Thursday, July 24, 2008

The blind leading the blind...

My question today is: Why are so many people teaching others who are so unqualified themselves? This person's web site scares me. She was discovered by an alert reader when she posted offering vaulting lessons.


"COME JOIN A CLASS OF VAULTING GYMNASTICS ON HORSE BACK FOR KIDS 5 AND UP teaches balance and confidence on a horse and is great fun. We have a vaulting trained horse and I have been teaching for over 20 years I was the for coach for a british jr team in England for 3 years this is a fun sport. I am wanting to start up a vaulting club meeting once a week If you think your kids would like to try this send me an email check out our web site at www.suffolkfarm.com
Just a thought: Maybe the kid standing on one foot on a horse's back should have a helmet on. Ya think? After, all, YOUR OWN WEB SITE states "It is manditory for all students under 18 to wear helmets." So that kid is 18? Could have fooled me. You know, when you SAY these things on your site, you should make sure the pictures match what you're preaching. Is that complicated?

The owner hails from England, so all I can say is: English is not her second language. Apparently she just slept through grade school:

"At 16 I enroled in the YTS. Youth training Scheme which provided on the job training with collage time also. My training was dune at Newton Hall Equitation Center in Swilland Suffolk It was a mixed commeral yard riding school hunting and show yard. After the corse was over I stayed on as a working student. After a year I moved on to work for Mr Robert Hagg at High House Farm Stables near Stowmarket Suffolk. It as a training yard that did eventing and hunting mostly we did alot so braking and schooling of clients horses."

Oh well. Maybe at least those horses of hers have good braking!

(Check out her Hefflinger gelding for $600 on the sale page. What is that? A Haflinger that needs Jenny Craig? A cross between a Haflinger and a Heffalump?)


Of course, no asshat's web site would be complete without a picture of their 14 year old daughter "braking" her not-yet-two-years-old filly!

"Just before we left for KY, Vicky started braking Peaches she got her saddled and rode her the second day The little mare did not buck once She is a very carm girl Peaches is doing very well The pic is their 3rd ride together."

I looked up the filly on AQHA. Foaled 7/12/06. So she started "braking" her at 21 months. Greeaaaaat. Well, like most horses ridden this early, I'll bet she winds up broke - in more ways than one! Broke to ride and broke down. C'mon, one look at that filly should tell you she's not ready to carry weight.

(And pick up a f'ing brush once in a while, it won't kill you. Jeezus, my retired mares that sit in the field get groomed more than this filly.)

(And I thought you Europeans knew better than to ride babies. I thought it was just we Americans that were guilty of that crap for the most part. What happened here? Did y'all kick her out of Europe for being an asshat?)