I never said it did, but I am willing to accept her apology and to move on.
There was a video on FB yesterday from one year ago… Same horse, same ring, fences may have even been 3’6" (I believe the incident was in a 3’3" AO class) but the rider was a professional. He did the same thing and the rider came off as well.
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So what? The horse has a trick. For those of you who think it is easy to ride- it isn’t. Forward momentum and all.
I was a huge, vocal critic of her behavior.
She apologized. No one excuses it and it doesn’t erase it.
Judge reported it, steward dropped the ball (IMO), USEF picked it back up. Let the chips fall where they may. Hopefully rider and everyone else learned a valuable lesson.
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where is this video?
Maybe some here should get on and ride the same fence, in a high caliber show, and show this professional and owner how it’s done, since they can do SOOOOOO much better. Yuck.
Right? The apology was very professional sounding and I was buying it until I got to the end of the second sentence (bolding is mine): “In the recent incident at the Hampton Classic, I had a very inappropriate emotional response to my horse’s behavior, one that I have never had before.”
I laughed out loud. There is no way I believe a grown woman could have exhibited a physical tantrum in front of hundreds of people without it having happened before. No way. I just don’t believe it. That kind of lack of control doesn’t just happen once. I think it is habitual.
So that little gem made me look more carefully at the message (which upon examination, I don’t believe she wrote by herself) and at the careful glossing over of the incident with examples of how wonderfully she behaved. It reeks of attorney speak.
The “mistake” was glossed over, minimalized and not described or named. She didn’t say that she tried to kick her horse in the belly with a hard leather boot and yanked on his face a bunch of times, she instead described it blandly and vaguely as a “very inappropriate emotional response.” A politician would be proud. Then the message further minimized the “mistake” as “short lived” [sic]. I don’t know about you, but to me, that is not a sincere and heartfelt acknowledgement of much of anything. But I will have to remember to use that the next time I see an adult having a physical tantrum and instead of labeling it physical violence I will name it a very inappropriate emotional response. If it is only one punch or kick, I can also describe it as short-lived.
But wow, that vagueness disappears when it comes to describing her sterling reactions and attributes. We read the charming description of a horse-loving little girl. We see the detailed list of her good actions, how she gets back on, jumps a schooling fence, and finishes the day on a “trusting note.” Then, this wonderful and misunderstood but contrite woman promptly apologizes to the stewards. She does a lot of good stuff, and apparently, it is easier to write got back on to jump a schooling fence than fell off and tried to kick my horse in the belly. Fair enough. There are more words in the latter phrase.
I don’t know if this woman is sincerely sorry about her behavior or if she’s just annoyed that she is being criticized and responding to that public censure because she kind of has to. I only know that an apology I trust consists of a simple unadorned account of what one is sorry for and an apology for that wrongdoing, not couched and obscured in a cloud of wonderful descriptions of good deeds and qualities.
I do know that I have never kicked my horse in the belly, or even tried to.
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Top of this page.
Posters here are quick to say “Horses aren’t robots!” which is completely accurate, but fail to add that neither are humans. Sometimes our emotions get the better of us. We all know that emotions have no place in the saddle. I’m not saying what she did was right, but I certainly wouldn’t consider it abuse and some people are being overly dramatic in what they feel is an appropriate punishment. She threw a tantrum in the show ring and it was caught on video. The ire from the internet mobs is probably way worse than any punishment USEF could issue.
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The problem is it sets a horrible example for other competitors and spectators of what is acceptable. Show stewards doing nothing about it sets another horrible example.
It may not technically be “abuse”, ( horses abuse each other much harder in a paddock with kicks, bites etc), but it is use of fear as punishment…
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While humans are not robots either, the challenge of good horsemanship is the control of our emotions. We choose to ride and compete, the horses don’t choose it. This horse did not buck, do a dirty stop or bolt- he was cantering along and she lost her balance and fell .
Too bad she did not beat herself with her own crop for falling due to rider error-that would have been fun to watch!
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Fun? Guess Im not mean hearted enough to get any enjoyment out of wishing actual physical harm on any horse or human, no matter how flawed.
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geez, some people here must be really jealous and/or mean spirited
Show some class, people. She is human, and flawed JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE
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I thought the image was funny…geez some people here must be lacking in humor .How could you possibly take this comment literally?
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Her behavior was unsportsmanlike and she should’ve received some consequences from the competition officials. Instead, she received something FAR worse … the wrath of an Internet mob.
“Animal lovers” on social media can be some of the nastiest, most judgmental people out there when it comes to the 2-legged creatures they share the planet with.
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I can’t imagine anyone over the age of 8 thinking her actions were “acceptable” in any way. And if my young child witnessed that and thought it was okay, I would have a discussion with them about why it was wrong. That would be my job as a parent.The rider was not out there to be a role model; she was competing her own horse on her own dime as an amateur.
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exactly- sure, it’d be lovely if we all acted in our best behavior all the time, so darling children never see anything unplesant… back here in reality…
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There to be a role model or not, a riders actions are relevant to the horse, the sport and those that may be watching. Especially at a horse show of this caliber. So yes, you better damn well “mind your p’s and q’s” and be exhibiting the pinnacle of good sportsmanship and horsemanship at all times!
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yeppers! And I think the incident provided an excellent “teachable moment” for those in the sport. “If you show your temper, it’s gonna be all over the internet and news channels!”
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sure, no one disagrees it’s great to have high standards, but as shown here… it’s not realistic.
This is a high pressure, high stress setting, with a lot on the line…shows can bring out the worst…
(I’m NOT SAYING it’s ok to kick your horse, I’m just saying this isn’t some pleasure stroll on a leasurely sunday afternoon).
I don’t think others actions have that much bearing on my life, sorry. I do feel for that horse, for sure, But the sport isn’t going to faulter because one person had a bad 5 seconds of a round.
However, her actions should be punished to the full extent of the rules/laws. Totally. It’s just not something I really need to care about PERSONALLY, it doesn’t affect me that much, except for wanting that horse to be out of her care.
meanwhile, the steward who managed not to see anything is still happily going about their anonymous life…
gotta admit to being somewhat baffled by a certain member who keeps telling us to ‘shut up about this’ (while bumping the thread to top. lol) and that ‘we’re all capable of similar behavior’
the same certain member who revels in all the Dressage Maestro type threads and even on this thread mentions eventing rider with a bleeding horse.
so, wheres the empathy for the rider with a bleeding horse if, as has been posted, ‘we are all capable of behaving badly in public’
?
Same lovely rider, different horse, this time a jumper round. Look how kindly she pulled him up at the end of the round.
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??? you think the bleeding horse is the same as this horse who was kicked less than he would’ve been if a rider had been on his back? Seriously???
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