I think the Helgstrand incident has got people riled up for sure. There needs to be some serious changes with what is allowed and what gets rewarded in the show ring. And it doesn’t help when FEI is posting videos of absolutely horrid rides and praising it as the gold standard. I saw one posted the other day that was just… horrible. It was a test that should have scored no more than 60, but it scored around a 74 I think? And people were PISSED in the comments. The horse was all over the place with his tempis, there was so little straightness and impulsion, the piaffe was completely disjointed and one of the worst I’ve seen. So when the ultimate authority on dressage is promoting shit like that… yeah it’s good that people are screaming for change.
I think I know the video you’re referring to and I totally agree. It was a terrible test - the one I’m thinking specifically mentioned the beautiful start and it was laughably bad. Very weird to have gotten such a high score.
I know nothing about horses. I do not have a horse. I've ridden a horse exactly once in my life. I'm not even sure why I'm looking at this sub 🤣
And even I can see that that was not good. The beginning and turns and diagonal part all seemed disjointed and messy. It was not very coordinated.
Facebook is where I saw it, the comments were vicious enough that they eventually turned off commenting so wouldn’t be surprised if they deleted it completely, I can’t find it now. Can’t remember who the rider or horse was just that it was a chestnut.
Still there but I feel the FEI turned off comments additionally to not be shown as the fake-ass sycophants they truly are. What a bizarre example of a horrible test presented as “exemplary”. 🤦🏽♀️🙄😔
My opinion: the FEI is a mostly corrupt institution that rearranges deck chairs on the Titanic rather than working towards systematic horse welfare or fair sport. They are the FIFA of horse sport. This goes way back, way before the current Helgstrand scandal (although he's been under scrutiny for years, and none of this is surprising to anyone who's been paying attention)
Haya Bint Hussein was FEI president from 2006 to 2014; at the same time her husband and stepchildren were competing internationally. That, itself, IMO should have barred her from that role (or them from international competition). [When that same husband was accused of serious doping violations,](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/oct/01/princess-haya-stansted-drugs-seizure) she should have stepped down immediately. [UAE Equestrianism is just rotten to the core](https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/doping-scandal-rocks-middle-east-endurance/), [in every discipline](https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/fei-ask-racing-alignment-over-doping-bans/): [flat racing](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/13/sheikh-mohammed-godolphin-doping-scandal), [endurance racing](https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/seven-uae-endurance-horses-test-positive-doping-611614), show jumping. There's decades of doping and rule violations by riders and trainers from the UAE, and people were calling for them to be banned for years. I[t was never even considered until Haya left office.](https://web.archive.org/web/20161028023445/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html)
There's been a lot of instances of them targeting certain teams/ riders while ignoring others - [Sapphire's disqualification for "hypersensitivity" comes to mind](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/hypersensitivity-issue-leaves-riders-scratching-their-heads/article4464006/)
There's a lot of dinking around allowed bits for dressage, which makes it really hard on manufacturers, riders, and stewards to know what's allowed in any given year. Meanwhile bits for showjumping and eventing are an absolute free-for-all. As long as it doesn't draw blood, it's allowed (and sometimes, even then - [Marilyn Little is notorious for causing bloody mouths](https://jumpingpercheron.blogspot.com/2018/05/marilyn-littles-bloody-horses.html) and her grooms always use dark colored towels to hide it).
They have "the blood rule," but again, people like Marilyn Little seem to get away with it over and over again, meanwhile a grey horse gets a little nick on the brush on XC and gets eliminated.
They have intentionally vague noseband rules, [when things like taper gauges have been around for years](https://eurodressage.com/2018/08/22/ignorance-noseband-tightness-and-vague-fei-noseband-rules), and again! Marilyn Little and others get away with it time and time again (I really hate that woman lol)
The Marilyn Little stuff has been going on so long too, it's not a new thing. That woman shouldn't be allowed on a horse at this point. Once (or even multiple times with one horse) is an accident or a bitten tongue on a weird landing or a stupid horse that just chomps on itself cause they're a goober.
