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

[sixteenhands]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;8203162]
That was over a year ago, [edit]

If you have to dig up very old threads to get your jollies, I feel sorry for you. The rest of us are going to go ride and be productive. :lol:[/QUOTE]

I used your words, your time frame, you said you had no interest in Reed since what happened with Mika. I proved you wrong and your feelings are hurt so you lash out. That thread was linked on this thread so I didn’t have to search for it. Funny getting a lecture about productivity from you because since 2010 you have 6734 posts averaging 3.68 per day, while I have 74 posts averaging .05. I didn’t have to search for this info either since it is in our profiles. Instead of lashing out, maybe your attitude will change if you try to get your jollies from another sport [edit]

[supershorty628]

Not to get into COTH semantics, but pretty sure

@sixteenhands

try canoeing yourself

that would be kayaking, rather than canoeing. Back to your regularly scheduled trainwreck.

[Soaponarope]

[QUOTE=Equitational;8202893]
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.[/QUOTE]

Well since you mentioned him, that legend GM is a great example of the gendered double standard at work. As we all know GM is just the nicest guy you would ever want to meet. He has cultivated the image of niceness and decency just like Beezie. He also never had any parental support and worked his way up from penniless stable boy to GP rider.

Seriously, how many women could get away with his behavior? And how many top riders have not had parental support? You could count them on two hands probably. I’m not saying Reed is an angel by any means, but I also think we are holding her to a higher standard thank lots of men in the field.

[omare]

I do not see the difference in having a rich owner buy you a horse to ride in the Olympics and pay all of the bills and from which you take a huge (and maybe secret) cut when said horse is sold as opposed to having your rich patron be your parent.
Frankly if I was extremely wealthy and wanted GP horses and to play in that sandbox I would rather “waste” the money on a relative then some person unrelated to me. If I was investing in GP horses and I had a daughter that could ride at that level-guess where I would be putting my money. Heck many years ago I seem to remember even the great Beezie Patton Madden had a few GP horses owned by her parents and they were at that time her best horses.

Most money made is in horse dealing. And many top female riders have a SO that are very high end horse dealers and the rider is part of the marketing plan.
Lets get real, a 21 year old female is unlikely to be able to wheel and deal at that table at this time.(Oh but if she was selling horses right and left certain people would be sayings she is a money grubber and she should be keeping her horses till she dies because you know she is rich. )

[sixteenhands]

[QUOTE=supershorty628;8203240]
Not to get into COTH semantics, but pretty sure that would be kayaking, rather than canoeing. Back to your regularly scheduled trainwreck.[/QUOTE]

Kayaking never crossed my mind. I do not like condescending posts so I meant go canoe yourself. Thanks for pointing out that there may have been confusion.

[MHM]

[QUOTE=sixteenhands;8203292]
Kayaking never crossed my mind. I do not like condescending posts so I meant go canoe yourself. Thanks for pointing out that there may have been confusion.[/QUOTE]

I must not be up on the current COTH terminology. I think I get the canoeing reference. Could somebody explain the kayaking one?

[Trixie]

Well, a canoe for one, of course.

[Bristol_Bay]

[QUOTE=sixteenhands;8203292]
Kayaking never crossed my mind. I do not like condescending posts so I meant go canoe yourself. Thanks for pointing out that there may have been confusion.[/QUOTE]

One of my friends on here was threatened with banning for using that term in that way. The mods know what you’re really saying.

[Bristol_Bay]

[QUOTE=Miss Motivation;8203180]

Jilly Cooper comes to mind… but the world will likely not fall in love with a 40-something horsewoman who has spent her life in the saddle, outdoors in the sun, who can talk chapter and verse about horses but is rarely seen in a fashion layout in a mainstream magazine. That’s not Reed… she has a lot of positives herself, and potentially for the sport too. Let’s just hope she can continue to develop her skills with a minimum of scandal, because as her star rises… perhaps those of the other young, beautiful, jet-set riders will too. And her rising tide may help lift all boats.[/QUOTE]

Jilly Cooper is a 78-year-old author.

And furthermore, your post suggests that only a young, beautiful, Eurotrash ::cough cough:: jet-setter can drum up interest in the sport. I don’t see the point of any of RK’s publicity being to bring show jumping to the masses.

[Miss_Motivation]

I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to break the Internet.

