Again IIRC - staples under the ear to stop Cribbing… I don’t remember if it worked though.
The dry ice one is the only that makes me go “really?” (perhaps they meant liquid nitrogen?). Most of the other stuff has been happening for decades and is not new.
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Yes, the invisible or acceptable bad practices in every discipline are more deserving of attention than rumors about one off things somebody heard about once. Acceptable bad practices include performance short cuts common to the discipline.
Or even disciplines where horses are made to move in unnatural ways that cause long term damage. Which can even include the less competent beginner lesson programs that cripple their shuffling old horses.
Or knowingly breeding unsound horses for s temporary advantage.
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It wasn’t clear to me that the staple was LEFT in for showing. Just that the staple was DONE for the purposes of showing, at the show, in an effort to calm the pony. Like, as you point out, and acupuncture treatment. Seems like a lot of hooey to me but in the grand scheme of things, unlikely to cause much lasting harm.
The stories about fat-shaming and weight standards…yeah, my first trainer was like that. I have in years since figure skated and ballroom danced and have been around (and worked for) elite clubs and studios. In the case of skating, I worked in the cafe. I know what the kids were eating because I was cooking it and giving it to them. I can say that what I heard (I wasn’t obese as a kid, just chubby in that 10-13-year-old awkward puberty phase) in hunters was nastier than anything I experienced or witnessed in two activities that are famous for being about body image. In particular, even as someone who’s still not a twig (I’m maybe a 10 US now, though I wear a UK 12 which is apparently a US 8) I have NEVER had a male skating coach or dance instructor say things about my weight like that trainer I started with. Even in IHSA it’s worse than a sport where I’m wearing a yard and a half of stretch fabric and fishnets.
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A client of my former (late, alas) farrier did try the staple under the forelock thing. I don’t recall the details. It came up in conversation while he was trying to shoe a horse who was being a real pain in the butt and he said “I’m going to shove a staple in your forelock and not the acupuncture kind.” From which I gather, like you, that we are talking about something the gauge of an acupuncture needle, not something that comes out of a staple gun. Apparently it did appear to work for the other horse.
If only all creatures could be treated with dignity and respect.
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I think it’s worthwhile to point out that the blogger also advertises her training services on that site, so it may be in her best interests to be a bit hyperbolic about how terrible other trainers are.
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What was this bloggers newest post about horse people not understanding the power of money and bla bla. I know I ramble like no other but I couldn’t get past the first paragraph.
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Why are you so rude? Shelby has plenty of experience on the show scene
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Hi, I’m the writer of this article and have to say, it is disheartening to see people mocking my post secondary ambitions on the basis of a blog post that mostly is using the quotes of others. You do not have to like my writing style but blogging is informal and largely stream of consciousness writing. Had I been taking a journalistic approach to this article, I could not have offered the submitters the same anonymity.
For those assuming I just took anyone and everyone’s story without doing any due diligence, you’re incorrect and it would be nice if people would ask prior to making assumptions. Much of these statements came from friends of mine or people I work with professionally and personally, who I trust. They work in positions, and have proven they worked said positions, where it is perfectly plausible for them to come across these events. With most of this stuff, I was sent evidence by way of video, photos or I had numerous people from different areas submitting things regarding the same trainers and once again, they had proof they worked with said trainers. BUT- as I stated in the post, since I was not personally present for most of this, I cannot attest to the viability of all of it.
What concerned me the most, personally, especially seeing what names came up the most is the poling, drugging, excessive lunging, sexual assault, body shaming and drug use/DUI. I’m sure most of you on the circuit are well aware of the reality of such issues and may have even seen them happen. Many of these people, particularly the ones who suffered from eating disorders or were assaulted, shared highly personal information that was traumatic to them. Out of respect for them, I would appreciate more kindness and understanding because at the very least, there are things in the blog post that are big problems for lots of people, even if you’re not one of them.
My intention with this post was simple: to draw upon the fact that professionals and even the most successful people can be corrupt. Many young people blindly follow the opinions of pros. A lot of people on the circuit oppose other areas of the horse world for similar things going on in their own circuit. All of that stuff sparked my interest so I began interviewing people for this post.
I was sent hundreds of messages and narrowed it down to a select few who I believed to be the most trustworthy. Since I live so close to venues like Tbird and Spruce, I have relationships with a fair bit of people who’ve worked at these venues in the past or present as well as worked for trainers travelling to compete there along with competing at Tbird myself. I’m not sure how my owning rescues some how means I’m not in the show world… I simply like to help animals who need it.
Anyways, some of this stuff may be old news to you but for me personally, the number of instances featuring same or similar names with regards to polling or drugging concerned me. Personally, with the things I’d never heard of prior like the staples or dry ice, idk what to believe but this blog post was meant to start discussion, which it has and in doing so it opens the debate for how common some of these practices may or may not be.
hope that clears some things up. If you dont like my writing, that is fine but please do not apply my blogging to journalistic studies as they’re entirely different writing styles and purposes.
