Is there a martyrdom attitude?

[Skhosu]

A lot of the time you see people saying that they beat so and so on their expensive pony, haha and how those people were giving them dirty looks, or that somehow it is better that they have done well.
As if all expensive ponies aren't worth it etc.
It annoys me sometimes, like people say oh they do x and everyone looks down on them, is it imagined or real?
What do you think?

 

[Irishcobs]

Not sure I completely understand, I'm far to tired.
But I do feel I get looked down at when I go to comps as I turn up in a tatty old shogun, a green Ifor trailer and drag out a hairy coloured cob.
So it will be nice to turn up next time in the brand new Touareg, but will still be dragging out the coloured cob.
It is nice to beat some of those people, it makes me feel better. But at the end of the day I try not to let it bother me and I certainly don't go out saying I must beat so and so, gloat about it if I do beat someone.

 

[Mid]

I do feel a bit annoyed when people who aren't really that into riding, just do it when they're bored ect, go and win everything on their expensive ready-schooled pony, without any work or effort on their part. but they usually beat me, so I can't gloat

 

[moneypit1]

I'm not sure i fully understand what you mean either, (not your fault, 2 glasses of chardonnay etc...) BUT, to be honest I never ever mock the opposition, the thing is, Fly can enter the ring doing passage and looking like a true show jumper and then refuse to jump! OK, so he looks the part but if he doesn't want to jump then believe me he won't. When it suits him he is very good, and i mean good but when he declines to take part we leave the ring pretty sheepishly! xx

 

[FinellaGlen]

I think I know what you mean although I don't actually compete. When I owned a big WB a lot of people spoke to me that now don't bother with me because I have a horse of lesser value (in their eyes, definitely not in mine). I think there is a lot of snobbery attached to horse owning, never mind competing.

 

[SouthWestWhippet]

I "think" i know what you are saying but I wonder if it comes back to the age old perception that horses are for rich people only. So when someone who percieves themselves as not being 'rich' or 'posh' wins against someone who they percieve is rich or posh they feel as if they have got one up on the steriotype... rather than the individual? A sort of "see, it can be done without money if you try hard enough".

I suppose it is human nature as well to assume you have sacrificed more to get where you are than anyone else and if the people you are competing against are richer than you, that is a very obvious way in which you can feel 'justified' in thinking you've had to sacrifice more. Whether or not it is true is a different issue, but people rarely look for the truth if a steriotype/assumption better suits their situation!

Having said that, some definitely NOT rich people at my yard who BSJA said they won a Newcomers on their rather crazy new showjumper and the girl who came 2nd turned to her and said in a rather snotty/outraged tone

"Who are you? I don't even know who you are and you've beaten me".

So I guess it goes both ways, up and down.

 

[Skhosu]

yes, on-up manship that's what I'm getting up (forgive me, I amnot good at getting my point across!)
It just annoys me that everyone assumes if you buy an expensive horse you are automatically not putting work in/sacraficing etc.
For instance, my sister beat some people in a dressage competition recently, I took it as fantastic that she was getting good enough to beat good people on good horses, not haha I beat so-and-so and they paid x more for their horse.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

I think that too many people seem to worry about who thinks this, or who thinks that.....when in reality most riders are too absorbed in what they are doing to have the time to spend thinking about someone elses horse. I reckon most of it is in the mind?

 

[Skhosu]

Yup, what I tried to say ;p.

 

[arwenplusone]

Don't think you mean martyrdom at all as this is something completely different. Look it up

One-upmanship/snobbiness I hate. But then I also have a horse that looks a million dollars but will sometimes nap so much I cannot get her in the ring.

I coudn't care less what anyone else is doing because I am too worried about my own horse!

 

[clipclop]

[ QUOTE ]
I think that too many people seem to worry about who thinks this, or who thinks that.....when in reality most riders are too absorbed in what they are doing to have the time to spend thinking about someone elses horse. I reckon most of it is in the mind?

[/ QUOTE ]

Couldn't have put it better myself.

 

[Binkybex]

Its not fair when anyone gloats about beating someone else no matter what their horses cost them. Although I will admit to a great amount of pride and satisfaction when one of my cheepies has done well, I'm not sure If I would get that feeling if I had a ready made horse but then I have never had the chance to own one

(will let you know when I have found my schoolmaster!)

 

[Cop-Pop]

There is a lot of snobbery and people looking down, but there also seems to be a lot of inverted snobbery too

 

[Magicmillbrook]

Someone said of my mare recently - oh I wish we could find a pony like yours, she is so well behaved and push button - excuse me - this is the pony that my daughters PC DC took me a side and said ' I have grave concerns that you purchased this pony for your daughter, she is not at all a childs ride'.

I was not sure whether to be proud or indignant. I am not sure quite what I am trying to say, butthere is always more to everyones story than meets the eye.

That said I was delighted when our RC winter dressage league a couple of years ago was dominated by coloured ponies 1st 2nd and 3rd, (of course the one who was 2nd was obviously the best) ha ha that will learn them warmbloods and TB's a thing or two

 

[Skhosu]

why would you be indignant though?
And the last paragraph is what I am talking about

 

[dieseldog]

It's the same thing as the 'Pothunter' attitude. I'm sorry that I went and bought a good horse and didn't waste 3 years getting elimimated at 2'6. No I'm not, lifes too short to waste on some idiotic idea.