2023 USEF Medal Finals

The one in the ring right now, # 131, is also trained by the Wireman family.

Better than talking about how you definitely can produce a young eq horse without money in your backyard. That someone will definitely bankroll it if it is your dream.

Who is paying all these entry fees? Clinic entries? Shipping to lessons? You’re not getting into the medal files by watching videos on youtube.

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They are backpedaling a bit now.

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Good, because what 13 year old without an experienced trainer is able to select a young horse and produce it themselves without
 a trainer holding their hand?

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Yep, this is the reason I always mute her.

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I wrote in on the anyone can do it issue - sounds like I wasn’t alone
. the finances to compete at this level are unrealistic even if you have a very good income.

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I wish they wouldn’t talk about other subjects and ignore a rider’s entire trip.

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You know, I don’t think it does kids any harm to hear “you can make opportunities for yourself if you work for it.” Sure, we as adults know that most people get to this level because they have money behind them, but for the thousands of kids who don’t, how many of them would stop trying if they were told there wasn’t a path for them? And how many keep trying and have good experiences, even if they weren’t the experiences they dreamed of? And then sometimes you do have that one in a million story of the kid who doesn’t come from money but works up to a working student position and takes home a ribbon.

Be honest- tell the kids that it will be hard- but there’s no need to shut them down and tell them they can’t.

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I agree, although I think there’s a difference between being honest and being completely unrealistic.

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My issue with the way it was phrased before I muted was that it came across as “and if you don’t get these opportunities, you’re just not working hard enough” when the reality is that for many kids, the opportunity simply won’t be there regardless of whether they put their heart and soul into it.

It puts the onus of failure on the kid.

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Even having those experiences, even if they’re not the ones you hoped for, requires a significant sum of money and also the time and flexibility to become that working student or produce your own horse.

There’s “it will be hard” and what a teenager envisions “hard” to be, and those two things are not in the same stratosphere.

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@BITSA: thank you . I don’t think it’s the right place to discuss the finances of competing at this level. I hope the commentators get the message and focus on the rounds.

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I think that was probably said while I was out, and if I’d heard that I’d probably agree with you.

My mom was a single parent raising two kids on a teacher’s salary. Both kids rode- Mom is a horsewoman. She knew fully well that neither one of us was going to be the next Beezie Madden. We were very lucky- we could go to a couple of A shows a year, doing our own work and braiding to earn our way. Mom did sit us down (me in particular, I wanted to qualify for Medal Finals) and talked pecuniary points with us, including what work we would have to do to afford horse showing. I knew darn well that I would have to qualify on X horse shows a year because I couldn’t pay for more, and I knew that I would be less equipped to go to finals because I would be qualifying out of the small A and B shows I could afford whereas the rest of the barn was showing every weekend and going to Florida. But nobody ever said “you can’t do this because it takes more money than you have,” and in retrospect, that made me keep working, keep trying, set big goals, and ultimately become a better rider and horsewoman than I would have been if I had set the kind of goals that were achievable on the budget I had.

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I think it makes them sound a bitout of touch with reality.

By the time a “hard working kid” is noticed, they are already sinking more into their monthly lessons than some people make in income. They are already wealthier than most of the population.

All the YouTube and hard work talk makes me think of the Attested Development scene.

By all means, give kids hope they can excel and that hard work is valued, but I think you also have to acknowledge that the kids this applies to are already ‘wealthy’.

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I believe they got started on the topic in response to a question sent in on Instagram.

Oh, what a shame about Nora Pieters in the 5. But I think her riding age is 13, so she’ll have lots more years.

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Now I think they are back on topic: how to ride this course. What pace to have, when and how to get it, etc. Really like the advice Ava had on how she would ride this.

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It wasn’t the line she wanted to have, but my gosh, Campbell Hudkins’ horse gave an incredible jump over the triple bar.

Agree! That was notable!

All right, I need to go feed my horse some supper. Can someone do me a favor and update me on Georgia Schmidt who goes 161th? I was trying to watch all our zone 3 kids but I think I’m going to miss her go if they keep being so efficient with the drag.