lee pearson...arrogant much...

This is a very ugly thread.
It says more about the people posting on it than it does about lee.

He has overcome severe disability to get where he is and he is an inspiration to many people with disabilities. As for the poster who has implied that his reputation within the RDA is poor, well that maybe the case within your group, however everyone I know, and many know him personaly are inspired.

Well done to him.
 
I suggest anyone who is interested in his riding abilities looks up his video on you tube of Blue Circle Boy training for Grand prix with Ferdi Eilberg. That does look quite a handful of a horse to me and certainly not one you would expect your average rider to cope with.
 
Jump2It said:
Yes he has been very successful at paralympics...relatively low level dressage on very expensive horses...he has done well considering his 'handicap' ..
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There is so much wrong with this OP (and incidentally where is the OP now?) that I don't think it even needs elaboration.

It's a bit like saying that Stevie Wonder plays the piano okay really, considering he's 'blind', but then it's an expensive piano and a simple tune ....
 
Murphysgirl said:
This is a very ugly thread.
It says more about the people posting on it than it does about lee.

He has overcome severe disability to get where he is and he is an inspiration to many people with disabilities. As for the poster who has implied that his reputation within the RDA is poor, well that maybe the case within your group, however everyone I know, and many know him personaly are inspired.

Well done to him.
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That was me and it's come from a number of groups :) But again that's just my experience. I've not said anything against his ability to ride well.
 
no.. the op stated that the test he had to ride at the paralympics.. and therefore gain a medal from is a relatively low level. Which, comparative to what he does at a national level it is.


Iirc the OP might well have lit the touch paper and left on threads before :rolleyes:
 
While I respect how he has
Overcome his disabilities to ride like he does. I personally have no time for him. I too do not hear good things from RDA
I also once wrote and emailed him for advice re my own disabilities and didn't even get a standard reply. Very disappointing !
 
Lee's isn't moaning that he hasn't had a Knighthood - he's putting across a valid point that having won nine (at the time of our conversation) Paralympic Gold medals (and therefore every Paralympic competition he has entered), and any other Olympian with such a record would have been Knighted. He's looking for equality between able and disabled people, equal recognition.

As someone else has said, he wan't moaning that he wasn't on the front page of H&H, but bringing it to people's attention that whilst every able bodied medal winning rider had been on the front cover, the Para team wasn't going to be.

And as to the person who mentioned about the other rider (sorry, can't remember his name and can't leave this thread to read back) saying that he could park closer, had sticks, dribbled etc, if that had been Lee who'd said it, you wouldn't have been so pro it I believe. So you liked the younger lad more than Lee, that's fine, but the rules apply just the same to both - those comments are either okay and acceptable, or not.

It comes down to personalities, there are plenty of people I don't like, and who I'm sure don't like me, and if we know each other and have based our opinions on what we've seen and heard then that's fine, but strongly held opinions on people that aren't known personally to the poster are I think ill founded at best, and at worst, pretty shameful.
 
charlie76 said:
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
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Yes!

You could be Mother Theresa but with the correct editing skills you could come off as Myra Hindley.
 
As a mother of a disabled son who rides some of these comments have brought tears to my eyes, I hope I never have to read things like this written about him.
Son has watched the para dressage, he now would love to have a lesson with Lee, I hope I will be able to arrange it asap.
 
Why are top riders allowed to be discussed for how they come across (e.g behaviour in the ring/on the tv) only if they are able bodied? Isn't the whole point taht para atheletes don't want to be treated like anyone else, not given special treatment or treated as stupid people because they are disabled..
 
SusieT said:
Why are top riders allowed to be discussed for how they come across (e.g behaviour in the ring/on the tv) only if they are able bodied? Isn't the whole point taht para atheletes don't want to be treated like anyone else, not given special treatment or treated as stupid people because they are disabled..
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Ahh but Susie dont you know your only allowed to say nice things about people on here, no other opinions allowed even if it is justified. :rolleyes::cool:
 
SusieT said:
Why are top riders allowed to be discussed for how they come across (e.g behaviour in the ring/on the tv) only if they are able bodied? Isn't the whole point taht para atheletes don't want to be treated like anyone else, not given special treatment or treated as stupid people because they are disabled..
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My point exactly - defend him from the accusation of being arrogant if you know better. Please don't defend him on the grounds he is disabled, it's simply condescending!
 
SusieT said:
Why are top riders allowed to be discussed for how they come across (e.g behaviour in the ring/on the tv) only if they are able bodied? Isn't the whole point taht para atheletes don't want to be treated like anyone else, not given special treatment or treated as stupid people because they are disabled..
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TBF, there is a weird thing on this forum that has a problem with criticism of any well known riders, not just this one because he's disabled.

I don't get it at all though and its not a rule I join in with sticking to. :D
 
alwaysbroke said:
As a mother of a disabled son who rides some of these comments have brought tears to my eyes, I hope I never have to read things like this written about him.
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out of interest, why do you draw comparison between Lee Pearson and your son if the only thing they share with relevance to this thread is that they are disabled? why do you think anyone write such comments about your son?
if you are implying that LP is being attacked because he is disabled can you point me at examples please?

otherwise im not getting your point.
 
