Competing with Injuries/Cuts

I don’t care what stupid things she does with her horse as long as horse welfare isn’t affected. With this cut it was and she shouldn’t have competed. I don’t see where the debate lies.

On another note the ‘mummy’ thing makes me want to vomit. Nothing personal, I just hate it when people do this. Makes my skin crawl, same way ‘fur baby’ does
 
Gosh the cow/ditch video is not a fun watch. Her riding just seemed completely ineffective, it was never going to end well. Thank goodness there wasn't a car coming the other way when he legged it home.
Unfortunately I doubt she's going to ask for the help that they both clearly need.
 
A small superficial graze or nick where the horse is sound I personally wouldn’t have an issue with as otherwise I’d get even less riding done than I do currently as the Fuzzball is always coming in with little grazes from playing a bit too rough!

This is clearly not that, looks fairly deep and is in a place it would risk getting knocked whilst jumping or even worse getting manky water in it if there was a water jump and sounds like horse was sore on it.

Disappointing that it wasn’t noticed by any event officials as if it had been surely they should have insisted on a vet check at the very least?
 
You can see the cut even on a jumping photo, taken from a distance, just seeing the leg through the fence.

I hadn't ever seen her page before but it is so cringey. All the "mummy", "fwend", "moos" etc. Plus the squawking on the videos...and you wonder why the horse is tense...

I don't think the horse looks underweight, but it doesn't have the muscle I'd expect of a horse being taken eventing.
It's difficult to judge off someone's social media, but putting a horse through a competition with a fresh injury like that (which may be caused by your own ineptitude or bad driving, who knows), doesn't give the impression of a particularly caring owner.

Also, this horse fell in a ditch a couple of weeks before the event. Its pelvis was "off" and there was bruising on its ribs on 21st June, and he wasn't yet sound. Then he was taken eventing on 2nd July. Even without the cut I wouldn't have been eventing that horse that day.
 
Hallo2012 said:
but this isn't the first time the horse has legged it/ditched her/behaved in a completely unsafe way on the roads so WHY is she riding bitless? stupid reckless behavior all done for laughs and FB likes......

she is clearly petrified of him out hacking and making the situ worse both long and short term so stop paying for shows and start paying for help?
Click to expand...

I wasn't aware of that as only had a quick look, never heard of her before this thread but from what I have seen, it's not a wonder she comes off regularly, she doesn't look very secure and you're asking for trouble riding on the roads in such a ridiculous bridle.
 
DressageCob said:
You can see the cut even on a jumping photo, taken from a distance, just seeing the leg through the fence.

I hadn't ever seen her page before but it is so cringey. All the "mummy", "fwend", "moos" etc. Plus the squawking on the videos...and you wonder why the horse is tense...

I don't think the horse looks underweight, but it doesn't have the muscle I'd expect of a horse being taken eventing.
It's difficult to judge off someone's social media, but putting a horse through a competition with a fresh injury like that (which may be caused by your own ineptitude or bad driving, who knows), doesn't give the impression of a particularly caring owner.

Also, this horse fell in a ditch a couple of weeks before the event. Its pelvis was "off" and there was bruising on its ribs on 21st June, and he wasn't yet sound. Then he was taken eventing on 2nd July. Even without the cut I wouldn't have been eventing that horse that day.
Click to expand...
Totally agree
 
DressageCob said:
You can see the cut even on a jumping photo, taken from a distance, just seeing the leg through the fence.

I hadn't ever seen her page before but it is so cringey. All the "mummy", "fwend", "moos" etc. Plus the squawking on the videos...and you wonder why the horse is tense...

I don't think the horse looks underweight, but it doesn't have the muscle I'd expect of a horse being taken eventing.
It's difficult to judge off someone's social media, but putting a horse through a competition with a fresh injury like that (which may be caused by your own ineptitude or bad driving, who knows), doesn't give the impression of a particularly caring owner.

