tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11942790398698123722024-02-06T21:31:51.693-07:00Swift HorseHouyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.comBlogger118125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-6106835014765359842016-08-18T17:39:00.000-06:002017-11-22T08:22:50.066-07:00<br />
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LADYS FANTASY (Fancy)</div>
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Black, Babson-line purebred Arabian mare</div>
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A sweetheart and a fine lesson horse</div>
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5/25/1986 - 8/16/2016</div>
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-31079930551025267252016-04-04T08:38:00.000-06:002016-04-04T08:38:12.389-06:00Grand Prix Something<br />
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Relaxation and fluidity? We don't need no relaxation and fluidity.<br />
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<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kfpnDLYcOkc">Ouch Ouch Ouch</a><br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-26846314864968687292016-03-09T20:27:00.000-07:002016-03-09T20:27:51.784-07:00RIP Sheila Varian<div>
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<a href="http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2016/03/08/arabian-horse-legend-sheila-varian-dies-79/">A great rider, trainer, and breeder-- gone at 79</a><br />
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-29809389360898330072016-01-17T20:49:00.000-07:002016-01-17T20:49:20.308-07:00Andreas Helgstrand Strikes Again!<br />
A good review of the <a href="http://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2015/08/world-young-dressage-horse-finals-outrage-in-the-five-year-olds/">World Young Dressage Horse Finals</a> with many photos and a scathing description of the riding of the infamous Andreas Helgstrand.<br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-7932178540825145842015-12-26T09:32:00.000-07:002015-12-26T09:32:09.780-07:00Finally, a Reckless Breyer!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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At long last, a Breyer statue of a Korean-American hero!<br />
A decorated veteran of the Korean conflict, this little mare hauled ammunition for her comrades during the 1950s, well after the US Cavalry had been disbanded. Reckless performed her duty not just bitless but often without human supervision once she knew her route. Ignoring heavy shelling, she hauled ammo up and brought wounded back down steep, rocky Korean terrain. </div>
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<span data-offset-key="asmk0-0-0">Robin Hutton started the Official Sgt Reckless Fan Club on FB, wrote a detailed book about the mare's life, and successfully campaigned for the superb memorial statue of Reckless. </span>Hutton's books contains a good many details the original book by Andrew Geer lacks, but Geer's quite worthy account is free online:<a href="https://archive.org/stream/recklessprideoft011755mbp/recklessprideoft011755mbp_djvu.txt"> https://archive.org/stream/recklessprideoft011755mbp/recklessprideoft011755mbp_djvu.txt</a></div>
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<span data-offset-key="fi7q4-0-0">While she may have had some Mongolian blood somewhere, I still contend this little mare was most likely carrying Japanese TB blood. In the early 1950s, WWII was way too close for most Americans to want a hero to remind them of Japan.</span><br />
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-54063448815332998682015-08-12T08:19:00.001-06:002015-08-12T08:19:54.324-06:00The Torture Continues<br />
Anyone thinking that the ban on Rollkur on show grounds is working needs to read this fine critique, one supported by excellent photos.<br />
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<a href="http://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2015/08/world-young-dressage-horse-finals-outrage-in-the-five-year-olds/comment-page-1/#comments">World Young Dressage Horse Finals – Outrage in the Five Year Olds!</a>Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-29969310898666953182015-08-11T16:28:00.002-06:002015-08-11T16:29:59.020-06:00For the BBC <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">In one Olympic event, competitors wear not Spandex, but 19th Century business suits. They then perform obscure, slow movements on horseback. A niche sport, Competitive Dressage hangs on to its Olympic status tenuously. To pump up excitement, some competitors began exaggerating their horses' movements. Using Rollkur (hyperflexion), they added flash, but they also started a war. Those favoring the time-honored patient training required by dressage as art (Classical Dressage) say Rollkur hurts horses, perverts history, and harbors those driven by ignorance, greed, or glory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">This summary admittedly favors Classical Dressage. We feel Competitive Dressage endangers the health and welfare of the ridden horse. To explain our position, it's necessary to explain a bit about the history of dressage and the politics and power struggles involved in recent events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">The origins of Classical Dressage trace to the ancient Greek text <i>The Art of Horsemanship </i>where <i> </i>Xenophon<i> </i>says forcing a horse to perform is like using "whip and spur" on a dancer. Yet force, now blatant in training and the warm-up ring, pervades Competitive Dressage. Over the last couple of decades and especially after 2003, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the controlling organization for equine sports, has allowed force through abuse of bit and spur, sometimes ignoring or violating its own rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Force is a perversion of Classical Dressage, which seeks not to exploit the most talented horse but to maximize the capabilities of any horse through careful and systematic training. Two 20th Century masters epitomized Classical Dressage. As a young cavalry officer, Alois Podhajsky, director of the Spanish Riding School (SRS) from 1939-1965, won a Bronze medal in the 1936 Olympics on a cavalry-reject Thoroughbred. Like Podhajsky, German Olympian Reiner Klimke devoted his life to kind and careful training. Riding a series of better horses using Classical dressage methods, he won