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[harm_city_heart]

Every once in awhile, I revisit the horse-related corner of the internet, and two things happen: (1) I thank my lucky stars I didn't have more horrific accidents during my prelim-level eventing days, and (2) I find a new and horrifying form of animal abuse

Comments

[lyonesse]

i find i have nearly identical internet experiences when i read up about the lives of women :/

[harm_city_heart]

Yeah, which is why I spend less time on feminist blogs than I used to- it just got too overwhelmingly depressing.

[lyonesse]

i can usually abide feminist blogs. what i can't do is read the general news...

[dancing_crow]

you rode Prelim?? yikes!!

yes, humanity is fucked up, for the reasons you mentioned and so many more

[harm_city_heart]

Yeah- I schooled prelim briefly but never competed at that level. I got thrown over and into more obstacles than I can count, and had horses fall on me twice. I stopped riding after the last time I got fallen on, which was a shame, because I could have really loved just showing dressage. It was the competitive jumping that was making me nuts.

Looking back, my trainer pushed me way past what I was emotionally ready to handle as a 14 year old, put me on horses that were beyond my skill to handle competently, and put me and the horses I was riding at risk. Unfortunately, that's not uncommon in the show world as far as I could see.

[dancing_crow]

eeep. I don't think any 14 year old can be capable of Prelim....

I realize now I had perfected a form of passive revolt: I just kept finding new baby horses so I wasn't expected to go into the scary-fast or scary-high divisions! Years later I am competing in dressage, which is different. I kind of miss jumping (where jumping = hopping over things and the thinky part of riding a course) but I like the thinky part of dressage tests a lot.

[flexagon]

Ugh. Sometimes I am ashamed of our species.