Well, god damn. Everything she built with Valegro - gone. His legacy, her legacy - smoked. That was…. I’m so sad. So, so sad.
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There is no way to defend her actions in that video. At one point she even hits the horse in the chest/right shoulder area. That looked like an angry strike that was of absolutely no benefit to anyone.
Sheilah
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Whelp, there it is. So disappointing to see.
ETA: makes me wonder if there are ANY upper level riders and trainers that are truly good horseman, or do they all have sessions like this? And if so, are they one-off things that upon later reflection, they realize were bad and never do it again, or are they regular parts of training? Is there any UL rider worthy of looking up to and wanting to emulate at this point?
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Good question. Charlotte was a super icon. A true role model for so many younger aspiring dressage riders, 10yr olds, 15yr olds… some who I know personally at our barn and circle of friends. Such a shame.
But your question - maybe look at WeHorse.com, an online training portal, in English and German. It has very carefully grown over the past years and includes a carefully curated list of ‘riding masters’ (highest honor in the FN system) and top trainers. Take a look, if interested, at who is missing from that list — it speaks loud and clear.
I was waiting for the video to make a judgment. After seeing the video, you can’t defend her against that. I understand the need to move forward but that isn’t the way. That is abuse of the whip.
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I wonder if Carl Hester will make a statement, he’s damned if he does and damned if he doesn’t really. 
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whether it was carefully planned or not to release the video right before the olympics, IMO raising public awareness like this is exactly what needs to happen for there ever to be a change in professional horse sports. If the people/sport/FEI won’t change themselves (which why would they, when there’s so much money involved), then they’ll have to be forced by shaming and embarrassment and public horror and the true story of what makes pretty horses dance
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umm, no it doesn’t, unless you can point me directly to a page in the website which says specifically that " trainer X has not been invited to participate due to their methodology not aligning with our philosophy".
To make your statement on “missing” trainers you would have to firstly understand the business models of both the site owners and the invited trainers. Time, other priorities, and alternate business models may preclude a trainer from accepting an invitation to participate.
It serves no-one to make inflammatory statements re someone’s inclusion or absence from a training website.
Re the video, I cannot find a justification for the way the whip is being used. I sincerely hope this was a one-off.
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And people were adamant you could not say anything about the people who rode with Cesar as they were victims, too, yet here a teenager is called out repeatedly because her ASS WAS IN THE SADDLE. Um, okay.
I do recognise that CP was abusive, held people’s passports, etc. But those people were adults, at the very least. And even given all that, when one did come forward he and his partner needed a security detail to deal with the threats.
Here we have a teen who was in front of a highly decorated and beloved Olympian and also in a lesson paid for by a sponsor. The power differential was happening on multiple levels for this teenager.
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Well, it’s certainly in the general public sphere now - lead story on several of the UK breakfast TV news channels (BBC, ITV etc.) and now phone in discussion on UK BBC Radio 5 with the listeners, most of whom wouldn’t know one end of a horse from the other.
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When Charlotte was here in Ontario giving a symposium she said something that always made me feel weird. One of her horses she claimed she always rode and trained alone without anyone able to watch. She claimed it was spooky and didn’t want people seeing her struggle but now it makes me think she specifically rode that horse out of view in a closed arena so she could wallop it. Wonder if Carl even knew.
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Didn’t make an inflammatory statement, didn’t mention names. Simply answered a previous question on how to find ways to search for reputable trainers. That website was an example, that’s all. A good effort deserving one’s consideration, if curious. Nothing more. Now back to Charlotte and the video which was highly anticipated in this thread throughout a day of wait. It’s available and can be ‘seen for oneself’ and further discussed. It’s a crapload of crappy and careless training and teaching. The spectral opposite to what we all try to practice and find in our community.
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Maybe not on this forum, but I know there are some people who don’t see why that video is “so bad.”
To that I ask: what is she trying to accomplish? Do you think this was working? And do you think the horse has any idea what she was asking for?
Based on the horse frequently responding by ducking away or swapping behind, I don’t think the horse understood and I don’t think she got what she wanted. Which at the very least, I hope we can agree is bad “training.”
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I’m not a dressage person, but I don’t understand what she was even aiming to accomplish here. She seems almost bored, just following the horse around hitting it willy nilly, different places, back, front, never accomplishing anything (not that any result would justify it). The horse is utterly confused, scared, evasive (understandably). Nothing is ever produced nor is the horse given any feedback or even asked a clear question.
It’s like random hitting for no reason. That doesn’t seem like training.
That speaks volumes about them. How sad.
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Agreed. It seems so goal less and emotion filled and unfair. It seems pretty obvious the horse isn’t having any type of aha moment and someone with her stills has the tools to not resort to brute force. I find the video very disappointing and feel for the young rider. It would be very hard to speak up, much less walk out of a lesson with someone of this caliber. What the video contains is indefensible for a trainer but it also isn’t grabbing the reins and beating type of situation where I think one could argue any horse person should be walking out of the arena regardless of who is in the center. It’s just enough that I can see many riders being confused and unsure of what to do and where’s the line in the moment. It’s easy to watch the video back and say this isn’t okay. I have so much empathy for a child being put in that position.
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And who is the person filming it and chuckling while the horse gets whipped? She speaks at the end as well, explaining something about the ‘training’.
Reminds me of the people laughing and drinking Champagne in the one CP video.
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The video is bad. It does seem like she is having some sort of bad day, maybe resentful at having to work with this pair for some reason. Whatever it is, it’s abuse and it’s not even effective training.
That said, I can also think of many scenarios that explain how someone could’ve gotten to this breaking point. It’s not ok, she should step back and work to repair her relationships.
I’m not sure I can “cancel” her forever unless it comes to light that she has repeatedly abused horses.
I guess it’s just another lesson in humanity, and to not elevate people to godlike status.
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Having seen the video, I am disappointed and it is indefensible.
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Agreed. And yet, people are already seeking to mitigate, justify, explain. Cue all the ‘it’s bad, but…’ posts.
It’s bad BUT, I’d need to see proof of it happening more often. (The casual nature with which she does this suggests this is not her first rodeo.)
It’s bad BUT, I’ve seen worse.
It’s bad BUT, the rider, the person filming, the spectators…
It’s bad BUT, why did they wait for 4 years?
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This is one video, and wonder if it will spark something like the “Me, too” movement and more will come to light. We’ll see. I cherish the trainers I believe don’t do this - many of whom eschew competition, like Jeremy Steinberg has written about at length.
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