lee pearson...arrogant much...

[henryhorn]

I'd love to know just how many of the Lee bashers have actually met the man or watched him training others.
For starters no tv programme I have ever watched including Come D with me has portrayed just how disabled he really is. We met him when he came to the area to train local riders and I was shocked to see without the leg braces he can't stand up at all, yet he just gets on with life without moaning, he makes fun of himself instead. . Neither can he use his hands much which makes it all the more amazing he has such feel when he rides. Try you tubing his name and you will see he rides at home to a high level with changes etc, for those having a go I and many others feel he is already competing a catagory higher than he is graded at, it's to his credit he doesn't ask to be put in the worst affected class.
His teaching was first class, and yes, he sits in the car, but what do you expect, him to balance on his crutches for an hour multiplied by six when he does a full day? Sitting down doesn't affect anyone's teaching prowess believe me, he ably demonstrated he knew how to improve every single horse and rider over two days..
Arrogant well yes he is sure of who he is, but he's also pretty humble too. Did you know for instance that when he was in Bejing he spent time showing local kids his disability aids because in China many people are hidden away if they are disabled, and he feels it's part of his job to educate others about how being disabled affects your life but that you can still succeed regardless.
We had dinner as part of a large group and it was dire, the kitchen staff had a fight and no food was served until 10pm, yet Lee was full of fun and stories, didn't complain once and couldn't have been more polite despite being the guest of honour without so much as a bread roll for over two hours..
I am incensed by some of the comments on here, how dare you belittle the achievments of someone who with tremendous bravery has opened the door to disabled equestrian competition for so many.
I wonder if you could do as much if suddenly you found yourself unable to stand at all without crutches, be unable to use a knife or in constant pain or facing the daily challenges such as how the hell do you climb a flight of stairs.
I don't often come on HH forums these days, mostly I have to say because of the morons who make such comments as in this thread. Often it's the least capable who shout the loudest and to what purpose has your post been? So you don't much like the chap, well that's your opinion but why on earth don't you keep it to yourself?

 

[philamena]

I'd love to know just how many of the Lee bashers have actually met the man or watched him training others.
For starters no tv programme I have ever watched including Come D with me has portrayed just how disabled he really is. We met him when he came to the area to train local riders and I was shocked to see without the leg braces he can't stand up at all, yet he just gets on with life without moaning, he makes fun of himself instead. . Neither can he use his hands much which makes it all the more amazing he has such feel when he rides. Try you tubing his name and you will see he rides at home to a high level with changes etc, for those having a go I and many others feel he is already competing a catagory higher than he is graded at, it's to his credit he doesn't ask to be put in the worst affected class.
His teaching was first class, and yes, he sits in the car, but what do you expect, him to balance on his crutches for an hour multiplied by six when he does a full day? Sitting down doesn't affect anyone's teaching prowess believe me, he ably demonstrated he knew how to improve every single horse and rider over two days..
Arrogant well yes he is sure of who he is, but he's also pretty humble too. Did you know for instance that when he was in Bejing he spent time showing local kids his disability aids because in China many people are hidden away if they are disabled, and he feels it's part of his job to educate others about how being disabled affects your life but that you can still succeed regardless.
We had dinner as part of a large group and it was dire, the kitchen staff had a fight and no food was served until 10pm, yet Lee was full of fun and stories, didn't complain once and couldn't have been more polite despite being the guest of honour without so much as a bread roll for over two hours..
I am incensed by some of the comments on here, how dare you belittle the achievments of someone who with tremendous bravery has opened the door to disabled equestrian competition for so many.
I wonder if you could do as much if suddenly you found yourself unable to stand at all without crutches, be unable to use a knife or in constant pain or facing the daily challenges such as how the hell do you climb a flight of stairs.
I don't often come on HH forums these days, mostly I have to say because of the morons who make such comments as in this thread. Often it's the least capable who shout the loudest and to what purpose has your post been? So you don't much like the chap, well that's your opinion but why on earth don't you keep it to yourself?

Well said.

 

[mle22]

Oh thank you henryhorn!

 

[1t34]

Well said.

Agree totally with this and Henryhorn no more to be said, except perhaps those posters who are bashing should perhaps take a long look at themselves, examine exactly what they have achieved and see how they measure up!!

