He said “videos” but not a specific one
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Those are stretchies. I recognize them from saddlebred-land. It’s a length of really stretchy tubing (normally) that will help to exercise the shoulders to make a bigger step up front. It does not tie the feet together. The tubing breaks relatively easily and the horse is typically stopped immediately if they do so to prevent any injury.
Not saying I love it, just saying I recognize it.
He’s clearly wanting an extravagant front-end while driving from behind. I take more exception to the whip than I do the stretchies, but neither are correct dressage.
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The “trainer”, and I use the term loosely, is Leslie Bean. Formerly from NC, moved to CA briefly with her then-boyfriend when she intentionally ran over her then-husband with a pickup truck in July 2015 (she was charged with felony assault with a deadly weapon causing serious bodily injury and accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to misdemeanor assault causing serious injury). Then to Wellington, and now in Ocala.
I successfully sued her in May 2015 when she didn’t pay her share of clinic expenses related to a clinic she did with SRS Bereiter Florian Bacher (she also didn’t pay him). Talk with her former clients/friends - unfortunately, there are a lot of “formers.” She can be very nice and convincing and manages to find people to give her horses/train with her.
From what I’ve heard from these former clients, it does not surprise me that she works/trains with Cesar Parra and that she supports his cruel methods. I think some of the reason that people are afraid to name names and speak up is because they are worried about revenge/retribution. That’s what people in NC told me, when I asked why they didn’t sue for money owed/damage to horses and property, etc.
With the abundance of video and text evidence, I hope Cesar sees jail time and is banned from the sport for good. That there are people who still support him and are justifying what he is doing is mind-boggling and sickening. Those poor, trapped horses.
Bravo to those who are stepping up and coming forward.
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SO people that train there don’t see with their own eyes what those videos show?
Weird. In some of them there are very clearly seen people watching. Go ask them if it’s AI.
I mean, I guess they could lie, but if you’re there, how is it you havent seen this? Blind?
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Stretchies, also known as training shackles.
https://www.wcircle.com/inc/sdetail/15568
There is also a blurb about them halfway down this page.
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my guess it is the clients that aren’t around much, perhaps sent their horse for training, that are given this line. The ones there are apparently acclimated to this type of training. It could also be that is the line he is giving his clients to give to outsiders - it is possible his clients are ok with these methods because they get the results they want.
These methods are horrific, but what we should equally be questioning, is what can be changed in the rules so that these methods don’t equate to winning results.
Personally, I think quality of movement should no longer be a part of each movement’s scores, and should only be in the cumulative scores. Correctness of movement should replace it. Submission also should be better defined.
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Do sanctions really make a long term impact?
Paul Valliere still runs a H/J stable in FL and he was indefinitely banned by then AHSA, now USEF for his involvement in the killing of horses for insurance money in the 90’s. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show_jumping_horse_killings)
Is the USEF a mandated reported and required to report the abuse claims to the authorities in Parra’s location?
When he’s convicted of animal abuse, sentenced to prison, and severely financially impacted, then the USEF will look like it has a backbone and not hiding behind a paper sanction.
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There is also a video where a horse is wearing running w’s. There was a saddleseat trainer at the barn I boarded at, as a child, that used them and I have scene some horrific things caused by them
https://www.ruralheritage.com/messageboard/frontporch/17780.htm
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Just when I thought I had seen it all……
I cannot fathom whatever madness would possess someone to think that crashing a horse headlong into the ground is appropriate, let alone necessary.
Some of those comments in that message board have my stomach churning.
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Yes; I kind of wish I hadn’t looked at the comments. Things people do to horses!
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Paul literally STILL gets paid to come to other barns for clinics. It is atrocious.
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If anyone is still wanting to move their horse, horse shipper Phil Silva has offered to transport horses for free from the barn to other Florida/southern locations. He’s on Facebook. He used to be up here and I really liked him, did a couple of clinics at his place.
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I think a few words are left out, here they are for context “Respect ME or else!” “We have no Integrity!” “We Desire Money and Control!” “I am Positive I am an Abuser and I like it!!” “Our Dedication is to ABUSE!”
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Thankyou, I can see those.
My god, that horse being longed is terrified of the whip. What an incredibly stupid thing to do.
That does look like a version of saddlebred bungees.
I saw them at the St. Louis National Charity horse show years ago on a harness horse, but the bungee went from the near pastern up over the withers/back to the off pastern. The front legs weren’t hobbled together. There may be other versions, I just haven’t seen them.
Yes, this video bothered me more than the one where the horse is under saddle, with the so called stretchies. But none of this is necessary to correctly or safely bring a horse up the training pyramid…
I just had visions of front legs tangled, balance loss and a fall - that horse almost went down a couple times…
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Maybe NOW people can unite to fight ALL abusive training ing practices?
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Exactly.
The “I Stand with George” folks need to slide over and make room on the bench for the Cesar Parra supporters.
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I don’t like the stretchies, but the other video is actually worse IMHO. They have the lines going up the back through kind of a pulley and one of the people in the ring pulls up on the line in synch with the horse’s stride while the other longes. I think the sudden pulling on the lines is what causes the horse to almost fall on his/her nose. At least with the stretchies the tension is consistent. Not that I’m advocating it in any way.
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Seems a Parra whistle-blower couple now needs armed guards.
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And sadly, Parra and others who use the stretchies will argue that they are commonly used in gaited horse and harness horse disciplines to enhance front leg movement, therefore why not in dressage-land.
Unless and until NGOs and FEI ban them, folks like Parra, Gal, etc., etc., will continue to use them. They will probably still use them even if they are banned but will go even more behind closed doors.
I am not at all in favor of the stretchies being used in the training of dressage horses, but I feel that the whipping incidents are of even more concern. Someone needs to shackle Parra’s legs together and whip him around the arena and hit him on the top of his head with the butt of a whip every time he tries to protest.
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