite images of the Olympic Games, for your enjoyment.