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I think most people had difficulty getting through it as the writing didn’t hold your attention. It was just a laundry list of all the bad things that may happen at shows or at barns. But it just kept going on and on with no context.
I just didn’t really get the point of it.
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Sorry you felt that way! The context of it was merely supposed to be a discussion on what goes on behind the scenes and what some people have dealt with. It more or less serves as a means for people to read through and realize they may not be alone in what they’ve seen or experienced as well as draw awareness to the fact that prestige and lots of wins do not necessarily mean someone is ethical. Unfortunately, while many are aware of this, many people are not and I myself have been guilty of justifying shoddy training practices using the basis of who is doing it. As much as I did want to cut it down, there were a lot of people who were just super excited to have their stories heard and thankfully, the response has overwhelmingly been positive from people coming from similar experiences or who felt alone prior. In the future, I would try to make it more concise but this was also my first time attempting something like this and I was not comfortable altering direct quotes.
I’ve highlighted in red where you contradict yourself. You say you’ve done your due diligence, however, you then say you don’t know what to believe. In my honest opinion, if you want your writing to be taken seriously you shouldn’t blindly be posting things that are quite frankly impossible (injecting dry ice).
Just my two cents.
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In many contexts brevity (and editing) can greatly improve writing. Organization is also helpful. Clarity is nice too.
Have you ever learned about the concept of readability? Maybe read some articles about it. I bet the readability score of that blog is not anywhere near where it would be if you went back and gave it a thorough edit. Kill your darlings.
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I do tend to get wordy in my writing and that is for sure a weakness. In hindsight, it probably would’ve been better to separate the postings for problems in relation to human relationships in the horse world (drug use, assault etc) and ones related to humans with their horses. Definitely could have organized it better but was really doing it with honest intentions related to trying to give people a voice and talk about shoddy training practices at higher levels.
Thank you for the advice!
Done my due diligence in ensuring the people came from backgrounds in which they were connected to people in question. As for specifics as to what injections contained, I cannot vouch for what people claim. I would imagine it is possible to get vapor from dry ice into a syringe, so perhaps they saw something similar being injected, who knows. You are right though, I should have avoided specifics like that and in the future would stay away from labeling substances injected or used and will definitely keep that in mind if I ever attempt something like this again! I did try to make the main focus regarding problems that we know occur in some capacity for sure, but going into specifics like that was a poor choice and you’re right it takes credibility away. Regarding the other injection stories like needles being left out at shows, I’ve personally seen evidence of this as well as noticing it ar barns and other facilities personally and in that case, even if the substances were legal, I think it is dangerous to leave sharps out (not sure if you were the one who mentioned that or not regarding flaws you saw with the injection discussion).
Thank you for your thoughts, I will keep all of that in mind for in the future.
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Well I did find this about injecting nitrous oxide to relive knee pain in humans. Is is from the Daily Mail… - https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2242516/Ice-injection-blocks-pain-soothe-achey-knees.html
Needles in and of themselves, and injections, are allowed at shows within the purview of USEF rules and regulations. Your sweeping dismissal of trainers because you saw “needles” goes to show your ultimate lack of credibility. Injections are not illegal at shows depending on the substance being injected and the person doing the injecting.
The idea of dry ice being injected is downright laughable. Also, if you had done any actual due diligence (aka googling) on any of the copypasta you put on your blog, you would’ve seen a million conversations on this forum alone about how the cocaine stories are just not viable. Due diligence is not “I cannot vouch for what people claim, I imagine it’s possible…it sounds realistic!!!” Due diligence is not just determining whether you personally think your sources are believable, but also determining whether the information you’ve acquired has any sort of legitimacy to it.
So, basically, you fake news’ed then are now saying, yeah, well, this is what I heard but I’m not sure? But I’m not a professional journalist!! But then you use your blog to sell your horse training services on a separate part of your website. That’s disingenuous, at best.
Your “about” page says you’re studying journalism. That is not journalism.
Sorry, but over the years I’ve run out of patience for people that get hyperbolic and pearl clutchy about show horse “abuse” on these forums. It always devolves into, “but I heard this! And I trust these people!! Hunters and jumpers are the worst!!!11!!!” :rolleyes:
I’m glad you are open to constructive criticism. When you write “I can not vouch for what people claim” yet you are publicizing those claims in your blog, you are giving credence to those claims.
That is known as spreading gossip, and there is no way around that except to be sure that what you present as facts are indeed true. You can be a conduit of stories that you’ve heard from other people (gossip) or you can research properly as a journalist. What you “imagine” carries no weight.
Most people don’t enjoy writers who blur the line between journalism and gossip when serious issues are involved. It seems disingenuous.
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The “vapor” from dry ice (which is CO2 in its solid state) is just water vapor condensed from the air around it due to the cold. Unless it’s some new technique dreamed up by a rather imaginitive holistic therapist, I don’t think injecting water vapor into a horse’s back would accomplish anything (other than perhaps an air embolism).
I definitely read your article as well-intentioned, and it’s important that bad-doers in the industry are exposed, but without credible specifics, it just reads as sensationalism.
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