Reed Kessler: I wish I could hate her but she's so darn nice! :D

[mvp]

[QUOTE=busylady;8202508]
My guess is that there are many riders who either haven’t given up on their Olympic dream and are jealous of Reed, or who want to discredit her to soften the blow to their own egos that resulted from someone else achieving what they did not (of course there will be at least 5 of you that respond to this by saying “I’m not jealous I just don’t like the way she treated Mike that one time at WEF” which will mean nothing to me because I have seen much worse behavior, publicly, which hasn’t resulted in threads such as this). [/QUOTE]

You realize that you can’t logically infer motive (jealousy, in this case) from the fact that Kessler is accused of bad public behavior and other badly-behaved riders are not, right?

[vxf111]

It’s not the internet if someone’s not being accused of cyberbullying. Righty-o.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=Cannonball;8202532]
Well said and I agree!

I don’t understand how people can form such strong opinions of someone who they’ve never even had a conversation with. But I guess that is the culture in which we live. :([/QUOTE]

When those strangers put their personal lives out in public (for example, by doing a puff piece on their new barn and all it’s amenities, etc.) then yeah, it becomes fodder for people to talk about it. You don’t want people to talk about your money? Stop having people write “articles” about it. Go win some stuff and give people that to talk about instead.

Honestly, can you imagine Beezie calling up NF to come take some pictures of Beezie lounging on the couch while she talks about her “business plan” to go out her own and win everything using someone else’s money-- accompanied by photos of a super super fancy barn her parents bought her? I mean, can you IMAGINE any other supposed BNT top-level rider wanting that image out there in the universe? It’s a “business plan” to take a farm someone else bought, horses financed by someone else, and win al the everythings?!? Are we really pretending that’s a “business.” It’s an a-m-a-z-i-n-g thing to be able to do, but spending someone else’s money isn’t exactly a “business.” Maybe investing in horses that she can pay back the investment and have money left over to buy more prospects might be a business. But I don’t see any indicating here that her “financial supporters” are investors. The strategy seems to be to take that money and be a tip top rider… and that’s fine and dandy-- but you can’t blame people for laughing a little at the thought that it’s a “business.” That’s what trust fund babies do-- spend their parents money and good for them, but that doesn’t mean it’s laudible/a business.

The only reason that image of Reed is out there is because she put it out there. If she doesn’t care, good for her. I hope she has a thick skin. I hope she goes and wins all the everythings. She certainly has the talent and cares to do it. But you can be talented and self-indulgent at the same time And it’s not like these opinions come out of thin air. They come from the way she comports herself in public. This “article” being one public piece on her.

[poltroon]

Mclain Ward is nearly 40 now. If you want to compare behavior, at least have the good sense to compare people to their peers.

Mclain also had the benefit of a long career with Sapphire, who represented his horsemanship more powerfully than 1000 internet commenters. Without her, I think his image today would be quite different.

When I was 21 I still knew everything. I’m led to believe this is a common trait. Time, maturity, and experience are still to come.

That doesn’t mean you can’t be a great person at 21, just that our sport in every way benefits from wet saddle blankets for horses and humans alike. Even George Morris is a far wiser, better trainer today than he was at 21.

Reed accomplished every girl’s dream to get to the Olympics so young. She earned it - many others have tried and failed, some with more resources than her. She will always have that. But, there is the inevitable “what’s next” that challenges most people hit after reaching a high goal. It looks like she is finding the answers to that and I wish her much success.

[omare]

Arent many top riders supported by rich owners who buy expensive horses? In this case her patron is her parents.

[Darkwave]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8202700]
It’s a “business plan” to take a farm someone else bought, horses financed by someone else, and win al the everythings?!? Are we really pretending that’s a “business.” It’s an a-m-a-z-i-n-g thing to be able to do, but spending someone else’s money isn’t exactly a “business.” … The strategy seems to be to take that money and be a tip top rider… and that’s fine and dandy-- but you can’t blame people for laughing a little at the thought that it’s a “business.” That’s what trust fund babies do-- spend their parents money and good for them, but that doesn’t mean it’s laudible/a business.[/QUOTE]

I agree with your entire post, but wanted to highlight this section.

It’s hilarious to me the large (by which I mean non-zero and more than one or two) former junior riders who have ended up making a “career” out of running a “business” that is essentially figuring out how to spend their parents’ money on horses and trailers and fancy saddles.