Also, this horse fell in a ditch a couple of weeks before the event. Its pelvis was "off" and there was bruising on its ribs on 21st June, and he wasn't yet sound. Then he was taken eventing on 2nd July. Even without the cut I wouldn't have been eventing that horse that day.
Click to expand...
The general attitude in the ditch video shows a lot. I wasn’t going to comment on that, but now I feel it’s important to understanding why the rider went on to compete the horse with that injury (and seemingly was straight out hacking again in the days after?).

The ditch video showed far too much anger and pride, all of which trumped the welfare of the horse who was desperately trying to communicate with the rider. The horse was scared and didn’t feel supported, even in hand. The rider yelled, screamed and tried to force the horse - resulting in them both falling in a ditch. Even after this the rider still blamed the horse and found the whole situation amusing enough for social media. It became a matter of pride to them to make that horse go past the thing it was scared of. They tried to bully and force.

I also didn’t know of this person before this thread, but I’m really saddened to see the support they have. Where’s the accountability? Poor horse.
 
marmalade76 said:
I wasn't aware of that as only had a quick look, never heard of her before this thread but from what I have seen, it's not a wonder she comes off regularly, she doesn't look very secure and you're asking for trouble riding on the roads in such a ridiculous bridle.
Click to expand...
The bridle itself isn’t an issue; plenty of people ride bitless and I rode my sharp horse for 8 years or so bitless out hacking as well as in the SJ and XC phases BE. My horse was as responsive bitless as she was in a bridle (and went better bitless hence I used it!). Depends entirely on the horse.

I have no defence for everything else, I’m not impressed by eventing with the cut, the cow video and all the rest but I wanted to defend the bridle 🤣
 
I see this as a classic example of an entitled human being who thinks that their entertainment and enjoyment should come above the welfare of their horse. Sadly there are a lot of 'horse people' out there who see their horses as nothing more than sports equipment. I find it extremely depressing that she has a large following.
 
If she had an open wound on her foot , would she run barefoot across fields , dust, mud and then walk through some stagnant water with it ? You'd like to think not.

So why does she feel it reasonable for her horse to do this ?

I would have called my vet and promptly headed home ... not just slap some sudocreme on once back 🫥
 
The video where she goes out with a friend leading the pony in front is slightly better - she certainly doesn't seem quite so aggressive towards him, lets him stop and process before asking a bit more and understands when it's best to call it a day and head home, although she still won't shut up and isn't giving very confident or calm vibes to me, that's understandable though. Acknowledging that we get worried about things too is half the battle. It's not an entirely positive experience but it's better so hopefully she's starting to appreciate there are other ways.The one with the topless man walking with her though (not sure if it's before or after the video with the pony) makes me cringe. She sounds petrified and him trying to grab the reins of a rearing horse whilst in sandals makes my toes curl (pun intended).

I do feel for her to a certain extent. I know what it's like to be scared in a situation like that. I had very similar issues with Charlie and pigs. He was tense but ok in company but I had no chance of getting him past them alone. We were also on a busier road so I had to be very aware of traffic. I never pushed him but once he planted I'd ask him to stand still for a few more seconds each time (if he was allowed to do exactly as he wanted, planting was quickly followed by spinning to go home) let him turn around quietly when he wanted to and insist on walking calmly away. We were slowly getting closer and closer to them before I decided to sell him - that was one of the reasons. I might not have "taught him who was boss" but I didn't end up in a ditch with a horse galloping home either.

I also didn't plaster it all over Facebook for the world to see and get shirty with people who were trying to help.
 
Ahrena said:
The bridle itself isn’t an issue; plenty of people ride bitless and I rode my sharp horse for 8 years or so bitless out hacking as well as in the SJ and XC phases BE. My horse was as responsive bitless as she was in a bridle (and went better bitless hence I used it!). Depends entirely on the horse.

I have no defence for everything else, I’m not impressed by eventing with the cut, the cow video and all the rest but I wanted to defend the bridle 🤣
Click to expand...

If your horse is well schooled/experienced/reliable and your're an experienced rider, fair enough, but it's quite clear that none of that is the case here. In my youth I rode on the roads bareback & in headcollars, some of them were hot but all were used to being out & about but even with the confidence of youth, I would never have pushed my luck like she did.
 
