[QUOTE=vxf111;8386201]
Cynical view but could be true. Without the specific “prep regimen” they’re used to (which another “team” might be unable to replicate) these horses may not stay on top. Hence, better to retire them now.[/QUOTE]
Weren’t the pending retirements announced at the beginning of the show year well before the scandal news broke?
[QUOTE=BLBGP;8386211]
Weren’t the pending retirements announced at the beginning of the show year well before the scandal news broke?[/QUOTE]
Yes, they were. But don’t let that get in the way of your negative thinking.
[QUOTE=BLBGP;8386211]
Weren’t the pending retirements announced at the beginning of the show year well before the scandal news broke?[/QUOTE]
Yes you are correct. And Ovation was scratched from the National. And was pretty bad (for them) at WIHS.
At least now these horses can go through life without their “Perfect Prep” and God knows what else to make their “perfect rounds”. Maybe they can just enjoy being horses. Have no respect for anyone on this team. And YES I know everyone does it.
[QUOTE=BLBGP;8386211]
Weren’t the pending retirements announced at the beginning of the show year well before the scandal news broke?[/QUOTE]
I don’t think the scandal breaking is the magic tipping point. The tipping point is knowing that when VC ages out, if these horses pass along to another junior rider you probably lose the prep team. The loss of the prep team is the tipping point, not the public learning about the prep. Knowing that VC is aging out, that these are really more junior horses than pro horses, the choices were-- get another junior rider or sell them to be junior horses. Either options probably ends with them being unmasked for what I kind of suspect they are-- brilliant but difficult horses that need to be “prepped” to succeed.
I also don’t recall Canadian Blue being on the planned retirement list but my memory could be wrong.
Maybe I’m cynical. Maybe it’s just that all these horses deserve a grand retirement and BP can afford to do it so that’s what she’s doing. Except I can’t jibe that image of a benevolent horse lover with tube-and-prep-o-rama which we now know was SOP. Nor the decision to keep on keeping on with that “team” even after the SOP was umcovered. I just can’t square those things.
Not to mention… doesn’t BP have ponies that keep going and going and going? Why didn’t they get retired “on top” when VC aged out of ponies? Why don’t they get retired “on top” now? Hasn’t Cold Harbour won everything there is to win? Couldn’t you make the same argument that he’s retirement ready? Why don’t the pro horses get retired “on top?” It seems like the ONLY ones who are getting retired in a clump are VC’s junior hunters. That’s kind of an odd coincidence, no? Why not all her eq horses too?
[QUOTE=hunterrider23;8385736]
Am I the only person confused as to why these horses are retiring at age 12 (Inclusive), 13 (Way Cool), and only 10(Canadian Blue)?! Generally at that age horses are at their prime or at the most steping down if they haven’t had some sort of career ending injury… If Dr. Parker really wants to retire them, I’ll take one as a 2’6" or 3’ hunter please. I can see Ovation retiring, he’s 15 and has been around, but Canadian Blue just seems too young to call it quits.[/QUOTE]
Rox Dene retired at 10, IIRC. Once they’ve won everything, what else is there to prove?
I find humor in the fact the people think these horses would prefer to continue showing at any height as opposed to living out in a field or retiring in the lifestyle they are accustomed. Horses would rather be out to pasture than showing regardless of their age…plus if I could afford to have some yard art, that group would be welcome.
Maybe.
But I also know show horses that start to get irritated and crabby when they are left home too long (for whatever reason).
Has Betsee Parker ever sold a horse? And is it really all that unusual for her to retire them before they are what the COTH forum members consider an acceptable age? When is the last time anyone saw Lone Star? Listen?
Does anyone remember what happened when it was thought that Rox Dene might make a good junior hunter horse? There really isn’t any reason to put a kid in a situation like that.
I think everyone is getting all in a tizzy because there are four retiring at once. I just don’t see anything nefarious here, and it certainly doesn’t seem surprising to me given who the owner is.
[QUOTE=Darkwave;8385992]
I wonder if they’re doing retirement ceremonies for each? My understanding is that you can always just announce that a horse is retired, and then unretire him/her later. But if you have an official retirement ceremony at a rated horse show, then the horse cannot be shown ever again at a rated show.[/QUOTE]
Wow! I did not know that. Interesting things you learn on COTH.
[QUOTE=vxf111;8386259]
I don’t think the scandal breaking is the magic tipping point. The tipping point is knowing that when VC ages out, if these horses pass along to another junior rider you probably lose the prep team. The loss of the prep team is the tipping point, not the public learning about the prep. [/QUOTE]
I’m pretty sure the tipping point is that Tori is aging out. They won everything with her. Nothing left to prove, and probably cannot replicate the success with another rider.
If they’re all getting prepped medically, pretttttyyyy sure any competent high level barn could replicate that. Because they probably are already doing something similar with their own horses.
