Don’t feel bad sarah I can send but my server won’t let me get mail at the moment so guess Ill salf to wait till tomarow. UGH I love smoothies. YUM makeing me hungry sgain and I have had enough food. Im trying to stay calm after seeing that joke. Yes I hope it is delited. I just lost respect for her. Well got to run need my sleep for my long day tomarow. Sailing ugh too stress ful. but hey Ill be getting my exercise 
<BLOCKQUOTE class=“ip-ubbcode-quote”><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ponykid:
I have always been pudgy, from the time I rode my small pony at Devon. So why now do I feel so bad for it! AAAH! I know when I go this year I will be paying more attention to the whole weight issue, and like Cozmo said, it does make a difference! I have gone on a diet…<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Ponykid-my first question is, how old are you? In all honesty I’m guessing you are still pretty young and have no need to diet. If you are out there showing against the creme de la creme and being successful then you are obviously doing great. I’m sure you are still growing, and rather than worry about dieting and losing weight you should be worrying about eating a well balanced diet so that you grow and are strong and healthy. Riding is good exercise, so simply eat a well rounded diet and be happy with all you have accomplished and need to stay healthy and strong to accomplish in the future.
This issue is too important to be sidelined. It reflects the safety and health of all the riders.
What can we all do to make the rider’s image less important, and the horse’s performance more important? It sounds like GM has heard the word and that’s good. Now, we need to have the Licensed Officials Committee take up the issue in the new rules change cycle.
Pulling this back to the front of the threads.
And LexHJ, I do hope you got a NEW doctor - as the person before me posted, RUN - don’t WALK! You sound like you are a perfect size, especially if you are riding fit! And if you have a long torso, you are probably too thin!
Plus, did he do any bloodwork? Look for anemia, or elevated WBC? Chest X-rays? The more I think about it, the angrier I get - so definitely, get a new doctor!
[This message has been edited by Weatherford (edited 05-27-2000).]
Snowbird, I had heard of that new law in Spain as well and think it’s great. A few months back I was reading Glamour magazine and there was a spread on new spring fashions featuring a size 12 model- that being the average size of women in the US. The woman was beautiful, and my no means overweight- this woman looked healthy! It made me wonder why more models with more realistic bodies aren’t featured. I think it would do a world of good to have greater awareness that there are many beautiful women who aren’t stick thin- and not just in the riding world! Any thoughts on what we can do? Sorry for getting off track.
Ok I got on a computer and I wanted to say how proud I am of everyone. I can’t write much cause my mind is not mentaly there at the moment considering where I am at the moment. I just wanted to let everyone know Im OK. and mentaly feeling good. I had a healthy lunch and diner today and even stoped to get snacks on the way up. I ate too much but it felt good. My friend who I am staying with took me to diner and he knows how I love viel masala. I use to eat viel and lamb as a child because for some reason I had an easier time digesting. Well anyhow the portion was more than enough and I was already on the way to being stuffed when the plate got to me but my friend who has been My big brother for 14 years of my life held my hand and said small bites. You are eating everything. So I smiled and did. Eventhough with all of this going on it was so nice to release and relax with him. Im just shareing cause I know some of you are wondering how Im handing so I thought I would inform you on it. Im realy happy right now and I have this huge grin on my face. He was so proud to see all of my work and was happy to see that I have finaly begun the road to being free.
So Im doing fine and by 10 tomarow I will be home. Snowbird from the other board you made a coment about the name thing. Im doing it that way because of who. I know I shouldn’t and Im stronger but he is the last person I need. also I have a sister who this will affect in the worse way. I have discussed all of this with them and for the moment till time cn ease us i need to hold my name. Im not saying Im going to remain anonomous forever just for now till some more issues are handled. I know of alot of people that read this magazine and right now I don’t need the calls till I get my life more in controll.
Snowbird also I surf around your sight from time to time and if that pic is of you all I half to say is wow you are a georjous woman. WOW. If not pay this comlament to her. (refering to the first pic of the people who run the farm page. Well guys night I have to sleep cause i have a 4 and a half hour drive back. Portia can back me up on this one. Im not looking foward to the mess on I35 in the morning. Yikes Dallas at rush hour. Who disgined this city anyways? Its worse than NYC. But not as bad as Houston. J/K. Night
Ponygirl – you look great! Don’t change a thing. I’m saving your pic as one of my screensavers!
