you must have hard evidence . Just being OFFERED compensation is not a problem - accepting it is. DOes she have a business website? Facebook? Is she getting benefits for riding other’s horses (discounted boarding? “gifts” over the $$limit?)). Be careful, Have your ducks in a row.
And frankly I am SO VERY TIRED bout the rants IRT “rich ammies” and their horses. Get over it. Follow your own journey on your own horse.
That’s a great point. What exactly is wrong with someone spending their money on great training and the nicest horses they can afford? It’s their money. And if it makes the sport more enjoyable to them, good for them!
But if those ammies are riding above Third Level, and those horses have FEI quality movement, there’s nothing easy about what they are doing. It takes a TON of fitness, tact, and time in the saddle to ride a horse well at that level. Trainers don’t simply install buttons for ammies to push.
The “rich amateur” may not be putting in the hours training the horse up the levels from scratch, but not everybody wants to or has the time and talent to do it themselves. And if they did, what would dressage trainers do for a living?
If this was directed at me… I am one of these rich ammies, and they can do whatever they want, but still they should leave others who are not as lucky to be a rich ammie alone and not meddle around with rules to have more fun…
of course you can tell me now that the AA rules were not installed by rich AA s with influence…
We are all on a continuum of relative privilege in horses. Someone will always have more cash and more talent or ability than us, and someone will always have less, down to those who can’t afford to ride at all or who have physical deficits.
We live in a society with great income disparity, and the fact that some of us can afford $100,000 with full training board, while most of us can’t, is hardly the worst effect of this disparity.
Facing reality means accepting your personal financial and talent limitations and doing the best with where you are.
I think that competition brings out the worst in a lot of people and the best in a few folks. I’m def non-competitive-- kinda emotionally allergic to competition really. Successful yes. Competitive no.
What other people do is on them. If OP feels inclined to pop this poser for cheating in order to win, and that makes her feel better, fine. If the poser ‘trainer’ finds it’s ultimately good for her to cheat the system, fine with me too. Everybody gets to follow their path.
Honestly I think it’s not genuine competition in an arena that brings out the worst in people.
I think it is more that young women are brought up in our culture to shy away from genuine competition in set venues but instead to be competitive over multiple aspects of life.
Boys are taught to be competitive in a strictly limited venue and to be good sports off the field. Play hard and then shake hands with the other team.
Girls are taught not to put themselves out there in actual competition, but to constantly be on social competition, who is more popular, has nicer hair, a more expensive handbag, etc.
Can you imagine a boy winning a football game but then getting upset because someone on the losing team had nicer hair?
Girls compete socially, and the two threads about TB DQ are about social competition. The TB is not a direct competitor to the OP’s livelihood or discipline. She is a social competitor for the favor of the BO and the social space of the barn. The OP is looking for ways to fight back. She has focussed on the idea of filing a USEF complaint about amateur status. But in slightly different circumstances she might have decided to query an insurance situation or report someone to the IRS or to Safe Sport etc etv, all ways people can make complaints to regulatory bodies to cause problems for people they dont like.
Honestly people who are real athletes need to be so focussed on their actual training and competition that they can’t spare much energy for social competition of this sort. Shaving a second off your best time is not helped by worrying who is friends with who.
Though i do feel girls can be awfully mean, i also feel boys can be brutal. i don’t share your positive outlook on how boys are brought up to be.
I do think that striving to win …to be best…leads to a hollow victory. Once you win, (get that title/award/trophy/ribbon) there’s always that thing of: Now what? What’s next? How do i get this feeling of victory again? (hint: nobody else really cares how good or how cool you are)
I think if people climb up onto the ladder on a higher rung than i do, to speed up the Win, well, that’s fine, but i think you’re missing all the fun. I enjoy the process I want to learn everything. …for me, gentling a wild horse, then training it to be ridden, then taking dressage lessons is a way to prolong the ‘good part’.
I feel OP’s problem with that other person in the barn isn’t going to lead either one of them to self-fulfillment, but if that’s their path to learn a lesson in life, so be it. Wisdom comes with a pricetag.
Except it wasn’t done out of safety concern. Would be a different story if it was. It was 100% to get to me in trouble, but they just looked like the foolish butthead in the end lol
I love your last paragraph… however, this first part… while true, it si thankfully less true now than it was when I was younger. However, we still have folks who do not believe girls are held to a different standard, and complain when a girl/woman breaks out and rises above the “social competition” she was (we were) groomed to follow. How many times have i read - “why do we make a big deal over the First Woman ??”
I can’t imagine a girl doing this either.
So you think the AA rules (and therefore the AA classes, divisions, and awards) are somehow bad? You can always compete only in the Open classes or as an Open rider if you like…
Well, in my lifetime, I have seen how well-funded ammies have an advantage by having their horse in training with a pro and then riding and showing that horse. That ammie does not compete at the same level as an ammie who is bringing his/her horse own horse along with, say, weekly lessons. The horse is going on the trainer’s training, not the ammie’s riding.
