The sh*t that goes on never seems to amaze me.
Yeahā¦ hereās why Iām not buying nefarious intent: No one is out there tuning up the hind end on a hunter. The judges are comically oblivious to hind end technique - an actual pet peeve of mine. As long as it snaps its knees it can trail its hind end like a wet blanket and still win the class. And if it was so klutzy behind that it is constantly dropping rails it would have been weeded out of the running long ago.
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Your statement obviates the argument of stain removal as an āinnocentā application of alcohol.
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Why?
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I was a professional groom for a few yearsā¦ always carried a bottle of alcohol in my backpack to the ring for last minute touch-ups, especially for my pony hunters. That was just me.
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How does OP even know what was IN the spray bottle?
I donāt know about everyone else, but I sure donāt want to do anything that is going to irritate my hunter directly before going in to do a subjectively scored round. Nor do I want any more āactivityā behind than usual, a swishing tail or generally, anything that is going to make my horse look p-oād or detract from its way of going. I also donāt want it going out there and snapping itās hind end over the jumps, as that is not going to create a very hunter-y picture.
I do, however, want very white socks and an impeccably turned out. Also, Iāve known some brilliant higher level hunter horses that were not dead broke on the ground, or the easiest to handle, despite having long resumes.
I feel like this thread is turning into a veiled attempt to smear a certain trainer, I mean by the number of horses in the derby (presumably at the Royal), the number of chestnuts with socks is going to be a handful at most.
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I could not begin to count how many gallons of rubbing alcohol Iāve used on horses in the course of my lifetime. My math skills are not equal to the task. In hindsight, I would say the ratio has probably been 50/50 between stain removal and liniment under standing wraps. Of all those gallons of rubbing alcohol used on an endless array of horses, exactly none of it has been used to tune up a horse. None. Zero. Zilch.
The fact that an occasional terrible horseman might attempt to do that does not change the fact that most people are not using it for that purpose. And the people who might try something like that are unlikely to do it in full view of God and everybody in the warm-up ring. If a bad horseman has a sleazy trick up his sleeve that he thinks is effective, he is not going to share it with his competitors by doing it in front of them.
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Interesting and sad if that is the true intent-
I also am confused as to the bandwagon to find anything nefarious in this - to simply bash show hunters.
The fact is no one, not even the OP, knows what was in the bottle and why it was used. But my bet would be with you- a horse with chrome on their legs is going to catch a lot of attention good or bad over the jumps- you want those legs to sparkle- not hurt or be irritated- my gosh even a swishing tail can ruin things -
I always say people should look in your own back yard before attacking others- its so hypocritical the people always ranting about horsemanship and the company they truly keep -
I have friends who have made mistakes but Iām not out ready to attack others either.
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So then what was the rationale of the FEI in banning leg clipping at shows?
OP stated they could smell the alcohol - pretty distinct smell. However they have not said it was at the Royal so Iām not sure where people are drawing that conclusion. There are lots of other derbyās happening across the country within the time frame.
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Maybe the horses has some form of anhidrosis?? Clipping and alchohol to effected areas helps them- it could be a possibility??
Not sitting at the restaurant that right next/above the hitching ring.
The OP confirmed it anyway.
Um, anhidrosis would require alcohol on the large muscle groups and back, not on the legs. No cooling capacity in the small vessels and no major muscles there.
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We show the As and a bottle of alcohol is frequently used for touch ups before going into the ring to clean up socks or to help sweat dry faster before a jog or award presentation. Some of the newer footings turn them a hideous shade of orange even after a quick warmup and my trainer is a stickler for gleaming whites.
That is quite the stretch there.
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Why do you keep bringing it up FEI rules on a thread about a non FEI sport?
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This line confused me.
What is the difference?
I need to be educated what that difference is because I can say that my horse acts like she is being tortured when I spray water on her legs. Jerking it up and holding it there and then kicking it aroundā¦ Does that mean the water hurts her? (She does eventually give in and suffer thru the torture that is horse bathing.)
To put wraps on her (dry wraps, no chemicals) We sometimes have to hold up a leg to be able to wrap the other leg. Does that mean we are doing something horrible to her?
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I donāt know their rationale for certain, but Iād guess that even without applying anything caustic, clipping the legs very closely right before a round would make them more sensitive and theoretically the horse might jump more carefully. Not necessarily āharmfulāĀ to the horse in that it would actively cause pain, but still an attempt to gain an unnatural advantage.
I donāt know what kind of clipping leaves scabs that are visible from 15 feet away though. Even surgical blades shouldnāt leave scabs unless there is some sort of preexisting skin condition.
I donāt doubt that some individuals try to cheat by making legs sensitive, but thereās definitely not enough information to say thatās what happened here.
The FEI statement on the issue was ā¦
that shaving or clipping legs shortly before a jumping competition is considered a āmethod that in itself may increase the sensitivity of the horseāĀ and that it could also be a āpreparation for the application of substances that are intended to cause hypersensitivityāĀ.
I have no opinion on what the OP saw
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Six pages of conversation on grooms spraying a horseās legs ringside and some people are surprised at how easily rumors start in the horse show world :lol:
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