Boyd Martin's Crackerjack Euthanized at Pau

[HeyJealousy]

@Jealoushe

Fair enough - I disagree though about one point. Having been in many UL barns, I have seen quite the opposite. I have nothing bad to say about Boyd, I have a poster of him hanging in my tack room after all. I think he is a quality rider and I have no doubt he is a great horseman. The majority of what I have seen at the UL barns is less than encouraging however, at least what I have seen in Canada and the US. Totally different in the UK.

I don’t agree with Denny calling him out, but I saw the post and I didn’t think it was really about bashing Boyd, just more bashing what has become the norm. I can understand why he did it, he was hurt, sad, frustrated. Does that make it OK? No. But does that make it OK for all these riders to go nuts posting post after post about what a dolt he is?

They are both in the wrong.

We need to come together. Carrying on the Denny bashing here isn’t helping anything.

Also fair enough. I think the knee-jerk reaction was understandable but at this point the arguing probably isn’t going to end up being constructive.

[Jealoushe]

It definitely isn’t. It makes me sad the eventing community is now so divided.

[lmlacross]

Boy, I do love Denny Emerson and think he’s right in many ways about many things, but I think he’s picked the wrong fight this week— attempting to suppose too much about a situation he wasn’t witness to as a means of furthering his overall argument about the state of a sport. There have assuredly been “better” situations to demonstrate his claims that the modern sport and modern course design disregard horse and rider welfare. My view is very much “from the cheap seats,” but Crackerjack’s death doesn’t seem as illustrative of the point he’s trying to prove as he purport it to be. As a result, his argument doesn’t ring true here— only callous in its timing.

It’s a shame that this situation has devolved into such backbiting and ad hominem attack. As a fan of the sport, it’s tough to watch.

[Winding_Down]

@lmlacross

Boy, I do love Denny Emerson and think he’s right in many ways about many things, but I think he’s picked the wrong fight this week— attempting to suppose too much about a situation he wasn’t witness to as a means of furthering his overall argument about the state of a sport. There have assuredly been “better” situations to demonstrate his claims that the modern sport and modern course design disregard horse and rider welfare. My view is very much “from the cheap seats,” but Crackerjack’s death doesn’t seem as illustrative of the point he’s trying to prove as he purport it to be. As a result, his argument doesn’t ring true here— only callous in its timing.

It’s a shame that this situation has devolved into such backbiting and ad hominem attack. As a fan of the sport, it’s tough to watch.

sadly, he just put up a Facebook photo of Crackerjack and Boyd in the fall (Burghley?) (in which neither was hurt). So cruel and unnecessary. Really.

[kt]

@Winding Down

sadly, he just put up a Facebook photo of Crackerjack and Boyd in the fall (Burghley?) (in which neither was hurt). So cruel and unnecessary. Really.

I was hoping things were winding down, especially since he removed some of his posts from the weekend. It appears that is not the case.

[Jealoushe]

@Winding Down

sadly, he just put up a Facebook photo of Crackerjack and Boyd in the fall (Burghley?) (in which neither was hurt). So cruel and unnecessary. Really.

His post, (I shared on the page back), was showing that that photo was Boyds profile pic before the accident this weekend. I always thought that was a really bad omen, if you believe in that sort of thing. It made me uncomfortable that someone would choose that as their profile pic, but who am I to judge.

[devvie_continued]

@Jealoushe

His post, (I shared on the page back), was showing that that photo was Boyds profile pic before the accident this weekend. I always thought that was a really bad omen, if you believe in that sort of thing. It made me uncomfortable that someone would choose that as their profile pic, but who am I to judge.

Which just goes to show (by which I mean the confusion about WHY Denny Emerson posted that photo) how off the rails this whole thread is at the moment. Whoo boy.

[devvie_continued]

Here’s the latest from Denny’s page

"You people who are attacking me are not attacking someone who will not fight back. When I broke my neck, spent my 70th birthday in a halo, got told by my doctor to quit riding, the next summer, just to say f*&%$ you, I went out and jumped four feet.

The water jump photos are from this summer, and I am 76.

Which is more than 99% of you candy asses will ever do.
So, if you think that your key board bullying frightens me, maybe you should think of what damage YOU are doing to your own sport, by being too cowardly to take a stand against the FEI, or whoever is doing this to the sport to create all these deaths.
And think what being a bully, in a witch hunt says about YOUR courage. Any little weasel can be brave in a mob.

"

[MsRidiculous]

I think anyone who says that most current ULR’s don’t care about safety or horse welfare is not paying attention to all the safety committees, studies, and fundraising efforts (and who is directly involved with them). I kinda feel like, if you REALLY care about making the sport safer, you will get involved and actually DO something (even if that’s just via a donation to a study). If you don’t REALLY care about making the sport safer, you’ll get on the internet and criticize it without ever doing a damn thing to try to help make it better.

[Jealoushe]

@MsRidiculous

I think anyone who says that most current ULR’s don’t care about safety or horse welfare is not paying attention to all the safety committees, studies, and fundraising efforts (and who is directly involved with them). I kinda feel like, if you REALLY care about making the sport safer, you will get involved and actually DO something (even if that’s just via a donation to a study). If you don’t REALLY care about making the sport safer, you’ll get on the internet and criticize it without ever doing a damn thing to try to help make it better.

It’s hard because a lot of people on the committees are not safety experts, they are eventers. Having some eventers sure, but don’t we need safety experts, engineers, people like RAYers?

[TMares]

Dom Shramm is one of the good guys, who approached Denny rationally, professionally, and Denny’s hanging him out to dry.

Denny isn’t making a dent, he’s making a scene. Big difference.

