I wouldn’t have known otherwise from reading it, but I had seen the original post from Kaylee on Facebook and remembered it.
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“Speaker Dr. Jim Heird, an animal behavior expert, explained the concept of habituation—where people within the industry get used to abuses and problems within it so they’re no longer alarming—during his presentation. Like the others before him, he noted how important it is that horse sports solve their own issues before fixes are foisted on the industry from the outside—from people who are much less familiar with horses, and their specific needs and care…”
This was the most pertinent paragraph from a SLO write-up that was just posted today. Ironic timing given what we’re discussing here…
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Just as y’all have taken Katie’s words literally-
You are trying to literally take my words about Katie being a god. Give it a rest.
I don’t think she walks on water but I would sell a kidney to train with her.
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Not much better, lol.
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It’s hyperbole, exaggerated hyperbole. It is also a saying. But you can play dumb quite well.
Y’all can’t even see past your own noses.
I don’t actually have to sell a kidney. You don’t have to train with KMP. You’re kidney is safe too.
I would take the opportunity and run with it.
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I just want to bring your attention to your language which is an example of someone who likely would believe they are on the side of kindness and empathy weaponizing said empathy to accuse someone they presumably don’t know of:
- being a bad parent vis a vis subjecting their child to sustained cruelty
- being a case study of the reason why an organization (that has in recent history taken down multiple professionals accused of sexually abusing minors) exists
All because they had a different experience and perspective than your own. And shared it on an internet forum. And you did all this while attempting to occupy the moral high ground. This is contradictory, nasty behavior and uncalled for. I bring your attention to it b/c regardless of what you think about the clinic, I think you owe the previous poster an apology.
High achievers (of which these riders were) exist. I was one of those high achievers in academic and sports settings as a kid and was always pushed fairly by my parents, coaches of all types and teachers, which has aided me immeasurably in life. In the rare event where I didn’t feel it was fair, I discussed it with the coach and my parents and/or made a change in program. I’ve also left clinics or avoided trainers I did not feel aligned with my view of good horsemanship.
Not everyone needs or wants ‘perfect language’ when galloping down to a fence. Or to govern everyone’s speech and scorn those different than us. On the contrary, I know a lot of nasty horse people and a lot of cruel people I’ve encountered in over two decades of working in healthcare biz, private equity, etc. Their language is pristine, humane and no doubt would be up to this forum’s critical standards. Their actions on the other hand…
Give me a rough-around-the-collar, what-you-see-is-what-you-get person any day over that level of gaslighting and toxic positivity. Of course ‘rough’ language doesn’t include someone who abuses horses or in practicality ‘flips’ them. But I sure see a lot of damage also done in the name of sanitizing language and excluding those who don’t subscribe to the carefully curated language the internet would prefer.
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Again, there are no doubt IP, copyright, and TOS issues at play.
What’s amazing to me is how few presumably rational and reasonable adults - including international caliber riders with lifetimes of riding, training, and, lessoning behind them - aren’t asking if those three minutes accurately reflect the 90+.
Because no rider has worked through a difficult moment with a horse.
(If you caught video of my lesson last week and just sent a clip around the world, without the part where snow is falling off the roof of the indoor, but with my salty language, I’m sure the judgement would include “stressed and fearful horse,” etc too)
Because every other teacher or trainer has always delivered instruction in a way everybody gets [ETA “and meets media standards”] the first time.
When I saw some pious comments coming from members of the dressage community (“that didn’t go on in our Horsemastership sessions”), I couldn’t even.
I don’t think “Bamboo Pole” is for real (no offense) but they’ve got one point. Everybody has access to digital tools and an internet connection these days. Anyone can tell any story that they like. And now that you can throw AI into the mix? Lovely.
All of this is the magic of the internet.
Again I hope that the clinic and KP’s sessions in particular are made available to non-members.
Do you know what she opened with, as the kids were walking to start?
A small lecture about how, as riders, they are the first people of the day to feel what they’re feeling on their horses. They are going to notice things other caregivers on the ground aren’t. Katie told these riders that it is their responsibility to speak up when they feel that something isn’t right or is different.
