SARAH: So we're going to be watching some videos,
and I'm going to have you doing color commentary.
So we just want to have you walk through it.
The scene that we have here, based on what you're seeing,
what are our viewers in for?
RICK: I think we are about to watch some dressage action.
EVAN: A little dancing dressage action,
or whatever that's called.
Freestyle.
SARAH: OK.
EVAN: A little freestyle action.
CHRIS: So this is going to be about the horse.
It's going to be about the legs.
It's going to be about tempe changes.
Pew pew!
SARAH: What to you indicates that this
is going to be a freestyle?
EVAN: The arena that she's in.
CHRIS: Although she's looking like she's
riding pretty high and straight in the seat,
so I would think that would be equitation.
But I think this is more about the horse.
SARAH: Let's get it started.
EVAN: All right.
RICK: So here we come into the ring.
EVAN: She's getting ready to unleash her steed.
RICK: Looking very fine.
Confident.
CHRIS: Oh my God.
It's so precise.
RICK: Ready to get into this exciting afternoon of dancing.
CHRIS: Drifting out to the left there with the back legs.
EVAN: Look at those fast feet.
Good tempo.
Good movement.
SARAH: Do you think that was intentional?
CHRIS: I think so.
EVAN: Alison's coming in for it.
RICK: Checking out that E pylon.
Always very interesting.
EVAN: All right.
A little tango.
RICK: Now you'll notice the horse's head
is sort of cocked a little to the side.
CHRIS: It's like a drifting car.
Like if you had, like, a race car.
It's, like, drifting a little bit.
RICK: And they're trying to straighten out
their communications I'm sure, going
to the corner of the ring.
CHRIS: I'm imagining that she's using her left or right leg
to make that happen.
RICK: A little privacy there, maybe
have a quiet moment together.
EVAN: There's a little bit of a side strafe there.
CHRIS: I don't think it's a lot of effort,
because she doesn't look like she's trying too hard.
RICK: Counterclockwise action.
Very exciting.
CHRIS: Which, I think that's probably part of the skill.
RICK: Now this prancing gait is very elegant.
EVAN: Bronson has a good gait.
He's started to-- he's trying to switch his lead leg there
a little bit.
RICK: It's not easy for the two competitors to--
EVAN: Little bit of flair.
RICK: --get their timing just right
for that sort of maneuver.
CHRIS: It's very orchestrated in terms of right and left
and the back in front.
EVAN: Daring maneuver by Alison.
A little bit of a circular motion there.
CHRIS: Oh, and now they're going in a circle.
EVAN: Taking it down at a speed notch.
That's what we call a transition from a three to a one.
CHRIS: I've seen parts of these things live.
This is fascinating.
EVAN: Notice how still the tail is.
CHRIS: Because I don't understand how you do that
to a big beast of a horse.
EVAN: Very little derriere motion there.
RICK: There's some sort of pattern that's going on here,
I think.
EVAN: Alison's getting ready to move into the finale.
CHRIS: I'm assuming she's doing some things with her reins
there.
EVAN: This is where Bronson usually shines.
CHRIS: Why is the head dropping like that?
That's interesting.
EVAN: Notice the low neck position.
RICK: The horse seems to be putting his head down
so he can find his way.
CHRIS: She's giving the horse a break.
EVAN: A very relaxed gait and posture.
CHRIS: A breather, I'm thinking.
RICK: Now they're back in the corner.
CHRIS: I always watch this kind of thing
and wonder if the horse is having fun.
RICK: Oh, here's some excitement.
EVAN: This is what we call a high step tango.
It's a little bit more advanced.
CHRIS: I think it is.
RICK: Getting a little frisky.
EVAN: The lead leg has shifted again.
SARAH: What tells you that?
CHRIS: I don't know.
[LAUGH]
EVAN: Look at those high hooves.
There we go.
Another side strafe.
CHRIS: And I feel like the horse is like, hey.
Now we're doing this.
RICK: Circling is certainly popular.
CHRIS: And I'm with you.
EVAN: Head posture looks great.
CHRIS: (WHISPERING) I sound like a dork.
RICK: So you notice, both the horse and the rider
are wearing hats.
SARAH: What do you look for in a head posture?
EVAN: For the steed or the rider?
SARAH: For the horse.
RICK: That's mostly for safety.
EVAN: Not too far up, not too far down.
CHRIS: That's part of the routine.
The judges say, you're going to stop at this point.
And she shows that she can control the horse
and stop there.
EVAN: That's the picture perfect head position right there
that Bronson's carrying.
SARAH: How do you think she knows what that point is?
CHRIS: I'm thinking it's the position of the rider.
EVAN: Bronson just looks happy out there.
Alison is enjoying her ride.
RICK: Both in agreement.
Both nodding their heads as they go.
SARAH: How can you tell?
EVAN: The smile on her face.
CHRIS: Well, now she's leaning back.