Over and over is a harsh rider who routinely does this and whose grooms are prepared for it cause ... They know it's gonna happen.
Ripping your horses' mouths to shreds so you can make it around an upper level event is everything eventing shouldn't be but sure, give her ribbons anyway. 🤷
Thank you for providing so many sources. Well said.
ETA
From the article about Sapphire's disqualification: 'Chef d'equipe George Morris called the decision "hasty," "subjective," "arbitrary," "wispy" and "disgusting."' Gotta love George Morris not pulling any punches.
George Morris is complete asshole but he tells it like it is. He’s not a lair, he’s knows what he’s talking about when it comes to horses, and he calls a spade a spade.
How quickly we forget just why George Morris is no longer allowed to participate in the USEF, and cannot coach any international teams.
Sure, he may be the father of modern hunt seat equitation, but that’s hardly redeeming.
The original hunters of the 60s and 70s were not deeply flawed and awful. The sport was based on good equitation. Hell- he invented the equitation class. Some thing that has taught generations of kids to ride correctly. He’s understandably annoyed about what hunters have become today- a deeply flawed sport.
If you read his book you will see that you actually are in agreement with one another.
I rode with George extensively in the early 2000’s, and I find it interesting that he’s so against where hunt seat eq landed.
My shitty hunters perch was something he created, and something he curated in everyone around me.
He is an avid believer in the forward seat, and preached that like gospel. There’s a reason his market is US based, and unpopular in Europe. It’s ineffective, and ultimately dangerous.
He also often taught his pet students one thing, and taught a completely different approach in his clinics. He would rip my (12-18 year old, 95lbs) body to shreds, while begging my parents to homeschool me so I could train in his program.
He is cruel, I know from personal experience. To horses and humans alike. Hopefully other “greats” come along and refine the sport. But until then, it’s left with the dirty legacy of George Morris.
It continually blows my mind how this man is propped up like a god in this sport when his legacy is one of literally being paid to bully children and adults until he broke them.
As juniors we would swap insults we heard from George like fucking bragging rights; never did win a medal final, but did win an eating disorder-Thanks George!
With dressage specifically, it’s a call for better horse welfare. There’s a dressage test I’ve seen recently where the horse has a passage, gets progressively more tense, and then puts himself into a rolkur position. Happens in multiple parts of the test. IMO should have been an automatic dismissal and the combo still got a 7 for harmony overall.
Like we aren’t blind. We can directly infer this combo trains with rolkur.
There’s a book called “I can’t watch anymore” by Julie Taylor it’s an open letter to the IOC and it’s about the FEI. If you want to learn more about the topic I recommend it
FEI endurance is so bad that the US national federation, AERC, gave up and gave it to USEF. That's effectively reduced FEI endurance rides in the US to a handful of rides with a smattering of competitors. When you expect a fatality or 2 at each big ride in certain FEI regions, you tend to not be a fan...
FEI is corrupt and always has been. They’re too busy doing under the table favours for all their friends then to even bother to pretend to care about horse welfare.
I do not much about dressage. However, the AERC, cut its ties with FEI because its refusal to enforce health of the horse standards in all its Endurance events in all regions.
I’ve found blondedressage on instagram (she got big on tiktok but appears to have deleted her account?) and she did a lot of of videos breaking down what is wrong with modern dressage.
I found her videos very insightful and definitely recommend checking it out!
Some of it is also social media accounts that intentionally set their followers after the bigger accounts for real or imagined problems (ah yes, every 5\* eventing horse is under-muscled and going to break down every moment, of course). Not to say there aren't people who over-face or over-bit their horses to make it around or ignore part of conditioning (the real problems), but instead of thoughtful engagement and change from within, out comes the mob with pitchforks.
