Social Licence vs Opinion

[LEC]

I have been watching the eventing pros being slaughtered lately for posting videos of fresh horses. Take London 52 he comes out every year the same, fit and well after a break, there is 4 years of video evidence that it’s the same every year on his first jump of the year. Except this year Laura Collett has been abused on social media about it. Fred Scala has had a lot of abuse, though I think he was dumb to post that video as a very long back story to that horse which most people don’t know and isn’t easy to explain in 30 seconds. Other pros have been having similar stories with people commenting that fresh horses shouldn’t be behaving like that.

I am of the opinion that horses bred to be athletic are sometimes going to be athletic when you don’t want them to be, but there seems to be a real thing now where horses are not allowed to be fresh without comment that they are being abused or are in pain. What will happen is we end up with the ridiculously sterile social media output that Charlotte Du Jardin puts out vs actually seeing realities.
So I guess what I am asking is do we want reality, but not really reality on social media from professionals? Is social licence now just being used as a weapon? Are we now just dog eating dog rather than actively working together to promote welfare and horsemanship instead where it’s genuinely needed?

 

[Sossigpoker]

What is Laura Collet being criticised for? What has she supposedly done wrong ?

Edit- asking because I wasn't aware of this

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Part of it I think is because people are so scared of their own horses doing this they don't want to believe professionals just deal with it and often find it funny as it is just horses being horses.

Every year the post goes around about fresh horses on spring grass, fresh horses out for the first ride since a clip etc. So why can't professionals have to cope with the same?

 

[Sossigpoker]

I'm currently at a top competition yard where everything gets ridden in draw reins. Including the staff horses, most of which aren't hot ,super athletic horses. But it seems almost by default that everything gets put into draw reins.
I'd rather teach the horse to reach into the bridle - and mine can go with his nose out a bit , I'm not using draw reins on him.
It seems like it's just a short cut - it's not like a world class rider can't ride without draw reins, but this is setting up a poor example to the working pupils IMO.

 

[LEC]

What is Laura Collet being criticised for? What has she supposedly done wrong ?

Edit- asking because I wasn't aware of this

On Instagram she normally posts first jump of the year and every year he comes out very keen and bucking and excited. This year a few negative voices going he is in pain blah blah

 

[LEC]

I'm currently at a top competition yard where everything gets ridden in draw reins. Including the staff horses, most of which aren't hot ,super athletic horses. But it seems almost by default that everything gets put into draw reins.
I'd rather teach the horse to reach into the bridle - and mine can go with his nose out a bit , I'm not using draw reins on him.
It seems like it's just a short cut - it's not like a world class rider can't ride without draw reins, but this is setting up a poor example to the working pupils IMO.

Slightly different as what goes on behind closed doors isn’t great quite often. It’s more that voices are so loud on social media even when the horse has a consistent pattern of behaviour and it’s just usually once through being fresh and full of it.

 

[ihatework]

In this day and age, if I were a pro on SM, I’d be going heavily edited and sterile. Unfortunately. Keyboard warriors that will never know one end of a horse from the other can ruin a career

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

On Instagram she normally posts first jump of the year and every year he comes out very keen and bucking and excited. This year a few negative voices going he is in pain blah blah

She got worse on TikTok than she did on Ista. I saw the video and he looked like he was having a whale of a time!

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

She got worse on TikTok than she did on Ista. I saw the video and he looked like he was having a whale of a time!

I also saw the L52 video on TikTok and thought some of the comments were really over the top. In general I think it's good more people are aware and keeping horse welfare in mind and to question pros sometimes (poor practice happens at all levels of course), but the context of the video (i.e., a compilation of the same horse, same time of year, post-break first jump session) didn't scream welfare problem to me this time round.

