Only time will tell what lessons Laine has learned. She did not appear to take a step back and learn anything when her friend and fellow determined rider died last fall. By the words on her blog, she seems skeptical that Buck’s order of going back to the lower levels is necessary.
Must she apologize and admit fault to the eventing world? No, it may be helpful to the younger riders to hear someone say that this type of competing with blinders on towards the year end awards, the next level, the Olympics is not the way to ride. This is also something that trainers and parents can instill in children.
Does Laine’s mom have blinders on when it comes to her daughters talent and hubris? Maybe. Should Laine’s trainers and coaches have done more to correct the hubris, if it was there? Maybe. Maybe a lot of things. No one knows what is going on in her mind right now - all we know is what she says on her blog and elsewhere.
By blindly supporting Laine and not allowing any negative comments to be expressed, you would only be feeding that hubris. This is true for anyone, any true friend has the duty to look you in the eye and tell you to slow down when you are rushing towards a goal to fast. It is like all those drunk driving campaigns that state true friends would never let you drive drunk and would take your keys if you were to drunk to drive.
This type of conversation involving both people who know Laine personally and people who only see her competing is highly beneficial to all the other future Laine’s out there. If reviewing her actions leading up to the fall and following the fall help someone else more clearly see another young competitor that has the same hubris or same blindness to their own and their horses weakness and mortality and stop them, educate them, before they repeat Laine’s last fall; then it is well worth discussing.
If it helps the top riders learn to be more forceful about other young competitors slowing down, when they are coaching; then it is well worth discussing.
