(“nominally negative but not apt to spark someone’s ire”)
You know that old line that proper mothers used to preach to us: “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all?” Heeding that advice when asked about the techniques of fellow professionals is a good way to maintain the slender threads of civility which tie our ego-driven equestrian community together.
All posts by wcwdressage
Monsters Everywhere
(“Puddles won’t bite him.”)
The Great Pyramids
(“An orderly flowchart . . . would not conform to reality.”)
Whiskers on dressage horses?
I recently went to a schooling show that offered hunter/ jumper and dressage classes. I am thinking of trying some dressage so I went to watch. There was a very fancy horse doing 4th level. I talked with the rider after and noticed the horse’s whiskers weren’t clipped. I asked if she didn’t clip because it was a schooling show and she told me she had stopped clipping years ago and really didn’t know anyone who clipped whiskers or ears anymore. Is this ok in dressage??
BILL— It is more than totally OK in dressage, even at the biggest recognized shows. At the moment there is no specific FEI rule, but in some European countries where dressage obviously is very popular, it is literally against the law to trim whiskers or inside your horse’s ears. This is a horse welfare issue, not an aesthetic one. A horse’s whiskers are part of his tactile sensory apparatus, and to deprive him of them seems unfair and unkind. Many top trainers in the US have a European background, so it seems perfectly normal for them to allow the whiskers to be natural. In the dressage world you won’t get a sideways look.
Great (but unrealistic) Expectations
(“An uncorrected disobedience implies consent.”)
A Royal Welcome
(“The other person to be informed was the game keeper. “)
Viral Thoughts I
(“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone.”)
Ours IS to reason why!
(“She couldn’t grasp the individuality of each horse.”)
What is a yellow card?
BILL—If you are familiar with the conduct of international soccer, you already know this term, although it’s a relatively recent addition to the dressage lexicon. If you are a totally law–abiding model equestrian citizen, most likely you won’t run into one in your lifetime. in short, it is somewhere between a scolding and being administered the death penalty. The best way to think of it is as a formal warning issued by the technical delegate, show management, or the judge which goes on your permanent record card. Start accumulating them (3 in 16 months) and meaningful punishment from the USEF will ensue. This could include fines or suspension. The main reasons they exist are first, to impress on the offender how seriously their actions should be taken and two, to make it easier to detect repeat offenders.
Sussing One Out
(“. . . filling in the gaps . . .”)