Portia wrote…“If the pressure is coming from girls being given the idea that “I can’t win unless I’m skinny,” then we need to make very sure the best rider is rewarded in the ring, not the skinniest, so the trainers and riders can see that things have changed and the best rider will win regardless of body size.”
I totally agree. I also wanted to point out to people with this problem that you CAN win if your body is healthy and normal. It happens all the time.
And people without a true understanding of the problem need to realize that, even though it’s easy to blame it on such a simple cause, this problem is usually the result of issues that go much deeper than just wanting to win ribbons in a horse show.
But, as I said in my posts above, judges and trainers sadly encourage the condition by promoting the illusion that skinny is good. Even though this attitude, in my opinion, is not usually the cause of the problem, it is adding to it. And we should do everything we can to change this to - healthy is good!
Oh ponykid - I am sooo sorry that this happened to you. Please try to realize that adults can be ignorant and cruel. I ENCOURAGE you to talk to your parents and your trainer about what is happening. Explain to them, just as you have explained to us how much this experience has affected you. If you don’t feel you can talk to them, how about a counselor at school or a favorite teacher (if there is such a thing 
)
If this EVER happens to you again I encourage you to screw up every ounce of courage you have and reply in the most respectful tone you can muster “I’m sorry you feel I don’t fit your lovely horse, I like myself just the way I am.” Please let these people know it is not at all acceptable to treat you this way. Good Luck!
CTT - don’t worry, I have <help!!!> three horses at the moment - enough for all of us!
Meanwhile, go for that milkshake, & a bagel with butter & creamcheese, & peanut butter with ANYTHING - including wheat fats - I mean wheat thins…apples & cheese (or pb) if you are feeling the need to be healthy as well…
I have to say it scares me how YOUNG this mentality is hitting us? Has anyone else noticed this? Really says something about how weight obessed out society is …hmmm…?
I wish more people knew and understood that different people have different builds and different appropriate weights. Just because someone is 5’5 and 110 and someone else is 5’5 and 140 doesn’t make the first person skinny and the second fat right off - you have to consider body type and build and genes! Some people will just never be a size 6 and thats fine and great - they can still be great riders and great BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE and if our society weren’t so weight obessed we probably wouldn’t think twice about it.
We need to look beyond the rider’s appearance and judge the horse and the ride - especially in hunters - it is INSANE that weight plays any role in hunters b/c they judge the horse for crying out loud! So as long as you are a good rider why would you need to lose weight for hunters [or jumpers] - you’re not really being judged! As for equ - the standards for equ should be giving the horse the best rider possible and being quiet, effective, and elegant and well positioned, confident, and strong. I don’t see how weight really factors into that - if someone can ride - they can ride.
Yes, I’m ranting - this issue has hit a bit to close to home for me this week (several friends obessing about weight!) and so I’m feeling a bit upset about this all right now…so I’ll stop now…since this is my what - 10th or so weight post? Agg…
Sarah
I’m sure glad that this weight obsession wasn’t so prevalent when I was showing. Yes, we wanted to be slim, but that meant somewhere between 8 - 12 - NOT 2 or 4.
I have lost a great deal of respect for trainers - I’d like to think that it isn’t all "remember when"ism. Surely there are some knowledgeable, competent trainers out there, but there are a great many more who came up through the eq ranks, on made horses, constantly under trainers, who assumed that their success automatically qualified them for trainership. Training is NOT the same as winning and this becomes a sucking whirlpool, as they get students with green or imperfect horses and don’t know what to do about it, so they resort to gadgets and chemicals and round and round it goes. In any field, the pseudo-intellectuals mouth gobbledygook (because they don’t have the background to examine and resolve problems) but if they’re marketed well enough, they are believed and the gobbledygook becomes gospel. There are too few REAL trainers who teach their students how to ride and think independently, and, yes, encourage fitness and the pleasing picture, but with NO emphasis on stick figures. There’s a huge difference between fit/attractive and obese. So if your trainer tells you that you didn’t win a class because you are “too fat” - wonder what s/he hasn’t taught you that would make a difference in your riding.
