Dujardin Whistleblower News

[mvp]

The last idea in the article-- about the FEI having historically ignored whistle-blowers’ motivations-- raises a new problem.

It would appear to any reasonable person that the FEI was weaponized here-- quite used.

After all, had Dickinson been so worried about the horse some two years ago (or any horses trained by Dujardin) that the only possible or effective way to protect the animals was to go to the FEI, the timing of this would have been quite different.

So what responsibility does the FEI have to not allow itself to be used in a personal spat or to place a thumb on the scale of Olympic competition by making sure one country’s rider is out?

[peedin]

I’ve watched several free YouTube videos by Dickinson and her colleague Natasha. Her voice is grating, but the videos have decent info. Granted, the lessons are geared towards lower level riders but I’m a LL rider. Nothing in the videos gives a whiff of scandal or woo. She doesn’t promote any tack or gear or even lessons with her. I find this hard to reconcile with the DuJardin mess. It’s all very bizarre.

[SillyHorse]

@mvp

So what responsibility does the FEI have to not allow itself to be used in a personal spat or to place a thumb on the scale of Olympic competition by making sure one country’s rider is out?

This goes far beyond a spat. The cruelty and abuse documented in the video could not be ignored.

[Mondo]

Oh, I agree with that 100% SillyHorse. But really, the timing of the release was suspect from the get-go. Now it’s very clear that it was deliberate. CDJ may not be innocent, but this video should have come out the day after it happened, not a few days before the Olympics. That’s lower than low. And why, pray tell, did she continue to video and not stop the cruelty she was witnessing if it was so upsetting to her?

[Djones]

And I wonder about that particular horse. Has anyone found other videos of said horse?

Why do I ask…is this a very sour very stuck horse? One entirely shut down to going forward? Not making excuses, before anyone snaps their own whip at me.

[SillyHorse]

@Djones

Why do I ask…is this a very sour very stuck horse? One entirely shut down to going forward? Not making excuses, before anyone snaps their own whip at me.

I understand why you are asking this, but I’m sure you agree that if this were the case, this was not the way to go about fixing the problem.

[quietann]

Part of what seemed to be happening is that the rider was clamped pretty tightly, and this also had the horse shut down. CDJ got impatient and started using the whip on a horse that had nowhere to go. From the back the horse was sort of bunnyhopping. I’m the smurfiest of smurfs, but why not get a little forward going first?

[Scribbler]

Let’s face it, most whistleblower videos or complaints are going to be motivated by some negative emotion. Nobody reports a coach that they basically like or don’t want to destroy. Nobody reports their friends. Lots of people quietly change training programs because they don’t love what’s happening but they don’t report them. This is true of trainers with harsh training, subpar horse care and even inappropriate personal behavior, at every level. The only thing you are legally required to report as a USEF or EC member is sexual conduct with a minor, and that’s only since SS came in. (Other professions like medical and teaching are also mandatory reporters too I think).

Anyhow, the behavior that makes someone not just walk away from a program but document and report to FEI has to be either over the top egregious or else you have negative feelings towards them, or maybe you are an undercover investigative journalist doing your job.

So motive shouldn’t be taken into account.

No more than for any other reported crime. I mean most people who “snitch” on criminals do it out of revenge. You are walking on very thin ice if you have serious tax evasion plus a messy divorce!

[initiate1987]

@quietann

I’m the smurfiest of smurfs, but why not get a little forward going first?

This piqued a memory of the symposium I saw where she had a PSG/Int. I horse that was a little stuck behind the leg. She had the rider take a few yee-haw laps around the ring to get it in front of the leg. She does have tools in her toolbox, which makes it more baffling and sad that she would turn to the lunge whip.

[quietann]

I guess it’s just that my early re-riding was done with eventers, where “forward is your friend.”

[Graymaresrule]

Fix it forward!

[IdahoRider]

@initiate1987

This piqued a memory of the symposium I saw where she had a PSG/Int.

I clearly remember CDJ telling a rider at the symposium that I attended to give the horse their head and “give a proper pony club kick”.

She does know better. She has done better. She was frustrated and took it out on the horse. I don’t believe that heavy, two fisted and over the head hits are something that she uses every day in her training. But we should probably be talking more about her frustration threshold.
Sheilah

[sparkygrace]

That was likely the same symposium I attended. There was lots of yee-haw, get the horses forward, but no abuse. She was kind, but firm. She fell in love with a grade pony.

[Djones]

The horse won’t be fixed by assaulting it, no.

But what was she told? And what is true?

[SillyHorse]

@Djones

The horse won’t be fixed by assaulting it, no.

But what was she told? And what is true?

I don’t understand. What does it matter what she was told?

[Djones]

It’s OK.

Are there other videos of this horse?

[MadTrotter]

@Texarkana

Who is falling for these charlatans to begin with, especially for such exorbitant amounts of money?

The same people spending countless hours obsessing over “ sunken toplines” of Olympic horses and bragging that their fluffy pasture puff (no offense intended to said puffs!) has superior musculature and conditioning.

Cream puff trust funders who are too afraid to ride their 17h imported monsters.

Walking emotional flesh wounds who create complex schematics of horse “pain face” and then cherry pick stills from competitions.

86% of Dressage Hub.

[libgrrl]

Yes!!! Look, I wish we could have these sorts of discussions like adults (I’m also semi-involved in the dog training community – and the “method wars” are even worse) and I wish folks would realize that nuanced discussions could achieve far, far more than militant memes and TikToks – but here we are. I truly believe that we all want to do the best we can for the four-leggeds we care for.

[skydy]

@Texarkana

Who is falling for these charlatans to begin with, especially for such exorbitant amounts of money?

Times have changed don’t you think? In the U.S. before the advent of internet advertising, I think it was easier to know who was qualified to give lessons. Now people can make a website, give misleading or dubious qualifications and many people will believe that the person is legitimate. The good thing about the internet is that it’s easy now to check for competition records.

This lady really fooled a lot of people. Unfortunately these people aim at beginners, because they’ll usually be found out quickly by more experienced riders.

No show record, no real qualifications that should enable them to take peoples’ money for anything more than up-down lessons (and some unqualified to do even that) yet they have people who don’t know any better pay them for “training” or “lessons” or “clinics”.

The people who have come to this forum and have tried to get away with this are few but memorable, and they must be only a fraction of the unqualified people out there that take money from people who know no better. It’s an unfortunate problem.

There are those whom are either less than honest/realistic about their qualifications, or are complete frauds, but in either case there are far too many of them.

I suppose it must be easier to get away with this in the U.S. where there are no teaching qualifications that can be relied upon, as there are in Britain and Germany, and that won’t change anytime soon if ever.

[netg]

@peedin

I’ve watched several free YouTube videos by Dickinson and her colleague Natasha. Her voice is grating, but the videos have decent info. Granted, the lessons are geared towards lower level riders but I’m a LL rider. Nothing in the videos gives a whiff of scandal or woo. She doesn’t promote any tack or gear or even lessons with her. I find this hard to reconcile with the DuJardin mess. It’s all very bizarre

I don’t remember because it’s been years, but I watched some of the videos and rolled my eyes hard enough to avoid them. I think they misguide in ways which can prevent progress to upper levels if you want to actually progress and move up the levels, but don’t really remember specifics. I think there were blocking seats and too much emphasis on building strength which could be counter to actually moving with the horse.