So I'm thinking maybe she's like, all right, buddy.
We're going to do this now.
So lean back a little bit.
EVAN: Usually finales only go on for about a minute
and 30 seconds, but Alison seems to have gone a little bit over.
RICK: And now a little moment of rest after all that excitement.
Oop.
Here we go again.
SARAH: What do you think leaning back communicates to the horse?
CHRIS: Leaning back means, OK.
Let's just kind of chill a bit.
RICK: I think the idea here is that you
want to really show that you know where
the edges of the field are.
EVAN: Look at how beautifully Alison holds the reins.
Bronson's just out there, doing his thing.
All she has to do is just relax and sit back.
RICK: And now there's a little speed work here.
EVAN: I once danced this song at my high school prom.
CHRIS: The change in, like, the lead foot,
I don't understand any of that.
That's fascinating to me.
I don't even know how you would begin to do that.
SARAH: How would you describe that gait?
EVAN: It was a very open gait, you
know, that you can tell the speed and tempo was up.
RICK: Now this little fancy trotting across.
EVAN: Oh, look at this.
Just some little short steps there.
A little short stepping.
RICK: Demonstrating a certain fearlessness
on the part of the horse.
CHRIS: She's doing some kind of routine, which I always
think is weird, because I guess you guys have to memorize it.
RICK: And the control of the rider, of course,
is very important in all of this.
EVAN: Little saddle bounce.
RICK: Here we come along, very much
like at the beginning of the exercise.
CHRIS: So you have to memorize on the spot?
RICK: And we've stopped.
CHRIS: Which is nuts.
RICK: Terrific.
EVAN: Beautiful job, Alison.
Bronson was fantastic out there.
I think the judges will give her probably an 8.5.
SARAH: Out of--
EVAN: 10.
SARAH: How would you score this ride?
CHRIS: She looks pretty put together.
She looks very crisp and clean, so I'm thinking she's aces,
like nines.
[LAUGH]
RICK: It seemed quite fine.
They always were going--
circling to the left, I guess.
Is that right?
So I was sort of hoping they might go to the other way--
go in the other direction.
SARAH: Cleanliness is a big part of it.
CHRIS: I think so, yeah.
I think she looks like she's all crisply decked out.
But also just, the horse looked so--
the movements were very crisp.
SARAH: What was your favorite--
[LAUGH]
What was your favorite part?
EVAN: I would have to say the extended gait or maybe
the high step tango.
RICK: I really liked the part where they were moving around.
I liked the little circles that they were doing in the corners.
CHRIS: The angles of the legs.
Like, they were just very proper and very prim and very--
I don't know.
I can't-- I don't understand it, frankly.
SARAH: What was your least favorite part?
RICK: Believe the commentary left a little to be desired.
It didn't provide a whole lot of insight into--
SARAH: Your commentary.
RICK: I was commentating.
EVAN: I thought her finale was a little too long.
She kind of held back for a little while.
CHRIS: I can't understand the routine.
I saw what I thought was, like, a figure eight,
and I'm like, when do you decide to stop?
So I was kind of trying to figure out, like,
why things were happening.
SARAH: You think she should have started the finale early.
EVAN: A little earlier, yeah.
SARAH: So it would have been the entire performance.
EVAN: Quite possibly, yes.
It would be more enjoyable that way.
SARAH: OK.
Do you think the horse knows where it's going?
CHRIS: I think a horse would probably
get used to these routines, and that now it's game time.
It's play time.
SARAH: If you were going to ride one of these,
what music would you select?
EVAN: I'd say maybe Sisqo.
SARAH: Any song in particular?
EVAN: I would ride to "Unleash the Dragon" by Sisqo.
SARAH: Thank you for not picking the one
that everyone assumed you were going to pick.
[LAUGH]
And do you know who the rider is?
RICK: I have no idea who the rider is.
SARAH: She was actually blonde, the rider.
EVAN: Oh.
SARAH: She was pretty tall.
CHRIS: Blonde woman, fairly tall.
So--
EVAN: Oh my goodness.
The first rider was--
CHRIS: Let's see.
Hmm.
SARAH: It's a SmartPaker.
RICK: Uh--
SARAH: Works in Marketing.
Not named Alison.
RICK: Is it Viviane?
SARAH: It is Viviane.
RICK: Oh.
SARAH: Well done, sir.
RICK: Thank you.
EVAN: Oh, Viviane.
CHRIS: I'm forgetting her name.
I'm awful.
[LAUGH]
This is so bad.
German.
[LAUGHTER]
[SPEAKING GERMAN]
[LAUGH]
SARAH: Can you apologize in German?
Can you say, I'm sorry I forgot--
CHRIS: I'm so sorry I don't know your name.
This is horrible, because I'm from Germany too,
and I'm Norwegian and German, and we're just--
we're together.
SARAH: Viviane.
CHRIS: Yes.
Viviane.
Thank you.
Sorry, Viviane.