Modern Pentathalon

[TwiSedai]

@Equkelly

swear people think “learning to ride” is like taking ball room dance lessons where they do it a few times and then get to say it’s something they learned how to do and that’s that.

I wonder too of some of it is misconceptions from movies and TV. People in movies and shows never actually learn to ride, they just get on a horse for the first time and can magically stay on while galloping through the woods or through cities jumping over carts or something, often bareback, with no problem. So it must not be that hard.

[Equkelly]

@Mander

When I worked at a dude ranch and was going through the waiver forms for the week (which asked people what their horse experience level was) any “Expert” or “Advanced” earned an automatic “this person is a beginner” from me. People who actually had experience would always write something “Intermediate” or just flat out put something like “competed training level eventing” or “have been barrel racing for 20 years” etc and let us decide what types of horses they’ll do well on. Talking to the “experts” you’d quickly find out they considered themselves that because they cantered 3 strides on our calmest horse when they came to the ranch last year.

Exactly!!! Anyone who ever marked themselves as an intermediate or advanced rider 99.9% (not exaggerating) of the time could not do a posting trot. We even had descriptions of the riding levels on the waivers… it didn’t matter.

“Soooo when can we run the horses ???”

[Equkelly]

@TwiSedai

I wonder too of some of it is misconceptions from movies and TV.

Possibly… I think people more see it as similar to riding a bike where they don’t truly understand that they’re on a live animal. So often I’d hear people go “WOW THIS HORSE HAS A MIND OF ITS OWN!!”

Like yea no shit, what did you think? It’s a bicycle with hooves and a tail…?

[MHM]

@Virginia_Horse_Mom

Alright - found the TikTok video of the specific rider I’m talking about. Really scary to see the back to back falls…

Wow.

As bad as the video was of the German rider’s meltdown, this one is an even better demonstration of why the rules need to change. There was absolutely no way she should have gotten back on and tried to continue after she fell off the first time. Not to mention that poor horse. Yikes.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

Right? The slow motion replay clearly showed the horse went down on its knees hard into that oxer…

And the way the rider laid there like a rag doll after the second fall… really worrisome.

[aredhel]

This is exciting news!

[Manni01]

I think you are borderline violating community rules… are you stalking me?

[Manni01]

Thank you!! In Germany Gags are very illegal in competitions besides Polo. So I do assume that Annika Schleu wasn’t really aware what a gag does to a horse… It took me personally a long time to accept it during my polotimes…. that would be something to change in the rules as well…. Maybe the horse fried because it was hurt by the GAg by both riders….

[Manni01]

You seem to like to pick specific aspects to enforce your personal opinion.
If Annika Schleu would come to my place I would let her ride my horse and I see no reason whatsoever ever that she would start to abuse or spur my horse.
As I said before I think the current rules for the riding part in Pentathlon are nothing I agree with and therefore I would never ever lend my horse to them.

Many years ago when I was doing the university competitions I was lending my very nice dressage horse to participate in the Dressage part. I was in the committee which had to acquire horses for the competition we were hosting and I know exactly how hard it is to find people who will give their horses…. I think if you like to participate you have to be willing to support it…

And just saying my horse survived just fine… Nobody abused him.

[Manni01]

Sorry to repeat it, but don’t even try to imagine how I think…. You are simply not able to….

[Manni01]

@trubandloki

n. She had endless options that did not involve a melt down and a beating. (And then that poor horse went on to try very hard for her and she let it down at too many fences.)

Great! Finally somebody who knows what should have been done… you said Annika Schleu had endless options . great!! Pleeeease list them!!!

[endlessclimb]

Well the first one is pretty clear. But let’s list a few more.

1. Be an adult about it
2. Don’t take your frustration out by inflicting pain on an animal
3. Ride better, according to what the horse needs
4. Retire with class when you can see the horse has had enough
5. Don’t bury your horse to the fences
6. Soften her MFing hands, that’s a gag in the horse’s mouth for god’s sake
7. Commit yourself to riding more effectively
8. Commit yourself to having emotional control, at least in the presence of the animal (not to mention the global spotlight)
9. Don’t make an ass out of your chosen sport, or yourself

I am so glad I am not your horse, Manni. I don’t think I’ve ever beaten a horse 6 times in a row, for anything. Ever. It’s unacceptable, and is abuse. Especially on a horse you don’t know - you should be assuming ignorance on the horse’s part. Plus, any good horseman would not keep kicking and whipping a horse who is in the “nope, reverse” mode. You start moving/disengaging (I hate that word) the front end to stop the endless backing. She showed her inexperience right from the get-go, and then coupled it with whippings. Disgusting.

[Manni01]

Yup I can see you in that situation… you would have stopped the horse, dismounted and proclaimed for the sake of the horse you are refusing to proceed …. Very sad that you are not doing Pentathlon…
Maybe we should ask JER how many times this happened in the history of the Pentathlon……

And just saying I am really glad that you are not my horse . I prefer my horse !!

[endlessclimb]

There’s lots and lots of things that rider did that I wouldn’t have done, ever.

That’s because I consider myself a horsewoman, Manni.

Edit: A better question for JER is how many time it should have happened.

[Manni01]

Well, you are doing exactly what you accuse me about all the time . So would you have stopped the horse and given up before even starting???

You might be amazed that I might have done that in that situation  which will never ever happen because this is not a sport I have any desire to participate in, (because I agree with Isabel Werth 😀😀)

Wenn I was doing the University competitions with borrowed horses I had one situation when the horse refused to jump with all three riders. ….
Nobody threw a tantrum because it was not the Olympics but only a fun event …
all three of us got another horse which jumped beautifully and then one of us advanced to the next round… ( not me because I am not a talented jumper rider…)

[endlessclimb]

I can’t say for sure Manni, as I can’t sit on the horse in question. But there’s a really good chance that I wouldn’t have elicited his super “eff you” response, because I have more tact and softer hands. I also would not have spanked him 6 times in a row, ever.

And after those really lame steps after being crashed through a fence, yeah. I would have retired. The horse always comes first.

It seems like you believe the horse is some sort of vehicle to a ribbon or a medal. I can’t imagine putting my horse’s welfare on the line to win a prize. That’s sick.

And with that, I’m not engaging you anymore. You and I will literally never see eye to eye, because you don’t seem to care about the horse’s say in all this.

( )

[Old_Mac_Donald]

Very “poor me, poor me, y’all are inexperienced bullies”.

Oh wait, this is me picking on Manni again, right. As every single post of mine does. Apparently.

Anyone notice two things with the new Saint Boy vid/pics?

1: foliage and horse’s coat suggests that the photo posted by MP on FB about the horse was not, in fact, recent, as many people suggested.

And

2. He was being ridden in draw reins. Methinks that might be why he napped in the ring - training him in a straitjacket leaves much room for explosive behaviour once the reins come off. i.e. any napping “at home” is dealt with by putting his head down between his knees, rather than addressing the root cause of the behaviour.

[Old_Mac_Donald]

MHM: clinks wine glass. You said it.
Bottoms up!

[Djones]

If reading your contributions to this thread, knowing you moved from Florida to Germany (which you shared publicly here on COTH), and understanding time zones is stalking, then apparently I’m caught red-handed.

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]