I always kept a notebook with notes on judges. There were a few that I wouldn’t have hooked up the trailer to ride in front of. And there were others I would do anything possible to get to a show they were judging. These were NOT necessarily the ones I won in front of; they were ones I knew judged fairly, whose values I respected, who were more concerned with good horsemanship (in any class) and good training than with who you rode with. In most areas of the country, there are several shows to choose from every weekend (or at least 2 - 3 per month). Pick those shows where the judge is someone you respect. And encourage selection (by show management) of fair, impartial judges.
One more thought - most of the barns (and shows) I’ve spent time at were meccas for junk food manufacturers. Try to “organize” your cohorts - make a list of “acceptable foods” (carrot sticks, fruit, pretzels, popcorn, grilled chicken, homemade iced tea or ice water or juice) and discourage fat foods (including soda). Coolers or little refrigerators work at shows. Besides being healthy, think of the money you’ll save. We all know that horse show food, in addition to being generally not yummy, is outrageously overpriced!
(trivia from a trucker: two identical trucks with identical loads - one Pepsi, one Diet Pepsi - go through a weigh station. Diet Pepsi truck goes right on through; Pepsi truck is several hundred pounds overweight. The difference? The sugar! hmmmmm)
Good luck, all of you show-ers. I fought the weight battle the last 10 years I showed - getting down to acceptable (fit in my clothes) weight every spring, putting it all (30 -40 pounds) back on by Thanksgiving. It’s no fun, it isn’t wonderful for your health, but I loved showing and didn’t want to look TOO much heavier than my much younger competition. Now I hide behind my video camera and am nauseated when I see pictures of myself. C’est le guerre.
Weatherford you read my mind. Um actualy well you know. anyhow man I have been on this computer dilagently reasearching everything I can think of and man some of the storys and bics just make me sit and cry cause they are so powerful. I realy have been in tears most of the day. Reading storys of victams, familys and friends are just so much to comprehend. I sent weatherford this one story of a mother who talked about her daughter going to a weight camp. as I read threw it i thought this chiled was about 15 but later down I find her to only be 11. the camp was harmless but she took it too far. its realy a heart filling story from a mothers prespective. The more I read and reasearch the more i see myself. Some of it I see myself reflecting threw the words. It skares me to think I was realy there. And the more I read the more deadacated i become to want to do something. Wll i have a good idea of what to do now its just takeing all of it and organizeing it to be productive. Its not just the eating thing im working on I have been in indepth reasearch on alchaholism, drugs, rape, self inflicted injuries. you name it i have been reading on it. Its realy a epademic than anything. I just wish i could reasearch on the equestrian leval. there is stuff out there for almost every sport except ours. well I got to run.
Actually I don’t think you are off track. I stopped reading “women’s” magazines years ago because I always felt inferior afterwards. Then I saw an article about the tricks of photograpy, air-brushing, and computer imaging and realized the TRUTH!!! NO ONE really looks like that - not even the models who are represented to look like that!!! The model they used in the article was Christy Brinkley who I think is really beautiful. They showed how they had taken inches off her thighs and waist and enhanced her bust/cleavage using the air brush. I’ve seen Christy in person and she is beautiful!!! It’s ashame that she isn’t represented as the REAL beauty she is.
The woman who is on the cover of this year’s SI Swim suit edition was interviewed on some talk show recently. Apparently she had a baby a few months before she was chosen for the SI cover. The interviewer asked her how she got her shape back so quickly because she looked AWESOME on the cover. The model laughed and said “air-brushing, that’s not me, no one has a body like that!!! If it wasn’t for air-brushing and computers none of us would have a job”.
I really do believe that our society’s constant obsession with unnaturally thin women is affecting way too many of us in a negative way. Look at the role models your daughters idolize - are they women like Courtney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Ally McBeal (can’t think of her real name), Gwyneth Paltrow, Felicilty???