six Olympic Gold and two Bronze medals. This video explains both Klimke's method and the importance of the warm-up: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzG-0TyTuMs">Aachen 95 Klimke.mpg</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Abuse, already present at the time of Klimke's death in 1999, quickly escalated. Warm-up rings abounded with Rollkur contortions. The harsh use of bits and spurs drove German </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">trainer/veterinarian Gerd Heuschman to expose the resulting injuries in his 2007 book </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tug-War-Classical-Versus-Dressage/dp/1570763755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438952973&sr=8-1&keywords=tug+of+war+gerd"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Tug of War</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">. Finally, the viral </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hIXGiV4N4k&spfreload=10"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Blue Tongue video</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> inspired outraged petitions from around the world, forcing the FEI to pass a formal ban of Rollkur on show grounds in 2010. However, instead of rigorously enforcing the ban, the FEI blocked the viewing of warm-up arenas, banned cameras, and sanctioned the use of Long, Low, and Round (LDR), a sort of Rollkur-Lite. </span><a href="http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/06/15/rollkur-debate-flares-again-denmark"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Undercover photos</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> showing full Rollkur confirmed the FEI failed to follow its own ban. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">We also point to the FEI's failure to apply longstanding dressage rules during actual competition. Without changing the rules, the FEI simply allowed movements </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knCj92zA0tU&spfreload=10"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">consistent with Rollkur-trained horses</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> to win. Horses with overbent necks, faces behind the vertical (BTV), extravagant front leg action with hollow backs and lagging hindquarters, wringing tails, and excessive drooling now outnumber the "happy athlete" described by FEI rules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Many feel the violations stem from prominent FEI officials with strong ties to Rollkur and other dubious methods. Prominent trainer and coach </span><a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-6th-circuit/1332405.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Sjef Janssen</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> helped shape the FEI's policy on dressage, and his wife Anky Van Grunsven brought Rollkur to prominence in dressage. Although multiple Olympic winner Van Grunsven has distanced herself from Rollkur after the ban, she once openly claimed it and was </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9r9zqGKhE"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">its most successful practitioner</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">. She also taught Edward Gal, rider of Totilas, whose goose-stepping trot violated specific FEI dressage rules yet earned </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knCj92zA0tU&spfreload=10"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">record-breaking scores</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">. Another FEI heavyweight is Joep Bartels. Although recently acquitted, Joep Bartels had to defend himself in a civil case regarding purportedly </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/eponatv/posts/10152832272353312"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Rollkur-associated injuries</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"> suffered by a horse entrusted to Bartels Academy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Dressage judges also play a role in these scandals. Anyone with a copy of the rule book for dressage can see high-scoring horses violated rules of correct movement. Is it possible that the FEI would penalize judges who favor the less eye-catching Classical riding by not assigning them work? Would they reward with work judges willing to give high marks to horses not meeting the requirements spelled out in the FEI rulebook?</span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Now, the abusive practices rampant in Competitive Dressage have reached Vienna's historic SRS, a bastion of Classical horsemanship for close to 450 years. On November 29, 2014, Anky Van Grunsven hosted a visit to Amsterdam by the SRS. There, her husband offered up his already well known opinion that Classical training methods are grossly deficient. Some former SRS riders already bemoan the "improvements" the influence of modern, Competitive Dressage training methods has brought to the halls of the SRS.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;">Those of us who love Classical Dressage, who love the horse-human partnership it shows, and who simply love horses, ask the BBC to investigate the corruption and abuse Competitive Dressage has brought to the dressage world.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 18.3999996185303px;"><br /></span>Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-82155647501416173302015-08-11T14:53:00.000-06:002015-08-11T16:28:13.328-06:00A summary of dressage today for Hector Carmona to submit to the BBC<br />
A summary of dressage today for Hector Carmona to submit to the BBC:<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In one Olympic event, competitors wear not Spandex,
but 19th Century business suits. They then perform obscure, slow movements on
horseback. A niche sport, Competitive Dressage hangs on to its Olympic status
tenuously. To pump up excitement, some competitors began exaggerating their
horses' movements. Using Rollkur (hyperflexion), they added flash, but they
also started a war. Those favoring the time-honored patient training required
by dressage as art (Classical Dressage) say Rollkur hurts horses, perverts
history, and harbors those driven by ignorance, greed, or glory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This summary admittedly favors Classical Dressage. We
feel Competitive Dressage endangers the health and welfare of the ridden horse.
