“Horse Was Spooked”: Paris Olympics Viral Jumping Fail Has Fans Lashing Out Against Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann

Time is certainly not ideal for equestrian this year. The burgeoning list of controversies the Olympics sport has found itself in is a little alarming to the uninitiated. Mostly it’s been the animal rights activists who’ve asked a bunch of questions to the sporting body. But now, that tough period has extended to on-field activities. This time the victim was Henrik von Eckermann, the world’s no.1 showjumper who had a surprising fall during his event.

Equestrian is the one sport that needs a delicate bond between the rider and his horse. Without proper coordination, the sport becomes highly risky. Eckermann experienced that firsthand in the most unlikely of situations. The audience was left shocked with the commentators giving out an audible gasp when Eckermann’s horse King Edward left him high and dry after a normal routine.

Things were already shaky when the two started their routine. Previous riders had troubles with the double jump, but Eckermann and King Edward completed it, albeit with a little struggle. But then things got out of control. For reasons unknown, King Edward got spooked and ran towards the wall. And in one fell swoop, Eckermann rolled to the ground and Edward ran away.

The crowd looked on as Eckermann slowly came to his feet. Fears of an injury were naturally high, but the rider walked without much effort. Certainly, it was a lucky escape for him, but that gave critics of this sport another reason to question its legitimacy. The horse looked visibly disturbed, and that made social media wonder whether it was even healthy for an animal to be used like this.

Equestrian critics rise again after Henrik von Eckermann’s fall

The strange sequence of events puzzled watchers who couldn’t understand why this happened. “I’ve always thought in my head that the horses don’t want to really be doing this but they can’t talk,” said a user. That is a comment that has a lot of takers in X. Equestrian and every animal-related sport has always incurred the ire of fans who question whether the animal even consents to this or not. 

“I RAN in the room when I heard ‘strange riding’ – that horse was spooked big time by something,” wrote another user. This is something that puzzled even the commentators. What was it that gave such nerves to King Edwards? Was it the crowd or was it some mistake on the part of Henrik von Eckermann? The answer might come later on but until then it is a mystery that everyone wants to solve.

“Damn, the best jumper in the world,” commented a fan. The fact that Eckermann was the favorite heading into the Olympics has made this fall all the more shocking. But then it isn’t the first time that a favorite has had a disappointing performance in the Olympic games. It is in sports’ nature to be unpredictable and favorites can fall at any given moment.

“Slave rebellion,” declared a critic. That is certainly something that many activists agree with. It is very easy to see why they have an issue with Equestrian. There’s a very thin line that the sport has to toe to dodge the mistreatment allegations. Still, due to its very nature, the sport will always have critics wanting it to be removed from the Olympics.

“The horse said get somebody else to do it because I’m tired of this sh**,” were the words of a fan. That could be true, after all, the horses might get tired too. They’re constantly training and sometimes too much training can cause fatigue. Could that have been the case for Eckermann and King Richard? 

So as it stands, Equestrian has found another way to be in the news in this year’s Olympic games. Could the sport end its string of negative press for at least one good news? That will be found out soon.