Link for anyone not familiar: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauracollet...1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7098036791777314310

 

[honetpot]

Easter rallies at PC are always interesting. Depending on when Easter falls some have had little work, the grass is coming through, and unless they have hunted it may be the first jolly on grass of the season. I would count how many ponies would put a buck, these would be midsummer saints.
I think any horse even a horse in work will put a buck in,anticipating fast exciting work, anyone who thinks otherwise hasn't seen enough horses. Having ridden a pocket rocket at a show at the start of the season,trying to suppress a bucking fit, chestnut mare open space whoopee!, I was too old to want to fall off, it is hard work. It's like a kettle ready to boil, and you have to let off the steam before it goes over. In a competition that energy may be better used on the course.

 

[blitznbobs]

On Instagram she normally posts first jump of the year and every year he comes out very keen and bucking and excited. This year a few negative voices going he is in pain blah blah

Her mistake then is posting it… what is the point or pop him a few times then film the 7th when he has settled… social media is nothing to do with reality.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Her mistake then is posting it… what is the point or pop him a few times then film the 7th when he has settled… social media is nothing to do with reality.

I thought it was funny ! The horse is clearly full of himself and very excited ! Why shouldn't she post those things ?
You'll always get armchair experts who think they know better than one of the top riders in the world.

 

[DiNozzo]

Her mistake then is posting it… what is the point or pop him a few times then film the 7th when he has settled… social media is nothing to do with reality.

It shouldn’t be a ‘mistake’ to post a video of a horse loving his job.

 

[blitznbobs]

I thought it was funny ! The horse is clearly full of himself and very excited ! Why shouldn't she post those things ?
You'll always get armchair experts who think they know better than one of the top riders in the world.

She can post what she likes but if she doesnt want the consequences of the negativity then it is the simplest solution…. It depends how it effects her business tbh if it is a possitive influence (as in gets her name out there, no such thing as negative publicity etc )then sensible to post if it negatively effects her outcomes eg cancel culture etc then shes daft to publish… its her choice and her consequences but it works both ways if she invited public comment that is exactly what she will get

 

[clinkerbuilt]

Her mistake then is posting it… what is the point or pop him a few times then film the 7th when he has settled… social media is nothing to do with reality.

it's tremendously entertaining...

 

[blitznbobs]

it's tremendously entertaining...

She definitely has glue

 

[ramsaybailey]

Her mistake then is posting it… what is the point or pop him a few times then film the 7th when he has settled… social media is nothing to do with reality.

Absolutely agree on social media has nothing to do with reality. I know some riders that wish others would post the 'real' or bad days to feel less alone in them, which I totally get, but I think it's easier to start accepting that SM just isn't real and in reality people do have the bad days, they don't need to be shared to the world though. Social media is more of a marketing tool these days rather than posting to share real life updates. And I think that's ok!

 

[Peglo]

She can post what she likes but if she doesnt want the consequences of the negativity then it is the simplest solution…. It depends how it effects her business tbh if it is a possitive influence (as in gets her name out there, no such thing as negative publicity etc )then sensible to post if it negatively effects her outcomes eg cancel culture etc then shes daft to publish… its her choice and her consequences but it works both ways if she invited public comment that is exactly what she will get

I find it incredibly sad that this video of her sitting amazingly and riding beautifully to a very excitable horse gets negativity when blog of a (insert breed beginning with C here) gets applauded as inspirational. I know which I would aspire to be like, although I know I’ll never ever be good enough to ride a horse like above video ?

ETA I know by posting it it will always risk negative comments but I really enjoyed watching it so it would be sad if everyone got too scared to post videos.

 

[teapot]

TikTok I think is far worse for comments for some reason (anyone who follows Thoughts of Bean will see the abuse they get too!), and what's the average age of a Tik-Tok user, under 18? under 21? Lack of knowledge and experience won't help for sure, but I'm not sure what a 17 year old is thinking when they comment negatively on a pro's page? Did you see the comments on LC's jumping racehorses one video? Those were amusing too.