To explain our position, it's necessary to explain a bit about the history of
dressage and the politics and power struggles involved in recent events.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The origins of Classical Dressage trace to the
ancient Greek text <i>The Art of
Horsemanship </i>where <i> </i>Xenophon<i> </i>says forcing a horse to perform is like using "whip and spur"
on a dancer. Yet force, now blatant in training and the warm-up ring, pervades
Competitive Dressage. Over the last couple of decades and especially after
2003, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the controlling organization
for equine sports, has allowed force through abuse of bit and spur, sometimes ignoring
or violating its own rules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Force is a
perversion of Classical Dressage, which seeks not to exploit the most talented horse
but to maximize the capabilities of any horse through careful and systematic
training. Two 20th Century masters epitomized Classical Dressage. As a young
cavalry officer, Alois Podhajsky, director of the Spanish Riding School (SRS)
from 1939-1965, won a Bronze medal in
the 1936 Olympics on a cavalry-reject Thoroughbred. Like Podhajsky, German
Olympian Reiner Klimke devoted his life to kind and careful training. Riding a
series of better horses using Classical dressage methods, he won six Olympic
Gold and two Bronze medals. This video explains both Klimke's method and the
importance of the warm-up: </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzG-0TyTuMs">Aachen 95 Klimke.mpg</a></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Abuse, already
present at the time of Klimke's death in 1999, quickly escalated. Warm-up rings
abounded with Rollkur contortions. The harsh use of bits and spurs drove German
</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">trainer/veterinarian
Gerd Heuschman to expose the resulting injuries in his 2007 book </span><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tug-War-Classical-Versus-Dressage/dp/1570763755/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438952973&sr=8-1&keywords=tug+of+war+gerd"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Tug of War</span></i></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.
Finally, the viral </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hIXGiV4N4k&spfreload=10"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Blue
Tongue video</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> inspired
outraged petitions from around the world, forcing the FEI to pass a formal ban
of Rollkur on show grounds in 2010. However, instead of rigorously enforcing the ban, the
FEI blocked the viewing of warm-up arenas, banned cameras, and sanctioned the
use of Long, Low, and Round (LDR), a sort of Rollkur-Lite. </span><a href="http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/06/15/rollkur-debate-flares-again-denmark"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Undercover
photos</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> showing full
Rollkur confirmed the FEI failed to follow its own ban. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">We also point to
the FEI's failure to apply longstanding dressage rules during actual competition.
