Whipping is never required in dressage. When riders carry a whip it is meant to be used as an extension of one’s arm. Most of the horse world is appalled.
That said horses are abused in every discipline, and this is just the tip of the iceberg.
2 Likes
At the risk of exhausting everyone’s patience, here is a good post by a professional trainer:
A show jumping coaches opinion on the Charlotte Dujardin debacle…
I am an FEI II Coach. In order to get my FEI II I had to coach both dressage and show jumping to the same level and standards as someone wanting to only do dressage. (That means dressage coaches had to be able to coach to the same level as me but didn’t have to coach jumping meaning I had to be tested for twice as much skill).
I can’t think of a time I’ve ever carried a whip into an arena to conduct a lesson. There was that one time a student almost ran me over with her horse and I had to jump out of the way. For that I decided to create a barrier of poles around myself (like a Hocus Pocus ring of salt) to prevent her from running me over.
It never occurred to me to hold a whip.
That’s because a good coach can explain advanced concepts and complex exercises and movements to their students in a simple and easy way for them to duplicate and understand.
A good coach can get their students to feel things they might never have been able to feel and experience on their own. A good coach can get the rider to be able to perform amazing things on the horse and guide their students almost like puppets on a string to achieve specific and quantifiable results.
A good coach never raises their voice.
A good coach never gets frustrated at their student or at the horse if they are having a “bad day” (because those days can happen.)
And a good coach always sets their student and horses up for success.
The fact that she HAD a long whip with her during this “lesson” to me means that this isn’t the first time she’s brought a whip to a lesson before. Bringing a whip to conduct a lesson, to me, means chances are she also has used that whip in her other lessons.
Just because someone is a famous rider does NOT mean they are a good coach.
Becoming a good coach is the equivalent of going to college to be a brain surgeon. It requires hundreds of thousands of dollars of your own money in training, and countless hours learning and apprenticing and shadowing the best. It means understanding horse and human psychology to high degrees. It means learning sports and biomechanics to a level that would bore the pants off of most people.
And most importantly, it requires a true passion and commitment and dedication to your students and their own dreams and goals.
As coaches we take on the responsibility for being role models and creating the equestrians of the future.
Let me be clear. There is a difference between carrying a jumping bat and giving your horse a little tap before a big jump because the spot is long and your horse is young and has a tendency to back off at the last second… and using a whip on a horse 24 times in less than 60 seconds because “it needed to lift its legs higher in canter.”
The show jumping world isn’t much better. There are “pros” out there that do things they shouldn’t behind closed doors. Unfortunately, it happens more than we’d care to admit. But at the end of the day, there is no justifiable reason for what Charlotte did. It is not excusable. And it probably happened more than once.
Be careful who you hire as your coach. A gold medal doesn’t qualify them as a good one.
6 Likes
Watching the replay of USA soccer on Peacock. (I already know the final score.) I think it was shown live on the USA network.
1 Like
Full schedule of events:
3 Likes
TEAM USA has a good website.
Their SCHEDULE has dates, events, where to watch, replay info, online info, etc.
They list each ATHLETE, their sport, hometown, education, etc. Right now it has their current medal count from previous Olympic games.
3 Likes
We are focused on swimming with two former swimmers in the house and some loose personal connections.
My youngest swam on the same YMCA team as Matt Fallon of The Jersey Boys, albeit the local team not the national team (Y Natty Champs!) The record board at our Y is absolutely filled with Matt’s times.
My brother also works with one of the parents of the Walsh girls’. We’ve been hearing about them for the better part of a decade.
2 Likes
Team USA Shop is selling official gear.
Medal ceremony jacket is $400.
The closing ceremony jacket is $1K.
2 Likes
I ordered a special Olympic edition Align leggings. 
Lulu dresses Team Canada. 
No idea if those are official Canadian team leggings, but I needed a pair, and the color looked great.
4 Likes
I am safely in my seat, looking toward Notre Dame. I can’t say I’m great with photos but I’m going to give it a try. MASSIVE security.
24 Likes
How exciting! Please share more photos. We’ll live vicariously through you. 
4 Likes
I’ll do my best. I know we have American fans - any other nations of interest?
4 Likes
USA and The Netherlands 
I will keep an eye out for their boat!
Lots of Canadian and Japanese fans around us. We’re debating if teams will appear in order of their French or English name (Les Etats-Unis Or the United States).
2 Likes
Excellent beginning of the ceremony coverage!
2 Likes
Wasn’t sure what to expect but this is really great!
2 Likes
I am not a big basketball fan but this does look to be an amazing line up for all the teams. USA’ men’s first opponent team Serbia and Jokic. Should be amazing. And so excited for coco. She is an amazing player and supposedly a nice person. The tennis tournament should be fantastic too with nadal and Alvarez in doubles and Andy Murray playing his last tournament.
Lady Gaga is awesome! Who cares that piano was not well tuned…
ZOMG. That performance apparently had no rehearsal!
3 Likes
That someone could dance on those skinny spike heels needs to be an olympic sport in itself!
3 Likes
A sliver of the Eiffel tower is incorporated into each medal. Pretty cool!
3 Likes