Omfg now the rider is a victim as well.
She might have been using the stock end.
Not just stand by, but substantiate opinions.
And include politics.
Thanks for the advice. How grand of you to assume I know nothing of groupthink.
I will step away from the keyboard now so I donât type anything far bitchier.
14 Likes
Bless your heart.
17 Likes
Academic qualifications? Professional accomplishments? Years in the saddle? Bring it on, sister.
4 Likes
Quoted from The Guardian: "The Dutch lawyer Stephan Wensing is representing the 19-year-old who filed the official complaint against Dujardin.â
Not sure if this has been brought up yet, but based on the way the Guardian has framed this, it appears to me the young rider in question was actually 15 (assuming the video was 4 years ago) or 17 (some sources say 2 years), NOT 19.
There are so many reasons why one would wait to release something like this - especially someone that young. Perhaps we can all just assume positive intent until proven otherwise?
It takes a lot of courage to speak up against powerful people. I for one cannot imagine that I would have had the courage to do that at such a young age, especially against someone I idolized, looked up to, and learned from.
Heck, when I was 21 I had a part-time job as a working student for a very well known trainer in my region who was recommended to me by everyone in my network. She punched and kicked a three year old horse for making a very simple mistake. Her other horses were all very head shy, but I couldnât figure out why. That event gave me a good indication. I left immediately (sobbing, of course). She called me and made a lot of excuses and basically tried to justify her actions saying that horse needed a heavy hand. I couldnât believe someone would do that. And I tried to tell people, but no one believed me. Now imagine that trainer is CDJ. There are so many reasons why someone would sit on this for 2-4 years.
No matter what the video shows, itâs a very sad day for the sport and the ripple effects this will create. Perhaps there was a strategy releasing it before the Olympics. If this is a pattern of behavior for her - one that hasnât been made public - then doing it now with so much visibility would ensure she likely wonât have a big platform to continue. Just thinking through other angles and possibilities.
I donât necessarily want to give Dressage Hub a bigger platform, but I did see she mentioned in the comments that a video will be released on her channels tomorrow of CDJ. Not sure if itâs the video or just another example.
My apologies if this was already mentioned. COTH is having issues loading for me and so Iâm only catching the conversation in little bits and pieces.
11 Likes
A lot of heated speculation and hypotheticals surrounding this. I havenât seen any footage, so I canât say sh*t, really.
What I can comment on, thatâs sort of related, is advocating for your horse. It was hard for me to stop, politely explain why Iâd stopped, and end my ride at a clinic with a big name. We ended on an amicable enough note, but even if we ended on a bad note, it wouldâve been worth it. The horse comes first. What he had us doing/about to do wouldâve been damaging and I wouldâve had to undo all of that and it probably wouldâve taken weeks or even months (Iberian horses do not forget).
It was hard. Iâm not the most confident person, but I have zero regrets. Advocate for the horse. Take some responsibility. Trust me, I know itâs difficult.
Iâve also realized that the only person that can make me feel bad, is me. I have control over how I feel. No matter what someone says to me, I have to remember, I donât have to feel bad. Itâs their thought/opinion, and just because itâs said aloud, it does not mean that itâs true, valid, or even of any value. Realizing that was huge. Seems so simple, but itâs hard to get into that mindset and stay there, but after some self reflection following an interaction with a rather sh***y person, I finally got there.
18 Likes
It also sounds to me like the student is 19 now and was therefore younger when the video was taken. Another quote I found notable from the lawyer in the Guardian piece:
âAt that time, my client was thinking this must be normal. She is an Olympic winner. Who am I to doubt? My client asked around and was warned against speaking out in the UK. But last year my client saw others suspended in the UK and elsewhere.
âAnd this weekend, she eventually made a decision to let me admit the complaint to the FEI and that happened yesterday."
12 Likes
Absolutely. I would probably think the same things. Sometimes it takes time and experience to know, âYeah, that wasnât okay.â
Iâm waiting on making a final conclusion of course until I see the video, but I keep seeing people all over the place passing judgement on this 19 year old. And itâs just like, âdo you remember what being 19 was like?!â 
Maybe they remember being 19 differently, but I would have been out of my mind terrified⊠especially right before the Olympics.
