Ultimately, is this what’s driving the push to leave USEF? Being held accountable to show rules, drug rules and Safe Sport?
As a sidenote, I haven’t ridden a Saddlebred since I was a teenager, but I will always have a soft spot for this lovely, often misunderstood breed.
In a nutshell, yes. I suspect the majority of it is over Safe Sport. The ASB people that I was exposed to were very anti SafeSport and I couldn’t figure out why. There is a perception that it is somehow overreach and not necessary because the laws are adequate, to which I’ve replied “if the laws were adequate then abuse would have ended but it hasn’t”.
When you dive deep in the justification and read between the lines, yes.
There are people in the industry who think they are above rules and accountability. Or they know the person on the safe sport list and they would never harm anyone, etc.
Lot of old school thinking that is going to drive the breed to extinction. They forget they are really a tiny fish in a very large pond. USEF has the money and prestige to keep the breed relevant but they can’t see big picture due to their ego getting in the way.
Please don’t think I’m happy with the current board, they are as transparent as mud but leaving USEF would put the nail in the coffin.
It’s infuriating to us small fish sport horse owners.
Morgans are so far staying in USEF, but a lot of the show people wanted to leave because of SafeSport. There are a lot whose, um, political leanings correlate highly with blaming the victim in sexual assault cases.
I’ve known a few full and half Arabians that fit this bill - catty things that can turn-and-burn, but don’t generally fit into the rated Hunter ring. They’ll beat the dinosaurs in the jump off and go on a trail ride after. Someone with a good eye could pick up a prospect cheaper than a WB of similar scope; they might not make it to the 1.40m, but how many riders that would be looking at off breeds are doing that either?
It sounds like an ASB might be similar - don’t write them off as lower level jumper/event prospects due to the breed and lack of training in jumping disciplines. A TB is the more traditional route, but if young horses without the racing wear AND that have shown on the line can be had for reasonable prices… that’s a gamble some people might be willing to take.
Idk, I’m not shopping. I just hate to see a small breed ruin itself, especially when the horses really are, as a rule, such kind creatures.
It’s taken a solid 2 years of work getting my horse strong enough to canter with a soft back and connection. Building the right muscles is hard. But he jumps round if it’s over 3’. Anything smaller is like a speed bump to him. He can make the lines easily.
He will never have the true hunter look as he is not built to move flat kneed and have that long floaty stride.
Interesting. So there’s a definite sentiment of wanting to just maintain the status quo.
I suppose in a perfect world there’d be a separate, completely independent registry started for sport and recreational type ASBs, with encouragement to breed and produce horses of that type. Or is there such a thing and I’m just not aware of it?
I don’t know that it needs to be separate. The AQHA keeps under their roof all the different types without issue.
I think it’s a chicken and egg sort of issue. Breeders have to produce the kind of horses people want. But that means that people have to want them. Which means there need to be show and reward opportunities from futurities to other classes for that type.
I’d love to see what a purpose-bred ASB Hunter weanling/yearling class might look like etc etc. I know a few people have taken nice examples to Devon (ASB Stars and my friend that has Born to Rage) but we need those opportunities inside as well as outside the breed for stallion owners to take note.
But so long as they think of sporthorses as failures of their breeding program, that just won’t happen.
Oh, definitely agree with you!
Years ago the KWPN didn’t really recognize hunters. You could have a lovely, successful Dutch hunter and bring it to a keuring and the Dutch were like, “What?” Ask me how I know this. 
It’s so frustrating. I do think it’s really coupled to the breed’s recent history as predominantly a saddle seat horse. But it has a history of doing other things too. They were army mounts and used as high school (dressage) mounts as well. Somewhere along the way, this very narrow definition happened and so as saddle seat loses it’s popularity so does the ASB.
It’s got to get decoupled because as much as I enjoy watching saddle seat classes, I’m not sure that discipline is going to survive in it’s current incarnation either. It, as a discipline, really suffers from the social license to operate issues.
Excellent video for a synopsis on the current issues.
https://www.facebook.com/share/v/15GRTW2WYs/?mibextid=wwXIfr
I’m glad he weighed in. Are you on the ASB respectful discussions FB group? It’s being whipped up into a fervor about everything…the mob is just in a frenzy!
I am, I read it for about 30 min last night.
Certain folks are definitely stirring the pot and upping the drama level.
At this point, I already sent my proxy for “no”. I’m done with the bickering and nonsense. If the old school folks want to shut out the outsiders and leave USEF, I’m done and won’t renew my membership or participate or purchase another ASB.
I did too.
The results of the vote will tell me whether I want to volunteer on any committees or re-up membership for next year.
Maybe we do need a separate sporthorse registry. Some of those screaming loudly are people I’m not sure I want to associate myself with laughing.
I’ve spoken to some people over the weekend who have confirmed that one possible motivation for the ESC is Randall Cates, who was put on the permanent suspension list from USEF in 2015. He also was a member of the ASHA executive board and sued the UPHA.
Donna Pettry-Smith, who is spearheading the ESC push, served at the same time as Randall Cates, who STILL has an active farm in Oklahoma sponsoring kids camps.
I’m sure he’d like to show on the green shavings again. Kids camps just don’t make quite the money that having a WCHS horse does.
This is so gross.
There is also Greg and Nicole Reason on that list.
Wow, this is some kind of twisted tale, isn’t it? Clearly, it is not really about saving or preserving the American Saddlebred as a breed.
Won’t say twisted per say, but there is a group that believes that their friend/trainer/partner could never do anything wrong and won’t believe the evidence. Very head in the sand and not reading the room.
It reminds me of the folks who still defend George Morris and will still ride with him.
I was arguing all night with some fine folks about SafeSport before someone kindly messaged me and told me that many of them were either suspected/known predators themselves OR in bed with them somehow.
One gal’s very useful retorts when I was posting the process (they were insisting that it was just willy nilly) was “Are you a lawyer? Because I am”.
I’m exhausted.
Preponderance of evidence is what is used already in civil cases. There are penalties for reporting without cause. There have only been like 40-odd suspensions in Equestrian sports and there are hundreds of thousands of us who are competing members who are subject to SafeSport. Statistically, that means we’re still not even scratching the surface of getting all the predators out.
I don’t understand what is so hard. I have several minors who work/ride at my barn (I own a small boarding barn). I have their mom on our text messages and another responsible adult on our group chat. I am not alone with them unobserved. Not because I’m a creep, but because I’m not stupid. This burden is not high. It does take a little remembering, because these are the first minors I’ve had here and I haven’t been a USEF member in a few years because I haven’t been competing (we historically had all adults) but it’s fine.
Well done for fighting on. Ideas do change, cultures can evolve.
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