Without changing the rules, the FEI simply allowed movements </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knCj92zA0tU&spfreload=10"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">consistent
with Rollkur-trained horses</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
to win. Horses with overbent necks, faces behind the vertical (BTV), extravagant
front leg action with hollow backs and lagging hindquarters, wringing tails, and
excessive drooling now outnumber the "happy athlete" described by FEI
rules. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Many feel the violations
stem from prominent FEI officials with strong ties to Rollkur and other dubious
methods. Prominent trainer and coach </span><a href="http://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-6th-circuit/1332405.html"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Sjef
Janssen</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> helped shape the
FEI's policy on dressage, and his wife Anky Van Grunsven brought Rollkur to
prominence in dressage. Although multiple Olympic winner Van Grunsven has distanced
herself from Rollkur after the ban, she once openly claimed it and was </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uz9r9zqGKhE"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">its most successful
practitioner</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. She
also taught Edward Gal, rider of Totilas, whose goose-stepping trot violated specific
FEI dressage rules yet earned </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knCj92zA0tU&spfreload=10"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">record-breaking
scores</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">. Another FEI
heavyweight is Joep Bartels. Although recently acquitted, Joep Bartels had to
defend himself in a civil case regarding purportedly </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/eponatv/posts/10152832272353312"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Rollkur-associated
injuries</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> suffered by a
horse entrusted to Bartels Academy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Dressage judges
also play a role in these scandals. Anyone with a copy of the rule book for
dressage can see high-scoring horses violated rules of correct movement. Is it
possible that the FEI would penalize judges who favor the less eye-catching Classical
riding by not assigning them work? Would they reward with work judges willing
to give high marks to horses not meeting the requirements spelled out in the
FEI rulebook? </span><span style="color: red; font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Now, the abusive practices rampant in Competitive Dressage
have reached Vienna's historic SRS, a bastion of Classical horsemanship for
close to 450 years. On November
29, 2014, Anky Van Grunsven hosted a visit to Amsterdam by the SRS. There, her
husband offered up his already well known opinion that Classical training
methods are grossly deficient. Some former SRS riders already bemoan the
"improvements" the influence of modern, Competitive Dressage training
methods has brought to the halls of the SRS. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Those of us who
love Classical Dressage, who love the horse-human partnership it shows, and who
simply love horses, ask the BBC to investigate the corruption and abuse
Competitive Dressage has brought to the
dressage world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-68732827310123349812015-06-06T10:14:00.001-06:002015-06-06T10:18:39.773-06:00"Scared Bitless"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">Funny how life, work, and work with actual horses keeps one from blogging, but here's a short post I had to reblog: <a href="http://epona.tv/blog/2013/december/scared-bitless">"Scared Bitless" </a></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">This 2013 article from Epona.tv appeals to me since, although I train my horses to carry a bit just to have them well rounded and ready for anything, I ride 95% of the time bitless. I don't show and hence I'm more interested in my horse's comfort than in meeting any rules.</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: Georgia;">My horses are better behaved and more obliging than most of the horses I see, so I'm constantly amused and occasionally irritated to hear that horses need a bit. This is, in my opinion, untrue.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">Given my preference for bitless, I loved reading the FEI's fluttery responses to the Epona inquiries about bitless dressage. It may well be time for those interested in horsemanship to just forget about the FEI. Under the FEI, the current competitive dressage situation looks to have reached a level beyond help. Purists and others who favor the horse over prizes, now distinguish between classical dressage where the horse looks to be performing on its own and competitive dressage, where a horse often looking nervous or even in pain, exhibits a flashy, hollow-backed trot, rather like that of the high-stepping and notoriously artificial movement of American gaited horses. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">Epona.tv's next to last line suggests they agree: "Dressage is not 'steeped in tradition' - you killed all that a long time ago and now there's just the outfits left." Ironically, it wouldn't surprise me at all if the FEI were to change the rules to ditch the 19th C business suit, the shadbelly, for Spandex, shiny Spandex. With glitter. That'd be in keeping with their idea of "tradition."</span><br />
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-70062212881885147612015-03-13T21:30:00.004-06:002015-03-13T21:30:52.465-06:00An Eloquent Voice of Reason<br />
Racing has long been controversial and racing over fences even more so. Of late, dressage riders have turned gorgeous horses into pretzels. Then some <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/equestrianism/11468943/FEI-suspend-United-Arab-Emirates-from-equestrianism-following-spate-of-scandals.html">FEI level endurance </a>riders began running horses to death and indulging in various less lethal but still disgusting behaviors.<br />
<br />
Now, with the deaths of some top level horses, evening has entered the spotlight.<br />
<br />
Jimmy Wofford, an elite horseman, offers his excellent insight into the troubles with eventing:<br />
<br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #3c3a3a; font-family: 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"><a href="http://www.equisearch.com/video/wofford_eventing_lives_051408">"Jim Wofford: Eventing Lives in the Balance"</a></span><br />
<br />