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I grew up with a tough coach. One where the “toughness” often crossed into personal insults. And you know what happened? I grew a spine and now I don’t tolerate that kind of disrespect from anyone. I’d be a better rider if I had gotten tools and help to solve some of my issues rather than yelled at and told I was incompetent.
If you have the kind of relationship with your trainer where being told to “flip a horse” translates to “by golly you’re going to STOP STRAIGHT” then that’s fine. I may not agree, but whatever. That kind of nonsense still doesn’t belong in a public clinic with students that aren’t your own.
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So the clips came across my FB feed. I was surprised to see Bernie (I want to give up my USEF membership because I disagree with Safesport) Trauig was the one who shared it. He shared another person’s commentary of outrage with the associated clips.
I have to say I was not nearly outraged as I expected based on the conversation here. I don’t condone rough riding but I do use my stick occasionally and she is correct that it needs to be used properly. It’s an encouragement tool not a punishment tool.
Her statements about animal rights activists don’t know about training horses was a bit of a show off moment imho. But I don’t disagree. Animal rights activists don’t want horses to be ridden so we are all of a different mindset than that. PETA wants to let all horses loose
To run free. My horses would never survive in the wild on their own 
She should have phrased the flip over comment differently but I understood it as hyperbole. I understood it to mean if the horse was that strong and wouldn’t stop straight that she would find a way to stop straight.
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This is what anyone considers teaching?
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Agree with you that US Equestrian did no service to its members, the students or to the clinician by airing this in a public setting. And sorry to hear your ‘tough’ coach used personal insults at will. That’s jarring and uncalled for. The tough and competent coaches I describe don’t fall into that category and its not how I describe or experience someone being ‘tough’. But my current and former coaches are certainly not as diplomatic and well-worded as today’s (internet) standards require.
It’s really sad to me that people’s experiences with regard to being pushed to high achievement are so muddied.
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Re: Bernie… he isn’t a shining star of being mega nice and kind to people in a clinic, either. My own two eyes and ears as witness.
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If my trainer told me to do something (stop) and I turned left and kept going, multiple times… I’d expect some frustration on her part. If I can’t listen to instruction, why did I waste her time??
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I was thinking about this very thing. At my last job (speaking of healthcare and private equity), I had a manager who made a big, splashy display of defending one of our team against a higher-up who was clearly behaving in a hostile and bullying manner. I was on the call and my colleague bailed in tears.
At this point in time, I was so impressed by my manager and the culture, “the culture” they encouraged and the big game they talked about “taking ownership.” Until I realized they were a master of discreetly throwing others under buses and letting subordinates bear the consequences of their poor decisions.
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Totally. I’ve found that people who work in healthcare are often disproportionately kind and generous so they are unfortunately easier to exploit by those with bad intentions.
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I cannot listen to Brene Brown for exactly this reason — it was weaponized by a colleague during “team building” sessions
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No need to feel sad for my kid, she plays because she loves the sport, not because she needs a scholarship. Her team coaches are ultra professional and great with kids, especially the high-level travel team coaches who do this for a living. Same can’t be said for many of the teams they play against, and I certainly don’t condone that. But if you’ve only watched the 2 minute clip of Katie outtakes and think she is a monster, you really should go watch the rest.
That said, in my lifetime the pendulum of parenting/coaching/etc has swung from a culture of strict discipline to a culture of permissiveness and coddling, and it’s made teaching and coaching very hard when dealing with any but the self-driven highest performers. It’s also made for a group of young adults who on the whole, struggle mightily to assimilate to professional environments.
Boundaries, discipline and constructive criticism, especially while undertaking endeavors that can easily get you injured or killed, are not the enemy.
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Oh - have worked with many of the professional ‘empaths’ and they’ve all been some of the cruelest most self-centered people I’ve ever met. If someone describes themselves as an empath, I run.
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I agree with this. The sort of things I hear coming from my nephew’s mouth (he’s early 20s). Good luck in the professional world, kiddo. Not everyone and everything is going to cater to your whims.
Nor is anything you deem offensive… actually offensive.
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The thing that makes me sad - and scared - is that we seem to unable to find the proper middle ground. When it comes to… well, anything.
Do you see this a natural settling [I ask hopefully]? That we have to go from one extreme to the other before settling in an effective middle?
Or are we screwed?
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