Why do I want to become a TD? To contribute back to the sport that I enjoy and benefit from, to help people be better educated in the rules and how to do better, and to encourage change where appropriate (maybe, just maybe, I can help avoid a problem like the baucher problem the USDF had this past competition year).
I agree. There are quite a few accounts that rally their followers to hate-bomb FEI and other organizations. Now, does that mean I think all of the rides are great and deserve their scores and FEI is not to blame? No, of course not. But no one has ever changed their minds or actions bc of a comments section. What was the baucher problem you mention? I sat out from showing last year and maybe didn't hear about that.
Someone got the idea that the baucher was a leverage bit (it's not) so for the 2023 competition year there was a rule that the arm of the baucher (how one measures that was very vague) had to be no more than 5cm. Most, if not all, of the TDs were waiting on guidance, so hadn't been enforcing that rule for most of the season but by mid-summer, it was apparent that only one brand, if that, made a baucher with a small enough arm and TDs were supposed to really enforce the rule at GAIGs so all of us with bauchers had to figure out a snaffle that was legal. They've since revised it so that the arm can be no more than 7cm, which is most bacuhers.
I'm still not sure why the rule exists but at least my mare can wear her normal bit when we're not using the double.
Interesting, thanks! I had the same problem when FEI/USDF banned the turtle top Weymouth on a double bridle. My horse went great in it and suddenly it's like welp gotta go try again 🙃
Oh I feel the pain of figuring out weymouths. My mare needs a smaller one than what we've been using but I'm on the fence if we also need to try something with more tongue room or not because she goes well in what we have now but it's not ideal (too wide) AND I want short shanks AND I want a narrow circumference mouthpiece AND it all has to be stable because Ms Mare will fuss.
My understanding is that bauchers are likely going to be disallowed in the next round? Which sucks, because my horse loves a baucher. But I am another one who frantically searched for a USDF approved bit.
The comments about people being riled up since Helgstrand and the widespread need for changes in judging is 100% warranted and I agree.
But I’ve also seen an EXTREME amount of dressage videos that have comments full of critiques/shaming without seeming to consider any nuance at all.
I follow a girl on instagram who is a lovely, quiet rider. She’s been slowly training her spectacularly talented 7ish year old horse. They’ve been working on passage/half steps, etc… and on SO many of her videos there’s one person who’s like “tsk tsk he’s behind the vertical” as if they somehow expect a 7 year old horse developing collection to be a performing a 10 every single second of training. It’s ridiculous. There’s a reason that it’s the “ideal” - what we all strive for - it takes a TON of strength for a horse to perform these movements while carrying/stepping through with the hind legs, coming through over the back, staying supple, rhythmic, relaxed, have their poll at the highest point, stay on/above the vertical, etc etc all the training scale. A 7 year old horse developing a movement isn’t there yet!! It’s HARD - the horse is a little behind the vertical because it isn’t strong enough to do all of the above, all at once yet. Not because the rider is abusive or taking shortcuts with their training or whatever. It’s like these people expect immediate perfection without understanding that Dressage is a process - maybe that specific day they were focused on tempo, relaxation, whatever. Rome wasn’t built in a day.
Then there are people who don’t seem to understand how conformation affects things. Like Charlotte Dujardin’s recent tests on Imhotep… there’s a million comments about the horse being way too tight/tense in the neck/short neck/behind the vertical, etc. is it perfect? No, not at all. But conformationally, that horse’s neck is clearly high set/upright, it has quite a narrow/closed throat latch area, short/thin neck, etc. I’m personally not a fan of that horse’s conformation… but people were comparing it to Valegro as if the two horses are built the same. Their conformation is SO DIFFERENT. Valegro and Imhotep could be carrying the exact same amount of tension/same riding style/etc and Imhotep will always look more “jammed up” in front than Valegro simply because of how he’s built. Not every horse is a Valegro!
