I woke up one day and said fuck it I am gonna express my frustration in a blog. I am normally a completely even tempered, mild mannered, laid back, quiet professional in the horse industry, I have lived everywhere, done it all, seen it all, and I currently live in Maryland with a small business importing young horses, selling, showing, and training. My family has been involved with horses for generations, my husband works for a major law firm in Baltimore, and we have two cats.
I have a problem with authority. I have a problem with authority making very bad decisions. I think major discussions need to happen in this country in every aspect of the hunter/jumper horse world, and until someone tells me to shut the hell up, I am going to explore all of it. Don’t like it? I don’t care, i am not here to make friends. I have 6, maybe 7, I’m good.
deloise in america 
Thank you so much for providing your experiences, opinions and suggestions! Along with many other fellow horseman, I struggle to justify why I am contributing to USEF/USHJA when I am in 100% disagreement about decisions being made and money being spent. I hope your voice is heard by a broader audience and you continue to push the envelope. Well done!
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I’m old school AND have Thoroughbreds…. Really old school! I get students from other trainers and they too have straight legs, toes out, heels up, thighs open, looking down, ducking, can’t see the upcoming jump, and they are winning Hunter classes. why?
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Can you please email me at kbuell@burlingtoncg.com. I work for Lisa Roskens, and she would like to drop you a line of appreciation. Many thanks!
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I agree that the hunters need more clinics, more trainers who know how to teach people to ride hunters and less drugs. However, it was quite ironic that you used Tori Colvin’s ride as your example of a perfect hunter round given her mother’s recent suspension for use of drugs on a horse Tori rode. She and her mother and their trainers are CHEATERS – caught in the act. Tori escaped punishment because of a huge hole in the rules, not because she was innocent. Perhaps you should come up with a better example than a known drug user next time. Otherwise, I agree with your comments.
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I’m not perfect never will be but thanks so much for your input!
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I just got turned onto your blog via Facebook and I like your point of view. I think it’s important to bring these issues to light as you have, without ranting, raving and boasting. I think it’s hard for professionals to express their opinions, lest they face discrimination amongst their peers, clients and sanctioning organizations. Good work! I look forward to the next article.
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How nice! thank you for reading! xo
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Deloise, I was just introduced to your blog for the first time by reading your recent article on WIHS and the 13th entry in the AOs. You said what so many of us are thinking. Bravo.
On another amateur note, I (an amateur rider myself of many years) and so many of my peers, are SICK of the so called amateur riders – “sham-ateurs” – that the USEF regularly overlooks – Those riders that were recently professional that switch to amateur status, only to ride multiple sale horses for pros and owners and import horses in partnership with trainers and brokers to do quick sales multiple times through the year. Or the amateurs that never own a horse of their own only to catch ride horses for multiple trainers to promote the horses (which are for sale) in the 3′ hunter rings. These repeated acts and behaviors are hugely discouraging to those of us that either have a job or a family, own one horse, and work hard to afford to do so, only to get steamrolled by these people who are not amateurs. This undermines the sport and discourages people from competing. Recently, at a county level show, a pro turned amateur swooped in, riding multiple horses in multiple classes, culminating in winning a class against juniors and 11 & under kids so she could win a saddle at the horse show – a county level B show. Disgusting. The entire show was talking about it. But all in hushed whispers. No one DOES anything! I suppose people don’t want to be hated or coined as rats by voicing their disdain. But I am encouraged by your blog and will work to have a voice of my own in my own way, so as to ensure fair competition in our sport. Perhaps you could write an article on the “sham-ateur” problem. Many thanks.
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Hi there! We’d love to send you a box to review, or just enjoy. Please let us know how best to correspond!
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my email is noblestables@hotmail.com, thank you, sorry I didn’t see this sooner, I haven’t been on my blog site since the incident
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