I fear that all elite equine competitions are endangered because of the unfortunate tendency of humans to put themselves first. I read or hear about so many incidents where the rider's only concern is being able to finish. I hear so few stories such as that of Ingrid Klimke in the 2004 Athens Olymics. Her wonderful TB Sleep Late slipped on a turn in the cross-country, dislodged Klimke, and nearly fell. She sprung back on her obediently immobile horse and continued, finishing under time, Sleep Late passed the vet inspection for the stadium jumping but once Klimke mounted him she decided he wasn't right and refused to jump him, something I rate higher than all her medals and wins. That refusal was absolute proof she cared for the horse, not the win. The world needs more Ingrid Klimkes and fewer of those who don't put their horses first.<br />
<br />
Accidents will still happen. Horses are fragile creatures, but competitions and riders that put the horse first would lessen the number of those accidents.<br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-86298589162430001162015-03-08T07:22:00.000-06:002015-03-08T07:26:18.218-06:00If a Little Is Good, a Lot Is Better?<br />
Cruising on Facebook, I found this photo. I do not want to get into names or anything so I've cut out identifying info. While I own neither photo nor comment, I find both so disturbing I'm posting them here, hoping to attract some educational discussion.<br />
<br />
According to the information on FB, this yearling in the photo is a halter winner. An example of near perfection according to American Quarter Horse breed standards. How could this be? I've seen enough AQHA winners to believe this owner's comment is likely true, but how can this be? What's the matter with people, specifically, what's the matter with AQHA judges?<br />
<br />
A few years back, I looked at a horse magazine that ran a series on conformation. The article I saw showed three AQHA horses in conformation poses and asked readers to rank the horses and then to check their ratings against those of a breed show judge. I looked at the photos and took a deep breath because I saw so many dangerous flaws in the legs and bodies of all three horses. Judged against all the information in my horse books and against over half a century working with horses, all three animals in that long gone article were too upright in the legs and had major problems with their backs and shoulders as well. And the judge's top selection of the three was the one I put last because of her underpinning. That horse looked the most like the colt here.<br />
<br />
The colt pictured here is refined, but the refinement is exaggerated to the point where it's the refinement of a human body builder on steroids.<br />
<br />
The heavily sweated neck doesn't bother me much. That's fixable, but the post-legged rear isn't. Neither are the upright pasterns or the shoulder. Poor horse.<br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-862243250632493272015-03-07T17:34:00.000-07:002015-03-07T17:34:04.825-07:00Pointing out the Obvious<br />
Back around 1970, I realized that when I pointed, my mare responded by doing what I wanted. Since I'd been told--repeatedly and by people I respected--that horses did not understand human pointing, I kept quiet about it and when caught in the act explained apologetically it was just something I did and that I realized horses didn't understand my pointing. Despite occasional indulgent smiles from other horsemen, I kept pointing because horses responded by doing what I wanted.<br />
<br />
Nice to see that pointing now looks to be in the totally accepted category.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20150306-horses-remember-more-than-we-think">"Horses Understand Human Gestures"</a><br />
<br />
Now I wonder what "near" means.This article says pointing only works "when the human remains near to the reward." Is near two feet? Ten? A hundred?<br />
<br />
I'd like to know because a few weeks ago I turned out my Andalusian to frolick in the arena, the only place not slippery with ice and snow . As he was tearing around, I wondered if he'd stop if I put my arm straight up, his halt command. He was in a full gallop on the far side of the arena maybe eighty feet away when I punched my arm straight up. When he saw my signal, he flung himself sideways to face me and halted, standing immobile while I trotted over with the expected treat. I then pointed in his original direction and gave him an "OK," his verbal release. He instantly struck off in the exuberant gallop I'd interrupted.<br />
<br />
I have a witness. Neither of us really expected him to stop. This was not something I worked at training him to do, but he's a remarkable horse so we weren't surprised either.<br />
<br />
Here's Simon a year earlier, his first time on double lines without a surcingle holding them up. I took him out for a friend to see and she captured this few seconds on her cell phone. Before this, I had no idea I bobbed around so much. I also know I don't have to lift my leg so high for the strike off. I'm waaaay overdramatic. I need to stop moving so much,. And maybe shut up? But he appears to take his rhythm off my verbal tempo, but I guess that's another thing horses can't do, isn't it? <br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGPHnrwvjkA">Simon in Long Lines</a><br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-8862528295144146192014-12-11T08:42:00.000-07:002014-12-20T17:43:24.617-07:00Danish Justice<br />
<a href="http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2014/12/09/andreas-helgstrand-acquitted-animal-cruelty">"Andreas Helgstrand Acquitted of Animal Cruelty"</a><br />
<br />
Sometimes I wonder if any good news will appear ever again.<br />
<br />
Of course, I expected this from a country that allows people to visit legal brothels where people can have sex with animals.<br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-26875632303021941932014-11-28T22:28:00.000-07:002014-11-28T22:28:20.414-07:00More Depressing News about Today's Horse People<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This peer-reviewed study gave me faint hope for today's horsemen:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"> <a href="http://www.horsechannel.com/horse-news/2014/08/11-recognizing-stress-in-horses-under-saddle.aspx">"Can You Tell When a Horse Is Stressed?"</a></span><br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">After I read this article, I wondered if the few people involved in this study knew much about the history of horsemanship, especially the branch known as classical dressage. I also wondered if the folks involved actually cared about whether or not their horses were stressed since head position is merely one indicator. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I also wondered if most of them were aware of the multitude of problems caused by putting a horse's face behind the vertical (BTV).
