Side note- riders not riding same horse in all phases

[OverandOnward]

@Arelle

A reasonably well-known barrel racer tried this stunt a few years ago. Brought out her NFR, World Champion mare to a local race and entered it under a different name of a similarly marked mare with a much less impressive record.

Unfortunately for her, there was a race photographer, and there was just enough difference in the two mares that you could spot the fake if you went back to the proofs and compared the two horses.

She, of course, denied it and tried to gaslight the public. She still mentions “haters” sometimes who “make up crazy claims about how she fakes entries”… but, if she’s willing to do it as a professional - it wouldn’t shock me at all that it happens in multiple disciplines from rookies to pros.

Luckily, most people these days have cameras and photographs don’t lie.

Was this done to win money? It is so hard to comprehend what people think they will gain from such stunts. Especially given the risk that they will be outed – now or later.

Her gaslighting would also be rather transparent if she is the only one that the ‘haters’ tell about. That is, it’s not a common thing, it’s just her.

Yeah, I don’t think the eventing community or any other group should cover and protect a cheating pro by not giving their name. Maybe not online where they might be subjected to the inconvenience of legal action, I understand that. But there are a hundred ways to let the word get out without exposure.

[OverandOnward]

@DMK

Lol we could start this now. No defamation involved, just post pics of the relevant portion of the alleged swapped horses and “innocently” ask if these are the same horses. Bonus points if at least one picture has enough background to identify the venue. Let the games commence!

I’m for it. I just don’t know of any instances to side-by-side.

[Janet]

@LCDR

USEA show official

Just because I am a nitpicker-
While the USEA is responsible for TRAINING Eventing officials, they are licensed by USEF, so your friend is a USEF official.

[OverandOnward]

So yesterday I saw a mare that I see close up a couple of times a week. She is medium bay, and very easy to identify because of a full calf-face marking with bright blue eyes.

She has some leg white. When not with her, I have always pictured her in my mind as having white stockings to the knee or above, all around. Or maybe on 3 legs. (Otherwise a traditional bay, not a pinto.)

Thinking of this conversation I took a second look yesterday. The mare has ONE white sock on the near hind that goes a bit more than half-way to the hock. On her other legs she has a white pastern on two, and one leg with no white. So really, not much leg white.

So why have I thought of her as having tall whites on three to four legs? I think it is because her face/head are so typical of horses that do have tall whites, in my experience. I must have thought in stereotype, rather than paying attention to to her leg markings.

I don’t know what that says about eyewitness testimony generally.

[DMK]

Just this morning I was looking at fb vids of a friend/acquaintance who just shipped her pony to Europe for pony world ch (driving), and my thought was “that pony has FOUR white stockings?!?” And to be clear, I wasn’t confused about how many white legs it has, but that I thought it had zero

[Hidden_Oak]

In the dark ages, when I was in pony club, I legally sub’d my mom’s mare (no white) for my mare (full sister, low hind whites). Only 1 person asked. I can see it happening.

[beowulf]

This is one thing I am grateful for Pony Club for. At an early age it was expected of everyone in my club to describe, at detail, every marking, whorl, and scar on their mount. The added bonus - almost all of us were riding plain bays. We used to be given a stall card with a plain outline of a horse from left side, right side, and center. We had to draw and mark every discernible marking - including neck whorls or whorls on other parts of the body. .

I never forgot that knowledge either. I could identify my current gelding in a line up of identical bays because I know where every scar on his leg is - and I know which side.

I think it’s easy sometimes to get sides mixed up, but it’s important in this day and age to know without a doubt how to identify your horse in case of the worst.

[OverandOnward]

Another reason is recovering a stolen horse. LE is also not in the habit of passing out horses to people claiming to be the owner, and many have requirements for identifying one’s own horse.

@beowulf

I think it’s easy sometimes to get sides mixed up, but it’s important in this day and age to know without a doubt how to identify your horse in case of the worst.

An evacuation/rescue coordination organization gave a very good tip for identification, and that is the borders of markings. The border pattern tends to be a unique feature.

Some borders are crisp, white to color is immediate with no transition. Some borders show a bit of ‘fade’, visually, as it were, and some show a lot of fade. Sometimes the border is so gradual that it isn’t even clear where it begins and ends.

Also the line/pattern of the border tends to be unique.

Close-ups of the entire distance of every marking border could be very helpful. Not just both sides of a leg, but the front and back as well. The border tends to remain consistent over the years, but it is good to check that there haven’t been changes in a horse’s coat.