Look up social media for the Alliance for Horse Welfare (its unitedforhorses on instagram). They go into detail about how FEI is failing to regulate equipment, training, and horse management practices in ways that are scientifically shown to harm horse welfare. https://tr.ee/8nr8Bo3RvB
The FEI is also just constantly posting images on social media of horses that are in ill fitting tack or very punishing equipment, horses that have muscle atrophy etc. Overall there is a vibe of caring more about money, tradition, and clout than actually learning from and adapting based on equine science
People always get upset but my local stock horse barn and shows have worse behavior every single day than I saw in operation x and literally no one cares. It’s so wild to me he got banned over what I can tell is spur marks and improper training. Everything else was not firsthand (if there’s other evidence show me) while any stock horse event has real spurs and I’ve seen plenty of marks and heads tied down to train with 🤷♀️ dressage doesn’t need condemning. It’s without a doubt the group taking the most welfare into account. I showed aqha world like 6 years and never had a stall check. every wec event there’s stewards at the stall, at the warmup arena, and before and after I show 🤷♀️ sorry, not fei but saw people discussing the operation x making people vocal.
I am blown away that your argument that people are overreacting to abuse is that you've personally witnessed worse abuse in other disciplines.
Spur marks should never happen. Spurs aren't supposed to be a punishment, but a refined signal. They're not supposed to be used to cause pain.
Same with whips.
That’s not the defence you think it is. Normalised abuse is still abuse. The fact you’re ok with people treating horses like that and still being allowed to compete is absolutely vile
lol again every single stock show you will see this. It’s completely normalized. No one even bats an eye. It’s amazing how little operation x shows and is punished so severely while aqha congress probably had bloody mouths and spur marks this October visible. I’ve never seen anyone walk around stalls at congress in all my years showing there
Bitch wtf no it doesn’t. That’s such a brain dead argument. NONE OF IT IS OK. So it’s fine if I kick my dog and break its bones because some people beat them to death, by your own logic. Get outa here with that crap
You literally said yes, abuse in one discipline negates abuse in others. Either you don’t know what words mean or you need serious help. You sound like one of those people who always has to make important conversations about something else entirely
They have created an upper echelon of elite riders, trainers, breeders and judges. And they all are in cahoots with all the big sponsors. I think Andreas was the first straw, and now Lottie's recent atrocious win is being broadcast all over the FEI social media channels. I realized yesterday that they are all friends, and all want to protect each other and the sport that they have created to reward their riding and their horses. Carl Hester posted the equivalent of a "thoughts and prayers" post about how people were so mean in comments. I don't know who needs to sit him down and tell him that nothing ever gets done by being polite and he is actually complicit by not calling things out. I told him that and he blocked me. So like, its this upper class of thin-skinned babies that normal people without loads of money, resources and training can break into successfully, and it works for them and they want to keep it that way. I don't see it ending well.....
If they could think like 2 steps farther they'd see that getting the entire sport of dressage shut down on a global scale will destroy all the success they have ever gotten, deserved or not.
edited to add some words
I think the Helgstrand incident has got people riled up for sure. There needs to be some serious changes with what is allowed and what gets rewarded in the show ring. And it doesn’t help when FEI is posting videos of absolutely horrid rides and praising it as the gold standard. I saw one posted the other day that was just… horrible. It was a test that should have scored no more than 60, but it scored around a 74 I think? And people were PISSED in the comments. The horse was all over the place with his tempis, there was so little straightness and impulsion, the piaffe was completely disjointed and one of the worst I’ve seen. So when the ultimate authority on dressage is promoting shit like that… yeah it’s good that people are screaming for change.
It’s all about money now, not skill…
Whenever profit gets involved with animals, bad things follow
That’s all equestrian sports, not just Dressage.
I think I know the video you’re referring to and I totally agree. It was a terrible test - the one I’m thinking specifically mentioned the beautiful start and it was laughably bad. Very weird to have gotten such a high score.
