Yet another delightful rider..... not..... when will this end?

I've not seen it posted here but his justification is vile. "I am so sorry it was caught on video" says everything you need to know.

For those not on FB

506104079_709852835317474_1559767650650436365_n.jpg


506753264_709852788650812_7421631125495002781_n.jpg
 
Last edited:
It seems like there are quite a few professionals who have nothing in their brain telling them something isn't acceptable. Most horses, sound or not, are very trainable so extreme methods are not required but in situations where speed is prioritised or an individual horse who is tricky for whatever reason is encountered then the gloves come off and they don't even pause to consider whether they should come at things in another way. Anything is acceptable to get the job done. There are elements of psychopathy going on here. Zero empathy, for one thing. But they certainly shouldn't be around animals.
 
@I'm Dun just a heads up, your name is in the comment box on your screenshots. I know I'm very open about who I am and have often linked direct to my own Facebook pics etc so it doesn't bother me but not everyone feels the same 😘

This sort of behaviour is deplorable. In a moment in defence of your life hit it til it stops might be ok, but it's not "training". Just makes me sick
 
Burnttoast said:
It seems like there are quite a few professionals who have nothing in their brain telling them something isn't acceptable. Most horses, sound or not, are very trainable so extreme methods are not required but in situations where speed is prioritised or an individual horse who is tricky for whatever reason is encountered then the gloves come off and they don't even pause to consider whether they should come at things in another way. Anything is acceptable to get the job done. There are elements of psychopathy going on here. Zero empathy, for one thing. But they certainly shouldn't be around animals.
Click to expand...

I agree with you, but the question is, how do we stop them? It starts with the basics I guess, which is that no one should support them with their money, their horse, their training etc, but what if you get drawn in by a story and don’t really know what’s actually going on? You'd like to think that there will be people around the horse to advocate for it, but often those people are low paid, low valued staff who may not be able to act without risking harm to themselves.
It’s so, so sad and I am eternally grateful that I can breed my own horses, handle and train them how I like and keep them forever.
 
Whipped from above with the full power of a man's strength behind it. It's so bad that it almost makes the CDJ incident with the lunge whip from the ground seem mild in comparison. That rightly cost CDJ her career and a suspension from the FEI/BD.

This is so much worse in duration and power that any suspension should be significantly longer - IMO a permanent ban is warranted.

I used to look after a NH racehorse in the mid-80s. Lovely natured horse but his style of running was to tank off in front and then run out of petrol. He got so badly hammered with the whip at the end of one race with the style of whips used in racing at that period that he developed a massive haematoma on his hindquarter (offside so from a RH jockey) that it had to be operated on.

I had the lovely job post-op of removing the jellied blood that continued to accumulate in the 6 inch long surgical wound for about a week. The muscle mass at the operation/injury site was never right thereafter and he never got placed in a race again.

What I'm saying really is that whipping like that on this video is not just of concern at the time of the mistreatment but can cause horrendous physical as well as mental damage.

Racing, for all its faults, has taken action and limited the whip use/type and severely punishes jockeys who break the rules. The only way to stop people like this is to hit them in the pocket with multi-year long bans and punitive fines plus a lifetime ban on keeping/owning horses.

This incident should not just be put to EA but should be reported to the Police under animal cruelty legislation.
 
TheMule said:
I agree with you, but the question is, how do we stop them? It starts with the basics I guess, which is that no one should support them with their money, their horse, their training etc, but what if you get drawn in by a story and don’t really know what’s actually going on? You'd like to think that there will be people around the horse to advocate for it, but often those people are low paid, low valued staff who may not be able to act without risking harm to themselves.
It’s so, so sad and I am eternally grateful that I can breed my own horses, handle and train them how I like and keep them forever.
Click to expand...
I know animal welfare laws are really badly enforced but I'm still amazed cases like this never seem to actually come before the courts. They should (although I got the impression from the now deleted comments on the excuse thread that Australia's animal welfare laws are not great either). This is why I've come to the conclusion that horse sport has got to go. Equestrian bodies are seriously not interested in this issue. Sad for people who don't batter their horses, but they have ample opportunity to protest against this kind of behaviour and make it socially unacceptable, whether by attending events to turn their back, not taking jobs in the industry, lobbying anyone in a position of authority, etc.
 
The worse of it though is the video he posts with his statement of the horse now being "good" is with a rider absolutely driving with the seat and constant spur kicking every stride. This horse still isn't happy or forward. Not a single mention of even having a vet look at the poor horse.

What a said state of affairs.
 
His response is BS.

I very much doubt a horse of that breeding was heading anywhere near the meat man. And if you felt you got to the stage where you had to resort to a beating then surely you would say I tried x,y,z before I used the whip. Not that it would make it excusable. Not even telling us what the horse supposedly had done with the prior rider either.

I remember many years ago a top rider telling us (at a demo with the horse) that when it was young it had learnt to throw in an enormous all 4 legs off the ground buck. One of his work riders got back on after being dumped for the nth time that day and gave the horse 2 hard smacks - it never did it again. Whilst I wince at doing that I'm also conscious that's a habit you don't want a young horse to develop but in this response we aren't hearing the background or what else was tried.

To me this is far worse that CDJ and I really hope the authorities take it seriously.
 
U.N.Owen said:
The worse of it though is the video he posts with his statement of the horse now being "good" is with a rider absolutely driving with the seat and constant spur kicking every stride. This horse still isn't happy or forward. Not a single mention of even having a vet look at the poor horse.

What a said state of affairs.
Click to expand...

Exactly, that's what I meant in my quick earlier reply saying the more recent video is almost as upsetting as the first.

