SS you have to come back east to civilization. 
Got it! Thanks! I prefer the paper copy and have ignored the emails. Perhaps this gave me the nudge I needed to get more comfy with the e-version.
Excellent points raised in the commentary.
Having now read the article in question…
I think she raises some good points.
HOWEVER, my overall feeling after reading about how dull and tired this horse was…. was “yeah, and who was the one who showed him in all of those classes? Oh yeah, you were!”
There is almost as much rider responsibility as there is trainer responsibility.
It did, to me, seem like a bit of a slap in the face to those who let Ms. Champ ride their horse(s). Perhaps not the most tactful way of doing it.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;7633838]
are you serious? Are people really doing that?[/QUOTE]
It seems from show records that to qualify for all national medal finals plus the California only medals, you have to put in quite a few rounds at all the AA rated shows. Olivia was pretty successful with Lamont last year winning both the USET Talent Search West and Maclay Regionals.
[QUOTE=BAC;7634602]
Since you are a subscriber just read it in the online version. I don’t understand why you and Snaffle635 are not reading online. I get a paper copy of the magazine but I also receive an emailed copy in my inbox long before the print copy is even mailed.[/QUOTE]
But it is not as fun to take your computer into the bathroom and read it there, like I do with my hard copy of COTH. Takes me about a week to read it in snippits, and by then the next one has arrived.
PS. I searched for other posts by this poster and she has made similar comments and been treated the same way on other equitation threads. One way to deal with this is to put her on “ignore” (Click on her screen name, which takes you to her profile and gives you the option to ignore her).
Guaranteed to lower your stress level.
I just read the article and she does raise some very good points that really do need to be addressed. However, her commentary would carry more weight if she had shown she was truly concerned about her horse and decided to withdraw at the competion when she “could see the fatigue in his limbs…” Actions speak louder than words." In my opinion for her to only speak/complain only after she rode her fatigued horse, "waning of his excitement is a bit hypocritical.
Our state association has a rule that you may not show in more than 7 jumping classes in one day. You would be surprised at the number of people that violate it/think its stupid
its easier to take an iPad into the bathroom. :). I do prefer the paper magazine but since the emailed version arrives first I take that opportunity to browse through it and see if there is anything I want to read right away. I’m starting to become much more proficient at maneuvering through the online version this way.
Equitation isn’t the only division with points vs horse welfare problems. When your goal is to try to qualify for something, it is difficult to stay rational sometimes. This past qualifying year was the first time my daughter had tried to qualify for something and we won’t be doing it again (yes, she did qualify so this isn’t sour grapes and we did it on our terms). When many of your peers are starting to show every weekend, sometimes both Saturday and Sunday at different day shows, all in the pursuit of magical points and when their trainers start to do some questionable things to get as many points as possible in a division that sometimes doesn’t fill, it is easy to become discouraged and think that you have to start doing the same things to stay competitive. With any kind of luck, your team consists of decent people and you can pass around the sanity stick and take turns saying “Wait a minute. Let’s stop and look at this. What are we really trying to do here?”
As parents and trainers we need to raise good, thinking, caring horse people. If it’s bad now, where will the industry be in 20 years?
[QUOTE=mroades;7634834]
Our state association has a rule that you may not show in more than 7 jumping classes in one day. You would be surprised at the number of people that violate it/think its stupid[/QUOTE]
It’s terrible that things have to get to the point an association has to make such a rule.
7 jumping classes? They wouldn’t make the rule unless people were trying to do more than that.
7 jumping classes is most likely a minimum of 8 jumps. So that’s at least 56 jumps!!!
Ridiculous!!!
I actually think the equitation is one of those divisions where you DON’T have to go to show after show to qualify/get points. You can go to a perfectly normal amount of shows, qualify for the regionals/finals, and not put your horse through too much.
But it should be easy for people to do just a handful of classes on their equitation horse - the Maclay, the USEF, the Talent Search - that’s only 3 jumping classes a show. And if you qualify for any of those early on, you’re set.
I would like to point out that I have seen horses doing 5, 6, 7 classes a day in MANY instances… and a lot of the time it’s the equitation horse doing that. Some trainers will put their kid in the age equitation division (2 or 3 rounds of 3’-3’3, plus a flat) and then do two to three 3’3 medals to warm up, followed by a 3’6 medal later on in the day… And that is absurd. But that shouldn’t be necessary - and I don’t think equitation and the medals necessarily call on riders to put their horses through that - there is little to no reward for being “champion” in the age equitation, nor is there much grandeur in winning a 3’3 medal. Maybe some of these trainers are doing it to get their kids more experienced. But I’m of the school of thought that if your kid needs more experience jumping, or they’re not finessed enough yet to win a 3’6 medal, then they need to be putting more time in on the flat, not making the horse jump an unnecessary amount of jumps.
