Ours was only a registered club sport. Firing the coach was voted on 11-2 by team members. Not being official athletics made it that much easier. The team definitely benefited in the long run. And we never had an issue where enough horses were pulled that we had to kick people out of classes.
del
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Doing something PROHIBITED by the rules is unethical and dishonest. Whether it occurs at a “real” show or not.
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I agree with @supershorty628 here. I rode on an IHSA team that hosted several shows a year. we never lunged or drugged any of the horses we used. A handful were our coaches school horses but a large portion were donated by local trainers and individuals. I loved every second of IHSA and it gave me, someone without the money to show rated at the time, a huge opportunity to ride, compete and improve. Let’s not make assumptions that all regions/teams are run the same. It was also pretty in frequent that anyone got run away with or fell off.
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I don’t agree that rules are inherently ethical because they are rules. I don’t find IHSA to be ethical in general. The upper level stuff is fine from what I’ve seen although I know that we had a lesson horse who at one point was doing the bigger more legit IHSA shows who would get aced then get pulled when it wore off lol. We wound up with him because previous trainer was tired of acing him.
But the action of breaking rules is inherently unethical.
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Talentless blobs, IHSA isn’t real showing? All they do is sit pretty?
What disgusting comments used to justify drugging horses. Some of you are pathetic.
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While you may have seen this happen, or believe it happens, it’s just not true of the majority of the programs - especially those with Equine Studies departments. My horses jump the course once or twice on the Tuesday or Wednesday before the show. We have a short practice on Friday - basically everyone jumps a maximum of 10 jumps, or flats for about 5 minutes - and our warm up on the day of the show consists of a brief flat and then two jumps in front of the other teams. My horses never do more than 4 jump classes - most of which are 6 fences long. That’s a total of 26 - 30 jumps on the show day. That’s usually much less than someone showing at a regular show! They then have 3 days off - turn out, sleep, and rest.
Their usual week consists of 2 jump days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and a Friday practice. So a horse show week might actually be less work than what they normally do. I will say they work much harder at the Intercollegiate Dressage Shows - they do a morning parade (so warmed up by host riders and then display all the movements of their level in the arena for everyone to see), then have at least two tests. Each rider also gets a 10 minute warm up period before their test, so 20 minutes of an unknown rider pushing for test movements, and then at least two 6 - 8 minute tests. Makes four, 2 minute jump rounds quite easy in comparison because some of the dressage warm ups are all about kick and pull. The horses are much crankier after those shows.
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What I witnessed was just sad. The school had the course set by Monday AM. The horses were in the athletic program lessons Monday-Thursday (jumping/schooling the course), on Friday, the team had practice so each student rode/practiced. Then the shows were Saturdays or Sundays. It was a full week of riding/preparing the horses and riders for the “home” show. Just because you personally are responsible to your horses, does not mean that others are the same way. There is one farm in Nj that a friend had shows at (she rode for Drew), and those horses would show in the open o/f divisions in the AM and then load up and head to a c rated show with the community riders. She said half of the novice horses came to the ring with needle marks in their necks and riders were sometimes barely able to get them forward enough to jump. For every good barn, there is another that is not.
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First of all, thanks everyone for sharing your perspectives. You guys have given me a lot to consider and I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past 24 hours. I’ve arrived at the decision to quit the team. I drafted a letter to my coach telling her this and explaining why. While I don’t want to share it on this thread, if anyone would be willing to read it over PM and tell me if you think it’s appropriate, I would be very grateful!
While it sucks, because I’m not sure where or how I am going to ride, in reality it wasn’t that hard of a decision to make. No explanation in my mind justified it and I think we need to stand up for the horses even when it’s not necessarily convienient.
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Do the home teams really set the course the week before and school over it? That’s pretty unsportsmanlike, and I would be less surprised that a group that did that would also stoop to drugging.
I run small, wee tiny schooling shows and we set the course on Saturday afternoon for a Sunday show…and if a horse rides over it, it’s only to test the lines to make sure they ride okay (this is mostly beginners and green horses, we don’t like tricky).
We have had occasion to set the course earlier, but if we have to do that, NO decorations are put out and they aren’t jumping the show courses (which are created Night before the show). Of course, hunter courses only have so many options, but no one is practicing exactly what the course will be. I want the playing field as level as possible
What? That is someone that is really bad with a needle.
Again, FWIW - my experience is more like what supershorty629 and Tackpud have noted. I did enough flat to warm up horse, jumped 5-6 jumps and then horse did his flat classes. It was hardly a stressful day for him, who as a lesson horse, was well used to a lot of different riders. I was sad that the person that rode him in one class couldn’t get him into his fabulous extended trot (it really was fabulous…and super unexpected in a majorly stock, no neck, grulla grade horse). She ended up second in the class and I’m sure had she gotten him there, she would have been first.