Considering the multitude of for sale ads I'm seeing where riders show off horses so behind the vertical that it's highly likely long periods of training would be required to (re)gain trust and willing cooperation. And that assumes the horses' anatomy suffered no permanent effects. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">The state of equestrian arts today depresses me. I wonder how many people will EVER learn that BTV is not ideal. I fear the number is small. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-63797510013104776882014-11-05T14:17:00.002-07:002014-11-05T14:17:56.072-07:00Doma Vaquera<br />
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Jesus Morales on Halcon.Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-72547922068245589762014-09-27T08:37:00.001-06:002014-10-10T15:34:53.954-06:00"Are You a Rider or a Parasite?"<br />
Here is a thought-provoking article from <i>Peace Horse Learning Center. </i>I offer it here because it's good and because of late my job deprives me of time better spent writing entries on my horse blog.<br />
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<a href="http://www.peacehorse.net/peace-horse-blog/are-you-a-rider-or-a-parasite">Are You a Rider or a Parasite?</a><br />
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My barefoot trimmers and I often talk about the number of horsemen amongst horse owners. We agreed that it's about one in a hundred. I think the number of riders to parasites is comparable.<br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-43227924614587277942014-08-11T09:55:00.000-06:002014-10-08T18:14:07.702-06:00Poor Grammar, Tragic Lesson<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.inquisitr.com/1404743/boy-3-killed-by-horse-spilled-feed-spooks-horse-and-kills-boy-unintentionally/" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">"Boy, 3, Killed by Horse: Spilled Feed Spooks Horse and Kills Boy Unintentionally"</a><br />
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Grammatically, this headline's a mess, but in a way the misattribution--"feed spooks . . . and kills"--is almost correct. Obviously, the grain was without intention, but tumbling grain triggered the event. Grain's inert, innocent, and both horse and boy were also innocent. They were simply acting naturally. The problem was with adults allowing a toddler to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'm sure they realized this the second the grain spilled, but it was too late then. <br />
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As flight animals, frightened horses react first and think later. Knowing this, experienced horsemen spend a great deal of time desensitizing horses so that they'll stand calmly and even ignore movements and actions that would normally send them running. However, even desensitized horses can spook and small children are even more unpredictable than horses. <br />
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As I gathered from another version of this story, when the grain spilled, the small boy helpfully dove in to pick it up. When the adults ordered him to stop, the boy threw his hands in the air, startling the already agitated horse into firing the lethal kick. Sometimes, trust, innocence, and enthusiasm end in tragedy. <br />
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Being too trusting of both horses and small children afflicts even horse professionals. A few years ago, a couple of professional trainers were grooming a horse in cross ties when their son toddled up behind the horse. Another potential horseman died that day.<br />
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A similar confluence of careless trust led to the death of this little boy. Horses and small children both require experienced care and handling, and horses and small children together require the utmost care and handling. <br />
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-42659592659678615812014-08-01T08:36:00.003-06:002014-08-01T08:48:38.192-06:00Racing: To Be or Not to Be<br />
The racing industry continues to trouble me. Little about it strikes me as good, and yet I fear the entire Thoroughbred breed will vanish if racing is outlawed, and that would be a loss for mankind. The elegance and speed of the Thoroughbred serves as a heritage and a reservoir, a DNA trust if you will. <br />
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Unfortunately, racing provides us with too many examples of cruelty, greed, and duplicity. Balancing that, at least partially, are stories of good trainers and responsible owners. Here is a story showing both sides of racing:<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/86487/horse-returned-but-entry-clerk-out-of-a-job#ixzz399QPJK1a">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: OpenSans, Roboto, Geneva, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Horse Returned, but Entry Clerk out of a Job</span></a><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: OpenSans, Roboto, Geneva, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span>Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-33822055942846004522014-07-14T15:55:00.002-06:002014-07-14T15:55:46.801-06:00Real Estate in Boulder County, Colorado<div>
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This place just came on the market. I do not know if the fracking well across the street from this facility had anything to do with it being listed for sale. It's a nice place. </div>
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<a href="http://www.cohomefinder.com/p/80513/1560367-15383-E-County-Line-Rd-Berthoud-CO-80513.htm">Paragon Equestrian Centre</a><br />
<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-42721661499038442072014-07-11T18:26:00.000-06:002014-07-11T18:26:16.595-06:00Second by a Beak<br />
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Trivia for the day: Sometimes photos lie.<br />
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<a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/horse-racing/28244486">"Seagull Photo Finish: Bird Caught on Camera at Brighton Racecourse"</a><br />