[QUOTE=ynl063w;8386316]
When is the last time anyone saw Lone Star? Listen?.[/QUOTE]
I believe they tried to put someone else on Listen and it did not go well. Which is probably another contributing factor to retiring them since Tori is aging out.
[QUOTE=pepper1986;8385978]
Maybe they’re being retired because BP doesn’t want people to see how they really go without PP (as we all know Inclusive did test positive for GABA at the Derby Finals in 2014 and the 9 tubes of PP he was given beforehand). It’s true that there isn’t any proof that the others were on the same regime but one can only wonder what the others preperation was.
And don’t say that you weren’t thinking the same thing even if you didn’t say it. :winkgrin:[/QUOTE]
Lke every other horse in this business, the prep routine would get passed along if the horse was sold. Vast majority of trainers (and likely anyone who would have clients with the ability to acquire any of these horses) wouldn’t blink an eye at it. Most likely it’s a combination of ready to be done (Inclusive and Ovation) and not really junior suitable but can’t do the pro divisions (which would be 4’+ for these horses.)
It’s amusing that some of this crowd harps on the fact that horses get shown to death and kept on the show ring past their prime and sold along for money even if not ideal to keep going, and now the harping is over the fact someone is not doing any of those things.
[QUOTE=Ladylexie;8386116]
I’m sure there retiring because without the drugs they won’t do as much winning. They are clearly wonderful horses, but, not the endless blue ribbon machines that the drugs turned them into so they figured go out on top.[/QUOTE]
This theory is so ridiculous and frustrating!!
I totally understand that the horses themselves are perfectly content to never compete again, but it just seems kinda wasteful to retire a sound, young, extremely talented horse that many people would give their left arm to have. So what if the horses go on to not do quite as well with other riders?? At least it would give another hard working junior a chance at amazing mount. And she could still give them a great retirement when needed.
[QUOTE=vxf111;8386259]
I don’t think the scandal breaking is the magic tipping point. The tipping point is knowing that when VC ages out, if these horses pass along to another junior rider you probably lose the prep team. The loss of the prep team is the tipping point, not the public learning about the prep[/QUOTE]
The “prep team” was River’s Edge (Scott Stewart), then private trainers hired by Betsee, then a combination of Heritage/private trainers, so that has changed before over these horse’s careers. Pretty sure anything done by the “prep team” (injections, pastes, meds, lunging, tack) could be replicated by any barn. Only thing which can’t be replicated is Tori’s riding.
[QUOTE=BK6756;8386339]
I totally understand that the horses themselves are perfectly content to never compete again, but it just seems kinda wasteful to retire a sound, young, extremely talented horse that many people would give their left arm to have. So what if the horses go on to not do quite as well with other riders?? At least it would give another hard working junior a chance at amazing mount. And she could still give them a great retirement when needed.[/QUOTE]
The number of times I see threads on here about some ammy having a supposedly fabulous horse but doesn’t have the time/money/desire to show, and ammy is having guilt issues about not exploiting the horse’s potential. Advice seems to always be - it’s your horse, do what makes you happy, your horse doesn’t care. Unsure why the standard would be any different here (especially as these horses’ potentials have already been exploited.)
I’m not sure the “team” wanted/wants to share their prep routine. Would you? Especially if it’s disallowed under the rules? And if it gives you a competitive edge over other riders? If you figured out the magic better than anyone else-- why would you let someone else in on the secret? And what if they ratted you out? Seems like there’s a lot of risk in sharing the “prep” when you’ve figured out a really good, but maybe fairly shady, routine.
[QUOTE=Horseperson112;8386349]
The “prep team” was River’s Edge (Scott Stewart), then private trainers hired by Betsee, then a combination of Heritage/private trainers, so that has changed before over these horse’s careers. Pretty sure anything done by the “prep team” (injections, pastes, meds, lunging, tack) could be replicated by any barn. Only thing which can’t be replicated is Tori’s riding.[/QUOTE]
You are missing another constant… BC. She of the shaky hands, who by some testimony is the magician with just the right amount of GABA.
Remember that Way Cool left Scott’s program and went to several other trainers and was TOTALLY UNRIDEABLE so much so that they tried to parelli him in desperation. Then he went back to Scott and the team and voila-- magic-- champion junior horse again.
Maybe “everybody” preps but clearly not everybody preps the same. Maybe whatever needs to be done for these horses is something other riders can’t/won’t/don’t know to do. It’s hard for me to believe that someone who rides as well as Hunt Tosh (and who BP clearly supports and has other horses with) just can’t ride well enough. I suspect (and of course it’s nothing more than speculation) that he either didn’t have the magic prep balance down or just plain wasn’t willing to do it.
This escalated quickly…
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