And the kids winning the Maclay, USEF, etc are the ones not only nailing the jumps, but the flatwork in between.
Sorry for my long-winded response everyone :lol::eek:
I find it kind of peculiar that there are trainers on here who find leasing frustrating. Tell me - which is preferable at a show barn, as I’m genuinely curious:
- a client who leases a horse for a year, gets in the ring, and regularly horse shows
- a client who buys a greenie and slowly brings it up through the ranks - and I don’t mean a “baby green,” I mean an actual green horse who makes green horse mistakes
I know a lot of the bread and butter is buying and selling horses, or day rates at shows, and lessons/training rides, generally not the cost of board.
With the price of an A-show quality horse being what it is, would you prefer to see people leasing or buying greenies? Because SO many people are completely priced out of buying a show horse at this point, or even one with just a season or so under their belt.
FWIW, I’ll be leasing out our pony when she’s made up, most likely. She’s only for sale to exactly the right trainer and exactly the right home, because I’m extremely picky and well-versed in the fact that a beginner-safe large pony with an auto change who is on her way to being a packer is a fairly decent commodity in that their resale value often holds over to the next kid and the next as long as pony stays sound. For me, leasing her is just a way of being able to keep an eye on an animal that I happen to like and noting that she can’t be sold off to a bad home.
From my perspective, I already know she won’t be my next “forever prospect” because she’s 14.1 and I’m a grown adult who wants to jump higher than is fair with me on her. But I want to make sure she never winds up in the wrong hands.
[QUOTE=hunterjumper25;7635698]
I actually think the equitation is one of those divisions where you DON’T have to go to show after show to qualify/get points. You can go to a perfectly normal amount of shows, qualify for the regionals/finals, and not put your horse through too much.
But it should be easy for people to do just a handful of classes on their equitation horse - the Maclay, the USEF, the Talent Search - that’s only 3 jumping classes a show. And if you qualify for any of those early on, you’re set.[/QUOTE]
Depends on the zone though. I also remember Frank Madden in the video series Rode to the Maclay that they like to keep the equitation riders showing all year to keep them in front of the judges. In Zone 10 there are many local medals that are quite competitive in the 3’3" to 3’6" range in addition to the national medals.
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;7633939]
I don’t think anyone on this board has pimped out their horse. At least not in the this sense of the word:
http://findlaydonnan.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/pimp-my-horse-extreme-edition.jpg?w=497&h=371[/QUOTE]
Omg!
8 jumping classes over a week’s time at a horse show is the equivalent of 2 hunter divisions. No one clutches their pearls at a horse who does the first years with a pro and the children’s/AA or juniors/AO with the owner.
[QUOTE=Anne;7636352]
8 jumping classes over a week’s time at a horse show is the equivalent of 2 hunter divisions. No one clutches their pearls at a horse who does the first years with a pro and the children’s/AA or juniors/AO with the owner.[/QUOTE]
I think the quoted amount was 8-12 every week of Thermal. Meaning some weeks 8 o/f eq classes and some weeks as many as 12 o/f classes. 12 o/f classes is significantly more than 2 hunter divisions. That’s nearing 100 jumps not even counting schooling!!! And courses are a little trickier and all the classes are with a junior/non-pro which to me indicates likely more schooling/prep before the horse steps into the ring. I do think 8 o/f equitation classes is likely to be more wear and tear than 4 o/f hunter classes with a pro and 4 with a junior. I’d say 2 divisions every week is a lot for a hunter too, but it’s really a lot for an eq horse. Don’t forget flat classes, and tests, and work offs-- it adds up to a lot more work for an eq horse.
[QUOTE=Anne;7636352]
8 jumping classes over a week’s time at a horse show is the equivalent of 2 hunter divisions. No one clutches their pearls at a horse who does the first years with a pro and the children’s/AA or juniors/AO with the owner.[/QUOTE]
Maybe not but I happen to think 2 divisions is a lot. If you read COTH’s story on the Devon winners, both Scott Stewart and Kelley Farmer showed several horses in two divisions (both professional divisions, not with a junior or ammy) and they are not the only ones who do that. I’m not saying they do it all the time but they do it on a pretty regular basis plus sometimes a Derby class too.
Having seen the ins and outs of all the equitation finals, I’m not sure if I agree with her, at least not universally. Her horse was tired in the crossties, but she didn’t mention if he was sore or unhappy, or if he went well. In her Maclay finals video, her horse looks quite fresh. My equitation horse was usually asleep in his stall by finals day, but he never went better than he did at those shows, and he was a horse that had to be left a little fresh.
It’s the trainers, owners, and riders responsibility to maintain the welfare of the horse. If he was burning out, they should have addressed it. Many horses are still happy and going great by Maclay finals.