 

[Alec Swan]

Why I should find Lee Pearson so irritating, I can't say, but having now read henryhorn's personal and first hand account of the man, I feel a little ashamed in that I've formed opinions of someone who I've never met. I wonder if I'm alone!

A humbled Alec.

 

[Bearskin]

Perhaps all the Lee Bashers could explain to us why they think they are such better people than he is.......

 

[madeleine1]

its not arrogance if ur awsome

 

[rhino]

its not arrogance if ur awsome

 

[cronkmooar]

Perhaps all the Lee Bashers could explain to us why they think they are such better people than he is.......

OK - and for the record its not a case of thinking I am better than him.

I have never met him - but I do have first hand knowledge of how he treated a charity that tried to honour his horse Blue Chip Boy.

His behaviour was nothing short of despicable.

 

[PucciNPoni]

I am really pleased to read that there are many people on here who have met Lee and really like the man personally and find him a much better person than what others think.

I don't feel like a "Lee Basher", I don't think ill of the man. I can only say what the media has shown - and some other folk who know him through other channels don't like him too.

Okay I'm sounding like I'm on the fence here....


....but my point is this:

Were he not disabled, but simply a good rider who came across on the media as an arrogant prat, would the collective "we" feel entitled to bash him? I'm not saying it's right or wrong to publicly express opinions about another person's nature.

I used Usain Bolt in a previous post as an example. He's a brilliant runner, he may have come from humble beginnings and overcome adversity in his sport to be as brilliant as he is - but I found his manner on the TV in front of the crowds a little off-putting. I still think he's brilliant, and still think he is amazing for what he does - but I kind of feel uncomfortable watching him strut (perhaps this has more to do with me than it does to do with him). However, would I get the same reaction to my opinion and comments if I thought the same about someone who is disabled?

I get the opinion that disabled people generally do not wish to be discriminated against (or treated differently because of their disability). So why, when it comes to matters of their personality should this be different?

After all the pressue of the Olympics the Paras all had some high expecations on their shoulders. They all did remarkably well and some of the comments made on here are pretty cringe worthy...but having an opinion isn't a crime. But I'm now coming to the conclusion having read the rest of the thread that expressing them is a crime of manners perhaps.

 

[glamourpuss]

There's a big difference from you're analogy with Usain Bolt which was that you admire him & what he has achieved but his showboating makes you feel uncomfortable to what has been written in this thread though.....
The 'handicap' comment...which the OP hasn't come back to explain to me
That he's only successful at 'low level dressage on expensive horses'
Incorrectly saying that Lee moaned about him not being on the front cover of H&H - when he actually said it was the whole team - a very different statement, I think you'll agree.
Another poster saying they were overjoyed he didn't win gold...I mean REALLY?!! How spiteful is that?
That he's a bad teacher because he sits in his car
That he's a nasty piece of work

Again & again throughout this thread there have been nasty comments made about him totally unnecessary & uncalled for IMO

 

[ester]

anyone else getting a ...bit sick of this guy.

Yes he has been very successful at paralympics...relatively low level dressage on very expensive horses...

I have no strong feelings either way apart from thinking that some more media training might not go amiss if all he really wants is a knighthood

However all the comments about low-level dressage and how he has competed successfully at PSG etc I just wanted to re-quote part of the OP as I believe this was referring just to the test he has to complete at the paralympics which I believe is conducted in walk and trot and therefore comparitively low level particularly for him.

 

[PucciNPoni]

There's a big difference from you're analogy with Usain Bolt which was that you admire him & what he has achieved but his showboating makes you feel uncomfortable to what has been written in this thread though.....
The 'handicap' comment...which the OP hasn't come back to explain to me
That he's only successful at 'low level dressage on expensive horses'
Incorrectly saying that Lee moaned about him not being on the front cover of H&H - when he actually said it was the whole team - a very different statement, I think you'll agree.
Another poster saying they were overjoyed he didn't win gold...I mean REALLY?!! How spiteful is that?
That he's a bad teacher because he sits in his car
That he's a nasty piece of work

Again & again throughout this thread there have been nasty comments made about him totally unnecessary & uncalled for IMO

I agree with you 100%.

