Olympic Dressage: Do the Anky Polka

1 August 2012

Stephen Colbert is at it again, and his send up of dressage as an elitist Olympic sport may turn out to be the best publicity the sport has ever had. Colbert, the Comedy Central show host, aired his latest video of lessons with New Jersey dressage trainer and Olympic dressage veteran Michael Barisone this week, and the results are hilarious. But as the dressage riders get ready for the first day of medal-crunching competition in London’s Greenwich Park tomorrow, in comes another video from left field. A group of musicians in the horsey town of Appledoorn in the Netherlands are inviting their countrymen–and, indeed, the world–to “Do the Anky” in support of veteran Olympic gold medalist Anky van Grunsven, who has gone to London to defend her Olympic title with the horse she won it on: 18-year-old Salinero. It will be Anky’s seventh Olympics. She’s won three gold medals. But she never had a song before. If you’re expecting a “Chariots of Fire” type of rousing anthem for Anky, think again. It’s all in good fun and it’s a polka with a few extra dance steps that even Stephen Colbert could master. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqyCrnTDBRI And I swear I heard the same song at a distant cousin’s wedding a while ago.?The Olympic Voices, who recorded the song and the video, are a group of guys who poke fun at themselves and the sport of dressage. So far, no translation has been posted in English for the lyrics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62d3l8Tu23s They even inspire people to post videos of themselves “doing the Anky”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVPLcZIrdfw They also predict that “doing the Anky” will replace planking. At least they have the sense to put their helmets on when they crack open the beers. Joe Six Pack–and Stephen Colbert–would definitely approve.

Stephen Colbert probably never imagined that dressage riders can laugh not just at him–but at themselves. Defending Olympic dressage gold medalist Anky van Grunsven just has to laugh about the latest Dutch jokester polka, which encourages her fans to “Doe de Anky!”. (Image courtesy of McSmit/Fran Jurga)

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