Amymay said:
She may be a bit of a numpty - but he’s absolutely fab!!
Click to expand...
I agree, he looks like a lovely honest horse. He behaves like an absolute saint round a course of jumps, given she's not the most balanced of riders at times.
She's lucky to have him!
 
Not a good ' influencer' - all her followers are sycophantic individuals who just encourage the need to post about anything and boost an ego. The horse isn't a welfare case but totally agree with the comment about social licence regarding horse riding - there are far too many people showing horse riding in a bad light and thinking its acceptable, I particularly find it frustrating when companies then sponsor said accounts just because of a large following. That cut on the horses leg was unacceptable to compete with - end of.
 
The ditch video was shocking but the follow up ones did show she either got advice or realised her mistake and did better. However I’m sad to see her competing her horse with that cut and saying he was pretending to be lame is awful. “If” the adrenaline did kick in and make him look more sound it makes it even worse she competed when she knew there was a chance he was sore. She learnt from her past mistakes though so maybe she will learn from this too. I hope!

pretending to be her horse and calling herself mummy makes me want to run head first into a brick wall! 🤦🏼‍♀️ just why??
 
I guess she thinks that's what her followers like/want
I wonder too if she was hamming things up in the ditch video in order to create more dramatic content for her online fans
 
cauda equina said:
I guess she thinks that's what her followers like/want
I wonder too if she was hamming things up in the ditch video in order to create more dramatic content for her online fans
Click to expand...
I think it was the opposite - bravado knowing that people will end up seeing it. By being angry, she's trying to make it his fault without realising her anger is what's making him worse.
 
Annagain said:
I think it was the opposite - bravado knowing that people will end up seeing it. By being angry, she's trying to make it his fault without realising her anger is what's making him worse.
Click to expand...
People won't see it if she doesn't post it though; the whole thing was an episode best kept to herself imo
 
cauda equina said:
People won't see it if she doesn't post it though; the whole thing was an episode best kept to herself imo
Click to expand...
I totally agree but it seems she has no filter. If it happens, it goes online moobs and all. She thinks she’s being honest but it’s very unwise in my opinion. Leaving some stuff out because you recognise it’s not a good image to portray and they’re not actions you would want others to follow is just common sense to most of us.
 
Going to weigh in here as someone who personally knows the rider and horse in question.
First off, whether she should or should not have run, the cut is skin deep, I've seen it and he is not lame.

She also is probably one of the few people who does not edit out the bad stuff, in fact I am pretty sure she intentionally makes sure you get to see the best and worst, because she doesn't hide anything. (As someone she knows, we often get to see the raw footage). She is also not out there trying to influence or make a profit, she works hard, funds everything herself and quite honestly just seems to enjoy sharing her horse with people, he is her absolute pride and joy.
She is also the first to admit she may not be the best rider out there and often gets a dirt sandwich, but I have never known anyone pick themselves up and get on with it with quite such enthusiasm, she has incredible mental resilience that I seriously envy.

The horse in question is a poor doer, he is however also very fit. He's incredibly fussy with food but always has forage available, always. He also gets a large bucket of food 1-2 times a day. He gets a saddle fitting every 3 months, weighed on a weigh bridge several times a year, physio or chiropractor regularly and vet checks regularly. I honestly do not know many people who care for their horse to that kind of standard. She also regularly has lessons and attends clinics and is not scared of her horse.
He has recently moved yards and been a bit out of sorts (the behaviour in the ditch video is out of character), it is currently assumed that moving from single turnout to a herd has unsettled him but a scope for ulcers just incase is also being considered.

She is someone who is a bit like marmite and is frequently bullied for being a bit different, however, despite what you may think from her videos, she is the absolute kindest person you could hope to meet and is the first to offer help to anyone.
I can see why the ditch video has upset some people, I can also see from her perspective why she tried to carry on, lots of people upset with the language but I am sure we have all had a few choice words for our horses from time to time, and I imagine some "professional" riders would have gone in with a whip and simply not posted it for anyone to see...

I appreciate that from what people post online you only get a small snapshot and not everything will be everyone's cup of tea but perhaps with todays cancel culture we should all try to be a bit more kind.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top