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I think it's interesting that the people on this thread who have met him personally seem to speak highly of him, wheras the people who actively dislike him are going on one rather sensationalist tv program and second hand reports with no context.

Re his not writing a letter back, hard to judge as we don't know his standard behaviour in this situation. I suspect if you wrote a letter to Jessica Ennis right now you might wait in vain for a reply.

Re the reactions, when people have bashed various famous people on here before others have come to their defence. What I, personally, am amused by are situations where I know people have had unpleasant experiences with 'forum favourites' and just keep it to themselves as they know if they did recount their stories it would likely end in bloodshed.

Of course people are entitled to their opinions. (Although we are not always entitled to publish them, which is what posting on the internet counts as.) But other people are also entitled to ask WHY people feel that way.
 
TarrSteps said:
Of course people are entitled to their opinions. (Although we are not always entitled to publish them, which is what posting on the internet counts as.) But other people are also entitled to ask WHY people feel that way.
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Absolutely Tarrsteps.
people's opinions, then listening and perhaps questioning differing views is what results in good debate.
 
He's straight talking and doesn't hold back although that doesn't make him arrogant does it?

Quite often some of the things he says are tongue in cheek and other people take him much more seriously than he takes himself. Having said that, he's very serious about dressage, he broke his back last year and still rode at the Para Olympics this year - that takes guts and dertermination.

He doesn't compete at low level, he competes at the level for his level of disability and I think someone has already said he's also competed and won in able bodied classes.
 
Really couldnt give two hoots whether the bloke's disabled or not, that's irrelevant when you are talking about someone's personality. I don't know him, but I agree that he's come across really poorly these games, and his media team need to step up a bit!

He also annoyed me about the medals/knighthood fiasco - I really don't believe anyone has been unfair or unequal to him - you get a knighthood because of the greater good you do around your achievements, it's not a requirement once you win a number of medals. And from the way Lee has been portrayed in the media (rightly or wrongly...) I'm gonna make a guess that he's not widely liked anyway and he needs to 'give back' a bit more before he gets an honour.
 
TarrSteps said:
I think it's interesting that the people on this thread who have met him personally seem to speak highly of him, wheras the people who actively dislike him are going on one rather sensationalist tv program and second hand reports with no context.

.
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I haven't read the whole thread but to answer the above - I didn't see the TV program but I did see two interviews where I was genuinely taken aback at the remarks he made. so in this scenario my opinion is based on impressions 'from the horses mouth', so to speak. He did not come across well at all (regardless of his sense of humour do I really want to hear about him having a a hard-on ?) . He may be nice, he may be not but I agree with whoever said he needs to re-think his PR !
 
I agree with Tiffany, there are definitely times he should think before he opens his mouth as it gives a poor impression especially his latest interview.
I think it's sad that stupid remarks can overshadow his undoubted contribution to making para dressage such a huge thing.Tiffany is right, he is mostly making fun of himself but sometimes he goes too far, not everyone gets his humour.
He is however despite the OP comment about "low level" dressage a very talented rider and trainer, as videos show, had he been able bodied he may well have been in the normal team.
I hope he does a lot more of the work publicising para riding because when you listen to him, he is passionate about the subject and is a good ambassador when he's being serious. If nothing else this thread should have shown people he's more than someone who enjoys media interest...
 
Rowreach said:
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.
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Absolutely agree with this.
I was at the dressage last Sunday. Lee wasnt riding, but was in the audience - in front of me, cheering on his team mates - thoroughly nice bloke.
How many of you have won gold medals at the Olympics or Para Olympics eh?
 
There have been a lot of threads recently discussing the personalities, morals and attitudes of quite a few of the top
riders. What I find strange is that in the main it is agreed that they are excellent horsemen/ women, which I would have thought is about the only part of their life we should have an opinion on. Yet it is their private lives and character everyone seems to focus on.
What I find really unfair and repugnant is the people posting rarely have a clue what that rider is really like. Whether they are critising or defending they have nothing real to base those opinions on. Meeting them a few times or having the odd lesson with them does not give an accurate insight into the person, and most posters haven't even done that. They sit at home bashing or praising people they don't know.
Personally I find Mary king the most amazing horse woman, and she may or may not be a wonderful kind generous person in real life, equally she may be horrid, I don't know, I have met her a few times but I certainly don't know her. But I do find her gushing girly excitability very irritating, my friend finds it endearing and wonderful. It
doesn't give either of us the information or the right to pass judgement on her as a person, because we don't have a clue what she is really like from the person we see in public.
 
CalllyH said:
He has done himself no favours this Paralympics and lost of lot of fans I think. His comment about he didn't win because he didn't have a hard on so the horse didn't perform well was utterly disgusting.

A poor role model in my opinion.

And before anyone pulls out the but he's disabled and rides amazingly none of the other riders have behaved like him and bad manners and rudeness are inexcusable in my view.
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I don't feel I can comment about him because I don't know much about him but having ready this thread as far as the above post I can only assume the guy is a pillock.. who says that?
 
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