They’re earning a small fortune in the horse business the old fashioned way, by starting with a large fortune

I do think RK has earned a bit of this criticism, simply by putting herself out there so publicly (exactly as vxf111 noted). When you have a puff piece that is basically LOOK AT MY NEW FARM THAT I BOUGHT FOR MY BUSINESS, people are of course going to respond that you didn’t really buy it with your own money, and that you’re not really running a business.

I do wonder if some of the young WEF trust fund crowd understand that most people DON’T have trust funds.

[busylady]

Or perhaps the puff piece was intended as a response to the internet gossip about her leaving (or being kicked out of) Marcus Ehning’s barn. Maybe it isn’t so much bragging as it is trying to explain what is going on with her; certainly there is much interest. When I read her two recent “interviews,” I had the distinct impression that they were written, at least in part, as a response to the internet criticism.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=omare;8202724]
Arent many top riders supported by rich owners who buy expensive horses? In this case her patron is her parents.[/QUOTE]

Typically the patron retains ownership of the horse and farm, retainins the earnings, and the rider is paid for her services in carrying out the riding that the patron elects. The rider is paid by the patron to ride. That’s the business. There is also an arms-length aspect to the relationship where the patron can take her horses elsewhere/evict the rider. That is different than someone’s relative buying them a farm/horses which are transferred to the rider’s name and which become her assets to show/dispose of as she sees fit. Not that there’s anything WRONG with her parents financing her riding-- just that it’s not a business. If you pay me to pick the apples on your tree for you, that’s a business. If you give me a tree and I eat the apples, it’s not.

[Darkwave]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8202791]
That is different than someone’s relative buying them a farm/horses which are transferred to the rider’s name and which become her assets to show/dispose of as she sees fit. Not that there’s anything WRONG with her parents financing her riding-- just that it’s not a business.[/QUOTE]

Yup. And the references to “building a business” amuse me. You’re NOT building a business - the framework for one has been created and handed to you.

[ybiaw]

I think Darkwave & vxf nailed it.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=Darkwave;8202800]
Yup. And the references to “building a business” amuse me. You’re NOT building a business - the framework for one has been created and handed to you.[/QUOTE]

I guess I disagree. She mentioned wanting to coach more and to start doing more sale of horses. That is absolutely a “business”. And just because you are given a frame work and she doesn’t need to support herself solely on those earnings doesn’t make it less of a business or any less building then when one is starting out. It makes her more like 90% of all professional riders and a lot like others who have various “businesses”. Many who launch a new business fund it from other sources and/or are given a frame work to start. Most BNR marry or are born into their money. Most of the rest of us go into other lines of work where we have a better chance of earning reasonable living.

And I think that is key. I see a lot of young people go into horses as a “career”…not understanding that MANY of those riders doing it as a career have other financial support (and therefore a safety net). Perhaps not as much as Reed…but most do. They either marry it or are born with it. Some of course have less support than others…but it is not an industry that you can typically start with nothing and easily end up with a lot.

[Equitational]

[QUOTE=busylady;8202508]
(of course there will be at least 5 of you that respond to this by saying “I’m not jealous I just don’t like the way she treated Mike that one time at WEF” which will mean nothing to me because I have seen much worse behavior, publicly, which hasn’t resulted in threads such as this).

The bottom line is that it matters not whether she is nice, spoiled, humble or that one time she displayed poor horsemanship in public (thank goodness there wasn’t live stream at the state fair in 1999…you guys would have strung me up in the town square).[/QUOTE]

Am I not the only that thinks that video of Mika from WEF isn’t thhhaaat bad? Yes, it didn’t look like the same combo that jumped clean in the Olympic trials. I thought the horse looked spooky in the beginning too? But I’ve seen WAY worse herky jerky riding videos of GP riders and A LOT of videos of riders coming of the ring cranking their horses head one way or the other (some BN riders like Margie Engle, etc). Said examples of others cranking (or some may call excessive see-sawing) wasn’t done with lost temper but training tool (horse maybe strong on the rein or locking on to the bit). Heck, my trainer used to do that too with some strong horses coming out of the show arena (even after a good round). I’ve seen WAAAY worse kicking, pulling and crop use in the show arenas.

