USEF Suspension for Bad Behavior

[Rnichols]

Can’t figure out how to quote from my phone, but agreed. As someone who lives in California the way my jaw hit the floor when I read that. Comparing what this person did to “beating” a horse that’s scared to load in a life and death situation……I can’t even fathom comparing the two. WTAF.

Normally I agree with that posters post but the comments on this whole thread have really missed the mark for me, especially because I’m in this area, have seen this person before, and have a good friend at that show who heard this had happened. Reading the report was heartbreaking :(. I refuse to contribute to gossip and speculation, but the facts are that pair did not have a clear record leading up to that event, and I’ll leave it at that.

[trubandloki]

@Fiesta01

If I were a BO or trainer, I would like to have info like this available when making decisions on who to accept as a client.

This is a good point.
Though it does require the BO/trainer to go looking for information about their client to be.

[LilRanger]

@skydy

However, there are plenty of male USEF members that are on the “you’re busted” USEF violations list and the list is published.

There may well be. Im not part of USEF, just my local club at a low level. But the appearance of usef dithering about upper level trainers/riders doesnt impress. I dont show anyway, and live in an upper levels desert, so its not likely I’d join regardless. But from the outside, the optics arent great. Not that the local scene here doesn’t have kooks and abusers, ive seen some stuff and reported it, too.

[enjoytheride]

@Rnichols

Can’t figure out how to quote from my phone, but agreed. As someone who lives in California the way my jaw hit the floor when I read that. Comparing what this person did to “beating” a horse that’s scared to load in a life and death situation……I can’t even fathom comparing the two. WTAF.

Major difference between potentially leaving a horse to die in a fire and being upset you got eliminated. I will add though, that it’s a great idea to keep a tube of Dorm on hand for just in case emergency loading scenarios.

[BAC]

I think its a bit naive to expect peer pressure to change her behavior. If the description of her behavior is accurate, then she has serious anger issues that probably impact her daily life in all areas, not just around the poor horses she rides.

[JSocks]

Oh sure people have different opinions about what is abuse. I was speaking more towards the posts that either are drastically different depending on who is being talked about or the posts that condemn people for not giving all the details about what they are doing to rectify the situation. Weirdly those two categories overlap.

[skydy]

@LilRanger

@skydy

However, there are plenty of male USEF members that are on the “you’re busted” USEF violations list and the list is published.

There may well be. Im not part of USEF, just my local club at a low level. But the appearance of usef dithering about upper level trainers/riders doesnt impress. I dont show anyway, and live in an upper levels desert, so its not likely I’d join regardless. But from the outside, the optics arent great. Not that the local scene here doesn’t have kooks and abusers, ive seen some stuff and reported it, too.

Do you mean the USEF dithering about people like Cesar Parra?

I suspect that if the rider/trainer is at FEI level and likely to engage in a legal battle, USEF allows the FEI to handle it, likely because the FEI has big time attorneys and deeper pockets than USEF.

USEF, as can be seen here, does sanction amateurs and non-FEI professionals. Can USEF improve? Definitely.

[PolestarFarm]

Wow, I was there for that bad behavior, and saw it all as it was in the next door stall to my group. I was impressed because I got a call from USEF in the week following, asking for all the details. The officials took us witnesses very seriuously, and I am THRILLED that there is a result of our complaints.

[JSocks]

Well I’m about to make you sad. Caesar parra has been a known scuzz ball for decades on the east coast.

Except for the housewife dressage riders. I’m so thankful someone has gotten proof. As young women we were all told to stay away.

[enjoytheride]

There’s a HUGE difference between a professional actively fighting a permanent suspension and an ammy who did not fight a temporary suspension.

[skydy]

Yes there is, and I think that is why USEF handles national suspensions and leaves the international suspensions (Kocher, Parra et al) to the FEI.

[Baybear]

Maybe because one happened at a horse show where USEF has jurisdiction and McConnon’s happened on private property (assuming from the videos I saw)

[Xctrygirl]

So for anyone who jumped on my back and said it wouldn’t be a bad thing to “Self regulate” by posting the abusers and that (Paraphrasing) they would only get what’s coming to them.

Have a gander at this thread and see if you think they actually will get what they deserve from one onlooker posting a video.

Horse Abuse and Marieke Slik

This incident has been reported to USEF. 87515729cd1c4e51920edb4020c01a8e

Em

[skydy]

I think she will be disciplined by USEF. Too many people saw what happened.

[Xctrygirl]

Agreed but this was already in process before the video was posted. So did the video add anything to improve the situation? Beyond people finding her and canceling her in return now.

Em

[OverandOnward]

@Xctrygirl

Agreed but this was already in process before the video was posted. So did the video add anything to improve the situation? Beyond people finding her and canceling her in return now.

Awareness. It matters.

Nothing the USEF does will change who she is at the core. Horse people active in the sport need to know so they can make their own transactional decisions if she is in their orbit.

And it highlights the fact that these things happen. Too many people ignore it – publicizing it shows that yes it matters.

Plus it may be a deterrent to others in the future. Don’t come apart and abuse your horse in the show ring where everyone can video you. Or at home where everyone can also video you.

And, not for nothing, there are people who should not be connected with horses or any other animal. They are temperamentally unsuited. If such exposure helps push a few of them into other careers, other fields of endeavor, that needs to happen.

[skydy]

In the case you linked to on the H/J forum, the rider was a “professional” while the one in the topic of this thread is an amateur. That is where I see a difference.

I have no issue with the “pro” being shown abusing the horse in public. It shows the circumstances in which the abuse occurred and that there can be no excuse given to minimize how egregious it was.

The wide distribution of that video may make someone who planned to send that “pro” one or more of their horses, think twice.

[Mounted]

I don’t really understand what you are asking. It isn’t sufficient for an onlooker to post a video; it is important that the governing bodies also investigate and act. But — as with the earlier example in this thread — I also don’t think it’s problematic for an onlooker to post a video. Do you think the video should not have been posted?

[Pennywell_Bay]

@Xctrygirl

Agreed but this was already in process before the video was posted. So did the video add anything to improve the situation? Beyond people finding her and canceling her in return now.

So you don’t think this is worthy of people seeing? You don’t think that a pro- or anyone- who behaves in this manner should be called out? If more people called out poor behavior, maybe Humble wouldn’t have died at Devon and parents would know what trainers would imperil their child, as predators.

Finding and canceling her- though I am not a fan of malicious intent, I don’t see the issue with people being informed of people’s character. When they show you who they are, believe them.

[enjoytheride]

The “trainer” posted didn’t just accept a suspension, she’s actively fighting it and filing multiple lawsuits. A video was even compiled to show this horse’s bad behavior with other riders as justification of the abuse. It is of note that this horse was also for sale as a “dressage” horse as at least at some point there was an idea that MAYBE this horse wasn’t suited for its job.