European show jumping seems to get a lot more audience interest and TV time than in the US. My thought was it might have to do with the way the show jumping personalities are better-known to the public than in the US. That celebrity bubble seems to be a comfortable place for Reed, so I thought there was something positive for the sport having a photogenic young American being part of that scene.

When Reed was so young at the Olympics, there was strong sports and general media interest in her story, which was a good thing for equestrian sports. I didn’t intend to imply that she’s some kind of savior for equestrian sports, just that stories of young athletes seem to catch the public’s attention, and it was nice for the horse world to have that spotlight for a moment.

Jilly Cooper’s Riders introduced me to this phenomenon of European show riders being known to the public many years ago. It’s admittedly over the top fiction but seems to have had a basis in European riders being closer to celebrities than US riders.

I missed the mark in trying to explain what I saw as possible upsides for horse sports associated with Ms. Kessler’s growing fame/infamy and the power of a proven marketing team behind her.

[omare]

I do not know what type of behavior anyone is talking about since I am not a RK watcher but really?

I watched a COTher saint back in 1997 do the see-saw-see saw dig dig dig w the spurs leaving a WC class after pulling a rail (not pretty). They were likely in their 20s at the time. They have no doubt grown up since then.

Obviously you missed the COTHER debacle about GM and the infamous metal pipe.

Among other COTHer “saints”–you have ex-druggies and riders that have former rehabbed horse- “profiteers” in the barn.
(edited to add–I forgot the two European based Olympic gold medalist that have been sued horse dealings…)

And you are in a snot about alleged RK immature behavior and the facts she is being bank rolled by rich owners and has a PR team…

Again if I was an owner I would rather have my horses with my (honest dealing since I would have raised her) daughter than some unrelated professional if I had the money and a daughter that could ride at that level and I wanted to own GP horses.

Some of you act like they way “real” pros make their make money is so noble and saintly. Yet i am guessing most pros (or their SO) make their money horse dealing and selling horses to …rich owners. And we know historically that is a business that is about as transparent as mud. it is not a dishonorable profession but it is not what I would consider a put-people-on-a-pedestal profession either.

[Bicoastal]

[QUOTE=Lord Helpus;8202971]
Anyone who will never again appreciate Reed’s talent or accomplishments because of the way she walked out of a ring when she was 18[/QUOTE]

Darn it! I’ve googled for two days and can’t find the video. Anyone with good google-fu find it?

[MIKES_MCS]

Horse show jumping will never be a popular spectator sport in this country as long as it is precieved to be an elite sport of the fabulously wealthy 1% , and out of the reach of the common person. Basketball , football, baseball, Hockey , all sports accessable to all public school students for the most part, where talent for the most part is the great equalizer not personal wealth… even Nascar has a common man appeal. Those sports make millionaires out of the best, they do not take millions to make a competitior the best . In Europe riding is accessable to most and there are schools dedicated to it where anyone with talent dedication and disire can attend . Show Jumping and equestrian sports are supported by the masses because many can connect to it . Your not going to see the everyday person connect to it here because there are no cinderella stories anymore …

[ybiaw]

Just gonna put this out there as an example of a great article and how to be likeable in the media.

http://www.worldofshowjumping.com/WoSJ-Exclusive-interviews/Darragh-Kenny-I-have-been-very-lucky-with-the-people-and-the-horses-in-my-life.html

[omare]

And the business model is… getting rich owners (through hard work connections talent) and performing well for them and buying and selling horses with some students thrown in?
Isnt that basically what they all do except less so with the students if you are European (students seems to be a USA thing?) Again horse dealing seems to be the back bone of the professional business model (and rich students a built in market for your sale horses.)

[Miss_Motivation]

At the risk of breaking the web again…

Part of the difference in equestrian sports and a lot of those mentioned as not-elitist (and that point was well-made by MIKES MCS) is sponsorships. Big ones. Like… tobacco and beer. Those deep-pockets sponsors helped make US pro sports ‘go’ and even though they are now limited in some of the ways they can advertise as ‘sin’ products, they had a lot to do with the growth, especially on TV, of a lot of sports. Those successful sponsorships helped perhaps pave the way for other kinds of consumer products to want to be associated with different sports stars… and that whole dynamic continues to evolve.

That was a link I was trying to allude to (clumsily) earlier- Reed Kessler’s father has been very successful in businesses that he has promoted at a national and international level and as a tobacco executive, he would certainly be familiar with sophisticated sponsorships. He and the family have a lot of experience in this kind of thing, so maybe we’ll see more from that angle.

