[Horsie]

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationwo...,5056646.story

I heard about this on the radio this morning, where they were describing dressage as "the most expensive hobby in the world," along with making a few other weird statements about it. Oh for crying out loud . . .

I'm a flaming liberal but if my SO made that kind of money, I'd quit my job and spend all that money on horses, too.

[bluemooncowgirl]

It's being discussed at length over in Dressage.

[Belg]

I call BS. Solo Ocean Racing is.

[SLW]

"a rarefied sport", good grief, class warfare article. Pass the popcorn.

[wcporter]

My favorite parts:

"She soon fell in love with dressage, a fussy Olympic sport that is also called "horse ballet." In dressage, a horse moves in delicate, dance-like steps to music as the rider, formally clad in top hat and tails, imperceptibly guides the animal."

and

"Dressage is not for the faint of wallet; it requires healthy outlays of cash for upkeep, training, transportation and veterinary care. It attracts some of the world's richest people — the daughter of billionaire New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg competes. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang and his wife own dressage horses."



and WRONG LA TIMES!!! Get your Facts straight!

[rmh_rider]

I think car racing is more expensive.

There are plenty of people who have horses who are not rich.

Me for one.

[MrsFitzDarcy&Feliks]

I think car racing is more expensive.

There are plenty of people who have horses who are not rich.

Me for one.

And Paul Newman was able to pay for both! I don't know how wealthy he was, but I doubt he was in the rarified air of the old money or today's Silicon Valley new money.

[cheval convert]

My favorite parts:

"She soon fell in love with dressage, a fussy Olympic sport that is also called "horse ballet." In dressage, a horse moves in delicate, dance-like steps to music as the rider, formally clad in top hat and tails, imperceptibly guides the animal."

and

"Dressage is not for the faint of wallet; it requires healthy outlays of cash for upkeep, training, transportation and veterinary care. It attracts some of the world's richest people — the daughter of billionaire New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg competes. Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang and his wife own dressage horses."



and WRONG LA TIMES!!! Get your Facts straight!

Damn, no one told me that I was among the world's richest people. What am I doing still sitting here at work? I should be out drinking martinis with Mayor Bloomberg! Wait till I tell hubby he needs to start supporting me in the style to which the LA Times says I am accustomed
I think I'll call the towncar right now and head over to the luxurious facility where his highness, the PMU gelding resides. Oh, wait, I still have bills to pay....maybe the LA Times will pick them up for me.

[Flagstaff Foxhunter]

Class warfare is decidedly unfunny. Media bias, no?

[Kwill]

Interesting choices of words and phrases:

extraordinarily expensive
fussy Olympic sport (like ice dancing isn't fussy?)
horse ballet
immaculate, Mediterranean-style ranch
a foreign corporation registered in Delaware
stays either in hotels or in a guesthouse on the ranch
not for the faint of wallet
regularly ferries at least one of her horses between Moorpark and Boston
healthy outlays of cash
world's richest people
Just expensive to have insurance (and really? listing how much she pays in insurance for her horses?)

Not even sure why this was in there:

"But moving horses can be dangerous as well as costly.

In 2003, a newly purchased horse, Marco Polo, was flown from Germany to Boston, where his container tipped on the runway. The horse tore a hind ligament and spent a year recuperating. But the accident might have been much worse, Romney revealed in her deposition. "Somebody in the container almost got killed we found out later. It was terrible.""

More of the same, I guess -- people can't even afford to fly overseas... she can afford to have a horse for a year that isn't doing anything ...the callous attitude of the rich for human life transporting their horses?...

Class warfare, indeed.

[Horsie]

I also was a little bothered that they felt the need to point out that it included top hats and tails.

The dingbat on the radio said that it's a really beautiful sport to watch when you see a "good horse" doing it. No credit whatsoever was given to the riders except to say that they use leg muscles to tell the horses what to do. Apparently dressage is just about ridiculously expensive horses dancing to music. Oh, and dressage horses do pirouettes and deep bows.

[vacation1]

It's not class warfare, it's basic observation. Come on, how could any self-respecting reporter NOT mention that this a sport which involves wearing a top hat and tails while sitting on a farm animal? It is something you only do if you have a decent amount of spare cash. Yes, I know all COTH people are good, decent folk who aren't rich AT ALL. But if you own a horsie, take good care of it and compete, you have more than most people, especially today.

[c'est moi]

"Class warfare" happened in 18th-century France. Pointing out that a rich woman is, in fact rich, not so much--no need to be melodramatic. And while the article was clearly written by a non-equestrain, I don't see any problem with highlighting 1) Ann Romney is very rich 2) dressage is expensive and 3) Ann likes to spend her money on expensive horses. If you don't want to hear the truth, then don't read the article.

[Frosty M]

Jacqueline Kennedy's horses and riding habits were kept very much under wraps while Kennedy was president. Fox hunting was also considered elitist. The Romney's (or their employees) show in dressage at the highest of levels and spend tons of money on their horses, but so what? Why can't people mind their own business about candidate's hobbies?

[Frosty M]

Here's an example of what one of the Romney horse does- This rider and horse are amazing:

Picked The ...
http://www.nationalmemo.com/strange-...y-picked-the-m...

[Chief2]

Whatever floats their boat. I would just like to have their tax agent.

[Chief2]

I mean, when you think of it, I work hard for what I earn. I am federally taxed between 38 and 45 percent depending on whose tax cuts are or are not in place. The Romney's pay what? 12 percent? That's a whole lotta oats being sheltered from the IRS coffers. Now if we were to do the just and humane thing, which would be to switch my tax rate for theirs, I could see a whole lot more of my money going into Dobbin, and a whole lot more of theirs going down the road.

They have been elitist since before he ever ruled the roost in Massachusetts. Her DH even had the nerve to espouse that poor single mothers should know the honor of working. Guess that only applied to poor single mothers with families, and not to his dear wife. Spare me the poor Ann Romney's. She is happily living a gilded life.

[BasqueMom]

There are different rates for types of income....higher tax rate for wages and earned income. Dividends and capital gains are taxed at lower rates. The percentage various with your ordinary income rate.

Folks in the 10 and 15% range, pay no capital gains on long-term capital gains. The other tax rate groups pay 15%. Short term capital gains are taxed at the same rate as ordinary income rates. Dividend income is also taxed similarly with different types of dividend income being taxed differently.

Romney. I suspect, has very little ordinary income (wages, etc) and the bulk of his income comes from capital gains and probably dividends. And he already paid taxes on the income that allowed to buy the assets that provide his present income.

Me, I'm a whole lot more concerned about the coming taxes in 2013 on my wallet and the economy when the Bush/Obama tax cuts expire and more of the Health Care taxes start kicking in than what Romney, Obama, etc. pay.

[Horsie]

I think, ultimately, what I resent so much is what I see as both the mischaracterization of dressage and a little bit of mischaracterization of horsepeople in general. I make a very modest income doing what I love, not what makes me wealthy, and I frequently feel put on the defensive when people think that because I ride, I must be rich and snobby.

I think this becomes a real issue when it comes to things like sharing trails. As both a cyclist and equestrian, I hear a lot of mountain cyclists complaining about rich, arrogant horse owners which is a hell of a way to label us when the vast majority of us are middle class and make a lot of sacrifices in order to do what we love.