No, I am not this person, and have absolutely no ties to her. I didn’t start this post with the intent of criticizing another rider. This was posted on the COTH Facebook page today, a very long conversation/thread ensued. These boards are here for the purposes of discussing current events and news in the H/J world, this seemed like something that was current for this board to discuss. Instead of discussing/criticizing this specific rider, we could discuss general accepted horsemanship practices, and appropriate discipline and actions inside and outside the show ring. That was really my intention in starting this thread.
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I am just amazed at the breadth of knowledge here. I mean, WOW, people on this thread know everything about this horse and his habits after a video of him going over one fence! Incredible! I’ll be back later with many training questions.
This [rider] deserves every criticism and embarrassment over her display. It absolutely should be discussed. At the end of the day, even that much money don’t buy class.
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One of the reasons we like riding is because we love interacting with another living creature whose behavior is unpredictable. As Ronnie Mutch once wrote on a judge’s card “STT” (should try tennis). Then she can throw her racket as often as she wants to. Temper has no place around horses.
Does anyone know who her trainer is?
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And give the horse a more supportive/ahead of your leg ride into the fence so you don’t create the dolphin move on the other side.
That was way, way, way outtaline.
The horse’s unwillingness to get too close to the rider afterwards suggests to me that this kind of thing has happened before.
If you want to do that at home, no one can stop you… but in the ring at the Hampton Classic? I can’t picture how things look inside that rider’s head such that a transgression of that size is an option.
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One article mentions Samantha Davis at Cedar Lane Farm.
Samantha Davis just manages Cedar Lane Farm. Tucker Johnson is out of there, he’s a huge player in 4 in hand driving.
I thought she trained with Sandy Lobel in NJ. I know she did years ago.
I do have to agree with a lot of what you are saying here…
I know this from experience. I have a rooter and it’s a pretty nasty one at that… even my old trainer that was amazing (a man = stronger than me) said “beware, he has a nasty root”.
My horse did get me off once and stepped on me. My reaction when I went a$$ over tea kettle was not mad at him; and didn’t even think to hit or kick him - he’s a horse and does a lot for me… I had my trainer get on and now we use a different bit that helps a great deal.
It’s a training issue. And as a matter of fact I have posted about it here on COTH. We are getting better however - today I learned a good lesson - I was cantering; horse a bit fresh, mom allowed him to open up (without contact) and he tripped THEN ROOTED… ugh I stayed on and gathered my reins and asked him to get in front of my leg to the bit… Yeah off topic but you know us Hunter riders (HA HA)…
I didn’t really want to get involved in this topic (it’s all over the internet) but so many here are criticizing the ride - it was the reaction after that should be the focus; not beating her up for riding badly. Even the best of the best come off… George Morris said he broke his ribs after jumping a cross rail…
I think social media will beat her up enough for reacting the way she did…
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I guess I don’t think the horse appears to be dirty. He got a little stood off and jumped big. I’ve noticed that horses prop after big jumps like that when they don’t get a proper release. Been there, done that.
Kicking the horse? What in the world is that gonna solve? By time she got up, the behavior was finished, so she was really punishing the horse for just standing there. I’m not opposed to giving a whack with the whip at a refusal, but that’s at the point of refusal, not later.
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Am I the only one who is just seeing him swap his lead right in front of the jump? Maybe to fit the stride in as many horses will do, and often out of habit?
I’ve watched the video but I can’t find where he did anything naughty in front of the jump, I just see him swap and then maybe a peek at the jump for whatever reason. Maybe he sucked back and swapped to buy time to look at the jump better. I had a horse who would do this too. The awkward lurching jump unseats the rider and she then loses her temper. Her behavior after is definitely not appropriate for a show ring and pretty cringey to watch but other than that, we know nothing else about the horse or rider. We just know she acts like a petulant child when mistakes are made and made a fool out of herself in front of thousands of people. The mistake wasn’t the problem, we all make mistakes, but her performance after of dragging the horse out of the ring in a snit is what’s disappointing and admonishable.
Edit: Well, I guess but we do actually know one thing about the rider and it’s that she is an heiress to Johnson & Johnson, which explains why she was allowed back in the ring. Ha.
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His former owner posted on the facebook discussion. She posted a picture of herself with him and a blue ribbon at the Hampton Classic… She says she’s heartbroken. Awful.
