Dear Rita,
The other exciting thing that happened last weekend in my horsey world is that The Wall Street Journal quoted me in an article it published about Totilas.
Of course, in keeping with my perspective on the non-perfect world, the article has a few glitches.
Mary M. Lane, a 2010 grad of Middlebury College, who received a Fulbright Beginning Professional Journalism Award, wrote it. She is interning for both The Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press in Germany, 2010-2011. Mary seems to be quite well educated with a major in German and a minor in Chinese. She even did a school year abroad in China in 2006. Good on ya, Mary.
Mary called me several times in reference to the Totilas article. She said that she had done hunter-jumper stuff and was familiar with the equestrian world but not with dressage. She also said she was given my name by The Chronicle of the Horse when she asked for an interview on the subject of Totilas’ sale. Nobody at the Chronicle can recall talking to her or giving her my contact information, which only became an interesting point after this article was published.
Mary and I spent much time on the telephone. Duly impressed to be interviewed by The Wall Street Journal, I tried to put as much thought into my perspective on the sale of Totilas as possible. I repeatedly emphasized the investment opportunities offered by the horse world—Totilas being an incredibly convincing example of capitalist success—as I thought this might be of interest to WSJ readers.
Mary, it seems, found other aspects of Totilas’ life more interesting. You should read the article for yourself. I’m sure that all of us in the “obscure” world of dressage will be relieved to hear that Mary recognizes Totilas’ resemblance to a Lipizzaner, and that she is happy to report that he is actually the first horse in the world capable of spitting onto a glove.
Good lord. I think I am having another religious experience. It’s fabulous for our most famous horse to get some worldwide press in one of the world’s most credible newspapers, but did they have to send an intern to cover this one? And is it impossible for an intern to at least check her facts before going to press? Camels spit, Mary, camels.
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Mary also refers to me twice as a “dressage critic.” Which makes me wonder if she thinks LeBron James is a basketball critic. Her inaccuracy in this case is disappointing in twofold: 1) A simple Google search would tell her that I am a professional rider who writes a blog, not a dressage critic, and 2) I paid some very high compliments to both Totilas and Edward Gal, the significance of which becomes clear when they are offered up by a fellow competitor, not when they come from a “dressage critic.”
“I remember well the first time I saw Totilas live. I called a friend of mine and said, ‘I’ve seen God.'” said critic Catherine Haddad of American equine magazine Chronicle of the Horse.
OK, my secret is out. One of the few religious experiences I’ve had in my life occurred when I saw Totilas the first time live! LOL! But wouldn’t that sound more reverent coming from an international dressage competitor rather than a dressage critic? How sad that the WSJ readers will miss the significance of this.
“It’s like taking an oil painting from Matisse and writing Monet’s name on it,” said Ms. Haddad, the dressage critic. “Edward Gal created a masterpiece, and now someone else will put his name on it.”
Again, Mary, you missed the boat. Ms. Haddad, Edward Gals’ fellow dressage competitor, paid him this compliment.
All of us in journalism make mistakes. I’ve done it! Call me crazy, but I am one of those people who thinks that when you have made a mistake you should acknowledge it and take responsibility for it. “I’m sorry, that was irresponsible of me” goes a long way in my world.
Unfortunately, the WSJ intern Mary Lane appears to have a different approach to responsible journalism. Even though a Google search that produces 2.8 million responses to my name reveals no mention whatsoever of “Catherine Haddad, the dressage critic,” this journalist cannot admit to having made a mistake, nor can she apologize. Instead, her misunderstanding of my role in dressage sport is the fault of others.
When I complained about her inaccuracy she responded via email:
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“…We listed you as a critic because, when we contacted Chronicle of the Horse, they referred to you as a critic for them. Your regular column on their website is also one that gives critiques and advice, and you’re listed their [sic] as a blogger for them. I also referenced your position for Chronicle of the Horse when I first contacted you.
Congratulations on being short-listed for the US team, as well. We know you have an extensive amount of professional experience to draw on when writing for the Chronicle; but as our perspective from you was based around your columns, that is what we referred to when referencing you for our readers.“
Now Rita, how should I respond to this? Needless to say, the probability of anyone at The Chronicle of the Horse referring me as a dressage critic is about as high as your horse actually spitting in your glove. This girl wants to be a journalist, but at the age of 23 (I have to guess at that since she graduated from college last year, and she won’t respond to my request to interview her) she can’t even own up to incomplete, inaccurate research. Crickey. I really don’t want to be mean to Mary. But I would like her to learn something from this.
Mary, if you had just apologized for your error, I would have let it slide.
In any case, I just want to say to the real dressage critics of our world, Astrid and Ken, eat your hearts out! I got quoted in The Wall Street Journal even if their intern had no idea who she was talking to! Hah!
I’m Catherine Haddad, and I’m sayin it like it is Vechta, Germany.
Training Tip of the Day: Teach your horse to spit in a glove if you want to earn over 90 percent in the Grand Prix freestyle.