A friend of mine and I were out for our usual lunch time walk the other day and it was one of the first really warm spring days we have had. We noticed how many men had their shirts off - beer bellys, flabby breasts, hairy backs and all. I remember laughing that that is the difference between men and women - I would NEVER dream of baring any more skin than absolutely necessary and would rather have heat stroke than show off my flabby, old lady, triceps or thighs
Whether we want to believe it or not women are socialized to believe that thin is beautiful and almost everywhere we turn that notion is reinforced. There are a few good articles about “average” or “normal” sized women but in those same magazines you will find ad after ad trying to convince you that thin is a better way to live.
You asked “what can we do”? We can stop buying those ridiculous magazines!!! Write to advertisers and tell them you won’t purchase their products until they use more “life-like” models. You can talk to your daughters about reality and teach them to eat with a purpose - to be healthy!!! You can STOP making comments to children about being PUDGY, CHUNKY, or as my father used to say “pleasingly plump” - I weighed 97 pounds when I graduated from high school and my father called me “pleasingly plump”!!! You can learn to recognize the symptoms of eating disorders and interveen. You can STOP PAYING trainers who don’t treat you and your children with respect. You can STOP PAYING your entry fees in classes that pick the “prettiest” rider. You can look in the mirror every day and tell yourself how beautiful you are!!! and you can tell your daughters, sisters, friends, and the other women in your life how beautiful they are too. There is a lot!!! we can do.
[This message has been edited by inthesaddle (edited 04-12-2000).]
Portia- just to clarify that the issue isn’t as much in the jumper world. This thread was started BECAUSE of a couple of Grand Prix riders. One inparticular is VERY WELL known . Because of your location (Texas) you don’t see her at the horse shows on a regular basis. This woman is a walking skeletin and she is at the point in this disease where her color is a yellowish/grey and she is growing more hair on her body. Which I believe the body does to keep warm because of lack of fat on the body. (I am not sure of the reason but I do know that is one of the symptoms). People at the shows that are spectators (not those who know her and know that YOU AREN’T SUPPOSE TO SAY ANYTHING) Actually gasp when she walks by.
It is clear that this problem of “image” is not limited to our sport or industry. It is an international problem. Media reaches everywhere now. The same kind of people that are responsible for wanting us all to be skinny are in all the media. Dieting is a mega business interest. They make their money from our hide, and therefore have a financial motivation. Their advertising money supports the media.
The horse industry has always been in the avante guarde for “independent free thinking people”. I hope that with this issue we can somehow take these stories and issues and turn them into something more important than a symparthy session.
Maybe a serious mail campaign and if we had a donor a serious advertising campaign. To our legals out there, is there some kind of law that would require the media to give all of us women who are not a size 2, equal time for every advertisement they accept from the people who want us skinny and sick?
“I AM WOMAN” and not designed to be a coat hanger. Let’s try and turn this into something constructive to unite us against the “image”. If the magazines and TV Shows realize they will lose their ratings because we “the audience” are going to turn them off, not read them and that costs them money, MAYBE!
How can we get a law like the one in Spain? I’m all for good health and exercise, and they have made it look as if we oppose skinny we are not for good health. Yet, it is obvious that the program for “skinny” is destroying as many lives if not more (since these cases are kept secret) than a normal weight and size for a “female” person.
[This message has been edited by Snowbird (edited 04-14-2000).]
Yes Wynn, I have noticed that at the end of a discussion there is no resolution, no conclusion and no action recommended.
Though I am a Soap Opera addict, there are issues like this that need to be addressed. OH! well Washington is in for a shock in June. I am a Delegate from New Jersey to meet with congressmen and Presidential Candidates. You can bet that in the question section I will inquire about the possibility of a law similar to that in Spain. I will also vouch for the fact that every judge I meet this season will also hear it from me about “skinny”.
Anybody else willing to go to the next step?
And, PonyKid, email me or CTT directly for moral support whenever you need it! (Hey, have I got a horse for you 
)
Weatherford you know you could always send one of them my way. nothing better than summer all year round. Just giveing you a hard time.
join the boat Sarah! whats real funy is that right now we have had two very important topics going on. This and the rider abuse. whats realy aws me is the conection these two have to one another. I feel it is important to keep these discussions going as long as we can.
