What if everyone is right? What if it is inappropriate to say things about running horses into walls and flipping them but it is also correct to say that many people today expect much hand holding and are lacking horsemanship basics?
At 14 I rode in a clinic in the mid 80s with an Austrian dressage trainer. He told me I looked like a cat with diarrhea. While this comment did not really inspire me to immediately fix my position it also did not scar me for life. I would much prefer a trainer/coach who teaches me and tells me straight up what I need to work on and fix without belittling me and does not blow great fluff in my face about what a good job I am doing if I am not. This is what we pay trainers and coaches to doāhelp us improve. There are people who simply ride for funālet those folks stick to trail riding and casual hacking. If you intend to show and want to do well you need to understand your weaknesses in all areas of horsemanship and try to improve them. A show should be a showcase of horsemanship and effective riding and training instead of the āhow well is your expensive horse prepped and prepared by the trainer and groomā many of us see today.
And yes, I am just an amateur but I strive to learn and improve my riding and horsemanship knowledge every single day. And I have fun doing it.
It was tough, and not just because riding is difficult but because the students were verbally abused.
There is never a reason to belittle someone. Ever. Full stop. I dont care if that person is going to never jump higher than 2 feet or if that person will go to the Olympics one Day.
Prudent has an amazing wealth of knowledge but she needs to give it out in a way thatās not borderline abusive. The other great trainers have figured out how to do that. Iām sure she could too.
Thank you. Iām so tired of the āwell, back in my day!ā And the āpeople are just becoming too soft. nowadays!ā
Well, weāre not in the 70s anymore. Times are evolving as they should and no people are not becoming too soft, they are just starting to ask for fair and respectful treatment, which is just as important of a life lesson as growing thicker skin is.
We can do better than teaching by hurling insults and we HAVE to do better than talking about beating horses and flipping them as training. And itās high time we stop glorifying this type of behavior just because it comes from a ālegendā in the horse world.
Lol. She wasnāt belittling. She is
Training our next generation of riders. We ride 1200+ pound animals- we can get hurt in an instant if we donāt know what we are doing. If you get your feelings hurt by what she said in these clinics-
Maybe the top level of the sport isnāt for you
And that is where the problem lies. There is only a small % of TOP riders -
They definitely arenāt the majority on this forum or the majority of riders. And Katieās program wouldnāt be for them.
They need the grab mane trainers who want them to ride, no matter how incorrectly it is, but want the feel
Good satisfaction instead of hard truth.
You say that as if Katieās teaching is any different than any other TOP coach in any other sport.
Have you walked into a Locker room of a professional football team, college team? That coach certainly isnāt hand holding any of the players. There is yelling, there is name calling there is criticism.
The difference is, that locker room is not being publicly broadcasted.
By yāallās way of thinking - every single coach in all top level sports should be crucified . But wait, than we wonāt have top level sports of any kind because than the players wonāt be tough. TOP level
Sports are tough- itās not for everyone. But you shouldnāt be at the top level if being called a birdbrain scars you for life.
Why are we pretending that our sport should be any different?
This uproar is all a joke. We have become a society of PC and pansies. Life is hard. Our sport is hard. If you want to trail ride and be around horses for the fun of it, you arenāt the one who is going to be in Katieās program.
Ah yes because the riders at this high level clinic certainly are not aware of the risks of riding a 1200+ lb animal 
Literally not a single person here is saying that trainers shouldnāt give constructive criticism. Hell, I have no issue with a trainer saying to me, āCoffee, you are riding like shit today.ā or āCoffee, if you donāt use your lower leg right youāre going to only jump cross rails ever.ā
That is leagues different from telling a rider that [the trainer] would flip the horse. Do you see how thatās not feedback? Itās not even criticism itās just bullshit commentary from someone who hasnāt evolved.
Iām sure Prudent has endless value to still provide the equestrian community, but it isnāt soft nor weak to ask a well-known trainer to treat high-level equestrians with the respect or to educate herself enough to know that in the modern era, it is backwards thinking to use a crop on a horse instead of identifying an underlying issue.
You donāt say āIād personally be flipping him over backwardsā¦ā on camera, with an audience unless itās something that comfortably and commonly comes out of your mouth.
Sarcasm aside, (and thatās what her PR firm that probably got hired on Friday will call it in the prepared written statement and tell her to state at every investigated interview) it should make everyone question what happens and said at the home stable when the cameras are not rolling.
Thank you for your post!
Name calling and talk of āflippingā or giving a horse a ālickingā is antithetical to how people should be educated and animals should be treated.
