The one where I was like, "I can't even with this person and her WORDS anymore."?
And then you all scampered off to my facebook to get your stalking on?
I feel like it's time to share further. I was going to write a post today about Opie's dissolving right lead canter and how I'm tackling that issue (methodically and with cookies), but instead I feel the need to open a discussion.
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| getting to be a pro about standing still for pictures |
I posted the above picture with a silly lament about how I'm bummed about how light Opie already is. I keep a close eye on you bloggers with grey horses. Every black point I can still see brings me some relief that he's not going to turn to white in two weeks, but honestly, he already looks white to me.
This was not meant to open a discussion about...well, anything. It did make me hate KC and Lauren a little bit for not being good friends and jumping in to tell me not to worry--GREY HORSES DO NOT FADE EVAR. #plzlietome
So I could. not. even. when I got this comment:
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| wut. |
You guys, can we please discuss this? Have you ever actually found there to be a color bias against grey horses at dressage shows--or any shows? Am I that sheltered over the grey horse culture?
OR ARE YOUR BRAINS AS BLOWN AS MINE ABOUT THIS DARK SIDE OF THE HORSE WORLD?!
Face. Palm.
Oh yeah like every time I see a light or graying horse I'm like "WOW that horse is older and possibly better/worse trained based on what I see it doing" and then I like to loudly proclaim as such while standing next to the arena. Ideally within earshot of the friends and family of the light gray horse and rider.
ReplyDeleteYou've gotta educate the masses.
Deleteinternet strangers say the damnedest shit sometimes.
ReplyDeleteand god forbid you ignore them or politely(ish) disagree ----- ooooh no, hell hath no fury like the snubbed bestower of unsolicited (and often fucking crazy) advice!!
BUT THEY KNOW BEST THEIR ADVICE IS ALWAYS RIGHT.
DeleteWhen I bought my guy, the lady who sold him to me first described his habits & training, then said, "The only thing is though, is that he's gray."
ReplyDeleteAt the time, that comment made NO sense to me, but maybe that's what she was talking about. :/
I can totally see a judge doing that, because they really only have a couple minutes to look at your horse & the overall picture you are presenting.
(disclaimer: I'm NOT saying all judges would do that.)
I would hope every judge is judging based solely on the quality of the training, not what color your horse is. That said, I can think off the top of my head of at least one judge who I can imagine doing such a thing. There's a reason she's only an L graduate.
DeleteThis is total bullshit, and I actually almost replied to her comment when I saw it, haha. Coming from someone involved with a breed with PRIMARILY grey horses -- they all grey at different rates and no judge worth their salt would ever use the the shade of grey as an age/training indicator.
ReplyDeleteWhat a maroon.....
^^^THIS! I would certainly think most judges would be educated enough to know that horses gray at different rates. By her rationale, we should all also buy smaller horses because they are younger because they aren't done growing [eye roll].
DeleteI wish you would have commented before she'd deleted it!!
DeleteAnd LOL, maybe since Opie is so short they'll give him a pass for greying faster!
Ummmm whaaaat?????? What dark magic is this that horses are suddenly judged by their age vs their skill level??? According to that logic the black horse in the class should win bc obviously they are they youngest and haven’t turned grey yet!!!! That must be why Valegro won all those gold medals… he was the youngest!!!! 😂😂😂 Geez some people… you can’t do anything but shake your head at her comment!
ReplyDeleteIt all makes sense now! I better trade in Opie for a dark bay post haste!
DeleteAs a rider of many gray ponies/horses . . .
ReplyDeleteWTFuckery. Seriously. Never heard that in any discipline and heavens know I've tried them all. I like black bay because I'm lazy and don't like manure spots. No other reason.
. . . . maybe this is the ultra secret reason why that gray TB I rode didn't score well in the dressage! It all makes sense now! It had nothing to do with my inability to ride him appropriately, it was his fleabitten coat! They thought he should be better trained for his age! *flails into the night to rage at the unfairness as opposed to take more lessons*
See?? It's always the horse's fault!
DeleteI always just assume their owners are poor from having to buy bluing shampoo by the pallet load!!!!1!1!1!
ReplyDeleteHa, this! The only issue I've heard with greys is keeping them clean? So weird.
DeleteThis made me spit coffee, thanks. I often feel like I should just buy stock in Shapleys for all the whitening shampoo I buy for Sydney.
DeleteLOLOLOLOL.
DeleteBahaha. Hahahahahaha. Ahem. Nope. Never heard that.
ReplyDeleteClearly you're not showing at the same level she is.
Delete...wut
ReplyDelete#same
Deletethe doesnt even make sense
ReplyDeleteI did not understand how she wanted her example to work with her original statement?
