clarification?
[QUOTE=LisaB;3348104]
Sad thing is that she had an experienced adv. horse and she’s been advanced a number of times. The thing is that she bought incredible horseflesh without proper training. She’s flitted around for years without getting down and dirty with an advanced instructor up her butt telling her how to ride and care for horses.[/QUOTE]
are we still talking about Laine?
[QUOTE=clivers;3348775]
are we still talking about Laine?[/QUOTE]
Yes. 
I’ve only known her since she moved to VA, not when she was in Sacramento so I don’t know about PC. I’ve just seen her around and she’s incredibly nice and very driven young lady. I just wish we eventers had a system to bring riders like her up to advanced level in a systematic, methodical manner. Kind of force them rather than by their own volition, go to a hard ass trainer who will raise them right. Which more often than not, happens to up and comers. Luckily, there’s only a few that fall through the cracks but an injury like hers I think is avoidable. Especially if we all see the proverbial ‘accident waiting to happen’. And I would think that since she was starting to get in the folds of the team, that the team coach (ahem) would have been able to do something about it. I don’t like seeing this happen to people, especially when they are trying to make the team. Albeit, a short cut kind of way.
[QUOTE=LisaB;3348965]
I’ve only known her since she moved to VA, not when she was in Sacramento so I don’t know about PC. I’ve just seen her around and she’s incredibly nice and very driven young lady. I just wish we eventers had a system to bring riders like her up to advanced level in a systematic, methodical manner. Kind of force them rather than by their own volition, go to a hard ass trainer who will raise them right. Which more often than not, happens to up and comers. Luckily, there’s only a few that fall through the cracks but an injury like hers I think is avoidable. Especially if we all see the proverbial ‘accident waiting to happen’. And I would think that since she was starting to get in the folds of the team, that the team coach (ahem) would have been able to do something about it. I don’t like seeing this happen to people, especially when they are trying to make the team. Albeit, a short cut kind of way.[/QUOTE]
I have never been a pony clubber, so correct anything that I am misinformed about, but isn’t this what pony club is for? Are you saying she did not participate in pony club once moving to VA? Could her involvement been helpful?
Maybe this is something that needs to be enforced in young riders - involvement in pony club. It will not solve all problems, but may curb many.
Pony club is volunteer. It’s an excellent way to get your kid started right, that is if you can keep yourself from the PC Moms From Hell. They certainly give Soccer Moms From Hell a run for their money. Some parents can’t help themselves from being immersed in the bullcrap and pull their kids from PC because they don’t like certain parents. Whatever. Anyway, completely off track because I don’t know her upbringing at all, just when she moved here.
Pony Club can only do so much. It really depends on the instructors AND the student’s willingness to learn. Not speaking of Laine specifically (I don’t know much about her situation), but I agree that having a hard-ass instructor on the way up can really make all the difference in terms of proficiency, experience, safety and (usually) horse well-being.
[QUOTE=Ajierene;3348998]
I have never been a pony clubber, so correct anything that I am misinformed about, but isn’t this what pony club is for? Are you saying she did not participate in pony club once moving to VA? Could her involvement been helpful?
Maybe this is something that needs to be enforced in young riders - involvement in pony club. It will not solve all problems, but may curb many.[/QUOTE]
PC has it’s many different uses but education is certainly the most important. Based on what little I have been able to find about her from third-parties, she didn’t really participate at all in PC once she relocated here. In fact, it would seem that she had been put on the fast track thanks to certain individuals but there’s some stuff that is rather murky considering her meteoric rise up the ranks.
[QUOTE=LexInVA;3349100]
Based on what little I have been able to find about her from third-parties, she didn’t really participate at all in PC once she relocated here. [/QUOTE]
Will you read what you just wrote? Based on what little I have been able to find about her from third-parties…For what it’s worth she had trained with Buck Davidson for six or seven years.
Lex - that is the impression I got from her blogs - not pony club, just fast track.
I understand what you are saying, Blugal and LisaB. As far as Pony Club being voluntary, I understand that, I was postulate a ‘what if’ on making it mandatory for junior riders, but definitely see the problems with crazy PC moms. And the ‘wrong’ pony club won’t help a young rider.
Personally, I think there need to be some blocks in place to help divert young riders that would otherwise move up in levels to quickly.
