Not an endurance rider, but I understand what both you and @pennylaneplainjane are talking about. I live in a blue state, and my barn is in a blue state (I live on the border), but the amount of MAGA, homophobic, anti-women’s rights kinda people I encounter every day is scary. My close friend is LGBTQ+ and has a transgender sibling. She does not talk about her sexuality at her barn/certain events, and is scared to bring her sister to any barn/equestrian events. We need the opposite of what the author of this book is talking about. We need a more open and accepting community.
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Define affordable.
I did some showing back in the '70’s and about10 years ago I thought I might work for a bronze medal. I had a good horse and access to good instruction and time so why not?
I found out why not when I looked at the prize list for one of our local shows. Holy crap there were a lot of fees, even more so when one weekend show was actually run as two shows and yes I do know the advantage to do it that way. Nope, not for me.
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Outreach is for very entry level exhibitors.
No question it’s expensive, but a Bronze medal is hardly the grassroots of the sport. It was really the fees that killed you in all that? Not your lessons or your boarding or your shipping (or the value of your horse)?
The two one day show trick IME made it more affordable, not less, by letting you get more scores in a single weekend at what is hopefully a local venue, or if not, to let your travel expenses span two “shows.” I also though often just did one day of the four day shows and would haul in.
One thing I love about the Dressage medal program is that it’s just you and your horse against the rubric, and a fairly serious accomplishment if you can get it. You can start on the first level scores, making you feel like you’re working on it fairly early on, but to get the two third level scores is challenging. But in theory, you can get it done in just 6 classes at three shows, if you’re canny and can nail the scores, and that’s regardless of who shows up that day, whether you’re the solo entrant at 3rd or one of twenty.
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Every time I read about “the fees”, I giggle. Anyone who shows any amount fully understands they are barely a rounding error in the total sum of things.
If someone just ONCE said it was the final straw in an ever increasing avalanche of expenses? Now that I get. It’s that last drop of water that officially drowns you even though the reason you drowned was the cumulation of the other trillion drops.
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I looked on Amazon, and sadly she is getting good reviews (4.3) and the reviewers seem to agree with her.
NB: Amazon also gives people the opportunity to report issues with a book or author.
Does blatant racism count?
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You could probably report but I doubt anything will happen. She has a right to her opinion and to express it just like anyone else . Of course no one is required to buy or even read the book.
Personally I wouldn’t want to see it removed any more than any other book, even though I may not agree with it or even like it. We can learn from everyone, even if we don’t agree with them or even like them or what they are saying.
But then that would get us into a whole other discussion about book banning etc and I’ll stop now.
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There’s only 5 reviews so that means less than nothing, especially when you consider the title, which is practically click bait for a certain audience
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There are 3 reviews and you don’t have to have a recorded purchase of the book to leave a review. One of the reviews is even anonymous.
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I kind of want to go on and write my own review…
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That’s what I’m thinking.
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My AHSA membership started in1963. I was 10. USEF was screwing us over way back then. My father never had a good thing to say about the organization, and I maintain my membership by holding my nose. Oh, the stories I could tell…
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And it’s getting worse. A subject for a different day.
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Why would anyone maintain their membership if it has always been that horrible to you?
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The same reason they maintain it now. If you’re going to do any substantial showing, beyond schooling shows, you have to have it. They have everyone over a barrel and they know it
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RE USEF
This could probably be its own topic but how is it that horse abuse and sneaking into the Thermal VIP and getting obnoxious when caught each receive a one-month suspension and fines that aren’t all that different ($2500 vs $1500)? Really USEF?!?
Spring issue of USEF Magazine. Couldn’t find a suspensions page online. Maybe the magazine is online? Here’s a link: https://issuu.com/equestrian/docs/spring_2025_draft It’s pages 80-81 of the physical magazine, but the online page count is one or two higher.
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Also throw in that people can buy reviews, get fake reviews, etc. I would take a single digit number of reviews on something self-published with a huge grain of salt.
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This month’s For the Record includes Max Amaya, Eleanor Kunsman, and David Bustillos. Lovely.
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I only read the pages you linked and dear lord, the conduct of what I assume are professionals and top tier competitors is so disheartening.
Beyond the drugging violations and the assholery behavior, the outright abuse is alarming. Inflicting pain on your horse’s coronet and pastern with your own spurs? Driving a harness horse recklessly and then tying it in its stall as “punishment” for its behavior? Long lining a horse with twisted wire over its poll, and its head so restricted in a “contraption” that when it reared it fell over, and the workout continued?
And look at the repercussions: A financial slap on the wrist and a stern talkin’ to. That’ll teach them. 
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Reason number 1 gazillion why I’ve stopped even remotely aspiring to show recognized.
Do these people even like horses at all?
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Same here. There are so many other ponds to swim in.
I ask myself, and my barn friends and my trainer, the same question whenever these sordid stories come up. Did these people ever have a love for horses? If so, what happened to it? How did they lose their way? I suppose that ultimately it doesn’t matter. They am who they am now. Ugh.
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