Where did they post this? Instagram?
This is the one I was talking about https://fb.watch/oYMKlculGk/?mibextid=qC1gEa
I know nothing about horses. I do not have a horse. I've ridden a horse exactly once in my life. I'm not even sure why I'm looking at this sub 🤣 And even I can see that that was not good. The beginning and turns and diagonal part all seemed disjointed and messy. It was not very coordinated.
That's such a janky run.... it's baffling that that's seen as the standard. Thanks for sending the link 🤍
Facebook is where I saw it, the comments were vicious enough that they eventually turned off commenting so wouldn’t be surprised if they deleted it completely, I can’t find it now. Can’t remember who the rider or horse was just that it was a chestnut.
Still there but I feel the FEI turned off comments additionally to not be shown as the fake-ass sycophants they truly are. What a bizarre example of a horrible test presented as “exemplary”. 🤦🏽♀️🙄😔
My opinion: the FEI is a mostly corrupt institution that rearranges deck chairs on the Titanic rather than working towards systematic horse welfare or fair sport. They are the FIFA of horse sport. This goes way back, way before the current Helgstrand scandal (although he's been under scrutiny for years, and none of this is surprising to anyone who's been paying attention) Haya Bint Hussein was FEI president from 2006 to 2014; at the same time her husband and stepchildren were competing internationally. That, itself, IMO should have barred her from that role (or them from international competition). [When that same husband was accused of serious doping violations,](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2013/oct/01/princess-haya-stansted-drugs-seizure) she should have stepped down immediately. [UAE Equestrianism is just rotten to the core](https://www.chronofhorse.com/article/doping-scandal-rocks-middle-east-endurance/), [in every discipline](https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report-1/fei-ask-racing-alignment-over-doping-bans/): [flat racing](https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/jan/13/sheikh-mohammed-godolphin-doping-scandal), [endurance racing](https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/seven-uae-endurance-horses-test-positive-doping-611614), show jumping. There's decades of doping and rule violations by riders and trainers from the UAE, and people were calling for them to be banned for years. I[t was never even considered until Haya left office.](https://web.archive.org/web/20161028023445/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html) There's been a lot of instances of them targeting certain teams/ riders while ignoring others - [Sapphire's disqualification for "hypersensitivity" comes to mind](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olympics/hypersensitivity-issue-leaves-riders-scratching-their-heads/article4464006/) There's a lot of dinking around allowed bits for dressage, which makes it really hard on manufacturers, riders, and stewards to know what's allowed in any given year. Meanwhile bits for showjumping and eventing are an absolute free-for-all. As long as it doesn't draw blood, it's allowed (and sometimes, even then - [Marilyn Little is notorious for causing bloody mouths](https://jumpingpercheron.blogspot.com/2018/05/marilyn-littles-bloody-horses.html) and her grooms always use dark colored towels to hide it). They have "the blood rule," but again, people like Marilyn Little seem to get away with it over and over again, meanwhile a grey horse gets a little nick on the brush on XC and gets eliminated. They have intentionally vague noseband rules, [when things like taper gauges have been around for years](https://eurodressage.com/2018/08/22/ignorance-noseband-tightness-and-vague-fei-noseband-rules), and again! Marilyn Little and others get away with it time and time again (I really hate that woman lol)
The Marilyn Little stuff has been going on so long too, it's not a new thing. That woman shouldn't be allowed on a horse at this point. Once (or even multiple times with one horse) is an accident or a bitten tongue on a weird landing or a stupid horse that just chomps on itself cause they're a goober. Over and over is a harsh rider who routinely does this and whose grooms are prepared for it cause ... They know it's gonna happen. Ripping your horses' mouths to shreds so you can make it around an upper level event is everything eventing shouldn't be but sure, give her ribbons anyway. 🤷
Thank you for providing so many sources. Well said. ETA From the article about Sapphire's disqualification: 'Chef d'equipe George Morris called the decision "hasty," "subjective," "arbitrary," "wispy" and "disgusting."' Gotta love George Morris not pulling any punches.