13 Likes
I gave this sentiment more thoughtâŠI donât think most students think in the way âIâm going to change my trainer.â They think more of what is the trainer going to provide me. I have been very fortunate that I have been able to experience many, many different ways of teaching (being a student, and very rarely being an instructor). The few chances I have been an instructor (in a different area), I took seriously and realized that I am an authority, that my students looked up to me.
I have dealt with over 40 instructors in both riding and an other discipline. Only one instructor (in the other discipline) was able to reach rank beginners to professionals at the top of their game. And I feel so damn fortunate to have these experiences. I understand the pressure of being a professional in the horse industry (I was one at one point), but there is a responsibility that comes with it. And if you f#*& up, you have to own up to it and produce a way to move forward. Especially if you are a beloved, well known dressage rider.
It just makes me a bit sad to realize how many of these caught incidents have to be brought into spotlight to change the training. There is some bad abusive training by BNTâs, and they donât seem to fear being caught.
8 Likes
Meanwhile, we get another Olympics this year with truly atrocious Modern Pentathlon âriding,â just what we need to keep up appearances.
13 Likes
Well said.
3 Likes
Youâre welcome to feel this was. But weâve seen exactly two statements about this - CDJ and the interview of the lawyer. We have exactly zero credible information other than this.
I am reserving judgement until more info comes out and the investigation is through. I will not ever judge a teenager riding with one of the preeminant riders of the last decade for not speaking up - but I will judge the adults that waited until 3 days before the opening ceremony to come forward. It takes away from the seriousness of the claim and makes people question the motivations.
My arguments are not fallacious. You may believe with all your heart that you have not and will never do anything that can be misconstrued, but that is exactly what every single person says who gets a statement or video hacked up or taken out of context. And not just in the riding world. In all aspects of life.
Iâm by no means attempting to âshut people upâ. Itâs just my perspective. See how you think Iâm trying to âshut people upâ and Iâm merely presenting an alternative narrative? I could say that youâre attempting to shut me up, because you donât like what I have to say.
16 Likes
Maybe you and you alone can right the ship at Boeing. Do you need their number ?
29 Likes
Uta Graf rides, and the horses go for her, like she was touched by God. 
6 Likes
@bending-line I am glad you bring this up⊠When I see Glamordale in work I see a beautiful, stressed, uncomfortable, swishy tailed, horse whose mouth looks to be open alot. But that is my opinion and I am someone who doesnât know what I am talking about - just what I see and feel. And no I do not think all upper level dressage horse are like this. Actually I see quite a few upper level dressage horses who are relaxed and look happy⊠not all the time⊠but most of the time.
6 Likes
As in she occasionally walks him outside the ring? Or as in you can trot and canter him up and down hills and around fields on a soft rein? Because I would personally have no desire to attempt the latter on horses like him with the exaggerated gaits. Would love to see a video to show me that it can be done and that these horses are more efficient, self sufficient, and practical than they look. Because they look like a novelty act to me to where I scratch my head as to why this would be bred for, trained for, and rewarded. Maybe I am being unfair and itâs the extreme collection and micromanaging that creates the impression that these horses canât do anything practical. Regardless, my biggest concern is that they look consistently stressed and unhappy, and non horse people seem more attentive to that at this point than the dressage communityâŠ
7 Likes
Yes, I am surprised at all the ink being spilled about this clearly young rider (who may or may not have been an experienced horse person at the time of that lesson) not standing up to multi-Olympic and World medalist and literal face of the sport Charlotte Dujardin. Itâs easy to say, âWell, I would have done x.â But thereâs a major power differential between a 15-17 year old junior and one of the worldâs most decorated, well-liked, well-networked riders and public equestrian figures.
Would it have been better if the junior had realized what was going on and stopped it? Of course. Perhaps they didnât realize what was happening, because Charlotte has a well-established public image of âgentlerâ dressage. Perhaps they were afraid of professional ramifications if they pushed back on, again, one of the most powerful and well-connected equestrian athletes in the world. From the Guardian article: âMy client asked around and was warned against speaking out in the UK.â Do I hope they have since learned to recognize abusive training practices and choose their trainers judiciously? Of course.
But Charlotte was the teacher, the professional, and (if the Guardian is correct) the adult in that situation. It was her responsibility first and foremost to not put her teenage studentâs horse in a dangerous position, and it appears that in that moment, she chose otherwise. It is her actions that are most relevant here, whatever they are.
As others have mentioned, no matter what the video shows, it is a sad day for the sport.
20 Likes