Even if a vet had looked at the horse, even had all the tests known to man been run, that horse is still clearly expressing with facial expression, set of body and response of tail that, for some reason, they don't want to go forward. And in the absence of being able to quietly work through any issue from a behavioural point of view, it should be assumed that pain is the cause. And even if it's not, the horse doesn't bl**dy well want to do it, and that should be that.

All the man in the original video has done is set this horse up to be subjected to a life of ongoing discomfort and required compliance, rather than allowing him to find peace.

Why are people so fixated on death being the worst thing that can ever happen? It is inevitable one day. It's how that life is lived, how that being feels while on this planet which counts. If the horse is not happy being ridden then you either give them a contented life (ideally in a herd in a field) for as long as you can, or PTS.

But no, the horse is now fulfilling human requirements, therefore that end justifies the means. Only my opinion is that neither the end NOR the means is justified here!

If I could choose between one month of joy and contentedness compared to years of discomfort and forced compliance I know which I would choose, any day of the week.
 
I wish people would stop valuing life above all else. I do get it when its a beloved pet. We've all been there agonising over a decision. But this wasnt based on anything like that, it was a mix of reputation and money and not remotely in the horses best interest. Its abhorrent.
 
His post epitomises I’m sorry I was caught, cos it was an actually great for the horse it’s only me that’s lost out now.

And the horse has everything it could ever want before, except someone to listen to it apparently.

I understand offering to take the horse on for a bit to assess but that’s different to whacking 7 bells out of it.
 
ramsaybailey said:
It's not even life VS death in this situation either surely is it. Surely another optipn would have been to try and find a more appropriate lifestyle / home for the horse. It can't be death VS a 'lifestyle you're unhappy with but it's the one I want you to do so tough ****'.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more.

But that's not how these people look at it, is it - I bred you, you are here for a purpose, you must fulfil that purpose. I created you, therefore your soul is mine. Or probably more likely, it doesn't even register that that being has a soul at all, because the horse is a possession rather than a living breathing being.
 
Last edited:
Nicnac said:
Equine Australia have just put out a statement https://www.facebook.com/share/1ApuGdYmqA/
Or

Statement from Equestrian Australia | Equestrian Australia

Equestrian Australia is aware of footage posted on social media showing a person repeatedly whipping a horse. We have also received a formal complaint about the matter. Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage.
www.equestrian.org.au www.equestrian.org.au
Click to expand...
They could hardly do otherwise, though still impressively prompt given what we've come to expect from governing bodies in general. Let's hope they don't find his 'justification' acceptable.
 
Was also intrigued by the martingale the horse is wearing in the 'justification' clip. It seems to be a modified running martingale that prevents either upward or downward movement of the head without pressure on the mouth (called 'stabilisation' by the makers and pushed at the young/novice horse, who will never need to have the freedom of the head and neck to balance itself when it can rely entirely on the dictats of the rider 🤔🤔)
 
It was a ‘life or death situation ‘- if I wasn’t so disgusted I would laugh at that. No it wasn’t. It was a choice. Many of us on this forum have horses that may not be suitable for what we would like to do with them. The word there being WITH them. Together. Teamwork. And many of us have made a choice if the partnership didn’t work for whatever reason (health or ability of the horse ) to sell on or offer a wonderful life of retirement. Not beating it into submission.
And most of us don’t have the resources he has. We retire our horses knowing we cannot afford to run another. If that’s what being a professional means I’m happy to be an ignorant numpty who knows nothing. It’s time for us to demand more of some professional riders and their ridiculous excuses.
 
Nicnac said:
Equine Australia have just put out a statement https://www.facebook.com/share/1ApuGdYmqA/
Or

Statement from Equestrian Australia | Equestrian Australia

Equestrian Australia is aware of footage posted on social media showing a person repeatedly whipping a horse. We have also received a formal complaint about the matter. Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage.
www.equestrian.org.au www.equestrian.org.au
Click to expand...
Statement in full (for those like me who thought the whole statement was just the three sentences shown in the snippet :oops: )

Statement from Equestrian Australia​

Equestrian Australia is aware of footage posted on social media showing a person repeatedly whipping a horse. We have also received a formal complaint about the matter.

Equestrian Australia is extremely alarmed and concerned by the treatment of the horse shown in this footage.

Equestrian Australia’s Complaints, Disputes and Discipline Policy includes high standards to protect all participants and their horses against any adverse physical, social, and emotional conditions during all EA endorsed equestrian activities that are conducted under the auspices of EA or by any EA affiliate.

We also have a Code of Conduct which requires participants to adhere to the FEI code of conduct for the welfare of the horse.

The person depicted in the video is a member of Equestrian Australia.

Equestrian Australia has this afternoon imposed a provisional suspension of this person’s membership of Equestrian Australia and their rights, privileges and benefits associated with their membership.

This means they may take no part in competitions or events as competitor or Official or in the organisation of, or participation in, any event under the jurisdiction of Equestrian Australia.

The suspension will remain in place pending a thorough investigation of this matter by Equestrian Australia’s Integrity Unit.

Equestrian Australian takes matters of animal welfare very seriously. Contrary to commentary on YouTube, we have no information to suggest Equestrian Australia management asked for the footage of this incident to be removed.
 
I honestly don't know what is more depressing - the fact that this type of "training" by people at the top of our sport is becoming more and more commonplace, or the fact that the poor horse is so shutdown it just gives a half hearted kick with each wallop from the stupid idiot sitting on him :(

Horses as a sport needs to stop - full stop.
 
I'm Dun said:
I've not seen it posted here but his justification is vile. "I am so sorry it was caught on video" says everything you need to know.

For those not on FB

506104079_709852835317474_1559767650650436365_n.jpg


506753264_709852788650812_7421631125495002781_n.jpg
Click to expand...
I'll bet nobody had done a full vet investigation on that horse for reason such as ECVM or kissing spines causing it to react badly.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top