The strongest example I can think of, of these kinds of links between products and the equestrian world that have had a positive impact in the US, are the Budweiser Clydesdales.

In Europe, sponsorship of equestrians is a bigger deal than the US. Longines and Rolex, H & M, Alltech, Land Rover, etc see their investments in equestrian sport as a good deal and some of that success has then come to the US. As we start to see these international brands take more interest in US horse sports… probably a good thing.

My earlier points may have been better made to say, Reed Kessler seems to personify a new, younger breed of rider who may be able to attract (and retain?) sponsors on a model more like mainstream sports. Her family can underwrite her endeavors to a large degree, but that family is also very experienced in marketing and sponsorships. Reed’s media presence, family ties, and riding skills may be a winning combination to secure significant sponsorships, in Europe and perhaps the US.

Situations that elevate equestrian sports in the US to be considered more sponsor-worthy draw prize money, TV time, and new interest to our world.

[MHM]

[QUOTE=Trixie;8203326]
Well, a canoe for one, of course.[/QUOTE]
Ah. Of course. Thanks.

[funnygirl]

She just is not a nice person - she makes really bitchy remarks to people around the show - fellow competitors - grooms - trainers etc. This even comes through in her interviews - it is just so arrogant and unpleasant. Even now trying to reinvent her public image (for sure this is planned with the two recent interviews) the take away quotes are quite unbelievable. From one - “In North America only 5 or 6 people in a grand prix have a chance of winning - in Europe everyone does” and from another “America is obsessed with blue ribbons” as a way to explain why she has[t gotten any lately! It just isn’t the way to be nice - it just makes people hate her and hence the obsessive behind the scenes chatter about her and her character etc.

[mvp]

Good point about the new world of branding and marketing and sponsorship, Miss Motivation (and others).

I don’t fault Kessler for the ol’ “parents bankroll/launch kiddo’s career as a young horse trainer.” it’s been done for-ever. Maybe it looks different now, but for the past 30 years, so many pros started out with some wealth behind them. As I saw it, that’s what it took. As I used to say to folks, the main reason I went to a (fancy) university and did not become a horse trainer was because one could get financial aid to go to college. There were no scholarships for the expenses connected to the junior career and education it took to turn pro at 18.

Now, I think might cost more than, say, full freight at an Ivy League school to educate and launch a kid who would like to become a professional.

But you can’t claim that Kessler and her family are doing anything new or out-of-line. Maybe the new world of branding and the now-astronomical cost of horse showing is part of what makes the modern version of this phenomenon worthy of comment.

And where I live now (not a horse-training mecca), most of the pros work out of farms their parents bought/built. Some are good trainers, some not. But the farm base does help them in their business.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=funnygirl;8203843]
She just is not a nice person - she makes really bitchy remarks to people around the show - fellow competitors - grooms - trainers etc. This even comes through in her interviews - it is just so arrogant and unpleasant. Even now trying to reinvent her public image (for sure this is planned with the two recent interviews) the take away quotes are quite unbelievable. From one - “In North America only 5 or 6 people in a grand prix have a chance of winning - in Europe everyone does” and from another “America is obsessed with blue ribbons” as a way to explain why she has[t gotten any lately! It just isn’t the way to be nice - it just makes people hate her and hence the obsessive behind the scenes chatter about her and her character etc.[/QUOTE]

Granted…my understanding is those quotes are fairly accurate. The level and depth of competition in Europe is far and away greater in all the English disciplines (dressage, eventing and jumpers.). There are more shows, with more atmosphere and higher level of competition (and less travel). That would be why many with means DO go over there for at least part of the year. That isn’t new either…and her point about the blue ribbons was really that just in the in the long run to improve as a rider…she is better to be a small fish in a big pond is pretty on point. Good for her…and likely this will be very good for the US teams in the future.

I don’t like or hate her…I don’t really care. But what she is doing is what most up and coming riders (to the International level) are told to do by pretty much every team coach and top trainer. …but there are not many that can afford to do it and brave enough (hard to up root and move to a foreign country both financially and emotionally). Perhaps because this is something that I already know…her statements do not have the same effect on me as they seem to have on other posters.

I just took the article as typical of this generation telling the world what they are doing and showing pretty pictures…it is a lovely farm. Nothing offensive one way or the other…but reading this thread has been more entertaining and killed some minutes I needed…