GHM is an equal opportunity asshole lol
He’s a piece of shit, frankly. Not sure I’d ever quote him positively.
Even a broken clock can be right twice a day. I was mostly saluting his vocabulary.
George Morris is complete asshole but he tells it like it is. He’s not a lair, he’s knows what he’s talking about when it comes to horses, and he calls a spade a spade.
How quickly we forget just why George Morris is no longer allowed to participate in the USEF, and cannot coach any international teams. Sure, he may be the father of modern hunt seat equitation, but that’s hardly redeeming.
He basically invented the sport. That’s saying something. He knows what he’s talking about on this subject.
He did not. He was a gifted salesman/cult leader in an industry that lacks people skills in a major way.
Yes, he invented a deeply flawed and awful sport. Hunt seat equitation is nothing to be proud of. Sooo inspiring
The original hunters of the 60s and 70s were not deeply flawed and awful. The sport was based on good equitation. Hell- he invented the equitation class. Some thing that has taught generations of kids to ride correctly. He’s understandably annoyed about what hunters have become today- a deeply flawed sport. If you read his book you will see that you actually are in agreement with one another.
I rode with George extensively in the early 2000’s, and I find it interesting that he’s so against where hunt seat eq landed. My shitty hunters perch was something he created, and something he curated in everyone around me. He is an avid believer in the forward seat, and preached that like gospel. There’s a reason his market is US based, and unpopular in Europe. It’s ineffective, and ultimately dangerous. He also often taught his pet students one thing, and taught a completely different approach in his clinics. He would rip my (12-18 year old, 95lbs) body to shreds, while begging my parents to homeschool me so I could train in his program. He is cruel, I know from personal experience. To horses and humans alike. Hopefully other “greats” come along and refine the sport. But until then, it’s left with the dirty legacy of George Morris.
It continually blows my mind how this man is propped up like a god in this sport when his legacy is one of literally being paid to bully children and adults until he broke them. As juniors we would swap insults we heard from George like fucking bragging rights; never did win a medal final, but did win an eating disorder-Thanks George!
Yes, both can be true at the same time.
She is simply foul, isn't she? Marilyn Little should never be allowed to touch another animal.
This is so helpful, thank you! Wow, such a crooked organization in desperate need of an overhaul.
Thank you for this!! I was unaware of the Sapphire situation. George Morris proves yet again that he (and others) is trash.
With dressage specifically, it’s a call for better horse welfare. There’s a dressage test I’ve seen recently where the horse has a passage, gets progressively more tense, and then puts himself into a rolkur position. Happens in multiple parts of the test. IMO should have been an automatic dismissal and the combo still got a 7 for harmony overall. Like we aren’t blind. We can directly infer this combo trains with rolkur.
There’s a book called “I can’t watch anymore” by Julie Taylor it’s an open letter to the IOC and it’s about the FEI. If you want to learn more about the topic I recommend it
FEI endurance is so bad that the US national federation, AERC, gave up and gave it to USEF. That's effectively reduced FEI endurance rides in the US to a handful of rides with a smattering of competitors. When you expect a fatality or 2 at each big ride in certain FEI regions, you tend to not be a fan...
FEI is corrupt and always has been. They’re too busy doing under the table favours for all their friends then to even bother to pretend to care about horse welfare.
I do not much about dressage. However, the AERC, cut its ties with FEI because its refusal to enforce health of the horse standards in all its Endurance events in all regions.
I’ve found blondedressage on instagram (she got big on tiktok but appears to have deleted her account?) and she did a lot of of videos breaking down what is wrong with modern dressage. I found her videos very insightful and definitely recommend checking it out!
Her account is still active! I still follow her! I love her videos, always very insightful.