This is just as true for pinto markings. Amazingly, if there is a large gathering situation in an evacuation, or a number of similar horses found re a theft ring, some pintos can appear similar.

Horse color and descriptions are especially hard for non-horse people. These days even in rural counties most LE have no experience with horses. That can also be true of volunteers at an evacuation center.

It may be helpful to set aside some time to get a good set of identification photos of your horse to save to a special album. Make sure the light is behind you when photographing. If the light is behind the horse, it may look like a dark gray blob.

[OverandOnward]

Have an album on your phone with your horse & pet ID photos, in case you lose access to your home computer in an urgent situation.

Also a good step, have your ID photos saved online and know how to access them. But that is not as good as having them on your phone as during a hurricane you will lose both power and communications for some amount of time and won’t be able to access them online. It is much easier to find someone who can help re-charge a phone.

After Harvey so many people had been forced into evacuation centers after days at home fighting floods, and left their raised homes by small boat piloted by LE, because feet more water was coming. One of the biggest challenges with finding their horses was description and photos. They had lost EVERYTHING when LE forced them to leave their homes & farms with 10 minutes notice, because the dams were deliberately releasing huge amounts of water from lakes to keep the dams from breaking. Entire neighborhoods were told that their homes had to be flooded, so sorry, there is no other way.

They lost the computers with their photos – the computers were at home, underwater. They lost their vehicles and were stranded at the human evacuation center for days. The evacuation centers were in the hurricane-affected area and were without power to access electronics, anyway.

As volunteers we were trying to help them find their animals in animal evacuation centers, just from verbal descriptions. So many horses had been brought to equine gathering centers without much information. It was very hard to match with owners who couldn’t get there and had only verbal descriptions. I went to 3 evacuation centers looking for one pair of horses, and it was such confusion. Didn’t find them.

[Alterwho]

I’m in a high risk area for fires and earthquakes. My horse has a freeze brand and microchip

[Scribbler]

Haha. I could do that on the Tobiano pinto I had as a kid, but not on my current Overo Paint who has busy lacy and dribble spots in addition to the typical white patches!

[SuzieQNutter]

Don’t forget if you are going to be separated from your animal to put your phone number on their hooves with permanent ink.

[fivestrideline]

My horse has recently begun developing birdcatcher spots. Good luck describing THOSE to a non-horsey person.

Microchipping might not be the answer for people swapping horses at shows, but it’s definitely a very good idea for emergencies. LE/animal control are already used to scanning for chips in dogs, so knowing the color of your horse and approximate location of its chip would almost guarantee recovery of the animal from a holding facility.

[OverandOnward]

@fivestrideline

My horse has recently begun developing birdcatcher spots. Good luck describing THOSE to a non-horsey person.

It’s funny that horse people I know ignore birdcatcher spots and black spots in the middle of a solid color area. But to non-horse people, a spot is a spot. “What is that?”

[Cowboy_Girl]

That’s the beauty of brands.

[2bayboys]

@fivestrideline

My horse has recently begun developing birdcatcher spots. Good luck describing THOSE to a non-horsey person.

Microchipping might not be the answer for people swapping horses at shows, but it’s definitely a very good idea for emergencies. LE/animal control are already used to scanning for chips in dogs, so knowing the color of your horse and approximate location of its chip would almost guarantee recovery of the animal from a holding facility.

My mare has birdcatcher spots, and each year they show up in a different location. It would be impossible to catalogue and describe them.

[beowulf]

@Scribbler

Haha. I could do that on the Tobiano pinto I had as a kid, but not on my current Overo Paint who has busy lacy and dribble spots in addition to the typical white patches!

I can see that Better you than me, I’ll stick to my plain bays.

[vxf111]

For the effort, energy, and money it would take to find 2 close-to-identical horses that combined were great on all three phases couldn’t someone just as easily find 1 horse that is great on all three phases?

Even plain bay TBs look different. And if you’re out there doing well and winning, people are going to notice the horse. I just don’t see how one could keep up this ruse long enough and often enough to make it worthwhile.

I’m not doubting that this has EVER happened but it seems like a real anomaly?!

[fivestrideline]

@2bayboys

My mare has birdcatcher spots, and each year they show up in a different location . It would be impossible to catalogue and describe them.

Right! “Chestnut gelding with random white specks” yeah okay that really clears it up

[OverandOnward]

@2bayboys

My mare has birdcatcher spots, and each year they show up in a different location . It would be impossible to catalogue and describe them.

Frequent updates to the database. With dated entries. And an archive to move the last set of entries.