I think it’s important to remember - one of these men cares deeply about his animals - the other has had a horse murdering father for tax dollars, been bannned from Aachen (10yrs was it? For being busted on horse abuse) but yet somehow he is admired ?
Any senior who is getting on Facebook ranting about a younger colleague trying to rally hate - in my book is pathetic .
As much as I understand people wanting to show their horses, if they are missing meals and health care to do it, I wonder about their priorities. What someone is willing to sacrifice to show horses is their call, but most people can’t afford to showjump at the FEI level and that’s the way it is. Many people can’t afford to have a horse at all.
Resenting/Envying people who can afford to do what most people can’t, is pointless and only results in unhappiness.
I think that Cook is aware that showing horses is expensive. I’d guess that the hard work etc…comment (from the past) was in response to someone telling him that he has it easy, and I can only imagine how tired of hearing that he must be.
Maybe, I can’t find the post now. I think it was when he was still married to Kaley and may have been deleted. I’m sure it is frustrating, but we all know that it of course takes hard work. It’s not easy to be at the top of any sport, but money very likely doesn’t hurt.
I mean come on, how many posts/articles/comments/discussions are there about people desperately trying to make it in equestrian sports to the point where they are underpaid and overworked? Where they can’t afford their own meals, let alone show entries? Or haven’t been to the doctor or dentist in years because they don’t have health insurance or the time to do it? To then sit back and say that working hard and a willingness to travel internationally and make sacrifices is all that it takes and having money isn’t a factor is very tone deaf.
Karl has called out USEF for being inaccessible and has also called out BNTs for needing to sponsor young riders, which is great. It’s definitely not necessary for everyone to like him though and one can feel that he’s a bit of a know-it-all and arrogant without it having to do with his money and jealously.
This is true. However it’s notable that the most vitriolic posts about him here always mention his wealth. From what some COTH posters are saying about the comments on Ward’s Facebook page, there are many similar posts there.
As for tone a deaf post made by Cook years ago, don’t you think he may have learned from it?
There will always be people whose personality clashes with our own. I just don’t understand why people feel the need to join in Ward’s dubious public rehash of a 2 year old post by his team mate.
It’s not a surprise that some of the general horsey public leave mean spirited comments on Facebook, but it’s a sad day to see our upper level riders and coaches behaving like junior high school kids.
Except neither of the things you stated about Ward are true. And based on some of what other people posted, what you say about Cook is suspect, as well.
Outside of the discussion- seeing the horse skid on footing like it was concrete! No wonder these horses get sore jumping on this high tech stuff.
I’ll be honest, I feel like I was lied to for the entirety of my youth. It seems like every aspect of adult life is, in fact, like high school. It never ends 
I think that cutting back on the consumption of social media, and being selective in what you do read, is very helpful as far as happiness is concerned. 
Oh I am not unhappy and don’t particularly care about any of them. Just not surprised that well-known people are acting like teenagers because it does in fact seem like that’s just how adult life is - never ending high/middle school, just with slightly different problems.
Military and graduate school were the worst. Teleworking with virtually no other human interaction is wonderful.
Yes it is. There is a whole episode on Netflix about his father and the insurance scam- it’s on bad sport I believe episode 8 . Barney ward and vet Dana Waters were caught electrocuting horses for insurance money and it’s super well documented . Barney ward was banned from attending horseshows for life .
And Mclain himself was banned from Aachen for hyper sensitivity in the 90s also from a World Cup final with Saphire . Both are easy to google both issues are from the past and anyone who knows anything knows about it .
Google is free and easy! Both subjects are easy to google , Aachen occured in 1999 and the Barney ward thing is absolutely easy to pull and article up about .
So if those are problems, then why doesn’t he provide some opportunities and sponsor some riders himself? He’s definitely in a much better position financially to do that than most.
If he’s spouting things off like that about BNTs then no wonder they all don’t like him. The billionaire’s son lecturing them to reach into their (nowhere near as deep as his) pockets to the fix the industry while he sits back and buys his made horses and sells vulgar sweatshirts?
What kills me is that Karl himself is a professional but apparently it’s okay for him to say nonsense like this (and apparently berate children ringside, and expect a woman to correct a grown man’s crappy behavior) but as soon as other pros start pushing back it’s immature and classless.
Barney Ward was the facilitator between the people who wanted their horses killed and Tommy Burns, who did the killing. None of his own horses or those of his customers were killed nor did he do the deed himself. Guilty of horrible shit, for sure, but not what you said. McLain was banned for nine months, not ten years so, no, you didn’t have it right.
I never said anything about his clients horses ? I said his father in my original post - but I’m so glad you are here to defend the killing and animal abuse - what would we do without you?!?!
You said he was killing horses. He wasn’t. The “his” I was referring to was Barney, not McLain. Also, the FEI determined Sapphire was incorrectly disqualified. Truth is truth.
McLain Ward was competing in Aachen in 2006. Difficult to do if he had been banned for 10 years in 1999.
Barney Ward has passed away. What are you hoping to accomplish by bringing up his criminal record? He was given a lifetime suspension by USEF.
Everyone here is well aware of it, was horrified at the time when it came to light (we didn’t get the news from Netflix) and we know that his son is not responsible for his father’s actions.
Was that the time the officials repeatedly bonked her on the shins looking for sensitivity?
Yes. I think it was coronary band, actually.
Ah. I didn’t see it and wasn’t there, but I remember the controversy. It seemed pretty stupid at the time. If you repeatedly bonk a horse like that, sooner or later they will react.
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