Good luck with that.
It also doesn’t fix the problem of abuse.
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I think the part about this plan that fails is - This person got a qualifying score with this test, didn’t they?
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with a 51?? if thats the case maybe 51 should not be a qualifying score???
meupatdoes, I didn’t say every barn, but from what I have seen myself, news articles, online threads, etc it is apparent there are a lot of training barns that abuse horses regularly. Do you read the hunter/jumper or eventing forums on here, lots of bad stuff to be found. Are there great trainers too, I hope so.
It’s disheartening to be a fan of a rider and horse team and then find out about the behind the scenes abuse. Leads me to distrust all until I learn differently.
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Thank you for clarifying this for me.
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Where this thread jumped the shark from community self-policing (which I support) to something else (not sure I would call it bullying), in my opinion, is when people started attacking the character of the rider, judges and show officials. Stating as though it were fact, what was going on in the rider’s mind, e.g. she’s got anger problems and shouldn’t be allowed on any horse. Stating that the trainer in question is “on her knees with hand held out for the next check” is particularly egregious. Stating as though it were fact that judges are compelled to ignore abusive riding because “rich AAs” support the sport.
I’ve seen more than several posts that reflect a lack of knowledge of USDF and USEF rules, how dressage tests are scored, the meaning of the scores for a national test, and the process to become a judge. It’s OK that people don’t know since none of us are born knowing this stuff, but it’s not OK to jump to conclusions and accuse people based on that lack of knowledge.
I haven’t seen a post from anyone who claims to actually KNOW the rider, the trainer, or the judges, yet so many claim to KNOW their history, motivations, and intents. It’s especially incredulous when it comes from people who didn’t even see the video. For the record, I did see the video and think it is appropriate to comment on what was seen in the video, kind of a Dragnet approach, just the facts of what we saw. We didn’t see into the mind of the rider, the judges or anyone else. If someone here has those psychic powers, it would be great if they shared the winning Powerball numbers so we could all afford such a nice horse.
Like I said, I don’t know that I’d call it bullying. It looks more like a lot of people taking advantage of an opportunity to take shots at someone who, in addition to riding poorly, has committed the sins of having money and buying nice horses.
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Off topic but wanted to reply…
Not in the rules but it happens all the time in Ontario. One certain judge who especially loves to do it to jiggy jogging TBs. She says the horse is “irregular” which falls under the rules, and then refuses to watch the horse trot out for soundness. Creates a huge drama filled day with the GJ etc. I will not event where she judges, she has a blatant bias for TBs.
Has happened to FOUR different people I know. She once gave me a “talking to” about my mare doing a free jog and being tense in the canter. She told me my horse was “clearly not ready for the level and would be dangerous over fences”. In which I then told her, she had just returned from the Pan Am Games being a showjumping horse for Modern Pentathlon, jumping 1.1m where her rider won Gold…so I think she would be OK 
We then were one of 4 clear rounds out of 25 riders and placed 4th in the Training level 
I watched this ride again and I can’t decide if the Pony Club double booting with spurs is worse or the fact that she is riding entirely on the curb, and then whipping the horse because she is holding him so tight on said curb…
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Does she ring them out for unsoundness or give low marks on trot movements?
Just curious.
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eh, her scores say a lot if you ask me, going back to 04.
I’d love to hear her side of things. It would be great to have that information.
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Don’t disagree that the scores tell a story; the story is that she scored low. Anything else is speculative at best.
Hell, I have scores in the 40s from when I started riding a quarter horse back when I thought that he could go GP since he had solid flying changes. I rode him only in a snaffle on a loose rein, sat quietly while he jogged around. I know a lot more now.
Her “side of things” isn’t any of our business.
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Nope, the sin is in not doing the work. In thinking one can use the money they have to buy the horse and expect that being loose in the tack, with hands that yank on purpose and as a result of not having a solid seat, is ok.
I know lots of people with lots of money who buy the horse for UL, but first they learn and prove that they can ride that level.
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I agree that it appears she hasn’t done the work; that’s the “riding poorly” bit. However how do you know what she thinks? People simply don’t know what they don’t know. I’m not willing to jump to “she thinks everything is OK because she bought the horse.”
How many still snipe at the people you know who do the work along the lines of “well, if I could afford that horse…?”
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you just said that no one knew her, it implied wanting to know source info.
I don’t think we have to dwell on anything other than the ride itself- abuse. It’s not hard. That is my only concern!
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Sorry for the misunderstanding. That said, it’s highly unlikely she’s interested in chatting with anyone on this thread, me included.
Thank you.
Who cares what her motivations are?
It is obvious that her riding is unacceptable. There is no other interpretation of that video.
She SHOULD NOT be riding if that is how she is going to ride.
And if the trainer is still taking money from her after this type of riding has been going on for some time (as stated by people who claim to have seen her in person), than the trainer’s “efforts” to educate or reform this person, whatever they may be, and send a horse to the ring that doesn’t look like a poster child of a resigned, long term recipient of aggressive riding, are clearly not working.
What are we supposed to do, look at the video and make believe it doesn’t tell the story it tells?
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I assume she thinks everything is ok because she entered the show, mounted up and entered the ring.
If she thought she was overhorsed or not prepared for that level, or for that level that day, would she have got on… and if she had mounted up against her better judgement, would we have heard that side of the story by now?
She’s either clueless, or NP level delusional.
But as Cuatx notes that’s not as relevant as what’s in the video… the why isn’t really relevant.
There’s no excuse that makes it ok.
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Many seem to want to dump a lot of this on the trainer… without considering that sometimes the client does as they please and can be hard to manage. Not saying that is necessarily the case here, but there seems to be far too much lashing out and pointing fingers and outrage flying all over the place in what looks like a desperate attempt find one person - anyone - to blame. We had a boarder for a while who thought that she was All That when it came to Western Pleasure anything. She bought two lovely show horses, new saddles, all the latest fads in tack and sparkly shirts and perfect chaps… and rode like a hot mess. She was her own trainer - any kind-hearted or well-meaning tips and suggestions were summarily dismissed. The horses were saints - and yet began to get fussy about being constantly banged in the mouth as the WP Queen checked-checked-checked. When she had her DH haul out to a show, she would return fuming and raging about the terrible judging. I actually saw her in the ring a couple of times - horse’s tail was constantly wringing, he was trying to go BTV to avoid the jabbing and transitions were rough. People who had sold her those horses were appalled. She moved out to a bigger barn with a resident WP trainer due to a “better atmosphere” (her words) and I still wonder how those two amazing horses are doing…
The first of SB’s rides was just bad. The second one was really bad plus frustration plus lack of feel plus overreaction… I would call it a very rough, ignorant ride as opposed to simply abusive - but that does not excuse it in any way. The riding is heavy-handed, reactive BS - even my independent WTC riders at the therapeutic riding center know not to kick like that when they have a seat and legs to use and a crop in hand.
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Sometimes for “unevenness” or “irregular gait”. Well, when your horse is tense and jiggy jogging it is of course an irregular gait. This is also at low levels.
