Well said. The OP needs to get a grip on reality. Especially her insinuation of “real amatuers.” This whole thing is unfortunate because the complaint by the OP shows that many, including the OP, think amateurs “less than” the pros. It also is glaringly obviously the OP is in it for ribbons.
ETA: I am an ammy. A real one, who’s work interferes a lot with riding. Excuse me if I have no sympathy for the person who can afford the training and has the time to get to this level.
Really, isnt the final answer to RIDE FOR YOUR OWN SCORES and against your previous efforts??? I compete against folks with fulltime trainers (and at one time I was that competitor…), on $$$$$$ horses and I know my breed choice is also a handicap in many ways… and I ride against my own self.
“Super rich AA’s” are still AAs. Poor hardworking USEF pros are still pros, limited to Open classes. FEI Amateurs may or may not be rich or make a living training.
\That’s the way it is . Ride your own damn test.
and I have to add: CoTH forums have certainly changed! Imagine seeing a poster apologizing for calling someone a whiner!! Wow… a few years ago that would certainly not have happened! 
Well, to be honest, I didn’t exactly apologize. :lol:
It would make about as much sense to make a fuss about the differences between the UK and American interpretations of the words “fanny” and “pants.”
It’s pretty clear the intent of this class is very different than the classes referred to as “amateur” non-FEI competitors in the US may be more familiar with. If the primary criterion is not being FEI ranked, that includes a whole heckuva lot of people, many of whom likely earn their living riding, training and selling dressage horses, many of whom are likely quite good at it. Just not quite so good as to be FEI ranked.
But the answers were not answers to the question, for the most part. They were slamming the OP. She didn’t ask if she should be enjoying.
It is within the rules, so it is ok. It is not necessarily within the spirit of what some might believe to be true competition.
I have zero skin skin in the game, so no real opinion. But I’m not slamming you, OP. I hear you.
If “the spirit of competition” is that nobody ever has to compete against someone with more horses, money, time, or talent then I guess it is not “in the spirit of competition.”
two years ago all these people would have to be in the 1* together and we are STILL whining that people are playing within the rules of INTERNATIONAL competition. I don’t get it. Just stay home if you don’t like the way the class is named or whatever the gripe is this week. There were only 8 in the CDIAm so everyone even got participation ribbons like this is kindergarten.
It’s got nothing to do with money - that just sounds like sour grapes to me. We have no idea what some of these “super rich ammies” have sacrificed to get to that level and frankly, it’s none of our business.
And at that level lots of pros have plenty of choice in what horses they accept for training and showing. Again, none of our business. Just because somebody has the money to compete, or to buy a quality horse, doesn’t mean they haven’t put the time in the saddle and worked their butts off to get where they are, ammy or pro.
The complaining is the issue - and in this case it seems like the OP really had no understanding of the FEI regulations or the purpose of the division, hence her unfounded complaints. Although it still seems odd to me she would focus on one particular rider and not be upset by other USEF pros in the class. Hopefully this thread has educated her a little in that regard.
But that’s the issue. It’s totally within the “spirit” of competition unless you are trying to apply the USEF definition of amateur to the CDI amateur division. It’s apples and oranges.
The rest of the world pretty much (not sure if all, but certainly many countries) break up their open and “amateur” classes (not always called amateur) by how good of a rider people are, not how they earn their living. Its an FEI competition, therefore it’s entirely within the spirit of the rules, as that’s how most of the other FEI nations do it.
Look, horse showing and, within that elite world, dressage has a reputation for being exclusive and not in a good way.
And fewer and fewer members of the general public have a chance to get to know anything about riding or horses at all.
Therefore, I think we all need to try to be ambassadors for our sport. I mean, we really need to go out of our way to make it seem accessible.
it’s not much to do, but I think that means that sportsmanship and fair play ought to be emphasized. (Again, this is because we have a century or two of reputation for elitism to overcome.) In this light, then, I think it’s both ugly and *ill-advised( to show the OP the door when she calls for something like a more level playing field. I get that the pro in question is an Ammy by FEI rules. But if you presented any member of the public with the basic facts of the situation (including some of the eye-popping cost), do you think they’d want to wade in?
I do think it’s wonderful that in dressage you can compete against your own scores AND that you get a written critique of your test.
And now this discussion is back to the AA rules in the US which are in fact a reason for this thread. They are made for rich AAs who want to have a protected terrain to play… I think the rules are pretty ridiculous and make it even harder for people with less money.
A nice theoretical example… Somebody has a friend riding one of his horses which needs to be ridden Sometimes the owner helps the friend with the horse… He does not take money because it’s a friend. The friend gives him sometimes home baked cookies and other goods…
Now the owner is technically a pro…
I think this thread is going along nicely with this… The people who only pay for their sport are very alert not to let anybody into their classes who makes a living from horses because they feel ripped off…
it’s a crooked system 
Maybe you are right and I worded it wrong.
Maybe some of these super rich armmies sacrificed a lot to get there… and maybe you are right about the pros too…
And maybe we were all wrong and the thread was started because the OP had a personal feud with this specific pro… Who knows…
I think this is the crux of this thread.
The OP targeted one individual, by name and all, and tried to publicly shamed her.
How rude and unfair is that?
OP, you were 8 in the class, I believe it’s not too difficult to determine who you are.
How exactly do you make the playing field more level than it already is? If you want to compete in a CDI but not against FEI-ranked riders, you have the CDI-Am division option. If you don’t want to compete against those who make their living from riding, you have the USEF Amateur division in FEI classes at national shows.
OP chose option A but seems upset that that it doesn’t run under the rules of option B. It doesn’t make sense.
As far as accessibility to the general public goes, is that really relevant at the CDI level? That’s like complaining that competing in NFL football is not accessible to your local high school kid or weekend warrior. There are plenty of affordable (by equestrian standards), accessible, entry-level options for competing at the grassroots. A CDI is the highest level of international competition. By its very definition it’s elite and nobody gets to that level in any sport without spending a great deal of time and money. Again, we’re talking apples and oranges.
And back to the insinuation that the “super rich ammies” have it easy, I’m not going to deny that the opportunities of time, training and horse quality that money can buy make things easier. Such is life. But those advantages aren’t a substitute for sweat and hard work and dedication. Go back and re-watch the infamous Del Mar videos if you really believe you can buy your way straight to the upper levels. Dressage is freaking hard and NOBODY who has progressed all the way up to I1 and is doing it well got there without working their ass off for it.
Yup. Side note, the horse in question is now for sale in FL and winning in the GP at Global with a pro. You can have all the money in the world, but if you don’t put in the time, even the most push button GP import is not going to make up for your inadequacies the ring.
Scores are out for the CDIAm - Inter1 class and Heidi Degele placed 6th with a score of 63,725%.
I know. I keep checking my lottery tickets each week. Boy would I love to bring that horse home!
Yes, and if you look at results in Foxvillage, shows Heidi and other rider in the “open” division.
So OP either beat Heidi and should feel proud that she (he?) can be competitive against the rider she was worried about, or finished 8th or 9th. And if that’s the case, judging by the scores, today wasn’t her day and it didn’t matter who she was competing against.
In my opinion if she did beat Hiedi than this whole thread looks even worse. Who the hell posts a rant on CoTH the night before a big class??
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