I just read the June 23 & 30 edition of COTH and I want to give kudos to both Olivia Champ and the editor. I am impressed by Olivia’s decision to stick her neck out and speak up about horse welfare. I agree with Ms. Champ that juniors (and ammies too) need to be more involved in the care and control of their horses. I also enjoyed the article about the price of ponies and points. Good job COTH.
Olivia Champ has the heart of a true horseman. I’m with her, our show horses are underappreciated, and overused. We no longer have the winter break - now there are multiple winter circuits 8-12 weeks long. Then the regular show season, followed by the Indoors. These horses have their legs jumped off. There is no break. Lessons when they aren’t showing, and trailer ride after trailer ride.
The amount of showing depends on the geographical area, but it still is so much more than ever before. And if somebody is after winning a Medal Final, or a National Year End Award, well, you will need to do it all.
The time that used to be spent sitting bareback on your horse in a warm, dusty indoor arena, enjoying a quiet, hot, summer afternoon, or taking a trail ride, just doesn’t seem to be available anymore. The commitment to riding (or to Soccer, also now a year-round sport), or to anything else, has gotten ridiculous.
Horses are animals to love, enjoy and connect with. Our horses are generous to a fault, always trying to do what we ask. They are not showing machines, nor should they be vehicles to self-aggrandizement. You want a machine, ride a bike.
Congratulations Olivia. You are a true horseman, and brave to step out to say what needs to be said, and on a national stage no less.
I have enjoyed watching her ride. I think I enjoyed reading her article more. Sounds pretty wise beyond her 16 years.
[QUOTE=Thoroughbred1201;7630103]
Olivia Champ has the heart of a true horseman. I’m with her, our show horses are underappreciated, and overused. We no longer have the winter break - now there are multiple winter circuits 8-12 weeks long. Then the regular show season, followed by the Indoors. These horses have their legs jumped off. There is no break. Lessons when they aren’t showing, and trailer ride after trailer ride.
The amount of showing depends on the geographical area, but it still is so much more than ever before. And if somebody is after winning a Medal Final, or a National Year End Award, well, you will need to do it all.
The time that used to be spent sitting bareback on your horse in a warm, dusty indoor arena, enjoying a quiet, hot, summer afternoon, or taking a trail ride, just doesn’t seem to be available anymore. The commitment to riding (or to Soccer, also now a year-round sport), or to anything else, has gotten ridiculous.
Horses are animals to love, enjoy and connect with. Our horses are generous to a fault, always trying to do what we ask. They are not showing machines, nor should they be vehicles to self-aggrandizement. You want a machine, ride a bike.
Congratulations Olivia. You are a true horseman, and brave to step out to say what needs to be said, and on a national stage no less.[/QUOTE]
this times infinity!!!
Just finished reading it, and was very impressed. Glad we have someone like her coming up in the ranks.
Is this article somewhere for those who don’t get the magazine?
P.
I found the article quite offensive. She was apparently not doing well after finals ( fell OFF in the Geo Morris program) and fails to mention that the horse she was riding ( for free!) in the USET was for sale and was being tried during finals at WIHS when it was already on the east coast. Spoiled children who don’t get their way shouldn’t be rewarded. Don’t be fooled. [edit]
In thinking further, I realized that one of the reasons I found the article so offensive is that as someone who struggles to pay what it takes to compete, and realizing Champ has been " given " horses to compete with for free,including the ones she mentions in the article, it struck me that now that she not only doesn’t have the money to compete, and because she is so ill- mannered no one wants to "loan " her a horse, she professes that she “will no longer do the equitation”. As if she is stopping out of principle and love of the animal. But that is not true. [edit] this “I am a hero and protecting horses and saving the world from equitation” is laughable crap. She wasn’t complaining when she had the free horse and was winning.
[QUOTE=michaelwatkins;7630630]
I found the article quite offensive. She was apparently not doing well after finals ( fell OFF in the Geo Morris program) and fails to mention that the horse she was riding ( for free!) in the USET was for sale and was being tried during finals at WIHS when it was already on the east coast. Spoiled children who don’t get their way shouldn’t be rewarded. Don’t be fooled. [edit][/QUOTE]
I don’t know Olivia Champ, nor do I know you. So reading your posts I see that Olivia may be spoiled, and that you may have a serious case of sour grapes. But frankly, there are always two sides to every story, and generally the actual truth falls somewhere in the middle.
And you know something else? I don’t really care. I’m far more interested in the gist of the article. Before this thread devolves into character assignation, let’s get back to the horses welfare. Isn’t that what this should all be about?