I guess perhaps because I made a negative comment about his "media face" I was taking the comments about "Lee Bashing" to heart.

Personally, I was gutted he didn't win gold, but to be honest, as I didn't get to see one stride of the para equestrian stuff, I don't know whether that was deserved or not. I wouldn't like to have seen him win if he didn't deserve it for the ride he had on the day (or any rider for that matter).

 

[lula]

So you don't much like the chap, well that's your opinion but why on earth don't you keep it to yourself?

because there's such a thing as free speech?

whether you agree with someone's opinion or not doesn't mean they dont have the right to give it.

that's the only thing im defending here.

 

[henryhorn]

Lula of course everyone has the right to free speech, but perhaps if they had actually met the man or watched him teach they would then be entitled to comment, not just because they have seen a few minutes of highly edited tv..."nasty piece of work" for example.
I think what offends me most is the mindset that everyone is entitled to be absolutely vile about someone from behind the privacy of a computer screen; what unpleasant people there appear to be populating the forums these days.

 

[Sarah Sum1]

There are some debts being created here in some peoples karmic accounts!

Never judge another unless you are perfect yourself.

 

[rhino]

because there's such a thing as free speech?

whether you agree with someone's opinion or not doesn't mean they dont have the right to give it.

that's the only thing im defending here.

There's a difference between having the 'right' to say something, and it being appropriate to do so; it's a skill that young children can find hard to master.

There are lots of things that are not illegal/against rules to say or do, that doesn't mean that it is necessary for me or anyone else to say or do them...

You can defend your 'right' to make nasty little comments about someone you've never met all you like, it will not change my opinion.

As someone else said, tabloid generation. How dare we feel we have the right to judge someone in public for snippets we've read or heard on daytime tv or tabloids.

 

[charlie76]

I think the only lesson learnt here is if you are in the public eye watch what pr you have. In yourself and check the editing of all you do. As this post shows, it doesn't take much to ruin a reputation with some choice editing. I m sure he is a cracking bloke but the recent media gas decided rightly or wrongly in a different t light

 

[lula]

There's a difference between having the 'right' to say something, and it being appropriate to do so; it's a skill that young children can find hard to master.

Perhaps Rhino, but you cant censor others on your own personal standards of what is appropriate or not on a public forum. You can not agree, hell, it would be boring if we all did! but within reason, their opinions are just as valid as yours.
Ofcourse there are limits and if you breach those by defaming or libeling someone on a public forum or breach a website's t&c's then you pay the price.


Im not agreeing with the 'lee bashers' as you call them Im just saying that i think the people up in arms about a poster mistakenly stating that Lee competed at a lesser standard in competition than he actually does or others describing either their personal experiences of him or how he chooses to portray himself in the media are making a bit of a storm in a teacup and whether you or i agree with it or not, i defend their right to say it.

it is funny though, Ive seen other equestrian (and i use that term loosely here!) public figures such as Katie Price ridiculed hugely on HHO yet no one seems to have stepped in and reacted with words such as 'disgusting' as they have to the relatively minor (IMO) negativity expressed by some posters towards Lee here.

anyway, its a lovely day, ive made my point. I think i might go and sit in the garden

 

[holzrokz]

never met him so no reason for me to form any bad opinions of him. Besides, he's 10 x the rider me or the majority (if not all) of the posters on here will ever be

But can i just say re him sitting in his car to teach:

1. he probably doesn't want to wander around on his crutches for hours at a time to teach.

2. You actually getting a better perspective (i.e. a judges perspective) when watching like that. My instructor teaches in the same way as she says if you follow the horse around the arena you only see one side of both horse and rider and can't see the full pictures on turns and circles etc, so she sits on a bench at the side of the arena to teach me and always picks up on my wonky circles

 

[rhino]

it is funny though, Ive seen other equestrian (and i use that term loosely here!) public figures such as Katie Price ridiculed hugely on HHO yet no one seems to have stepped in and reacted with words such as 'disgusting' as they have to the relatively minor (IMO) negativity expressed by some posters towards Lee here.

That is funny, because I have certainly seen the same reactions, whoever is being 'flamed'..