Further, a $40K import can likely out-compete a very well trained domestic horse at lower levels due to gaits and simple training. That $40K import youngster in fulltime training will likely beat any other horse not bred for dressage or in full time training with a pro. That’s just a fact. I did very well with my domestically bred WB mare never in full time training, but I worked quite hard to be correct in the ring. We couldn’t compete over imports in full training with a custom saddle and regular bodywork (I throw this in there because I couldn’t afford it but knew many who could). I personally believe that money can buy so much in dressage. I also believe the sport targets female ammies with a disposable income and juniors with parents with a disposable income. That’s great if you fit into those categories but not great if you don’t. Flame suit zipped.
Yes the AA rule is bad… simply look at this thread …
and the separation in AA and open and Jr is useful only for getting more ribbons… nothing else…
And it is hard to discuss these matters with somebody who voted for raising fees although respresenting people who were against it…Sorry…
There’s always going to be someone that has more than you. Whether it’s privilege, money, skill, or other resources. You all have to get over that. It’s life. That seems the biggest gripe here, not the AA rule. It’s the jealousy, the “unfairness” and the fact that others shouldn’t have what you can’t have.
Even if it were changed that there was no AA rule, then their would be bitching that “omg! I have to compete against pros?!” I’ve competed in the US and abroad in Europe and I just show up and compete. I do my best, and don’t give a flip.
I can actually understand a separation of pros and amateurs in sports, it doesn’t offend me. Not having or doesn’t offend me either. The thing is that people are so obsessed with fairness, and I want things to be fair too, but there will aways be someone that has some sort of advantage.
Technically an import shouldn’t have have advantage over a domestically produced warmblood? Why would there be an advantage? If they’re both purpose bred dressage horses under competent trainers and/or riders. Now if someone imports a 40k purpose bred warmblood with good basic training that has already been to a few comps and compares it to halter bred Appaloosa just starting out in the sandbox, that’s different.
It sucks that the AA rule has ruined it for some of you, or that “rich AA’s” (even if you are one?) spoil your time, but if it is something you can change, do it, if not, you’ve got to focus on yourself and do your thing.
If you have 100% clear proof that someone is violation a rule of the sport, whatever it may be, pursue it. If not, then you can take a big risk that possibly isn’t worth it. It’s up to you.
I am not sure whether a custom saddle will give you an advantage in riding dressage… . and I assume you agree with me that the divide of the classes is useless because now a rich AA competes against a poor AA 
.
But the Pros get to ride in their own classes because the rich AA who pays for lessons does not want to loose against the pro giving him these lessons…… and for the poor AA it doesn’t really make a difference because he will loose anyhow…
Did I say something about a custom dressage saddle?
I mean, well fitting saddle is good, doesn’t have to he custom.
Ah wait, you relied to J-Lu but quoted me. Sorry. I can’t decipher this new format sometimes 
Edit: BigMama said it better and more succinct.
That’s the same in any sport. Those who have the time and money to invest in better training, better equipment, and more practice will probably do better than those who don’t, all other things being equal. But again, they aren’t just sitting there pushing buttons their trainer installed. From Third Level up you have to be able to RIDE. You have to be fit. You have to put in the time in the saddle if you want to do well.
Who cares if they have help from a trainer or a really nice horse? They still have to put in the work to learn to ride it. There’s nothing unfair about it. If you(g) wanted to compete in F1 car racing, you wouldn’t show up in a Toyota Corolla and then complain that everyone else had more expensive cars than you.
That’s what I like about dressage, personally. The ribbons and placings are kind of irrelevant. It’s your own score that matters. I can’t control if someone else has a wow horse, or simply rides a better test that I did that day. I can’t control that and don’t waste time worrying about it. I can control riding a good test to the best of my ability and hopefully improving on my previous score.
THIS. Thank you.
Wait…you heard someone offering payment of some ilk therefore you believe they took it?
I have a friend with a young horse. Friend needs some help with basic horsemanship and dealing with baby behavior advice. Horse is in training with the same trainer we both work with, but at times friend needs to do things with her horse herself and sometimes that requires some eyes on the ground. Trainer is totally on board with me helping friend given the situation.
I help friend. Sometimes that “sounds” like a lesson (I taught a million years ago in a completely different discipline. Once you have instructor voice you always have instructor voice). Friend keeps saying that I should take payment for this. I have explained to friend numerous times that I’m helping her as a friend and don’t wish to be paid.
I’m still pretty sure I’m an amateur. Not just in letter of the law but also in the spirit of the law. To have someone report me because they heard friend say “you should be paid for this” would be very sad. I receive no renumeration except the good feelings that I get from knowing my friend and her horse are happy and safe with some help.
I too take rules pretty seriously, but it’s my understanding that it’s the $$ exchange that matters, not the appearance of teaching nor the offering of $$. Only the acceptance of $$ matters.
For the record, I’m definitely not TB as I’ve never actually competed in dressage and my horse and I are just hitting intro 
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