Let’s not forget the hubris with which she entered into this sport, disseminating a promotional video with a timeline for her rise to the highest level.
@Puffergrrl try more all-caps, it helps our simple eventer brains process your intellectual superiority.
Pialotta was one of my favorite Grand Prix horses of all time. :yes:
I was just cleaning out a box of old momentos the other day and found an old picture of her winning one of the Budweiser Grand Prix series probably 20 years ago.
Well, the biggest difference, perhaps even more so than his record, is that even if Jung never matched the success he had on Fischerocanna and his beloved Sam, he’d still be beloved and respected in the eventing community because he’s not only a fierce competitor, but also a great horseman. He has shown himself willing to take his time to produce a horse and learn how to get the best ride out of that particular horse. To some extent it is true that Jung is always an eventer first and foremost in the sense that although his best horses have always been very accurate dressage horses, they weren’t always at the top after that phase and even occasionally had a rail in showjumping. (To circle back to the original question of this thread.) Jung does seem to love all of his other equestrian endeavors, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he mainly does them to keep in shape for eventing. But even then, there has never been any question of his ability to ride his horses with kindness and sensitivity in any discipline.
Most importantly he’s always been able to make cross-country courses–that other competitors made look impossible and terrifying–look easy. He may have some advantages in terms of the country he comes from and his support network, but he is clearly putting in the very hard work to excel, and also to show the utmost respect for his animals as he does so.
This is the more accurate view of how she was perceived at her entrance to the sport. She was not ever welcomed and wished well and as a former SJ myself, I recall it well. Some of this was “how the hell cam someone step in and rise to the top levels so fast” and some was because ML is very shy, and many found that offputting given they already had a preconceived notion of her as a fancy SJ snob. I think she was probably counseled to do the video thinking it would be an underdog hit, without ML and her advisers (OConnors probably) realizing people would not take it well given many have worked years to go up the levels.
i have said from day 1 that my experience of her is very different from eventers. I stabled next to her and her mom many times at A shows, growing up as a working student riding jumpers in VA. She was always sweet, kind, and a hard worker who pitched in at all levels, from stall cleaning to hand grazing to whatever, and rode anything well. They were not a trust fund family, and made and scraped by taking difficult horses for cheap, “fixing” them and selling for a profit. Yes, she is shy. I can relate to that myself and felt for her.
Her Eventing was no different than her SJ — she bought eventers on the cheap with big holes but talent, and did what she could to fix the holes and be successful. Scandalous has always been a freight train XC. The bits etc. have been there for a reason.
i can’t blame her for abandoning the effort. All the hype about eventers being friendly wasn’t at all true for her. It has been for me, because I am much less successful! I think most eventers are great! But I can’t help but feel sorry for her, given the reaming she has gone through online.
she has had a good deal deal of upper level success on her Corona jumper which I am sure has been a distraction.
MJ is a lovely rider with so much talent. The cases are very different, because when MJ screws up a round in his new sport, he has 16 or 20 faults, or more likely retires, and the world never notices. ML has to deal with a horse scrambling over something solid. The optics are not favorable for her.
ML round at 1:39:30
I agree with Fordtraktor. Eventers come across as jerks on this thread. I actually feel like I need to apologise for the behavior. It’s not the world I know. The nasty comments about showjumpers, the implications that she’s buying off judges and/or has robotic horses, the refusal to acknowledge that other upper level Eventers have crappy rides.
In MLs interview she didn’t say a single thing about winning. She clearly realized the horse has some holes and needs to step back. Yet nobody comments on her introspection.
She’s been competing the mare for 6 years. So if she has holes…
It doesn’t take ‘introspection’ to know that it was an ugly performance at the showcase. Or might be better to just call it a ‘sh*tshowcase‘.
Speaking of holes, this mare has had some of them inflicted on her by ML. Specifically, the bleeding holes in her mouth. We all remember that affair.
The way this horse has been ridden - for years now - is indefensible from any horsemanship or animal welfare POV. It disgusts me that anyone would try to excuse it.
If a successful skier put out a self-promoting video saying they’d take on the highest, most competitive, and dangerous levels of snowboarding in a set time frame, snowboarders would provide the same reception eventers did to ML, especially if their runs looked like they might get themselves hurt or worse. This was not about eventers being jerks, it was about sending a message that conveyed a lack of education and respect for the sport while wreaking of arrogance.
If not liking someone who repeatedly injures their horses in public makes me a jerk, then that’s what I am, I guess. Better an unwelcoming jerk than someone who shrugs off repeated mistreatment of horses.
She hasn’t lost a horse on course yet as far as I know. We all remember that too.
Whataboutism. Logical fallacy.
Fordtraktor, I know namecalling isn’t allowed on this board.
Which is fine, really, because I can’t put into words how I feel about what you just wrote.
That you would bring this up here - and seek to equate my horse’s fatal injury with ML’s abusive riding practices - is sickening.
I also think that there is a point where you have to stop talking about what you identify as a problem and start doing. If someone puts down a ride they know was poor (and will be poorly received) having a humble interview in the aftermath is the sensible (and honest!) thing to do. I commend people who do it!
But if the poor ride is just one more on a history of them, then a humble interview comes off less as humility and acknowledging personal shortcomings and more as a way to cover your own a**. People aren’t stupid. You can only make the same mistake so many times before they stop ascribing good intention to what you say in the aftermath.
For better or worse, I think she has hit this point. She has had some really public rides that are memorable for all the wrong reasons, and those reasons seem to be fairly consistent. It is hard to believe her when she acknowledges holes and a need to step back when it is a type of ride that has been seen from her before, and yet she continues to go out and deliver the same ride again.
My problem is I don’t feel the same attention is paid to anyone who this BB considers a “real eventer” ML isn’t one of ours, she came into the sport giving everyone the impression that she was cocky and she had the money to buy nice horses, and in eventing buying made horses seems to be a sin.
There’s a group on this BB that complains a lot about safety and I feel that they hate the sport, maybe because of their previous experiences. I feel that they would never be happy until eventing is gone as we know it yet they only direct these feelings toward certain riders. Some riders appear to be gods that can do no wrong, even when they bury a horse in a fence or the horse falls, or they have a bad dressage test, or they get a bunch of rails in SJ. I guess I don’t feel like it’s genuine concern because it’s only directed at certain riders. I’m not saying that I don’t feel that safety isn’t a huge issue in eventing, but that if you don’t care about all the safety then it’s really just a vendetta against certain riders.
So much for the friendly eventer…
I don’t comment much but this comment is beyond the pale.
@JER you are right, I am sorry. Please consider this a very public and heartfelt apology. I was tired of the pileups on ML but went too far.
Yikes. I was hoping there was some mistake. You meant to say what you said. How repulsive.
Wow.
I can’t find your original comment, just the quotes…but If I was on the fence about ML’s decisions regarding her horse’s welfare, you just took care of any doubts about the kind of people who defend her.
You are all quite right, it was an appalling thing to say and I am ashamed of myself. Please forgive me, all of you, and especially JER. She may set my back up often, but I had a glass of wine too many and let my filter slip. It is repulsive and well I know it. I am sorry.
I for one appreciate how hard it is realizing you made a mistake and apologizing. No need to continue attacking someone who’s apologized.
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