Lets take this blog to the next level

If you have a photo of crappy show riding, know of a jerkwad trainer or judge, or someone in the show world that is an abusive piece of shit then send the info to me. This blog is not anti-showing, it's anti-abuse. So there is no truth to the claims from the TWH, ASB, western pleasure and dressage zombies that I'm trying to shut showing down. Instead I'm trying to make showing more honest and to get abusive practices out of the showring! Email me at shameinthehorseshowring@gmail.com



I have a request for my readers: If you have successfully rehabbed a show horse, or gotten a rescue and taken it on to a show career then let me know, I'd love to feature you here!






Sunday, June 22, 2008

Crooked Trainers and Judges

You can’t talk about showing without discussing crooked trainers and judges. We know they exist. Just looking back at our past Olympic stars, like Barney Ward, shows you to what lengths a person will go to make money in the horse industry. My concern is with the more regional shows, since few of us reach Olympic heights.

I know of several prominent ApHC, APHA and AQHA trainers and judges that have been suspended for everything from drugging horses, to abuse and other rule violations. What amazes me is that horse owners still hire these pieces of shit knowing they are crooks. I’m not talking about a trainer that gets busted on a bute violation. I’m talking about a trainer that has used reserpine or other illegal drugs. I’m talking about a trainer that gets suspended on an abuse charge. WTF is someone thinking that would put their kid or horse under the care and supervision of someone that sees nothing wrong with giving a horse an anti-psychotic drug? Is winning worth the possible injury to your horse or child?

To take it one step further: some of these same trainers are also carded judges and they still retain their cards. WTF is the organization thinking letting them still judge? I don’t give a shit if the violation did happen ten years ago; if you’re a judge then you’re supposed to be above reproach. It’s bad enough to know Big Brown’s trainer was a multiple offender with drug use, but to find out our top WP and halter trainers/judges are also abusing the needle is unbelievable.
And what is the deal with the judge/trainer back scratching? I’ve seen judges place their trainer/judge friends that are showing horses that have serious soundness issues. Don’t they realize how sorry assed this makes them look? Giving your buddy’s post legged halter horse first place, just because you want the same treatment at the next show is just inexcusable. Judges, more than anyone in a breed, influence how a breed looks. They can alter public perception just by a few shoddy placings. They can create crappy trends and encourage defects just by placing their friends over more deserving horses.

How do people interested in showing combat these trends? The first way is to not show under shithead judges. Then write the organization that carded them and tell them you won’t show under that judge and why. Also let show management know that you won’t show under that judge. Since most shows are multi-judge shows your refusal to show under a judge means a show is losing multi-judge entry fees.

As for the crooked trainers: don’t hire them. If you do hire them you are a piece of shit too. You are hiring an animal abuser. If I see that your horse was shown by a piece of shit trainer I will not use any of your farm’s services. I will not use your stallion, buy your foals, board my horse or engage in any manner of business with you. Why? Because you are an abuse enabler and therefore a shithead supreme.
If a trainer previously suspended for drugs showed your stallion then I know your horse’s show record will always be suspect.

Nothing you do will ever remove the stain of having Mr. Drug Abuser on the end of the lead or in the saddle.

Get with the program and quit condoning and enabling the people that are ruining the horse show industry.

19 comments:

carriegl said...

The biggest problem..........The Horse Show Industry!!!

There is not one overseer for judging standards or ethics.

These judges can be suspended from one association and continue judging for any of the other associations they hold cards for.

Which means, what you don't know CAN hurt you and they are still making income.......off of the show industry!

Carrie Giannandrea
Dances with Horses
Formula One Farms

Anonymous said...

No, judges suspended from associations are suspended from other associations only if they have a resipical agreement among the, and are notified of the suspension. Do we need to talk like trash on this blog?

carriegl said...

Anonymous said...

No, judges suspended from associations are suspended from other associations only if they have a resipical agreement among the, and are notified of the suspension. Do we need to talk like trash on this blog?


I would feel much better responding to you if you had a real "name". I would also like it if you could show me where these organizations have a "reciprical" agreement? If the ApHC suspends a judge, does it tell the IAHA??

As for the trash talking......doesn't bother me one bit.

Carrie Giannandrea (not afraid to sign my real name)
Dances with Horses
Formula One Farms

cattypex said...

I don't mind the trash talk, either, 'cuz it's TRUE stuff.

I volunteered at our local 4H fair show this weekend, and the judge was great, and had serious beef with crappy things like spur stops, Myler bits and lame horses.

I wonder if she holds cards for ANY breed shows.....

It's sad that so many parents just don't do their homework when it comes to horses. I mean, it's not like baseball or gymnastics. There's SERIOUS potential for bodily harm, and hiring an unsafe trainer who puts your kid on an unsafe horse is sooooo asking for it.