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I have been following this thread, frequently with horror and dismay and several times literally shouting at my computer. The IHSA that many are ripping is not the IHSA I remember. All I can say is how very fortunate and lucky I was do to IHSA under the tutelage of a renowned trainer and horse person back in the early 1980’s (this trainer has a fabulous article written about her in the current issue of COTH). That experience helped to shape me into the rider I am today. And I can guarantee you none of the horses I rode at those events, at our school or at other schools in the area, were drugged. But maybe I’m just naive.
The whole premise of the format of IHSA is to teach the rider to look, absorb. learn and adjust their style of riding simply by watching the horses go - no warm up, no hacking, just leg up and go. Maybe some of the posters here should give it a go - its not nearly as easy as it looks. Its challenging, not all riders can do it and only those that are truly well rounded riders excel at it. I’d argue that it is a much better test of horsemanship than taking your pretty little made pony around a course of 8 fences that’s you’ve done a million times before. Got a blue ribbon did you? Well, bravo! But what did you learn and where’s the challenge in that?
I get that schools that don’t have in-house equestrian programs (whether it be a money issue or interest or whatever) where students organize their own riding clubs, face a unique set of challenges. But I still don’t think that excuses the practice of drugging horses. If these independent coaches/trainers are using ace, what else are they using on the horses? And how do you differentiate between a little ace for this horse and maybe a lot for this other one? I mean, once you start down that slippery slope, where is the “red line” in the sand? Not to mention the health effects of sedating horses for a non-medical reason.
Perhaps IHSA oversight is lacking or maybe its gotten too big to manage properly. Or maybe it has simply gone the way of so many other sports - its all about money & prestige, and no longer about the sport and its participants. After all, those non-school programs stand to make quite a few bucks on IHSA teams, do they not? My experience with IHSA was clearly a long time ago, nearly 40 years. And I have no answers as to how to fix it. But evidently, since I’ve been sheltered on my little farm for the last 16+ years, moral fortitude, ethical conscientiousness and common sense for some has clearly flown right out the window.
I just want to say how proud I am of the OP to post her dilemma here - very brave indeed. So alter3974 , please consider taking up an offer of assistance from those who have offered it (like @Tackpud ) if you haven’t done so already. Follow your conscience - it rarely will ever steer you wrong. And good luck to you. Ride on.
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I’m so glad @supershorty628, @reithme2, and @Tackpud have chimed in here. I competed in IHSA all throughout my undergrad and I still compete as an alumni. Please don’t condemn the entire format and organization because some people have had bad experiences. I have been involved in running shows, schooling horses, and providing horses. I have never once seen anyone in my region drug, mistreat, or otherwise do anything that is not in the best interest of the horses. If a horse has to be drugged to participate in an IHSA show, they aren’t the right fit for the program and you should find different horses and a trainer that has that mindset.
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Theoretically the home team has lots of opportunities to ride the horses. So not really an issue there. Schooling the horses over the courses also helps the other teams because the horses have seen the jumps a bunch and theoretically aren’t going to think they harbor demons.
It’s very different from drugging.
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True horse women and men put the health and welfare of the horse first at all times. Rules are rules, period. IHSA shows are about catch riding. A great way to learn. If you are not prepared to get on anything, then you haven’t earned the privilege of showing. A horse is a horse…he will do what he wants when he wants. Drugging a horse and riding that drugged horse is asking for a tragedy and a lawsuit. Why anyone would ace a riding horse to be used in competition is flat out unethical. Run from the program. We are the company we keep…
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Feel free to PM me with your riding discipline and your location. I have a number of friends in different areas that ride or have horsey connections. I might be able to help you out. 
I know your decision must have weighed on you, so I’m also sending you a virtual {hug}.
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I’m sorry, but I can’t believe some of what I’m reading. The IHSA rulebook clearly states that administering a drug with CNS effects, like Ace or anything else that would take the edge off, is a violation of their rules. It is terrible sportsmanship! Ace is to calm horses for medical procedures or to help make sure that they don’t injure themselves during injury rehab.
If the horse isn’t suitable for the job on that day, then he or she shouldn’t be used.
For those who say it’s better to Ace the horse than disappoint the riders - does the anonymity of the internet really mean you have no shame at all?
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I’m not going to address the specific issue of acing horses, as it is clearly against IHSA rules. As a former IHSA member, I would like to share some of my experiences with the organization, and the opportunities it provided me.
I have experienced IHSA as a student competitor, exec board member, alumni competitor, volunteer warm up rider, and provider of my own horses for my Alma mater’s show. Are there some issues with the organization? Of course, but tell me an organization that doesn’t have it’s own problems? Every show I went to the horses, good, bad, and ugly, were treated with respect and kindness. Sportsmanship and horsemanship was required, not suggested. Can shows be hard on horses? Yes, but many programs manage their school horses very carefully to ensure they have a positive overall experience the day of the show.
