So in my perusal of the FHP announcement of no bridle numbers comment section… a rider commented that it will be an easy way to identify if a rider is riding the same horse in all three phases…
I feel like there is a lot behind this comment… I had heard some rumors but ….
Yup, it’s real
Can someone give a cliff note version?
I had to click on the title after thinking WTH.
What? How? Why?
assuming someone has two horses that appear sufficiently identical that no one else notices if one is swapped for the other (that I am guessing is waiting in the trailer) for different phases, how would a bridle number prevent that? can the rider not simply switch the bridle number to the 2nd horse?
Yup it happens. I only witnessed it at the lowest levels at a schooling show, but the woman in the trailer next to me showed up solo with two identical bays. She came back from her dressage test, untacked the horse, put him in the trailer, took the other one out and tacked him up for XC. I asked her if the first horse was just doing dressage only for the show and she had zero reservations in telling me the first horse was great at dressage but a nut case on XC, so she uses the other more experienced horse for the other two phases. She drove away a few hours later with her blue ribbon.
WOW, WHEN YOU THINK YOU HAVE HEARD IT ALL.! I mean, how petty can you be to skim ribbons at a schooling show.
Hence the microchip.
That is so disappointing.
It is such a feeling of accomplishment for me to do well (very occasionally even win) at BN/N / schooling show level, with my non superstar horse (and her very average amateur rider) when we manage to put it together in all three phases on that day.
I think her logic was, “hey it’s just a schooling show” . Hopefully she doesn’t pull that crap at recognized events.
yes, but would you think a show organizer, particularly at unrated divisions, needs to have someone who scans every horses as it goes into the arena at every phase.
clearly from this info today, lets add another layer of work on show management and volunteers. I guess I am pretty agasted ( SHM)
I would have to think this practice is few and far between. I’m not amused to have witnessed it, but it makes no sense to put this burden on the show volunteers.
I feel like if someone is going to go through all that trouble to cheat at a schooling show, they might as well just have the $2 blue ribbon. It clearly means far more to them than it does to me.
But a report to the show officials and the organiser might mean she doesn’t get to show again at that venue.
The idea is that without bridle numbers you could get away with riding one horse in Dressage and another in XC. Although it sounds pretty far fetched to me. You could in theory just put your bridle number on your other horse. Although I really doubt it happens.
They can not do anything unless you report it and they watch her at the next event.
Did you ask the organizer if this was allowed? I would think that they would either have approved it ahead of time or at least wanted to be aware it was happening.
No I didn’t even think to ask if it was allowed. It would never occur to me that it could even be an option. Usually if something unorthodox is allowed, such as a pro rider in elementary, they just don’t quality for a ribbon. The fact that this rider won tells me this was not the case.
I didn’t say anything because I had no proof, just what I saw and was told by the other woman. She would probably just deny it and make me look petty.
I am just as shocked that someone would know about this and not say something to management/the TD/the show organizer…
Your story has the woman doing it, telling you that she does it.
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