To think horses do not belong in the Olympics

[StunningCunt]

They've got this horse prancing sideways with a toff in a top hat on the top, and they are devoting hours of TV coverage because we might get a gold medal in this nonsense?

Why don't they just have a dog show there and be done with it?

Competitive sheep herding?

Motor racing?

Lol @ 'it's the 'i'm not posh and i do dressage' thing'

Actually in reality 'it's the 'i'm not posh but I'm too much of a wimp to leave the ground intentionally or otherwise' thing'

I do dressage because I shit myself if I have to do any jumping. Truth!

you're really not getting it, are you?

I'm not posh - I do dressage as my DB has the boat most weekends so I'm left on the estate with the horses

More like it?

well that depends catgirl2012, if the "estate" has a stately home in it, or high-rise flats!

lol

Agree. And sailing.
My dd was skating round her room last night with a post it note number 1 on her thigh. She wants to know why roller skating isn't in the olympics. Surely more sporty than dressage? She didn't say the last bit!

Lucy - What exactly do you think horses do in the wild?

Here's what my boy does, not sure it tallies with your idea of 'what a horse does naturally'.

He was playing here
pic.twitter.com/3IFZnwpr

This one is extra "poncey"
pic.twitter.com/9pLGt6Lw

Actually I rather respect Laura Bechtolsheimer for saying "Yes, I'm really very lucky and I realise this" - she said she used to try and hide her roots (wealth), but what's she supposed to do? Slink down the King's Road and hide? Yes, she is very lucky. I think it's very sad that someone born in to privilege is made to feel they should apologise for it - nobody chooses where they come from.

On mn there's such a "movement" against writing people off for coming from the "wrong side of the tracks" - yet absolute in-your-face reverse snobbery displayed for someone like Laura.

Do you wish to be held to account for the actions of your grandfather?

People are foolish with assumptions and despise the face that sometimes in life there are people in this world who have money.

A man can come from a working class estate in the middle of a big city, work and train hard through his youth, get spotted by a top premiership club, sign up and then earn vast amounts of money for his sporting career. No one bats an eyelid. He may drive around in a diamond encrusted Range Rover and live in a house made of mirrors. He may be in the headlines for shagging his way through his team mate's wives and partying every night. Again most people just accept it.

Then you have someone who comes from a (in comparison) better off family who can afford to fund their sport without the help of grants or training camps BECAUSE THERE AREN'T ANY. They then work their arses off for years gaining experience on various yards EARNING MINIMUM WAGE or as a "working pupil" which follows employers to pay £50 a week. (this is not illegal) but they ride top horses and travel to shows. On their way to the very top the win but their prize money is not £200,000 a week. Not even close. Only the very few at the absolute top will ever make a million from this. Not in prize money BECAUSE TGERE IS VERY LITTLE PRIZE MONEY, but in producing and selling horses they have spent years training and competing.

But the people who despise "toffs" (who clearly they class as anyone who doesn't live in a decaying towerblock and are too poverty stricken to even be allowed on the Jeremy Kyle Show) won't ever understand this because they are too narrow minded to ever listen to what actually goes on in the world outside their angry little bubble.

Good point on the difference between footballers and riders SWM - especially the lack of grants / training programmes and the sheer hard graft involved for next to no money

Thequeenofdiamonds I am not sure why you directed that last comment at me - im on your side! I haven't referred to what horses do or do not do naturally. I'll have a look at your pics though and be Think you may have me confused with another poster.

Catgirl, don't you think it's so sad that horses are simply associated with wealth. The only part of the equestrian that generates most money is Racing. Most jockeys definitely don't come from wealthy backgrounds and they quite literally risk their lives for the sport (not that dressage riders and show jumpers don't, racing jockeys just tend to have the added factor of going at 40mph!!) but if you can't have a go at these jockeys for being toffs then have a go at them for being cruel instead!

Never ending.

so champagne-y and braying and worlds away from the way most people live

Its just so unfortunate and disappointing for our sport that it is ever seen or portrayed as such.

