If the owner is such a stand-up person, why in the world did she send the horse to Kelley Farmer? Everyone knows KF’s reputation and her current suspensions. The innocent owner card doesn’t work here, and if the owner was naive enough to not know, then she needs to become more in tune.
I’ve said this before, but until owners stop supporting people like Farmer and Glefke, they won’t stop.
Why anyone still has horses with them is a complete mystery to me.
I was/sort of am an owner and sometimes wonder why as well. One answer is " your horse is so wonderful he doesn’t need anything to get to the ring". Any owner would love to hear this, As well, Kelly is a super rider. If you want the best rider you play with the devil. in Fact it would be a big fat carrot on a stick to a lot of owners. At the end of the day sleep with dogs and you will get fleas is usually true. So sad.
I realize that USE’s jurisdiction is limited to what happens at shows and whether it is in alignment with their rules, but it seems like even their ability to enforce that is questionable. From what has been said on these forums before, it sounds as though any attempts by USE to levy actual, meaningful punishments rather than just short suspensions that don’t even affect the trainers’ business are likely to be met by lawsuits from wealthy involved parties against USE which the USE is likely to lose or at the very least have to spend large amounts of money to defend itself, making it so that they can’t even enforce their own rules with significant punishments.
I can’t read the image posted, it is so small. Couldn’t find anything on FB either… but do see plenty of people still following LCF & posting on all the sales posted this last month. I’d think that a farm with an exposed track record of drugging (and chronic lying/crap excuses/whatever you want to call it… allegedly) would be a red flag. I wouldn’t want to support a business like that or expose my horses to those who believe drugging is acceptable.
From October 26, 2017:
The two-month suspension shall commence on February 1, 2019 and terminate at midnight on March 31, 2019. Any horse or horses owned, leased, or of any partnership, corporation or stable of hers, or shown in her or her name or for her or her reputation, (whether such interest was held at the time of the alleged violation or acquired thereafter), shall also be suspended, pursuant to Chapter 7, GR703.1c.
I can’t find the USEF suspension from July to see if it includes that exact wording… but if so then that one being for 18mo wouldn’t that be a huge hit to the farm? Based on the above, would that mean that any horse shown that would be sold by LCF would be “for [Kelley’s] reputation” (or an even longer suspension for Glefke) and thus be suspended for that entire time from showing? Barring any loopholes of course.
Interesting blog that brings up even more questions. This is from January, but still makes one think: https://deloiseinamerica.com/2017/01/12/my-reaction-to-the-cheating-scandal-and-random-drug-testing/
I can’t read the image posted, it is so small.
The post that was photographed basically says that when Mindful came home, he went through 5 weeks of drug withdrawal.
The owner had no idea that the horse was being drugged or what went into the cocktail.
First, if anyone believes KF or LG saying “Your horse doesn’t need anything to get in the ring,” then they’re dumber than a rock and deserve to be set down alongside them.
Second, any truly reputable person values their own integrity more than success. And therefore won’t support people like KF and LG and will gladly take second place over playing with the devil.
Third, If KF was such a super rider, why do they need to drug everything to the nines??
I don’t read it saying that. It just means their names can’t be listed as owners. It does not mean the suspension goes with the horse after being sold by them. That would really would begin to potentially make an impact.
I totally agree but in conversation with other owners such comments are mentioned. I am on the west coast and BS is thick and flowing here as well.
THIRD!!! THIS
I found it pretty interesting a few years back watching her in the WCHR Pro Challenge. When she was on something that wasn’t hers, she just kept kicking and burying them. It just was not the display of skills that I would expect to see at that level. The commentators kept saying things like, “too bad, this one isn’t Kelly’s type. It just doesn’t want to move up with her” etc. I was just thinking, isn’t this whole challenge supposedly about adapting to unknown horses and showing how great you can make them based on their limitations? She’ll just totally miss and bury one of her well known horses every so often too. Obviously she rides well enough to even get there, and has more accomplishments the I will ever have, but I personally do not consider her an amazing rider and would never seek her out if I had a stellar horse that needed campaigning. We all have off days, but I can’t remember the last time I saw John French just flat out miss in a big class. I have felt for a long time that she is up there because of the sheer volume and constant pounding she has in the show ring.
