PrintAfter reading that ignorance, cheating, judging and misconduct were listed as the sport’s biggest problems in 1951, our columnist sees a parallel to current issues.
While at the U.S. Equestrian Federation for a meeting recently, I had a few minutes before the other participants arrived and picked up a copy of the 1951 American Horse Shows Association President’s Report to the Board of Directors. As I read the report, I realized everything was absolutely true of our sport 60 years later.
The president started with the statement “you cannot satisfy everyone” and proceeded to tell a story about a man, his son, their donkey, their journey across the land and the opinions of the people they encountered. No matter whose advice they followed, it seemed they could do nothing right, and everyone they met had a different opinion.
The president reported on four major problems within equestrian sport in 1951, which included: ignorance, cheating, judging and misconduct. You would think we would have solved these by now and moved on to other topics, but I don’t think we will ever “solve” these issues entirely.
Ignorance comes in many forms, and a lack of respect for others is its most destructive form. People make decisions that work for them, including how much they want to understand our sport. We can’t expect the majority of members to be well versed in the intricacies of our sport, its governance, or to even have an interest in being involved at a level other than that of personal enjoyment in riding. We need to ensure that our membership has the tools available to learn about our sport, and, at the same time, we have to accept the fact that many will not take advantage of this opportunity. That’s OK.
But people who don’t utilize the opportunities available should, at a minimum, treat those who have invested their time in understanding the sport with respect. Opinions that cannot be justified are often destructive. Educate yourself before offering an opinion, and even if you feel strongly about an issue, don’t treat those who feel differently disrespectfully.
Let’s Make Tougher Penalties
In some instances, ignorance can be construed as cheating, especially when a person who’s not educated on the rules of the game is just starting to participate in our competitions. These situations are significantly different than those that arise when a small group of people devise ways to gain an unfair advantage. There’s a marked difference between gaining an advantage by seeking to be the best you can be versus using illegal methods to gain an unfair advantage.
It doesn’t seem to matter how strict the penalties for the violation, there will always be a few individuals who don’t think the rules apply to them and will take the risk for the immediate gain. While accepting this fact, we must be diligent in our efforts to provide a fair and level playing field for our members. When individuals are caught cheating, we need to make sure that the penalties for significant violations (verifiable acts of cruelty or the presence of drugs which have no therapeutic use in horses) are potentially life changing. This should act as a deterrent and potentially rid our system of these behaviors.