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-41627862142359765552014-06-21T19:57:00.000-06:002014-06-21T19:57:27.180-06:00Operant Conditioning<br />
One of my student/friends is now part of the elite Vet Start program at Colorado State University. She reported that defining the elements of operant conditioning flummoxed most of her fellow students in her freshman course on basic psychology. The names for the four simple concepts lack intuitive connections for most people since Skinner used "positive" and "negative" in a mathematical sense--added to, subtracted from--not to mean good and bad as most people use the words. Consequently, most of the students in the class failed to identify what happens in the two types of reinforcement and the two types of punishment.<br />
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The blog <i><a href="http://www.equinoxhorse.net/operantconditioning.html">Equinox Horse</a> </i>provides a delightfully clear set of definitions: <br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<li style="background-color: #acc0fb; color: #000066; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><strong>Positive reinforcement</strong>:<ul>
<li>A pleasant stimulus is added to the animal's environment when a behavior occurs, resulting in an increased chance of the animal repeating the behavior.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="background-color: #acc0fb; color: #000066; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><strong>Negative reinforcement</strong>:<ul>
<li>An unpleasant stimulus is removed from the animal's environment when a behavior occurs, resulting in an increased chance of the animal repeating the behavior.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="background-color: #acc0fb; color: #000066; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><strong>Positive punishment</strong>:<ul>
<li>An unpleasant stimulus is added to the animal's environment when a behavior occurs, resulting in a decreased chance of the animal repeating the behavior.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li style="background-color: #acc0fb; color: #000066; font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><strong>Negative punishment</strong>:<ul>
<li>A pleasant stimulus is removed from the animal's environment when a behavior occurs, resulting in a decreased chance of the animal repeating the behavior.</li>
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</li>
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-47513080112081059112014-05-23T08:56:00.001-06:002014-05-23T08:56:38.413-06:00Not Exactly Surprising NewsThe economy affects horses. Big surprise, right?<br />
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<a href="http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/articles/85224/usda-census-finds-less-value-in-us-horses#ixzz32YD9df9i">"<span style="background-color: white; font-family: OpenSans, Roboto, Geneva, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">USDA Census Finds Less Value in U.S. Horses"</span></a><br />
<span style="border: 0px; font-family: OpenSans, Roboto, Geneva, Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /> </span>Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-74150714437835111272014-05-21T09:04:00.002-06:002014-05-21T09:05:57.971-06:00Reblog: Starstone -- Photos of How Show Horses Suffer<br />
This is a reblog of the Stonestone entry of 21 May 2014. It contains vivid documentation of how horses in the show ring suffer.<br />
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<a href="http://starstonestenfalk.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/jbk-festival-torture-like-in-the-dark-ages-anything-goes-in-the-equestrian-sport/">http://starstonestenfalk.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/jbk-festival-torture-like-in-the-dark-ages-anything-goes-in-the-equestrian-sport/</a><br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-85803556161357455572014-05-12T10:29:00.001-06:002014-05-12T10:29:46.804-06:00Old Bad News on Andreas Helgstrand Resurfaces<br />
This story's been around for some time.<br />
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<a href="http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2013/02/11/story-donna-uniques-missing-million">"Story of Donna Unique's 'Missing Millions'</a>"<br />
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<br />Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1194279039869812372.post-23626740494430120522014-05-11T09:58:00.000-06:002014-05-11T09:58:06.569-06:00More Bad Press for Andreas Helgstrand <br />
As if being accused of cruelty to horses were not enough, now others are accusing Helgstrand of some of the lower practices of horse-trading. He's been accused of shady selling practices before, but this article just came out today: <a href="http://www.bt.dk/krimi/nye-anklager-mod-toprytter-ville-snyde-for-millioner" style="font-family: bt_bold; line-height: 1;">"Nye anklager mod toprytter: Ville snyde for millioner"</a><br />
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In case you don't know Danish, here is the translation provided by the Chrome browser:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="panel-pane article-content pane-name-node pane-name-node-29168135" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20.799999237060547px; margin: 0px; padding: 10px 0px 0px;">