[Jealoushe]

I just don’t understand why they are giving him any attention if they think he is so out of touch. Don’t feed the troll would be the motto of choice here.

[MsRidiculous]

@Jealoushe

It’s hard

It’s not though. You’re either helping or you’re not. You’re either looking for the solution or you’re standing there screaming, pointing at a problem. Creating a scene on facebook, with completely inaccurate statements, waxing poetic about “old days” that often bordered on barbaric, calling out riders who are ACTUALLY committing their time to help in whatever aspect they can… that is not helpful. I’m all about having the discussion, but that’s not at all what this is. Like TMares said, he’s making a scene.

[Jealoushe]

Will Faudree posted this:

"Back in the good ol’ days…

I especially like the part where he knew the horse did a tendon at steeplechase then ran cross-country iced it all night show jumped him and his horse was the only one that had a lasting injury…"

and in the comments are all the riders and UL riders praising him. Denny isn’t the only one making a scene.

One is not better than the other. Digging up history from 30 years ago really proves a point.

Didnt Faudree break his neck two years ago?

This is getting everyone no where. You don’t have to like his comments but how can you possibly say the way riders are reacting and piling on him is any better. It’s not. Or is it ok because they are celebrities in the eventing world.

[LadyB]

@devvie_continued

Here’s the latest from Denny’s page

"You people who are attacking me are not attacking someone who will not fight back. When I broke my neck, spent my 70th birthday in a halo, got told by my doctor to quit riding, the next summer, just to say f*&%$ you, I went out and jumped four feet.

The water jump photos are from this summer, and I am 76.

Which is more than 99% of you candy asses will ever do.
So, if you think that your key board bullying frightens me, maybe you should think of what damage YOU are doing to your own sport, by being too cowardly to take a stand against the FEI, or whoever is doing this to the sport to create all these deaths.
And think what being a bully, in a witch hunt says about YOUR courage. Any little weasel can be brave in a mob.

"

After a post like that how can you take his previous posts seriously. This is just a joke at this point. How unfortunate that he could be a sound board to better things, and he’s gone off his rocker and is just all over the map.

yes a lot of eventers are on the Committee to try and better the sport, and you’re right Jealoushe they just don’t have the education in that area to try to improve it. But they ARE trying to make a difference. We need support from people who are more educated in that area, but it truly is great that they want to do something, it’s a step in the right direction to better our sport. Can’t be mad about them wanting to make it better, I’m sure everyone is trying their best to learn more and more about the safety of our sport.

Look at COTH lately, tons of people are trying to find ways to help support research.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

@Jealoushe

It’s hard because a lot of people on the committees are not safety experts, they are eventers. Having some eventers sure, but don’t we need safety experts, engineers, people like RAYers?

Not really. Committees are part of governance…their job is to reach out and HIRE experts. Dig deep into reports and help the board make decisions. They do not need to be the expert themselves but it helps if they have the experience and minds to ask the right questions and understand the reports. In that context…understanding the sport well to give guidance to the experts is important. And representing a diversity of experience.

I would not expect experts to even want to be on the committee as there can be conflicts of interests as well as well as other issues.

[Jealoushe]

@MsRidiculous

It’s not though. You’re either helping or you’re not. You’re either looking for the solution or you’re standing there screaming, pointing at a problem. Creating a scene on facebook, with completely inaccurate statements, waxing poetic about “old days” that often bordered on barbaric, calling out riders who are ACTUALLY committing their time to help in whatever aspect they can… that is not helpful. I’m all about having the discussion, but that’s not at all what this is. Like TMares said, he’s making a scene.

What’s the point of quoting the first two words of my post that were unrelated to Denny, in a response about him.

[retreadeventer]

@Divine Comedy

All of this is true. Everyone has a right to an opinion.

I know you did not fabricate results, but your facts were missing very important data pertinent to the discussion.

I’m not weighing in on the majority of this discussion, I personally think a lot of this is overhashed and unproductive. However, I think from a records standpoint it’s pretty undeniable that Crackers had plenty of good, solid four-star experience and that he is a four-star horse who had not been pushed beyond his athletic or mental ability.

I wanted to make sure everyone had the full story in terms of this horse’s record, who does not deserve to go down in history as a 3* horse pushed past his talent. To me, that is the biggest insult that Denny has offered in the past two days, accusing a rider and owner who bred the horse herself and owns him as a tribute to her dead son of pushing him past his limits for pure greed.

There are plenty of conversations to have about this tragedy, and to me the biggest question is whether abrupt footing changes including road crossings are having a bigger impact on the legs of our horse than we realized. I would imagine the racing industry may have such research available and hopefully it can be applied to eventing. The solution could be as simple as a gradual blending of footing into the transition starting X number of yards from the footing change.

I just can’t like this ENOUGH. Hear, hear, DC. THANK YOU.

[Jealoushe]

@bornfreenowexpensive

Not really. Committees are part of governance…their job is to reach out and HIRE experts. Dig deep into reports and help the board make decisions. They do not need to be the expert themselves but it helps if they have the experience and minds to ask the right questions and understand the reports. In that context…understanding the sport well to give guidance to the experts is important. And representing a diversity of experience.

I would not expect experts to even want to be on the committee as there can be conflicts of interests as well as well as other issues.

Gotcha, why are riders in charge of this?

[JenJ]

rather than … “i knew the horse was pushed beyond its abilities and it is now dead” … would DE not have had a better message if he had kindly and politely stated his opinion, based on his decades in the sport, about various 4* horses that he felt were not suited for 4* competitions, and the reasons why, in a calm, rational, history backed manner … instead of waiting for a catastrophic event to rant / rave / set out his thoughts?