Why are people being mean to Joseph Newcomb?

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

I just saw the video he did about a mean spirited discussion on Facebook but wasn’t able to locate the post (for reference, the video is here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsK3JyBiOE8).

Does anyone know why he was receiving criticism? I actually quite like his channel and watch his videos about balance and contact for the young horse before I ride my green pea. He’s hard to find fault with, the guy is a nice rider, an excellent young horse trainer and seems to be a nice person. I watched him teach a clinic in LA and he was the exact same person live as he is on the channel so I can’t imagine he’s getting called out for bad behavior. Does anyone have any info?

[ClassyJumper]

Why give the negative anymore attention? The video was great and something everyone should watch (particularly on this BB).

I haven’t watched any of his videos but watch Amelia quite a bit and feel like they are both super genuine nice people who want to help all levels of riders, particularly those who dont have the access/$$ for top trainers.

[soloudinhere]

I’m guessing at least the instigator video was the one where he critiqued some big $$$ horses from the PSI auction.

I didn’t see the thread on FB.

However there is bound to be some jealousy - his business with his partner is selling big $$$ imports to wealthy clients.

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

To answer your question, because I want to know the substance of the criticism and I can’t find anything online.

[YankeeDuchess]

I did not see what he was responding to. However, on the video, he seems to say that he was being criticized for making and posting his training videos despite being a young trainer.
Seems very unfair criticism. If you don’t think the videos are helpful, just don’t watch!

[Jealoushe]

What is with the Dressage community though? He has some good points. I know Carl and Charlotte are continuously going on about how much hate they get online. It’s really gross how much hatred they get spewed their way.

[SAB]

I bought a young horse this year, so ended up looking at some of the EDI horses. FWIW I personally didn’t like the way he rode with the asking prices on those horses. He does obviously know things, and some of his videos are informative. The clickbate ones are not my thing, but as someone else said, I choose not to watch them.

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

I don’t disagree with you there actually. I like him and I think he probably produces a really sane/safe youngster, but have I at times thought he was a little out of his depth given the quality and price tags on the horses? Definitely. Still though, for me he’s not someone who really deserves any hate, he’s quite self deprecating and doesn’t present as having a big ego.

[SAB]

No one is deserving of hate. If I had to guess, there’s definitely some jealousy/bitterness. Why is this person, who is decent, but obviously not amazing, getting these opportunities. He doesn’t “feel” deserving. People forget how much of life is pure chance, and certainly a big social presence is useful for selling horses these days.

I was also turned off by the asking prices on the EDI horses. Yes, they are all nice. But overpriced IMO, especially considering the riding. So there may also an undercurrent that they are bilking amateurs to fund their lifestyles.

[Jealoushe]

I mean, there are over priced horses everywhere, it is no reason to attack and spread hatred on someone simply because they have an online presence. If people don’t want to spend the money they can just simply look elsewhere. There are enough bad horse people out there, the good ones shouldn’t be getting attacked for merely trying to grow the sport or make a living if they aren’t hurting themselves or the horses.

[SAB]

Yeah sure, obviously. But it’s the overpriced horses combined with the obvious designer clothes, etc. that I meant when talking about “lifestyle”.

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

As for the asking prices, that’s just basic capitalism. If he and Jessica can get half a million they should do so, I certainly would. The world isn’t a meritocracy, he’s decent enough as a rider, brilliant as a marketer/brand builder and I suspect he’s also easy to work with. His brand development skills alone put him far ahead of 99.9% of dressage people in the world, that’s a very valuable asset to develop a business like EDI. A lot of the best riders I know are either too shy or too weird to be a part of something this successful. He stands apart in many ways and the riding isn’t bad at all.

[SAB]

To be clear, I am not personally attacking him. The question was why are people being so mean. I’ve stated my opinion and perception as way of speculation.

FWIW capitalism worked just fine - I imported a nicer horse on my own, and I saved myself from approx 30k by eliminating the middle person.

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

My bad, rereading my comment I see how it could ring a little bit defensive or combative, totally. But that wasn’t my intended spirit.

Definitely agree with you though that EDI is the last place on earth I would look for sure. The margin you pay there when you can something comparably amazing for literally half by just calling Willy Arts is quite eye-popping. I quite like the EDI team and I wish them all the success in the world but I must not be in their target demographic as it doesn’t make sense to me at all (plus to be really real I’m too poor for them lol).

[mvp]

I dunno. In one video, you see him walking down the stairs out of his apartment in a “meh” SoCal complex. Not sure he’s offensively rich.

[mvp]

What? Do you mean he was riding good horses badly in the sense of being unskilled or unfair or rough? Or do you mean that the training on them seems rather plan for the very large price tags attached?

Those are different criticisms. If Newcomb is a “plain” rider, and there is a set of customers out there that are willing to over-pay for horses, why does that make him not good enough to rider horses for whom someone will pay an inflated price.

And not for nuthin’, but installing some rideability and “ability to take a joke” or to be a predictable, uncomplicated ride is perhaps a really great feature that a pro should install into a horse he’ll sell to an amateur.

*I watched Newcomb ride in a Carl Hester clinic in San Diego a couple of years ago. I thought he did the nicest job with his young horse of any pro there. I’m less able to tell whether or not an FEI level rider (who is a good-riding SoCal pro) is giving his/her horse an especially lovely ride since more tension is tolerated at those levels. But I can tell when a young horse is being ridden well, and Newcomb did that.

[YankeeDuchess]

EDI is a business. If you think the horses are overpriced, buy elsewhere.

“Bilking amateurs to fund their lifestyles”? They have the right to set prices as they see fit and “fund their lifestyle”, otherwise known as earning a living.

[YankeeDuchess]

So she can run her business to pay the feed bill and the rent, but not to buy designer clothes? Buy the horse if you think it’s fairly priced and don’t, if it’s not. Running the business down because you’re jealous of her clothes or her lifestyle is unfair.

[SAB]

Did I say the business was badly run? Or that no one should buy their horses? No. I said that in my opinion the horses were overpriced. They may be priced exactly right for someone who is less risk tolerant, or doesn’t want to handle the import themselves.

I don’t think he’s a bad rider or at all unfair to the horses. It wouldn’t bother me on a horse that was being marketed for $25-30k, but when I look at a horse who’s been ridden with a low set hand, or a lot of nagging driving aids, I see a horse that needs some re-education, which IMO shouldn’t be happening at $70k. It’s entirely possible that was a symptom of the particular videos I watched; young horses don’t exactly turn anyone into a beautiful rider there are a lot of compromises that have to occur.

[NSC_Los_Angeles]

Was that meant to be directed at me or SAB? I don’t mean that he’s riding good horses badly and nothing I’ve said could be construed as such. As I stated above, I’m a fan of his and I regularly watch his videos because I find them personally useful. I also think he’s a nice person and an excellent horseman.