Anonymous said...

Too bad that you like trash talk. If the show fits!

Anonymous said...

I can't believe you are a 4H person and condone all this thash talk.

Anonymous said...

I really wish you people knew as much as you think you do. When a person judges a world show, they are told at the judges meeting the nite before the show starts, the rules they are to go by. One of them is--when a person comes into the ring all equipment is considered legal and is to judged as so. Also, if you are so unhappy with judges, why don't you apply for a card. I think you would find out how hard it is to pass the test, and go through the process.

cattypex said...

Hey, I'm NOT saying all judges and trainers are BS artists, Big Bad Anon. Poster.

I've seen some judges do great things in the name of Education, and I've seen judges who will NOT put up with unethical behavior.

But I've ALSO seen some crappy trainers (like, bloody spur-tracks-on-2YOs crappy) in the middle of the ring, placing their unsound-horse-riding clients over everybody else, or the cute bouncy-boobed girls, or..... well we obviously all have horror stories.

As for crappy trainers... ever seen a 5th grader medivac'ed out of a horse show because a trainer overmounted her? Yeah. That's FUN. Unscrupulous trainers bilk affluent, well-meaning parents ALL...THE....TIME. For some reason, because these trainers have some imagined veneer of "professional," their lame-ass justifications of drug abuse and other cruelties override these people's common sense.

It's why this blog is called Shame in the Horse Show Ring. Or had you noticed that? It's not a place to get sunchine blown up where it normally don't shine.

Anonymous said...

You act like everyone is at fault. Yes, I have seen some bad things, but not all trainers or judges are bad. Shame on you in the horseshow ring for condoneing a person who calls another person a "shit" judge. That is the trash talk I am talking about.

cattypex said...

Heh... some judges ARE big fat steaming fly-covered piles of poop.

Call it like you see it. It's how change occurs.

ShameintheHorseShowRing said...

anonymous,

There are shit judges. If you're worried about a bit of hard language it shows where you misplaced priorities are. Why aren't you concerned with the drugging, cheating, back scratching and endorsement of genetic defects?

If your eyes are too delicate for this blog then don't read it. No one is putting a gun to your head.
Why not grow some balls and use your real name like the rest of us?


T Jean

Anonymous said...

Sorry, see it ALL the time in the Mini world. Not pinning the horse on the end of the lead, but who is on the OTHER end.

Last year at NATIONALS, the judge was over heard asking the steward who the trainers were in the class. Guess who won?

And even the people who were filming the show (totally unrelated to the registry) commented on how biased it all seemed....

Anonymous said...

You only have to look at who judges each others shows to know about the back scratching. It's disgraceful how blatant it is.

There is no point showing against some of the big trainers, not because they have the best horse, but because they have the "in" with the judge.

Anonymous said...

All of you are SO WRONG about most of the judges.

Tuffy Horse said...

anonymous wrote:

>All of you are SO WRONG about most of the judges.

No, they really aren't. There's a reason breed show judges have bad reputations: they earn it.

And when I've personally witnessed breed show events where non breed carded judges are used, such as some of the hunter stuff, the results of the classes are very different than under the breed show judges. There is a reason most stock horse judges do NOT earn USEF cards. I grew up auditing and scribing for George Brush ( yes, THAT George Brush) and I know what a good, ethical judge is. They judge the horse, not the handler.

Tracy Meisenbach
www.trinityapp.com
http://thehorsediary.net/ (updated 6-22-2008)

ShameintheHorseShowRing said...

I'm tired of the chickenshits that don't have the spine to use a name. This blog now requires an ID in order to post.


T Jean

carriegl said...

There are two organizations, the AHC and the ASHA (now USEF) already set up and in place. One of these orgs could be made a centralized authority for the Horse Industry, including the show industry. They could also become a lobby for us in DC to voice our concerns. They could even oversee the education of judges, breeders, trainers and riders.

Think of how valuable our industry would be if there was one place a person could turn to when seeking out information on a Trainer, a Show Horse record, a Breeder. It shouldn't matter what breed.

Just my two cents worth

Carrie Giannandrea
Dances with Horses
Formula One Farms

TxMiniatureHorse said...

Anonymous said...
All of you are SO WRONG about most of the judges.


Really? I was at Mini Nationals, too, saw it also. Saw it again this weekend at the local Area show. Not the horse being judged.

The Half-Assed Blog said...

$50 says good ole anonymous is a judge.

Hey, I'm not saying all judges are bad, but the crooked ones are there, in every breed divison and local shows. They're not that hard to spot.

Part of me is glad I don't have the money to show this year. Just more aggravation.