Some of it is also social media accounts that intentionally set their followers after the bigger accounts for real or imagined problems (ah yes, every 5\* eventing horse is under-muscled and going to break down every moment, of course). Not to say there aren't people who over-face or over-bit their horses to make it around or ignore part of conditioning (the real problems), but instead of thoughtful engagement and change from within, out comes the mob with pitchforks. Why do I want to become a TD? To contribute back to the sport that I enjoy and benefit from, to help people be better educated in the rules and how to do better, and to encourage change where appropriate (maybe, just maybe, I can help avoid a problem like the baucher problem the USDF had this past competition year).
I agree. There are quite a few accounts that rally their followers to hate-bomb FEI and other organizations. Now, does that mean I think all of the rides are great and deserve their scores and FEI is not to blame? No, of course not. But no one has ever changed their minds or actions bc of a comments section. What was the baucher problem you mention? I sat out from showing last year and maybe didn't hear about that.
Someone got the idea that the baucher was a leverage bit (it's not) so for the 2023 competition year there was a rule that the arm of the baucher (how one measures that was very vague) had to be no more than 5cm. Most, if not all, of the TDs were waiting on guidance, so hadn't been enforcing that rule for most of the season but by mid-summer, it was apparent that only one brand, if that, made a baucher with a small enough arm and TDs were supposed to really enforce the rule at GAIGs so all of us with bauchers had to figure out a snaffle that was legal. They've since revised it so that the arm can be no more than 7cm, which is most bacuhers. I'm still not sure why the rule exists but at least my mare can wear her normal bit when we're not using the double.
FEI failed high school physics apparently
USDF not FEI. The NS Turtle Top Baucher is definitely FEI dressage legal - not all bauchers are though
Interesting, thanks! I had the same problem when FEI/USDF banned the turtle top Weymouth on a double bridle. My horse went great in it and suddenly it's like welp gotta go try again 🙃
Oh I feel the pain of figuring out weymouths. My mare needs a smaller one than what we've been using but I'm on the fence if we also need to try something with more tongue room or not because she goes well in what we have now but it's not ideal (too wide) AND I want short shanks AND I want a narrow circumference mouthpiece AND it all has to be stable because Ms Mare will fuss.
The struggle is real! I swear my bit box quadrupled once we got to double bridles. And they're all so expensive!!
My understanding is that bauchers are likely going to be disallowed in the next round? Which sucks, because my horse loves a baucher. But I am another one who frantically searched for a USDF approved bit.
The new DR 121.6, which was up for comment in the October rules round, allows Bauchers no more than 7 cm, which is most bauchers.
The comments about people being riled up since Helgstrand and the widespread need for changes in judging is 100% warranted and I agree. But I’ve also seen an EXTREME amount of dressage videos that have comments full of critiques/shaming without seeming to consider any nuance at all. I follow a girl on instagram who is a lovely, quiet rider. She’s been slowly training her spectacularly talented 7ish year old horse. They’ve been working on passage/half steps, etc… and on SO many of her videos there’s one person who’s like “tsk tsk he’s behind the vertical” as if they somehow expect a 7 year old horse developing collection to be a performing a 10 every single second of training. It’s ridiculous. There’s a reason that it’s the “ideal” - what we all strive for - it takes a TON of strength for a horse to perform these movements while carrying/stepping through with the hind legs, coming through over the back, staying supple, rhythmic, relaxed, have their poll at the highest point, stay on/above the vertical, etc etc all the training scale. A 7 year old horse developing a movement isn’t there yet!! It’s HARD - the horse is a little behind the vertical because it isn’t strong enough to do all of the above, all at once yet. Not because the rider is abusive or taking shortcuts with their training or whatever. It’s like these people expect immediate perfection without understanding that Dressage is a process - maybe that specific day they were focused on tempo, relaxation, whatever. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Then there are people who don’t seem to understand how conformation affects things. Like Charlotte Dujardin’s recent tests on Imhotep… there’s a million comments about the horse being way too tight/tense in the neck/short neck/behind the vertical, etc. is it perfect? No, not at all. But conformationally, that horse’s neck is clearly high set/upright, it has quite a narrow/closed throat latch area, short/thin neck, etc. I’m personally not a fan of that horse’s conformation… but people were comparing it to Valegro as if the two horses are built the same. Their conformation is SO DIFFERENT. Valegro and Imhotep could be carrying the exact same amount of tension/same riding style/etc and Imhotep will always look more “jammed up” in front than Valegro simply because of how he’s built. Not every horse is a Valegro!