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<strong style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Top rider Helgstrand, who last week was accused and the police for having abused his top horse, is now once again accused of allegedly defrauded in connection with horse-trading.</strong></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The well-known dressage rider Helgstrand accused again of a million scams by horse-trading</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">According to the 64-year-old bicycling horse dealer Jens Erik Markussen tried Helgstrand to cheat him of 1.2 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">kroner in connection with the sale of dressage horse Casio in summer 2012.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jens Erik Markussen owned horse with Helgstrand and a third person. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">At the conclusion of the partnership made the three owners, according to Jens Erik Markussen, a written agreement, which stated that all parties should agree on the selling price before the gelding was sold.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">But that did not happen. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">According to Jens Erik Markussen, who has 50 years experience as a horse dealer, sold Helgstrand and the third partner the horse, but that he was informed of it in advance.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- I'll just message the day after the horse is sold, and I have to accept a given price. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I did not believe the price because of my experience with horses commerce. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">I got it checked and found out that they tried to cheat me for 1.2 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lion, says Jens Erik Markussen.</span></span></div>
<h2 class="mellemrubrik" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; border: 0px; color: black; font-family: 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px;">
<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Wrong selling price</span></h2>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">He said he was informed that the horse had been sold for 3.6 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">kr, but that the actual sales price was 4.8 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">£ Wrong selling price he was familiar, as the horse be handed over to the new owner.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- At the time of submission, I found out that the price was not correct. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Whereby the selling price is distributed differently than what I first was informed that says Jens Erik Markussen, adding that he therefore ended up getting his third of the 1.2 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lion, as he usually stood to be cheated on.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The accusation of fraud comes only a year after that Helgstrand was accused of fraud million in another horse trading. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">As BT described in February 2013 accused breeder Joan Andreasen top rider for having cheated her of 3.3 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lion at the sale of the precious horse Uno Donna Unique. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">The horse was bred by Joan Andreasen, who had sold half of the horse Helgstrand. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">For sale should she therefore have half the price. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">But that did not happen, according to the Jutland breed.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">When the horse in 2012 was sold, was Joan Andreasen told that the sale price was 13.4 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">£ But when she later got hold of the contract, which was written only in Helgstrand name, it turned alleged that the sale price was 6.7 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">£ higher - ie the entire 20.1 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">£ Joan Andreasen was given by a lawyer later the 3.3 million. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">£</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">As a king</span></h2>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Joan Andreassen am appalled that a top rider Andreas Helgstrand caliber can find on the kind:</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- I did not in my wildest dreams imagined that he would do it. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">But Andreas (Helgstrand. Ed.) Feel like a king who is raised above the other, says Joan Andreasen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jens Erik Markussen is furious Helgstrand trading methods.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- I do not like the way that Andreas do it. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">He has no morals, and if he has any morals, so it stands at a very low point. </span><span class="" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">He is greedy of his horse trader, says Jens Erik Markussen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Helgstrand do not have many comments on the allegations of fraud.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">About Joan Andrea's case, he says:</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- I have no comment on the case. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">If people feel that I have not done the right thing, then they are welcome to approach me, but I have no comment on the matter through the press, he says.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">For Jens Erik Markus's case, the top rider no comments:</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- If he (Jens Erik Markussen, ed.) Has a problem, he is welcome to come to me.</span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Jens Erik Markussen accusing you of deliberately trying to cheat him in the horse-trading. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">How would you explain it?</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">- I can say that we were three who had the horse, and we were all three agree, as we sold the horse. </span><span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">And I have no further comments on the matter, says the Helgstrand.</span></span></div>
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<span style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Read more about Helgstrand and the Danish dressage environment in BT Sunday</span></blockquote>
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Houyhnhnmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09236795954524237481noreply@blogger.com1