 

[mle22]

I used the word 'disgusting' about the tone of some of the comments, and I also have posted similarly on other threads, including ones about Katie Price. I don't know either Lee or Katie personally, but just can't stand gratuitous nastiness.

 

[teapot]

That is funny, because I have certainly seen the same reactions, whoever is being 'flamed'..

Me too. Can think of numerous threads where riders have been flamed in worse ways and no-one's been 'disgusted' by those.

I've never met LP but my opinion of him is fueled by what I've heard through RDA circles, little of which is positive. I'm in the disliking of arrogant sportsman school of thought, disabled or able-bodied. However good someone's results are, a bit of modesty goes a long way in media circles

 

[rhino]

Me too. Can think of numerous threads where riders have been flamed in worse ways and no-one's been 'disgusted' by those.

Are we agreeing or disagreeing I'm guessing my post wasn't very clear.

I was saying that on other threads people are disgusted by 'nasty' posts - in fact I've had a look through some of the KP threads and there is quite a backlash against the OPs. The Clayton thread last week also had a similar response.

 

[teapot]

That is funny, because I have certainly seen the same reactions, whoever is being 'flamed'..

Are we agreeing or disagreeing I'm guessing my post wasn't very clear.

I was saying that on other threads people are disgusted by 'nasty' posts - in fact I've had a look through some of the KP threads and there is quite a backlash against the OPs. The Clayton thread last week also had a similar response.

Oh, I meant that people seem far more 'disgusted' about the LP threads, than they've ever done about Katie Price or Ollie Townend (another who comes up a lot) from what I've read... They may have said it's not ok to offer negative opinions about x, but I don't think I've seen such backlash where the word 'disgusted' and 'appalling' have come up as much as they have done on the LP threads. Which to me smacks a little of PC hypocrisy.

 

[rhino]

Oh, I meant that people seem far more 'disgusted' about the LP threads, than they've ever done about Katie Price or Ollie Townend (another who comes up a lot) from what I've read... They may have said it's not ok to offer negative opinions about x, but I don't think I've seen such backlash where the word 'disgusted' and 'appalling' have come up as much as they have done on the LP threads. Which to me smacks a little of PC hypocrisy.

So we're disagreeing, sort of

I don't think it is anything to do with who Lee is, but more the timing. It does seem to be a British thing to do, to support the underdog but to want to criticise anyone at the top. I think that 'Olympic fever' may be causing some of the responses Had the thread been started a year or so ago, then perhaps it would have run differently?

ETA An afterthought; most of the other 'celeb bashing' threads have happened as a result of something - one of OT's horse falls for example, where the OP is criticising a decision, rather than the 'person' and who they are. Usually develop beyond that, granted!

 

[Lolo]

Oh, I meant that people seem far more 'disgusted' about the LP threads, than they've ever done about Katie Price or Ollie Townend (another who comes up a lot) from what I've read... They may have said it's not ok to offer negative opinions about x, but I don't think I've seen such backlash where the word 'disgusted' and 'appalling' have come up as much as they have done on the LP threads. Which to me smacks a little of PC hypocrisy.

Or it could be that, unlike either of those people, he's won our country numerous medals and helped put his sport on the map in terms of media representation (still too little, but so much more than it was!). So right now people could be feeling a little bit patriotic or whatever.

Dunno. Either way, a grim thread with some very eloquent posts. Think it needs to be left so it can sink into harmless oblivion though

 

[teapot]

So we're disagreeing, sort of

I don't think it is anything to do with who Lee is, but more the timing. It does seem to be a British thing to do, to support the underdog but to want to criticise anyone at the top. I think that 'Olympic fever' may be causing some of the responses Had the thread been started a year or so ago, then perhaps it would have run differently?

It's HHO so why we're surprised is beyond me

 

[Marydoll]

Whatever one may think about Lee or any other para athlete (and fwiw I have a lot of time for him), what an utterly disgusting thread this is. One of the worst I've seen on HHO.

^^^^^ agree with rowreach
"Low level dressage " really ....... You shouldve gone to spec savers

 

[ester]

but 1b at the paralympics is low level with regards to requirements is it not? which is what the OP was getting at.