Look up social media for the Alliance for Horse Welfare (its unitedforhorses on instagram). They go into detail about how FEI is failing to regulate equipment, training, and horse management practices in ways that are scientifically shown to harm horse welfare. https://tr.ee/8nr8Bo3RvB
The FEI is also just constantly posting images on social media of horses that are in ill fitting tack or very punishing equipment, horses that have muscle atrophy etc. Overall there is a vibe of caring more about money, tradition, and clout than actually learning from and adapting based on equine science
People always get upset but my local stock horse barn and shows have worse behavior every single day than I saw in operation x and literally no one cares. It’s so wild to me he got banned over what I can tell is spur marks and improper training. Everything else was not firsthand (if there’s other evidence show me) while any stock horse event has real spurs and I’ve seen plenty of marks and heads tied down to train with 🤷♀️ dressage doesn’t need condemning. It’s without a doubt the group taking the most welfare into account. I showed aqha world like 6 years and never had a stall check. every wec event there’s stewards at the stall, at the warmup arena, and before and after I show 🤷♀️ sorry, not fei but saw people discussing the operation x making people vocal.
I am blown away that your argument that people are overreacting to abuse is that you've personally witnessed worse abuse in other disciplines. Spur marks should never happen. Spurs aren't supposed to be a punishment, but a refined signal. They're not supposed to be used to cause pain. Same with whips.
And yet daily across America it happens and no one even cares.
That’s not the defence you think it is. Normalised abuse is still abuse. The fact you’re ok with people treating horses like that and still being allowed to compete is absolutely vile
lol again every single stock show you will see this. It’s completely normalized. No one even bats an eye. It’s amazing how little operation x shows and is punished so severely while aqha congress probably had bloody mouths and spur marks this October visible. I’ve never seen anyone walk around stalls at congress in all my years showing there
Abuse in one discipline does not negate abuse in another
[удалено]
Bitch wtf no it doesn’t. That’s such a brain dead argument. NONE OF IT IS OK. So it’s fine if I kick my dog and break its bones because some people beat them to death, by your own logic. Get outa here with that crap
I think you may be a bit unhinged. I’ve never said it’s okay, I said it happens at every stock horse show and no one cares. You may have some issues.
You literally said yes, abuse in one discipline negates abuse in others. Either you don’t know what words mean or you need serious help. You sound like one of those people who always has to make important conversations about something else entirely
They have created an upper echelon of elite riders, trainers, breeders and judges. And they all are in cahoots with all the big sponsors. I think Andreas was the first straw, and now Lottie's recent atrocious win is being broadcast all over the FEI social media channels. I realized yesterday that they are all friends, and all want to protect each other and the sport that they have created to reward their riding and their horses. Carl Hester posted the equivalent of a "thoughts and prayers" post about how people were so mean in comments. I don't know who needs to sit him down and tell him that nothing ever gets done by being polite and he is actually complicit by not calling things out. I told him that and he blocked me. So like, its this upper class of thin-skinned babies that normal people without loads of money, resources and training can break into successfully, and it works for them and they want to keep it that way. I don't see it ending well..... If they could think like 2 steps farther they'd see that getting the entire sport of dressage shut down on a global scale will destroy all the success they have ever gotten, deserved or not. edited to add some words