Uh oh... here we go!
This wasn't exactly what I meant to start, but ok...
Western Riders and I meant all of em... are supposed to need the slightest touch from spur, or calf, and/or a subtle shift in body weight to convey changes of pace/direction etc... So - sorry, but it's not just pleasure competitors.
Please don't take offense at this next comment, but... WHA games riders are
not a standard to be aspiring too.... can chasers etc in the US, they tend,
not all, but
most tend to wear bumper spurs, not jingle bobs etc as you'll find the majority of the WHA riders wearing. Bumper spurs are considerably less liable to cause damage when the riders are pushing for the extra bit on the home straight... as they do, no doubt and yes indeed they kick. As do ropers and so on... but I am talking equitation as opposed to games/working classes.
So tell me, if you were telling somebody how beautiful English riding could be, i.e. Grand Prix dressage, when done as it should be... then the person you were telling this to, assumed English was English, and went to watch the Prince Phillip Cup games... would you really want them all thrown in the same barrel? I sure hope not. Because, efficient or not, no pony clubber will ever bring tears to my eyes as Carl Hester on Escapado did, or some other stunning partnership, and I feel the same about western. Be it pleasure, or trail, horsemanship or reining... it should be a seamless partnership not a kick and jerk fest.
I was born and raised in the USA, I have seen it all done right, and all done wrong, and I am sorry, but the majority, NOT all, but MOST... of the gamers here are an embarrassment to the sport.
Somebody did a barrel and reining demo near here in the summer... at a very crowded country fair... I walked away in shame. I was appalled, and it does our sport no good at all that these people tout themselves as the genuine article. I know what club this person belongs to, and it’s not WES or AQHAUK… oddly… neither will have her?! Allegedly… though from a reliable source.
A program for children shown on CBBC during the summer had a "genuine" cowboy ... from Essex
I think... giving the kids at an English riding school lessons... I wrote to the BBC in disgust. His position was wrong. His tack fit badly. Even the way he taught these kids to stop, go and to turn the barrels… wrong- wrong and wrong again. And I know him... and I know his "standing" and I know it's rubbish. Sorry but it really is.
It's not right, and with our UK reining team fighting for some sort of recognition and legitamacy, and the UK youth team that travel the world competing... we're trying to get the reining in the Olympics for 2012... this is publicity we do not need... this makes us laughing stocks, and believe me... to a large portion of the UK... we are
already amusing enough with out showing off poorly fitting tack on hulking great hairy beasties that are totally out of control, and ridden by people in poor quality line dancing boots and hats... oh boy here I go... Ok. Muzzle back on now. And breathe…
Before the furor hits I better point out, I am not against hobby riders, I am not against hairy beasties... I am against the people that make the saying "a little knowledge is a dangerous thing" a way of life.
Too many people in this country think western riding is all flash saddle and neck reining... bingo you’re riding western. Too many people do not put the endless hours of training, and groundwork into their horses to get that desired attitude and obedience to the voice, to the weight aids etc.
The tack over here is on the whole, cheap and nasty, although there are slowly more good western tack shops opening, not all but some... and many so called saddle fitters, well they may have the accent, but not all have the knowledge. Some good western shops have closed. Some just disappeared.
If you can show me more then a handful of western riders that are gaming in this country that are skilled enough to not use their spurs when riding on the rail... let a lone in a tense adrenaline charged run... then I will eat my hat.
At present I only show AQHA but now my youngster is old enough I will be showing at some WES shows. I had given up membership of WES as it did not support games and working events, which I believe are the original roots of western... AQHA UK now has more forward thinking council members and these events are starting to trickle in over here... I was a member of WHA for a while as I love cattle classes, and every little girl wants to be a barrel racer... but I could not continue my support of a club so h*ll bent on yee hawing around the country with no interest in pursuing the skill that western riders should be able to show, whilst working, running barrels, or jogging down the rail. Heck... even on a hack. A western horse should be the epitome of a quiet, well trained horse, as near to bomb proof as you can get, with four wheel drive and power steering to boot. Any breed can do it with the right training. But it's not just not any rider that is capable of that.
I am really sorry that somebody's post has been corrupted like this, I only wanted a person new to western to know that because they had one rough experience they should keep trying as there are plenty of us out here that want our sport to succeed in what is essentially an incredibly stuffy and biased country.
I think I have covered all points… oh, and before I say “I am implying nothing, only stating facts as I see them”… I better be sure what it is you think I am implying?!
Till the next rant,