People are going to be people - good points, and bad points. We all have both. But the fact remains that this article brought up very valid points about the welfare of the horses on our show circuit today, and things that needed to be said, regardless of the reason it was written.
I don’t really care what you think about the writer, or her reasons for writing. The fact is, the article was well done, touched on important issues, and brought the focus back to what is important - the horses. So I say again, kudos Olivia Champ, for bringing some very important issues to light.
I don’t know what “character assignation” is, but I do know what character assassination is, and that is what Champ did in her article. You don’t really think that the people she writes about don’t care about the horses, I am sure. Those pros wouldn’t stay in business if they couldn’t keep the horses safe and sound. The fact that the COTH published an article like this by a 16 year old who has burned bridges and can’t pay for horses or trainers was truly poor judgment. And no thinking person would really believe this kid is not going to compete in equitation any longer simply because the equitation horses are " overused". Really? And jumpers and hunters aren’t? I
normally like the COTH, but have enough info in this instance to wonder what they were smoking when they agreed to publish [this] article [edit].
I’d encourage everyone interested in this article to also read the Commentary in this issue, which addresses Olivia’s Forum.
[QUOTE=michaelwatkins;7630710]
I
normally like the COTH, but have enough info in this instance to wonder what they were smoking when they agreed to publish [this] article [edit][/QUOTE]
I think the commentary Molly mentions pretty much covers your question.
Is there a link where we can read the article and the commentary?
[QUOTE=michaelwatkins;7630710 . . . You don’t really think that the people she writes about don’t care about the horses, I am sure. Those pros wouldn’t stay in business if they couldn’t keep the horses safe and sound. [/QUOTE]
Shows how little you know about what goes on behind the scenes.
[QUOTE=michaelwatkins;7630630]
I found the article quite offensive. She was apparently not doing well after finals ( fell OFF in the Geo Morris program) and fails to mention that the horse she was riding ( for free!) in the USET was for sale and was being tried during finals at WIHS when it was already on the east coast. Spoiled children who don’t get their way shouldn’t be rewarded. Don’t be fooled. [edit].[/QUOTE]
Wow - One of the first things I read in this article was that her horse was hurt and she was riding a talented 7 year old SALE horse
[QUOTE=Jsalem;7630986]
Is there a link where we can read the article and the commentary?[/QUOTE]
It is available to subscribers of COTH, in the online edition and the hard copy. A one year subscription works out to about $1.50 per issue, a very reasonable cost IMO.
We’re being green. I get copies from my daughter after she reads.
[QUOTE=Jsalem;7631035]
We’re being green. I get copies from my daughter after she reads.[/QUOTE]
You can get an online subscription instead.
Most people (including me) don’t know Olivia Champ, and will take what’s written at face value. At face value, it’s an introspective article about the welfare of equitation horses. So let’s just stop there.
In the “old days,” Eq horses were called on to be the lesson horse, the practice horse, and the show horse. At the shows there were generally TWO classes for them to compete in, the AHSA Medal, and the ASPCA Maclay. Eight jumps each, nine if you counted a combination jumper-style (a-b), though if counting hunter-style the b element of the in-and-out was often included to reach the count of eight.
The successful horses get to come back and flat/jump some more.
At some bigger shows, there was also the USET. 12-14 more jumping efforts.
Then the PHA was added in, normally as the first big eq class on the schedule, and was primarily used as a warm up class, albeit one that allowed for the accumulation of points. Eight more jumps…
WIHS Equitation…Eight more jumps…
All of a sudden…
At a one day show, horses were jumping in 5 classes over 40-46 jumps.
But wait…shows sprouted up on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, Friday nights. In addition to Sunday. Most didn’t actually do 5 days of shows (unless they were chasing wins at the end of a qualifying season).
40 x 3 = 120 competition jumps in a pretty normal week…plus lessons…20 jumps each time?
160 jumps per week, assuming 2 lessons?
That’s a LOT of jumping during the season.
[QUOTE=M. O’Connor;7631179]
Most people (including me) don’t know Olivia Champ, and will take what’s written at face value. At face value, it’s an introspective article about the welfare of equitation horses. So let’s just stop there.[/QUOTE]
Completely agree.
[QUOTE=M. O’Connor;7631179]40 x 3 = 120 competition jumps in a pretty normal week…plus lessons…20 jumps each time?
160 jumps per week, assuming 2 lessons?
That’s a LOT of jumping during the season?[/QUOTE]
And, if you add a rider of more limited means, these horses might be doing hunter or jumper classes as well. And what about warm up classes, schooling rounds, etc., etc., etc.
And lets face it, this all means money to the trainers, the horse shows, the grooms, the braiders, etc. Money is a big draw, and does make the world go round. Often to the detriment of the horse.
