About to get kicked off an FB group. Or leave of my own accord

[McGurk]

I’m following one of those funny sites, you know sh&%e(insert discipline here)unite, which has mostly been good fun and laughs. There have been some videos that gave me pause from a riding standpoint, but the rules of the group state they won’t post any videos where the horse or rider came to actual harm.

Well.

Two days ago there was a video that was pretty horrific, at least to my mind. Horse that was clearly unsound and in pain, jumping badly, crashing fences, doing an odd bunny hop jump, bucking after every jump, falling down. There was no indication of the time frame over which the clips were taken, but there were a lot of different clips.

Like, at what point do you say “Wow, this horse has fallen down a lot while jumping, what’s up with that?” or “Perhaps I shouldn’t jump this horse any more?”

The worst, to my mind, were clips of dressage tests or schooling where the poor horse objects mightly to cantering a circle to the left, holding his haunches way to the inside, trying desparately of avoid weighting the left hind.

I said something very mild, admiring the riders amazingly sticky seat, but mentioning that it seemed the horse was saying ouch.

The owner of the horse responded with a laughing emoji and said no, the horse was fine, he was just a jerk.

I just don’t understand how someone can be at the level that this rider clearly is and not be more sympathetic or attentive to what the horse is trying to tell her. Or think that horse fall down because they’re jerks.

I think I’ll leave before they kick me out. It’s not like I’m enjoying it after this.

[TheJenners]

Nope I get you, I have to bite my tongue too. On some of them anyway. Mine are more the level of rider v height of fences, ie is it no surprise the person fell off when the horse stopped at a xrail when it’s clear from watching him/her just trying to trot that they shouldn’t be jumping yet?

[Jealoushe]

It’s a hard group for me to be in too… I have to practice my mantra of scroll and roll because some of the posts are great.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

I left the group as well. It was a cute idea, and many of the videos were funny without being scary to watch for the horse and rider. But more and more, it was just depressing and I felt uncomfortable looking at the videos. I know it’s easy to type, “get a vet to look at that horse,” or “it’s time to take a step down and go back to basics.” But too many times, that’s really what was pretty obviously going on–and even if a video is just a short moment in time, clearly it had happened enough to prepare the photographer/rider to capture it.

[Angela_Freda]

I had to leave the $hit ___riders page I joined. it was too much of unfunny, lame, dangerous clips and people laughing at it.
And now there’s Reels on Facebook sharing more of that nonsense.
Poor horses.

and horses are never to blame people
#1 rule.

[sherian]

found the original site funny at first with some great writing poking fun at themselves but then it seemed to deteriorate into sheer stupidity and ignorance, so I left.

[luvmyhackney]

I scroll and roll. There are some really humorous ones like the hubbies helping and etc, but many I can’t even watch as they show just horrific horsemanship.

[Jenerationx]

The hot farriers was hysterical, but yeah, I scroll and roll mostly.

[Calvincrowe]

I left it a long time ago. Horses aren’t jerks, assh*%+* or other horrible names. I hated seeing bad riding, lame, hurting horses, and rider error being laughed about. And it sucked my own confidence to see all those falls. I have better uses of my time.

[lenapesadie]

There’s one for dog handlers. It’s funny without the horror of some of the horse ones.

[Sleipnir]

I used to be on the largest one, but left it on my own accord due to getting fed up of horrible riding, lame horses and their riders/owners seemingly competing over who could come up with the most vulgar insult at their horse without getting banned from Facebook.

[Jenerationx]

What’s the name of that one?

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

The language doesn’t bother me. I’ve lived in the UK, and I think that might be a bit of a cultural gap. It’s not uncommon, especially in the North (in my experience) to use some really salty language in an affectionate way.

But after a certain point, a certain level of injury likelihood for horse and rider just makes me clutch my pearls. It’s one thing to be riding a horse that refuses to do anything but canter through an entire dressage test or have a weirdly amazing save over a crossrail, and another thing to worry about a fall that might have resulted in a serious injury.

Also British, but back in Ye Olde Internet Time, there was a video compilation of a naughty grey pony ridden by a boy in a safety vest and helmet. Yes, it was funny and the boy didn’t get hurt, but on the other hand, if a pony keeps dumping your kid, sell the pony or get it some training, don’t make a viral video.

[hoopoe]

so many people monetizing animals with obvious physical or psychological issues. not for me. I too left the Shite X group for the very same issues. We all have come to grief at times, but when there are videos of obvious bad riders or horses saying please stop I decided that was not where to see humor

[McGurk]

Impractical,

Yes, I remember those videos, too. At some point I thought “What parent keeps putting the kid on the pony? And films it? At what point is it child endangerment?” (Hint: that point was passed long before the video stopped.)

Those videos of Ed the naughty pony are a useful reference point, though. I never once thought that Ed the pony was unsound or in pain; he was just a typical underschooled and overfed small pony who desparately needed some time under a stronger rider.

The deal breaker for me is the video I referenced above, with a clearly unhappy horse.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

That’s so true! Ed was clearly having the time of his life! The kid, not so much, who (I remember from a follow-up article) is no longer riding, unsurprisingly.

Yes, that is very true how the ones with unhappy, unsound horses are the saddest. While it’s important not to reduce every person to their worst ride, and any videoed lesson or show can have its moments, the horses with soundness issues or who buck and try to actively unseat their riders seem to have a quality of “ha, he always does this,” and there’s no attempt to find out why.

[NancyM]

I never joined that group. I saw it a couple of times, forwarded by friends, but what I saw was too depressing. Not what I wanted to watch, and not amusing at all. EVER.

[Ruth0552]

I just scrolled through a bazillion posts trying to find the one you are talking about.

Honestly, most of the posts are bad clip jobs, funny photo fails, ponies getting loose, etc. The riding ones are mostly people getting popped off their horses, which isn’t great riding but everyone has a $hit moment once in a while.

Every once in a while one does make it through that shows some serious issues, but the moderators don’t do this full time for a living. You just flag it and move on.

[Texarkana]

I left and a friend keeps trying to add me again.

The whole thing was funny at first. But I cannot stand a bunch of people making human errors in horsemanship and blaming them on their horse being a jerk/ass/twat whatever.

[McGurk]

Ruth,

I sent you a PM with the link.

Please let me know what you think.