The organization is such a unique set up, I can’t think of any way a rider like me, from very limited means could have gotten that much show experience. It wasn’t just about the shows though, it was about the chance to learn to rider different horses, some so much nicer than I had every had a chance to sit on in my life, it is about learning to be part of a team, and experience joy and disappointment without losing your class and sense of gratitude to the host school and the horses for giving you a chance to ride that day. It is about learning to deal with show nerves, and working hard. It is about making connections, and building networks–some of my IHSA team mates are now my clients, and I am some of their clients. IHSA helped us find our way in the industry.
I came in as an experienced rider in some senses, but due to limited means, I had never gotten to ride “made” horses–I made my own. My time on the IHSA team taught me how to ride with more finesse, a (much) better position, and dramatically improved my ability to really ride a course.
One of my most favorite IHSA experiences now, was taking 2 of MY horses back to use at the show last year. Getting to let other kids who might not have gotten to ride well educated horses as much, get to ride them. Seeing my horse put a huge smile on a college student’s face–even when she dropped her leg off at the canter and he broke gate–she still thanked me, and told me how wonderful it felt to ride a horse like that. And I know exactly how it felt, IHSA taught me how to ride better, and in turn, how to train my own horses better.
OP, I would encourage you to talk to some of the officials in your region, rather than just send a note to your coach, the organization deserves the opportunity to address this situation.
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First, I don’t think anyone said it’s better to Ace the horse than disappoint the rider. I think everyone, unanimously would agree - riders feelings can go to hell.
Second, I totally agree that if the horse isn’t suitable, s/he shouldn’t be used.
Personally, my entire stand point on this issue is that the OP didn’t witness these events first hand and sometimes horses are drugged in order to get through things and I feel she’s overreacting. Granted, I said up thread I wasn’t aware of what the rule book states - but I will still stand by my point that in some cases, a little cocktail is more humane than some of the alternatives.
I do not see the world in black and white; everything exists in shades of gray. Perhaps I had my rose colored glasses on when I started responding to this thread – the people I know who have drugged horses have done it as part of the bigger picture, and therefore it’s simply not that big of a deal to me. For example, I bought a giant, mostly untouched yearling towards the end of 2017. The first few times my farrier came out, she had some Dorm on board. She’s 16.3hh as a two year old, and while we’ve been working towards being a perfect angel - my farrier is 63 years old and I didn’t feel like witnessing his head get bashed in if she decided to be a pill. She wasn’t fall down sedated, it was just enough to take the edge off and have a couple great experiences and she no longer needs it.
I’ve ridden horses with appropriate amounts of legal substances at shows (Bute, Omeprazole). In fact, I am 1,000% in favor of providing drugs if it makes the experience better for my horses. Just like I’m 1,000% in favor of myself taking some preemptive drugs if I know I’m going to be walking around on my bad knee all day, or if I need half a Xanax for a crazy planned day at the office. These things exist for a reason; I certainly don’t pop Tylenol daily or bute my horses but if I know we’re spending three days on concrete at a show, even with 12-15 bags of shavings - I’m going to do all I can to ensure they don’t hurt.
Horses do a lot for us and it’s our responsibility to take care of them in the best way possible. Part of that is using the tools at our disposal to make their lives easier - both mentally and physically.
I would assume that a horse that has been heavily drugged would be obvious to other coaches, riders, and judges. I would assume that this coach, if she was giving Ace, wasn’t giving enough that it’d be dragging it’s feet around, half asleep. I’ve ridden a horse that was heavily Aced. It’s not something I want to do again.
However, I’ve also been on a horse - my own horse - who was lightly drugged without my knowledge. At least; I think mine was victim. I’m still not totally sure if it was mine or another clients or all of them or what. I know the testers showed up and my barn had packed up and was on the trailer between me wandering off to warm up and then waltzing back over after my class. Livid doesn’t begin to describe that experience.
The ISHA format probably deserves it’s own thread as to whether it’s a warranted format or not. We could all pick out dozens of things we hate about anything in the horse world, whether it’s ISHA or green riders or saddle brands or whatever. I think the point some posters were trying with various levels of success to make was that there does exist a difference in private ownership and intramural competition. In a perfect world, all horses would be saints that could hold up to novice through open level riders doing a half dozen classes per day - but, again, the world we live in isn’t perfect. I couldn’t care less if a rider gets to compete or gets a ribbon at a show, but I do care if a horse gets a warm stall at night and regular meals and is in a program to grow as a student - even if that means some drugs here and there, like my mare with the farrier. As long as the outcome is a productive member of the equine society, and the drug crutch is a very short term plan designed to build some good experiences, I don’t agree that it’s abusive or inherently unethical. Aside from the rule book violation, I think my knee jerk reaction was everyone immediately brandishing pitchforks over the second hand tale of the use of Ace in a horse that’s going to be ridden. I think we all can agree that routinely drugging horses to win ribbons is shitty sportsmanship and poor horsemanship.
OP, I’m glad you turned in your resignation. It’s clear you were uncomfortable with the situation.
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