Ownership these days dan be complicated…especially with all the LLCs and partnerships operating under generic names that don’t identify the horse or human participants. But sales are easy. Especially with a buy back agreement in a few months. There’s all sorts of ways around that one. Those who have more experience in dealing with suspensions can get quite good at it.
I rode against her as a junior. Back then, she was one of the top juniors in the country, a solid catch-rider, with a great eye. (and a distinctive way of riding with her stirrup at the very toe of her foot - I never understood how she could ride like that and not lose her stirrup regularly).
Whatever she’s involved in now, I can vouch that she was gifted with a ton of natural ability.
I didn’t follow her as a junior, but if she is was as gifted as it sounds, it’s a shame that it seems to have gone downhill on some level. Burnout, extra curriculars, too much of something going on…
The sad part of all this is that this isn’t just happening at just a BNT level… Horses are being drugged and stapled ( that was a new one for me, shows how out of the show world i have been for awhile) even at the lower level shows… Hell I was at a clinic recently and found out later that the majority of the other horses were all helped to maintain their calm way of going. and it was a clinic for jumpers!! I know some of the riders were more leaning towards EQ and big hunters, but i was embarrassed by my OTTBs at times VERY forward attitude. In hindsight he could have used earplugs, but looking back on the experience, we learned a lot and I would never have dreamed of drugging him for the clinic. Seeing as that was our chance to work thru stuff and get advice so we could learn to handle it in the future.
It disheartened me knowing that if I was to pursue that particular show circuit, I would never stand a chance against other horses who were drugged. And I know many local riders who admire Kelly Farmer. A trainer even said how she never misses a distance this after bringing up her suspensions for drugging. My response was a somewhat snotty " I’m sure i wouldn’t miss any distances if my horse clocked around like a zombie metronome"
And I know it it isn’t easy to ride the big hunter derby fences. But I have in the past shown up to 3’6’-3’9"… and when i had the opportunity to get on a true school master who jumped anything you pointed him and he kept a steady pace, it as amazing how easy it was to see your distances.
I’m sure I won’t like the answer to this, but what in the h#ll is stapling?
Apparently some trainers are putting a staple at the base of horses forelocks. If you google it you mostly come up with it being western “thing”. depending on who is promoting the practice, it stimulates a pressure point that cause a calming effect, or it is so distracting to the horse that they calm down or can’t focus on being bad and will behave themselves.
Sad part is the way heard about it was from a friend who had a trainer want to have a vet do it to her horse, and that one wasn’t removed from another horse, who’s owner had also expressly said no…needless to say neither person trains with that trainer anymore.
I just KNEW the link was gunna take me to a Python skit - just didn’t know which one! :lol:
wanna give you a standing ovation!
also add, one big thing in farmer’s & glefke favour - they obviously pay really well if the grooms are affording then snorting enough coke to be ‘contaminating’ horses & their environs…
Fourth, the horse never needed anything but hard work in the mornings to go win with RF
Yeah I didn’t like the answer…wtf!
I just about gagged yesterday when on my FB up popped an article written locally about “calming substances for the show ring”… they were advising which is their fav and which local big derby winner was on it… just confirmed that I’d never in a million years train under them and makes you wonder what else people are really using! I posted against it and was promptly deleted… yeah… great… ! (Thank you to my trainer who tells me to suck it up and learn how to ride through the spooks, show craziness without help…we all help feed etc so know exactly what our horses are getting!)
Don’t underestimate the intelligence of some rocks.
Pet Rock pulled in 7 figures easily back way back when
:lol:
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