FWIW I go to Badminton almost every year and there are just as many (if not more) "normal" people there as people whom posters here would define as "posh". Yes ok, there is a big posh house in the background, and I've seen Will and Kate there before now, BUT normal people go as well, in fact 250,000 people go every year, so I'd hazard a guess that within that number you will find someone from every background.

I used to groom, and believe me there aren't many "poshos" happy to get paid 6 quid an hour for a 10 hour working day stood out in the rain. They are just people who love horses, every spare penny goes on the horses, no new clothes, no holidays, no new car because the horses have vets bills, or need new tack or whatever. They are a million miles away from being posh.

And no, I didn't groom for a big posh Lord of the Manor, I groomed for Riding for the Disabled - more non-posh NORMAL riders for whom contact with horses can be the difference between managing their disability and not. I have seen children whom the doctors said would never walk building up their muscles through riding and eventually walking unaided.

Ok, rant over.

And following on from Cake's post, if you want to see just how amazing the likes of RDA can be in turning around the life of someone with a disability, watch the Paralympics because there is dressage in there too. It won't be to quite the same standard as this week's because the riders, in the main, don't have the fine muscle control required to produce piaffe, passage etc. But it will still be a fabulous display of skill, harmony and training.

I once saw a quote from a disabled rider: "I can't walk. But when I ride, I dance."

Think on that, all of you who dismiss riding and horses and dressage and equestrianism as being for "toffs" and "poshos", and feel ashamed of yourselves for your narrow-minded inverse snobbery. You have no idea how horses can change the lives of ordinary people for the better.

the whole thing is a massive turn-off because it just seems so champagne-y and braying and worlds away from the way most people live
would you rather talk about reality or how things 'seem'?
Badminton is a great day out for all kinds of people, sorry if that goes against how you 'feel' about it, although I have not been there for many years, my main memory was beer, not champagne.
These stereotypes are so irrational and tiresome.
Oh and it's an 'event' not a 'meet', that's for hunting.
ex groom here too cakebump

and about the RDA, I remember years ago we all helped out with some kids from a residential home (1980s) most of who were downs syndrome, and it was the highlight of their week (and ours) - such laughter and fun, they would come steaming out of their minibus, full of enthusiasm. Although they only came once a week, it helped noticably with their posture too.

I used to lead for the RDA when I was young. It was great. This thread might have inspired me to do it again. I will certainly look into it. I have more time now the mighty Stanners has been retired :(

Aww QoD, your horse is lovely!

The important thing to remember here guys, is that our lives are all the richer see what I did there for the horses in our lives regardless of what the other idiots people here think!

I couldn't agree with the last 4 posters more! :)

Yes you will see fancy horseboxes at events, and there is money around - a huge amount of it comes from sponsorship, and don't forget a lot of people live in those horseboxes for a whole eventing/dressage/showing season and believe me it is not glamorous.

There's nothing wrong with money being involved, as per the football analogy further up - there are millions and millions of pounds spent there, and season tickets to some of the bigger clubs cost a small fortune, but I don't see anyone getting knocked for that. In the same way you have the huge contrast between the big premiership clubs and the local clubs, so you have it in the horsey world. There are vvv expensive horses bought by people for others to ride at the top end and at a business level and there are the likes of me with 1 cheap horse, run on a shoestring (or baler twine) because it's part of me - same with football for many I expect.

I used to be 'whipper in ofhounds'. I'm from a divorced family council house background. For the privilege, I was paid £102.16pw. That week started at 7.30am Monday, and finished at 5.30 on a Sunday. In excess of 70 hours per week.
Hardly a top hat wearing Hooray Henry!

What's that got to do with anything? Whippers in aatr paid help not the status of huntsmen?

My DSis hunts

She's not a toff

she's a cruel fox tormentor though :(

Not any more she isn't, you haven't been allowed to catch foxes and kill them for years!