New Article on Cesar Parra Controversy

Yes, hence the “continue”. More big name trainers takes this from a few rotten apples to systemic, sport-wide abuse.

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The rules on the movements and gaits are easily available. In that insta video comparing the two rides, the top horse had more cadence. Should that count above tension, or below it? Not clearly laid out in rules, it seems.

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Slow? The videos were posted what, two days before He was suspended. They are investigating. What else?

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This is such a great question

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It may not be in the “rules” but here is the guidance on “methodology” for judging given to the L-judges back when I attended. The “methodology” starts with evaluating the gaits for each and every movement.

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Just reading the criteria for the quality of gaits the wording talks about correctness and the horse moving correctly, freely, and without constriction. Nothing about brilliance.

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No

Brilliance is not in the judging criteria. Correctness is. Correct tempo for that horse, rhythm, regularity is.

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Just bringing in another CP document.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/wgZaWDNiGdS7MX4Y/?mibextid=2JQ9oc

How much pressure to kill bone in a jaw?

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There really are no words for the amount of damage this individual has inflicted on so many horses. May the long arm of Justice get him in a chokehold.

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Best hope for that is the human trafficking case

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yes, the gaits. But, no mention of tension, is there? While tension certainly affects gait quality, by itself “tension” is not a criteria for taking points away.

And, @Knights_Mom, “brilliance” shows up as increased cadence and just “more” of everything. Brilliant horses literally take your breath away watching them. Certainly you agree that a correctly moving “brilliant” horse would outscore a correctly moving daisy-cutter hunter type movement? (consider about Level 2, where collection first comes into play.

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I will look into the rest of the 15 pages. I just wanted to show the “Methodology” is in 3 parts. “Gaits” as the first thing judges are to look for. Next is “Basics”. Finally is “Modifiers.”

I would ask why are the “Basics” not the first thing? The “brilliance” comments come in with the fuzzy “Modifiers.”

I have a rather large notebook from the L-Judges program and will look thru it and post…but I have to grade papers first…which takes priority.

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I believe that means the basics of the movement, not what is commonly called “the basics”.

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I disagree. First off tension is the absence of relaxation and relaxation is of such importance it was one of the base elements of the training pyramid.

When you say brilliant cadence I hear toe flipper and that is incorrect.

Maybe we like different stuff.

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Totally agree!!! Relaxation is a basic requirement on the pyramid. Tension also creates a tightness of the back that prevents throughness, also a basic requirement on the pyramid. There is no score for “Roundness” but there is a requirement for acceptance of the bridle/contact. Often you see these horses incorrectly displaying extreme “Roundness” that belies a lack of acceptance of the bridle. And particularly, when you see a horse that has it’s mouth open and it’s tongue flapping out the side from time to time, is tight in the back and not demonstrating throughness…and it gets an 88%…is that 88% for “brilliance”? Many of us are confused.

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Is there anyway to attack all this gimmickry in training and tight nosebands/harsh bits in competition by tweaking the rules somehow? I know there are restrictions on the types of bits and there are bit/spur checks. Could there be a rule on the tightness of the nosebands, checked at warm up and before entering the ring?

If you can’t ride without a situation where the noseband is so tight and the bit so harsh that you have blue tongues and create tissue necrosis, would that not discourage the use of same in training as you’d know you couldn’t rely on that crutch in competition?

Also, and I’ve been out of the game for a long time, why are there so very many gadgets and geegaws in use currently? Stretchies, Ws, cranked in side/draw/German/etc. reins, and on and on.

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It’s up to judges to educate themselves to all the tricks I guess?

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Well, first of all there are rules about nosebands nowadays. Most of which came about after that particular controversy became public. I have no idea how well they are enforced as i have never had occasion to fall foul of them, nor has anyone else I personally ride with at the regional level. Probably not enough educated and brave volunteers at USDF local levels to do so. Can’t answer for international sport.

Secondly, please don’t think that all that gadgetry is in general use. Its only a select few abusive SOBs who shouldn’t be around horses or indeed animals of any kind who think up these bizarre horrors. We all know these kinds of people don’t torture only horses for their own gain.

And regrettably, while we’d all like to think this was some kind of new phenomenon, in truth, we know these kind of psychopathic people have always existed and caused suffering to horses, dogs, and indeed humans for their own gain or glory, or just their personal enjoyment. They are just mercifully far more likely to be outed nowadays. Thank God.

We can’t conflate those people with the vast majority of horse riders whatever their discipline.

What we can all do is to carefully examine our own actions, and to hold all the people we associate with to high standards when it comes to their interactions with all other sentient creatures.

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I wonder if, since he’s a naturalized citizen, his citizenship could be stripped and he could be sent back to Columbia. (After conviction and, hopefully, any incarceration is completed, of course).

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