DeleteUmm No. Pretty much anyone who has been around horses for any length of time (ahem, judges)should know that horses grey at different rates.
ReplyDeleteOne would hope so!
DeleteThere are so many dumb f#cks in this world, I just can't even.
ReplyDeletePreach.
DeleteIf you throw a black saddle pad and wraps on him then he'll look way darker. That should fix your problem right there. :D
ReplyDeleteIf he scores low I'm just going to spray paint him black entirely and really nip that bias in the bud.
DeleteUm...
ReplyDeleteOh, and don't worry, he won't fade....fast. ;-)
No, EVAR. You're supposed to say he's going to be dark for eternity!!
DeleteWell it could be that this person encountered an incredibly stupid judge and now thinks that they all think that.
ReplyDeleteBut it's still dumb.
Which makes both her and the judge dumb, imo.
DeleteBahahah! I saw that comment and almost said something but my office phone rang and I forgot. I mean...just....no. What a bunch of BS.
ReplyDeleteMissed opportunity!
DeleteAm I missing something? So, even if you COULD tell age by color, by this logic your 30 year old horse had better be way better trained than all the rest or the judge will punish you? lol
ReplyDeleteWho knew horses magically just got trained better all on their own as their coats changed??
DeleteHahahaha I cannot help myself. What a special devil she is.....
ReplyDeleteShe's fucking something that's for sure.
DeleteNo. Stupid.
ReplyDeleteDressage judges actually go through training to be judges. They aren't as stupid as this woman.
Training is relative when it's a grey apparently. LOL
DeleteMy rule is that if someone has time to start a fight on the internet, they don't actually spend enough time on their subject matter to be an expert. YMMV.
ReplyDeleteI think that's thoroughly the case here.
DeleteI know that color bias does exist, as well as breed bias. But I've never heard anyone care how light a grey has gotten. Just complaints/comments on the care required to keep them clean vs the care needed for a dirt colored horse.
ReplyDeleteI've totally heard of paint or appy or TB bias, but have never in my life heard of judging one color grey against another.
DeleteI've always heard that the faster your horse turns colors, the better of a trainer you are. I mean it's simple logic....
ReplyDeletePhew, change away, Opie!!
DeleteI have never ever heard that! What I have heard: Many years ago, one of the ladies at the barn I was at had a dad who was a judge. He said he'd never allow her to buy a gray horse because it won't pin. Ever. Judges don't like them.
ReplyDeleteAllllright. That said, I have never seen a color biased. If anything, I've only seen love for grays since that person!
So bizarre!
DeleteHuh. Odd. I knew an appy with no tail that cleaned house in children's AA rated shows. So... I don't buy into color bias.
ReplyDeleteI liked your response though. Training for the win. No excuses.
It blows my mind that in something like dressage the judge is going to factor in how dark grey your horse is against the training they're watching. Does not compute.
DeleteMine is still pretty dark so the only thing I get is people in warm up excusing his behavior thinking he's younger. Then they ask how old he is and I'm like HE IS TURNING 7 NEXT YEAR HE HAS NO EXCUSE.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, uh, no. But this person has wildly entertaining opinions, I'd really like to know more about what color I should dye my horse to get the best possible scores.
She could teach you all about how you should be letting go of the outside rein because that's also a training principle she stands firmly on. Outside rein connection = BAD.
DeleteThat is... bizarre. I mean, I joke that if my horse wasn't bright white, I could pretend she's 5 years old when she's acting like she's 5 years old. Key word JOKE.
ReplyDeleteAlso count me in as baffled that her two comments seem to directly contradict one another? The lighter horse pins lower because it must have less training for its age, but it also wins because it must be older so it's had more training?
Right?! It made less sense as she went on!
DeleteDamnit, why do I always miss this person’s comments! I’m either too early or too late and it’s been deleted ��
ReplyDeleteI feel like someone lost a class and needed a reason why other than the obvious not being a winner....
ReplyDeleteI mean, I don't ride dressage, so I can't say for sure, but I've never known anyone to judge a class based on how much a horse knows for its age versus another horse? That makes zero sense. You're judged on your performance at that moment no matter what you're riding.
Also, my gray horse always looked lighter after clipping, but it wasn't really indicative of him graying out. Somehow as the hairs grew out again, his dark spots would come back. So you should be ok for awhile still :)
That grey horse bit was JUST what I wanted to hear!!
DeletePeter, Paul, and Mary, what in the world?!
ReplyDeleteAs "Wut?!!" as the comment (and self-rebuttal were), I am LOVING the comments here, you all are hilarious!
These comments have made the whole thing a thousand times better!
Delete