Andrew McConnon horse abuse

[fivestrideline]

I wasn’t USEF and the FEI do get their heads out of the sand and do their damn jobs - according to their code of conduct and ethics. What I don’t want is a non-horsey entity, usually completely inexperienced and uneducated about animals of any kind, to start mandating and controlling horse ownership and horse sports. And that’s what will happen if our governing bodies continue to do nothing.

This won’t immediately affect the small time backyard trainer who has never done more than local shows and never had a reason to join USEF. But it will, eventually, make it very hard to keep horses in an actually species appropriate way.

[BrownDerby]

Exactly.

[floppyammy]

@ACMEeventing

And more. Sad and infuriating

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/rtJ1WYJbdP18c9GU/?mibextid=WC7FNe

Oh God. The videographer’s sick, angry voice broke my heart.
THANK YOU - WHOMEVER YOU ARE - FOR TAKING A STAND

[Texarkana]

@fivestrideline

I wasn’t USEF and the FEI do get their heads out of the sand and do their damn jobs - according to their code of conduct and ethics. What I don’t want is a non-horsey entity, usually completely inexperienced and uneducated about animals of any kind, to start mandating and controlling horse ownership and horse sports. And that’s what will happen if our governing bodies continue to do nothing.

This won’t immediately affect the small time backyard trainer who has never done more than local shows and never had a reason to join USEF. But it will, eventually, make it very hard to keep horses in an actually species appropriate way.

I think about the Berkley City Council v. Golden Gate Fields situation. Berkley City keeps trying to pass ordinances that make it illegal to stall a horse more than 10 hours a day and requiring all daily turnout to be on 1/2 acre or more per horse. They basically were trying to make racetracks illegal from a welfare standpoint. And sure, those requirements sound all well and good, but there are many horses who have a high quality of life without meeting those requirements. In their effort to end horse racing, all they are really doing is reducing the number of good homes available for horses and making it more difficult for people to own them period, especially in a high cost region like the bay area of CA.

[endlessclimb]

I don’t understand how that relates to someone who isn’t a member of USEF having an opinion on their lack of action when presented with abuse.

That’s one of the reasons people pay to be part of the club, right? That it’s more ethical, that there are people tasked with taking care of this - but yet, they don’t.

So what’s the point of the club?

[trubandloki]

@endlessclimb

I don’t understand how that relates to someone who isn’t a member of USEF having an opinion on their lack of action when presented with abuse.

That’s one of the reasons people pay to be part of the club, right? That it’s more ethical, that there are people tasked with taking care of this - but yet, they don’t.

So what’s the point of the club?

Not debating that with you.

Clearly all the organizations have messed up here.

I do NOT agree with the point that proclaiming people should stop joining is the simple answer here.
The governing bodies have messed this up.
That does not make it necessarily perfect at every show that is not part of the governing body.

[beowulf]

I am so f$#%ing proud of those girls for standing up for what’s right and reporting him. Sometimes being the whistleblower comes at enormous personal cost.

Bravo to them.

[simc24]

I am not surprised to hear that about Sue Smithson. She’s definitely an old school git er’ done type.

This whole thread just makes me so sad for the horses.

[Jealoushe]

That newest video just breaks my heart over and over again, because I’m sure that horse wasn’t physically capable of whatever bend or flexion or movement off his leg he was asking for.

[Jealoushe]

truly advocates for the horses

[endlessclimb]

I do think that their failure to act would be a good reason to not join. It may not be the only answer, but it certainly is an answer that if enough people did it, they might take this more seriously. Right now, it’s the people at the top who have control, and since they too are part of this good-ol-boy network, they don’t seem to want to change things and clean their own house.

It’s pretty normal to take your money elsewhere if you aren’t happy with an organization/company/store/affiliation, particularly if they’ve shown time and time again they aren’t willing to do what their own code of conduct states they will do.

If they can’t even be trusted to call out blatant abuse, how can anyone be sure about the drug testing protocols? Or really anything else they proport to do? The abuse seems like low hanging fruit compared to the other things.

[Sheasmom2]

Sue is an outstanding judge and horse woman.

[fivestrideline]

I agree. This isn’t an organization where the members have a vote either - with organizations that may not be exactly what you want BUT your vote matters, it makes sense to join and use that power for change. If the members are only dollar signs, one course of action is certainly to not give the organization money. Is it the only answer? No. But it is a valid one.

ETA: however, not being a member DOES lessen the impact of your criticism of the organization. At least to TPTB, why would they care what a non-paying random person has to say? Short of social media firestorms, there is something to be said for remaining a member and pushing HARD for change, in whatever way you can. That’s the other side to these two options - don’t give the org your money, or keep your membership and get LOUD.

[endlessclimb]

And apparently she laughed off welts delivered during a dressage test.

Folks, we really have to get people off their pedestals. This is how this stuff has been allowed to continue for FAR too long.

I am not perfect. NO one is perfect. But to dismiss someone’s lived-in experience is how we ended up here.

[luvmyhackney]

I’m sure Sue is lovely, but she is part of the old-school trainers/judges with a less-than-sympathetic view of horses. They grew up and learned to get it done by any means necessary. That isn’t going to work anymore. Beating a horse into submission isn’t going to be accepted any longer.

Either that view gets changed or they get shunned and kicked out of the horse community. Abuse will not and should not be tolerated no matter how many accolades or how long they have been in the business.

[fivestrideline]

@luvmyhackney

Abuse will not and should not be tolerated no matter how many accolades or how long they have been in the business.

[Sheasmom2]

That is just simply not true. Sue is often head of the Ground Jury also.
Let’s not drag her into this over a remark that could have been a joke.

[endlessclimb]

“I would have whipped him too”

When presented with a welt substantial enough to have someone flag the TD over it.

Hell of a joke.

[fivestrideline]

@Sheasmom2

Let’s not drag her into this over a remark that could have been a joke.

That’s a terrible, poor taste, inappropriate joke and she should be ashamed to say such a thing.

[fivestrideline]

Even more disgusting if someone trusted to be on a ground jury is laughing off a whip welt and saying “I would have beat him too”.

This isn’t a horse that was acting aggressively toward someone. This was a horse that wasn’t performing an OPTIONAL competition test to the standards of his rider and was BEATEN for it.