Speaking of social licence a pro photographer I follow on Facebook posted a photo of their day's work of high level BD this afternoon 'great afternoon, sun's out etc. I've noticed the photo chosen has already been changed from a horse with it ears back and nose behind the vertical, to a much happier looking one. I can't think why

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I do a fair bulk of what goes on our fb page and we don't shy away from the bad bits. We don't shout them from the roof tops but we don't ignore them either.

I put up a video the other day of 3 horses digging in the big puddle in the field, one getting down to roll in it. 95% of the commenters thought it was hysterical and pittied the poor grooms who had to deal with the consequences. A few voiced the opinion that the horses were too hot and itchy and wanted their rugs off and it wasn't fair for them to have them on (they were clipped, fit horses and it was 2⁰ outside ?) one commented that we should respect the horses gender choices as they might not identify as male and it was insulting to the to entitle the video "What the boys get up to on their holidays".

You get all sorts on social media!

The offending hippos!

https://fb.watch/hY9pDk6IFK/

 

[oldie48]

Anyone can comment on SM, you don't need any experience, knowledge or intelligence, just a keyboard. I doubt Laura will be bothered by negative posts, if she was she wouldn't put these vids up.

 

[Goldenstar]

It’s ridiculous that horse is just full of it but it shows you how many people out there just don’t know what a horse who enjoys it’s work looks like .

 

[ester]

She can post what she likes but if she doesnt want the consequences of the negativity then it is the simplest solution…. It depends how it effects her business tbh if it is a possitive influence (as in gets her name out there, no such thing as negative publicity etc )then sensible to post if it negatively effects her outcomes eg cancel culture etc then shes daft to publish… its her choice and her consequences but it works both ways if she invited public comment that is exactly what she will get

I'd have sort of thought that the people that mattered re. business are going to read the videos as what they are and not worry too much about comments.

Mostly I'm just glad I'm not sat on them... I mean I wouldn't be for long ??

 

[blitznbobs]

I'd have sort of thought that the people that mattered re. business are going to read the videos as what they are and not worry too much about comments.

Mostly I'm just glad I'm not sat on them... I mean I wouldn't be for long ??

My glue was never that good… rather her than me?

 

[splashgirl45]

He was having a great time, love the squealing , she got stickability hasnt she…nice to see she laughed and didn’t reprimand him for having fun, when mine was doing similar and squealing I didn’t laugh I was too busy just staying on

 

[SEL]

Wow she's got a good seat!

I used to help exercise endurance horses and if we got them up to the faster tracks after time off (usually with instructions to take it steady) we'd be sitting all sorts of shapes. I regularly got a cheer from the dog walkers.

I'm really careful what I put on social media. Saved my bucking pony post for FB where I was amongst friends rather than Instagram. Shame really because I think it's important not to have everything instagram glossy.

Nothing glossy about those boys Elf!

 

[Fjord]

The bog ponies are hilarious EoaS! ?

Watching the LC video just makes me glad I don't have to ride a horse like that! I'd be on the floor immediately.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

I thought it was educational as well as a bit of a giggle...like studying how she stayed on and got on with things without fuss or drama!

 

[MagicMelon]

I think people especially pro's should always be careful what they post online, yes it has gone a bit mad but the equestrian world is in the spotlight for welfare issues so why post anything which a non-horsey person or inexperienced horse person might think is potentially pain related? Yes a lot of us find it amusing and Im usually in awe at how a lot of those riders sit so well to the bronc's but I do think they have to be careful. Ive seen a couple of videos of pro's where I absolutely was pretty horrified at what I saw so I dont think its wrong to question it. Not all pro's are kind, nice people/riders as we all know so yes I think they should be questioned pretty frequently. Their public appearance is very important as a pro rider surely for sponsorship deals / ride offers etc. so why risk posting anything which could be taken negatively?

 

[Orangehorse]

So horses don't buck in the field? I watched mine recently and thought "And I am supposed to ride that?"

Laura's horse was having fun. Its the same of negative gossip, but writ large by keyboard warriors.