There are plenty of people riding at the top levels of the sport that donāt behave or teach this way. I donāt care if you consider KP a āgodā or people ātoo softā. This type of hero worship is how a culture of sexual assault and rape was covered up in the hunter and jumper world (and yes, other sports) for so long ~ because people excuse the behavior of their gods and shame their victims.
If we put ribbons, awards, and āmakingā the team above human and animal welfare, we are wrong. But itās a big reason why I walked away from several horse sports.
I want to be treated with respect, but respect comes from treating others with respect and kindness. Iāve never seen a horse go well as a result of tough riding. I see them at their happiest when they trust their riders and are treated with consistent kindness.
Why arenāt we asking ourselves how much better that session would have gone if someone else was teaching? I just saw a lot of stressed out horses and riders who were responding poorly to KP and losing confidence in the process.
My most successful lessons are when my coach helps both the horse and me feel confident in our skills. Iāve taken that dynamic to the corporate world, where I manage an incredibly successful team (who are much younger than me) built on mutual respect and a foundation of kindness.
Call me soft, call me an ammy, tell me Iām not a world class rider. At the end of the day, I just want to be known as a kind and compassionate person, by humans and horses. Thatās a win in my mind.
Something else Iāve been thinking about is the ādisciplineā Katie was lamenting that these riders lack. We talk about discipline and accountability so much, but does that not apply to professionals and trainers as well? Not just students? If all my students were struggling I would be asking myself, how can I be a better trainer/coach in this moment? How can I better explain this? How can I make this a positive experience for both horse and rider?
We also talk about how important it is to leave emotion out of the saddle. Does that not apply to trainers as well? Or is it ok for them to start hurling insults in a fit of annoyance and frustration?
Just wanted to say that I agree with your posts! Thank you!
I donāt think you can equate the sport of equestrian to football, hockey, or any other violence based sport. That aside, having been at Anne Kursinskiās barn, she never once said ārun your horse into a wall/fenceā nor insult the rider with name calling. She was always positive and offered advice and conducted lessons in a professional manner. However, she had grooms tack up and do all grooming chores soā¦you can put blame on high end barns for some students lack of knowledge on tacking up, etc.
Jeremy Steinberg, former US youth dressage coach, made a public comment on USEFās post.
Jeremy Steinberg
US Equestrian, if it is in fact the case that āunder no circumstances, does US Equestrian condone training techniques that do not put horse and rider well being firstā you would clearly see that both horse and rider, on many occasions, were being over faced, horses being incorrectly punished for lack of education as well as riders. If it was in fact the case that those horse and rider combinations were not up for the task, it shouldāve been US Equestrian or Katieās responsibility to then educate as opposed to berate and rough up.
Certainly, I may not have had the guts to stand up and speak out in the moment, but the powers that be had damn well better make sure nothing like this happens again.
Iām another who had tough coaches growing up. Sure, there were some comments that would seem inappropriate to an outsider not privy to my relationship with my trainer (who also grew up with tough coaches), but she, and about every other pro Iāve ever ridden with, would absolutely never have told us to flip a horse over or beat them. In fact, itās always been the opposite - teaching patience, leaving the emotions at home, and finding the underlying reason why a horse may be anxious or not want to play. USEF should rightfully be embarrassed to have given her a spotlight to promote training practices that are abusive to the horses.
I can guarantee that Anne Kursinski knows basic horsemanship, can shorten her stirrups and tack her horse up.
And I have ridden with Anne. Many years ago, and she was not all sunshine and roses and did have some of what yall would say is questionable training habits. I wouldnāt say they were questionable and I donāt think there is anything wrong with the Katieās clinic. I would ride with both Anne and Katie any day of the week
My reference is they are all HIGH LEVEL sports. Why can those coaches get away with being real but itās not ok in the equestrian world
My reference is they are all HIGH LEVEL sports. Why can those coaches get away with being real but itās not ok in the equestrian world
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Because USEF falls under Safe Sport regulations and we are talking about the welfare of young riders AND horses.
Iām not sure that holding up the folks who urge players to go out on the field after sustaining potentially serious head injuries as an exemplar is a positive thing.
What is your definition of coddling?
TXnGA, Katie should not have suggested that method (flipping a horse over) in that clinic. It is a method that is dangerous, pointless, and would get someone in big trouble on USEF show grounds. She should not have suggested more horses need a ālickingā as it implies out of control use of an artificial aid.
Violence begins where knowledge ends. I am glad USEF are looking into the matter.
This ^
Again, we are talking about the welfare of riders and horses. Her comments were irresponsible and unprofessional.
