How can I find out if someone is being less than honest about their competition experience? Apparently, they are “prequalified for the 2009 World Cup” - what does that mean? How can I find out if it is true? This is a potential instructor for me, but I always check out what is said, so that I am not putting myself in a less than ideal situation. I have used google, gone to Fei.org 
and no luck.
How would you do it?
These days I start by googling the person’s name. Amazing what you can find. And if you don’t find anything, that tells you something right there!
It’s sounds weird
I don’t know how you can be ‘prequalified’ for 2009, when 2008 is not over yet …
Here is a link for the North American league and the riders that are qualified for this year :
http://www.feiworldcup.org/PDFS/NA_Dressage_Standings_07.pdf
For the WC you need a certain number of scores at some selected shows in oder to qualify, I have never heard of ‘prequalifying’ before.
The 2008/2009 season will start after the Final in Holland. So I don’t think there is any way to get scores for the 2009 Finals …
I can’t believe the amount of “professionals” that lie about their creditials. In my area alone I know of a couple trainers that are supposedly FEI riders. I googled one guy and checked his website. Nothing in show results at all with his name anywhere in the US. On his website he had a photo of someone doing a 1/2 pass but you couldn’t see the face - it was taken from behind the horse. So how do you know if it was him? I kept asking someone who was clinicing with him. Come to find out a year and a half later, he had been LYING about showing GP.
Another trainer from Europe claims they were at the SRS. An acquaintance who rode in a clinic with a SRS trainer asked about the local trainer. SRS guy did a check and couldn’t find the name anywhere.
So why do people find it necessary to lie? Oh wait, to get clients, that’s right. So what about us honest, hard working people? Do we ever get a break?
I don’t think the qualifying criteria for 2009 have been drawn up yet!
Are you talking dressage;
http://www.feiworldcup.org/PDFS/WCD_Rules_0708_NALeague_DEFINITE.pdf
or eventing;
http://www.feiworldcup.org/PDFS/Annex1-2008UpdatedRules-Englishversion.pdf
Have any of the selection panels even STARTED to “prequalify” riders for 2009 yet? Aren’t they busy with selecting the Beijing team?
Wonder if that instructor might just mean that he/she has completed at the required level in order to qualify? … that would seem to be stretching the truth if that is the case.
People will do about anything to drum up business.
Good example, for YEARS where we are (NW Ohio, near Toledo), we had a local “instructor” advertising on her business cards and in her ads that she is a “USDF Bronze Medal Candidate.”
Even tho she wasn’t competing at the right level. To be a “candidate” in this case, as she defined it, I guess we ALL are? … Meaning, by her standards, it looks as if my wheelchair bound gramma (who, BTW, DOES NOT RIDE) might also be a “USDF bronze medal candidate?”
Sadly, it seemed as if this person was trying to impress non-dressage folks who have no knowledge of the “system” in which the USDF Bronze Medal award exists. I mean, your average lay person might be pretty impressed if they see “MEDAL candidate” … because to the average person on the street, a “medal candidate” implies an Olympic level accomplishment.
If a person has been an accomplished competitor, there will be PUBLICLY AVAILABLE show records to reflect it, and you can find them.
Magnum
p.s. If we delve into the “what if’s” we can all be candidates for just about ANYTHING.
Then there are thousands of “candidates” out there … but how many actually ACCOMPLISH the goal (as in, PAST TENSE / BTDT?)?
Magnum
wow, i like that. i am currently a candidate for the gold medal - just have to get my scores at 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, PSG, Intermediare and GP. i’m also planning on qualifying for the 2019 world cup.
You all are echoing what I have been thinking…
Mademoiselle- that is exactly what I am looking for. What if she is Dutch, just in the country for a couple years because of her husband’s job, could she be qualified in another region?
It is definitely dressage, not eventing 
No, it doesn’t matter if she is Dutch. Some US Riders compete in the European league.
So, even as a Dutch she would appear in the results, if you look at the bottom of the link I gave you, you can see 2 riders that are not North American but they still get the scores.
So, she would appear in the ‘blue’ section.
I’m an eventing rider too :yes:
If she claims to be an FEI rider who does not show or claims to ride "intermediare’ only in private clinics, I’d be wary.
Well now that we have established that this person is not as accomplished as they say…how do you approach them about it? or do you?
I love dressage, but I can’t live without XC!
Well, it depends what your goals are …
As you’re an eventer, I don’t think you need a trainer that rides at the WC level. I mean even Advanced is about 3rd level, so if she can teach you what you need, it doesn’t matter if she really rides at the top level or not.
BUT
It would bother me that before even starting working with somebody, they would lie to me. It would really piss me off.
So, I would probably not give her my business, but that’s just me. I like honnesty.
Now if there is nobody else in your area and you feel that she is your only option, then just be aware that she might not be 100% upfront about things.
OMG this drives me crazy!!!
How funny that some people are having the same experience!!! A couple of years back I met a trainer who "claimed’ to have all sorts of experience competing for olympic and world teams from years before, but listening to him train people didn’t reflect someone that had that much experience… besides I started wondering why someone of such status would be teaching the level at which he was, and with such “reasonable” prices, lol!!! So I did the good old google, looked up the “supposed” teams he was a part of (funny how all these old records from the 50’s and 60’s are so readily available online!) and of course his name was no-where to be seen… to answer your question, I didn’t approach the trainer about the issue, even though I clearly caught him in a huge lie, but I think that more competent people saw through him anyhow, I just steered as far away as possible :lol: and proceeded to feel very badly for him that he had to lie so much to get clients…
I’ve since seen him briefly ride… I can see why he keeps that under wraps, it doesn’t do much for his story…:eek:
HEY!!!
Im Pre Qualified for 2015!!! So Phhhhhfffffffffftttttttttttttt on all of you!!! I even have my space suit ready for my moon test! The piaffe is gona ROCK!!! So THERE…
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 
What about the Spanish Riding School
I had an instructor that claimed that he trained and rode at the Spanish Riding School in Vienna. I called them and they had never heard of him. Dutch Schmutch. I always say “Oh, how interesting, how can I verify that?”
the world is full of “Great Pretenders”. When you check their credentials they look pretty sad. 
I think its happened to everyone.
I too had called on someone background a few times and the trainers never heard of them either. I think its a common trend. Or the best one is that they say they “trained” with this person, but found out later they only audited a clinic! LMAO
Shhheetheads!
Must be the accent
Beware the European accent! For some reasons, Americans fall for that every time!!
There is a local “trainer” here that advertises herself as an Olympic Silver Medalist. Seriously, it is on her business cards. What she doesn’t say is that it was the Junior Olympics…and amazingly, there is always a steady stream of brand-new horsey people just lining up to get swindled. Sad.
It is so sad to see people accepting a stranger’s word blindly. Not connecting that it brings in more money for them if you think they are more accomplished than they truly are…checking people out before you give them money to teach you is not rude or inappropriate. It should be the norm…I am not offended in the least if someone can’t find my show record. I politely tell them they mispelled my name…it is K Y R A K I R K L A N D… No JK! Usually they have misspelled my name, but I don’t get upset because I am not exaggerating it is all there. SAd that people so eagerly jump on the bandwagon when no one is driving… If they don’t want to see it I guess I can’t make them see it.
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