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Completely unacceptable in any circumstance that does not involve you having to defend yourself. This is the part of the hunter world that makes it an elitist sport. She kicks her horse in the belly, the judge reports it, and poof, nothing happens. I can only assume that the lower your bank balance, the faster your yellow card gets to you.
And I have no understanding how further up in the thread someone can say that this was not a harmful act. Uh, this is how you make a spooky horse. She chased him around that jump. Not only it is harmful but there are kids out there watching this.
I had a student one time at a horse show who could not get my horse (that she was borrowing) to canter. She came out of the ring and started hitting him with her crop. I couldn’t yell loud enough. I embarrassed her in front of everyone. And she never rode at our barn again. Kids need to learn that their behavior has consequences. If you do not respect our animals, you don’t ride with us.
I’m sure her trainer will come up with some lame-ass excuse about her being stressed about some charity work that is overwhelming her. Wah.
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What is the first thing you do when you feel your horse suck back in front of a fence? You sit UP, put your butt in the tack and put your leg ON. And you ride the whole thing from the ‘back seat’ if you have to! …All of that aside, the angry outburst post dumping? Never. Never. Never. And let me add… Never.
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This way of behaving as an adult has an awful way of spreading down the ages. So I think it should be adressed directly and punished (e.g. yellow card, investigation, suspension and so on).
I attended a ***** Nations Cup at Falsterbo in Sweden and a female european rider (will not say who) fell off when horse stopped in front of fence. She hit the horse in the head with her hand (I have never seen that done before and I attend quite a lot of shows). She got told off by speaker “That was not proper behaviour.”), but nothing more (she is a big name rider). The next day there was a Junior rider class. Junior rider also falls off when horse stops. What happens? Yeah, she hit´s the horse in the head with her hand. This one was swedish and she got a yellow card and suspension for 3 months from showing from the federation.
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I don’t care if the horse was dirty or not OR whether she’s a good rider or not. That is unacceptable, period, point blank, end of story. We are privileged enough to be competing horses for show and he was a little up and you fell off. Big whoop. For her to kick him… and then PULL/JOG him out of the ring? That is beyond embarrassing and flat out mean. I definitely think she should be suspended for 6 months.
Also, the irony in this is that she has published a book “The Social Climber’s Bible”. Not sure if kicking horses worth more than a suburbia house is in there or not, maybe I’ll pick up a copy and report back.
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He didn’t even really dump her, she sorta flipped off very gently.
Maybe at 3’3" one should have a tighter leg and better understanding to sit up?
If she were student of any of the H/J people I rode with she would be doing X rails or cavaletti without stirrups for a while, until her leg was secure enough to save herself.
None of that fall was the horses fault. But then good horseman know it is NEVER the horses fault. 
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I think what she did was wrong.
It was a childish reaction that should not have happened.
What I do not get is the tar and feathering to the point that people (in various places on the internet) think this woman should not be allowed to own a horse again or ride again or…
In the grand scheme of horrible things we humans can and do to horses this falls into the almost nothing category.
Again, I think it was wrong. Very wrong even.
No matter if the horse was a jerk or not, the reaction of the rider was wrong.
I see the ride like VXF does. (And again, I am not blaming the horse, what the horse did does not make it OK for the rider to react like that.) I think VXF posted that long description because people were not posting about what this rider did but critiquing this riders ride, VXF is explaining what they see in the video concerning the ride in response to those posts.
It is easy to say you would stay on as you sit here at your computer.
I can say that I probably would have come off.
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Whether she can ride or not is really not the issue. The issue is that she KICKED HER HORSE IN A FIT OF TEMPER IN THE BELLY. It should not matter who she is. What show she was at. How much money she has. What kind of rider she is.
As a community, where is our voice for the horse?
As a community, do we or do we not have a standard of horsemanship that we expect to be upheld?
From the non-action of the show, it appears that this behaviour did not cross the line of being unacceptable, which is sad. A horse can be elimitated for a teeny scratch from a spur but kicking your horse in the belly from the ground is okay. How odd.
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no worries here as I doubt the owner has ever been in a stall. :lol::lol::lol:
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Trust me, this rider would not keep a horse around if it regularly liked to “play dirty.” Your perception is completely inaccurate.
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She is no longer with Sandy Lobel. At the risk of saying too much, this would NEVER fly with Sandy.
What i I want to know (and plan to find out) is who was judging? I want to give them a big hug and giant thumbs up for reporting it.
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