I am an advocate of putting minimum age requirements on the divisions. I know this may upset some 13 year olds that are ready for intermediate, or people who have done intermediate at 13, if say the age limit was 15 - but at that age, what’s the rush? Stay at Prelim and work on getting better at it. Then the young riders that really are not ready, but meet the qualifications because they bought that ‘ribbon chasing packer’ - as illustrated by a previous poster, was in an ad - cannot move up to quickly and end up getting that invincible feeling that eventually leads to catastrophic injuries.
I don’t know the girl at all, but yes, she’s trained with Buck for quite a while now, and I can say with confidence that anyone with the last name of Davidson has a “hard-ass” training methodology.
FWIW, Buck also spent years teaching for the local Pony Club, so if you think a proper PC instructor is the magic bullet, she’s got that, too … though likely without Knowdown.
Just a quick note on Pony Clubs; not all areas have them. I live in a city with 100,00+ people and tons of HJ barns, and no PC’s to be found. My daughter was interested in eventing, but there really wasn’t a place for her to learn (in our area).
[QUOTE=NeverTime;3349180]
I don’t know the girl at all, but yes, she’s trained with Buck for quite a while now, and I can say with confidence that anyone with the last name of Davidson has a “hard-ass” training methodology.
FWIW, Buck also spent years teaching for the local Pony Club, so if you think a proper PC instructor is the magic bullet, she’s got that, too … though likely without Knowdown.[/QUOTE]
Yes Buck certainly brings his experience and advanced instruction to the table but as she has stated (and some have forgotten this) Buck’s training has only served to make her push herself farther and faster than common sense would normally dictate. Based on her previous statements and observations of those around her, she seems to have gotten tunnel vision because TPTB and her family has only ever said “Yes Lainey.” to her every whim as far as her Eventing career goes. Though she is starting to sing a different tune, you can’t deny that she was put on the fast track due to the fact that she is EXACTLY the kind of athlete that TPTB want in their stables. She’s young, eager to please, attractive to the press and sponsors, and she is willing to push herself as far as she can to win. The timeline of her career also fits in with a few other things that have happened.
ajierene there are age limits.
[QUOTE=SLR;3349291]
ajierene there are age limits.[/QUOTE]
Really? The last time I mentioned that, I was told along the lines of impractical and not needed.
I have checked the USEA site and can only find FEI qualifications.
Do you know where the age limits are stated?
I think you’re spot-on in a lot of what you are saying, but I’m not sure this specific statement is entirely fair. If you back this up by pinpointing her one statement on her blog that when Buck says something is impossible, it only pushes her to try harder, then you oughtn’t ignore the OTHER (much more detailed) statement from her blog that, after her initial ambitious goal of being back at FHI this fall, lengthy discussions with Buck persuaded her to take it far more slowly.
In the best possible world, everyone learns from this experience. Laine learns patience and discretion and Buck learns that, despite the intense model of training I would guess he grew up with under his dad, that sometimes it’s the trainer’s job to forcefully put the brakes on an ambitious student.
[QUOTE=Ajierene;3349129]
I am an advocate of putting minimum age requirements on the divisions. I know this may upset some 13 year olds that are ready for intermediate, or people who have done intermediate at 13, if say the age limit was 15 - but at that age, what’s the rush? [/QUOTE]
This ain’t happening.
USEA rules require riders to be 14 to go Prelim, 16 to go Intermediate, 18 for Advanced. It’s all in the Rule Book.
(A rider can apply for special permission to go earlier – I know a couple of kids who tried this at 13 and did not get permission.)
[QUOTE=Ajierene;3349349]
Really? The last time I mentioned that, I was told along the lines of impractical and not needed.
I have checked the USEA site and can only find FEI qualifications.
Do you know where the age limits are stated?[/QUOTE]
USEF Rules for Eventing, published by USEA, Appendix 3:
1.1–1.3- Beginner Novice through Training- Any age rider
1.4- Preliminary- Open to competitors from the beginning of the calendar year of their 14th birthday.
1.5- Intermediate- … 16th birthday
1.6- Advanced- … 18th birthday
IIRC Buck splits his time between Florida and New Jersey. Laine is local here in central Virginia. It’s a hike to get to either of those places from here. Not to say she didn’t spend a good deal of time with him - but it isn’t quite the same thing as having your trainer close enough to really really know what’s going on in your barn and your real life. Just sayin’.
Edited to add - The local Pony Club here is one of the largest and one of the best. They don’t claim her (i.e. there is no “Lainy rode here” stuff, either published or mentioned by the members.) So if she was involved here, I’m guessing it was insignificant.
SCFarm
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