But I do get Reed is a “celebrity” and is always in the limelight (obvious reason for this thread). But even Hollywood celebrities get caught doing unethical, bad or illegal things. No body is perfect. Not even Reed Kessler. I’m sure Beezie Madden has her flaws too…

[ybiaw]

[QUOTE=Equitational;8202882]
I’m sure Beezie Madden has her flaws too…[/QUOTE]

GASP.

I reject this sentiment. Beezie Madden is flawless.

[Equitational]

[QUOTE=ybiaw;8202884]
GASP.

I reject this sentiment. Beezie Madden is flawless.[/QUOTE]

I know I know. Someone just posted a GM quote along the lines of him saying “Beezie is perfect and everyone should try to rider like her”. But who knows what she did at 21 y/o…I’m sure ever rider has had bad days and lost their tempers.

[Cannonball]

[QUOTE=vxf111;8202700]

Honestly, can you imagine Beezie calling up NF to come take some pictures of Beezie lounging on the couch while she talks about her “business plan” to go out her own and win everything using someone else’s money-- accompanied by photos of a super super fancy barn her parents bought her?.[/QUOTE]

Do you mean like this? http://issuu.com/horseandstylemag/docs/issue21-febmar-issuu/52

Beezie and John are clearly great and they don’t need me saying it. But it is not that unusual for their to be an interview of a rider and their barn, new or seasoned (rider and/or barn.)

I do think most of Reed’s critics do so out of jealousy of her family’s wealth. Maybe you aren’t jealous, you could have more money than they do.

But I do agree if she allows herself to be a public figure then she should know critics will follow. But I think she’s very aware of that already.

[Trixie]

Yup. And the references to “building a business” amuse me. You’re NOT building a business - the framework for one has been created and handed to you.

Maybe. But she’s the one that sits on all those horses and rides and jumps Olympic sized fences, so even if the framework was there, she did quite a bit of work, too.

You could say that my parents created and handed me a framework for my own business. I mean, they paid for me to have an excellent education without debt, to go to school to learn to be good at what I do. I eventually started my own small business. Some of their friends have used my services.

Does that mean my business was handed to me? Or that I did any less of the work?

Now, I do small business marketing and graphic design, and I don’t have a trust fund, and we’re not rich by horse show standards by any stretch of the imagination. My business is barely supporting itself, much less me.

But that leaves some degree of question, are we supposed to all haul ourselves out of poverty and become Olympians and CEO’s to get some respect for the lives we’re creating?

[trubandloki]

I am amused by the twisting of some of the posts in this thread.

The topic of the thread is just how nice this person is and how this article just proves how nice they are.

The comments that are being pounced on by people are comments that are simply addressing that topic, brought up by the OP.

I admit I am clueless about the little details about this rider (I just do not pay enough attention). I can say that nothing in that article makes me think ‘oh wow, this person is just so nice’.
It is a perfectly pleasant article, lovely facility, etc. It simply never covers nice or not nice or mean or not mean. For that reason I am not sure how the OP makes the leap that this article reinforces just how nice this young lady is.

[Capall]

re McClain Ward: I guess some of you haven’t been around for the very very long threads anytime anything was posted about him! He certainly hasn’t been one that has been free of any controversy…

[Janeway]

@Cannonball;8202908

Do you mean like this? http://issuu.com/horseandstylemag/docs/issue21-febmar-issuu/52

Beezie and John are clearly great and they don’t need me saying it. But it is not that unusual for their to be an interview of a rider and their barn, new or seasoned (rider and/or barn.)

An interview, yes of course, readers like to see the homes/stables of top riders, but the piece on Reed was a press release put out by Noelle Floyd. Not quite the same thing :winkgrin:

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=Cannonball;8202908]
Do you mean like this? http://issuu.com/horseandstylemag/docs/issue21-febmar-issuu/52

Beezie and John are clearly great and they don’t need me saying it. But it is not that unusual for their to be an interview of a rider and their barn, new or seasoned (rider and/or barn.)

I do think most of Reed’s critics do so out of jealousy of her family’s wealth. Maybe you aren’t jealous, you could have more money than they do.

But I do agree if she allows herself to be a public figure then she should know critics will follow. But I think she’s very aware of that already.[/QUOTE]

One major difference-- the house that Madden built wasn’t financed exclusively by mom and dad! And another-- they are actually running a business that is more than the Beezie-wins-everything-show. And their benefactors-- continue to own the horses, etc. Plenty of distinctions.