Friday, October 2, 2009
Sales Ad FAIL
This photo was on a sale ad on Dreamhorse. I was amazed at the total FAIL here. Gosh, pick yourself up by the reins much? Great example of equitation too, by the way. This horse is a saint for putting up with this crap. Cant really figure out the hardware on him either, looks like just a plain snaffle (so probably not really hurting the horse TOO much) and a tangle of reins and martingales. The humongous cloud of dust mostly obscuring the horse is a nice touch too, sure makes me want to buy him. He looks cute, but who can really tell?
What he looks like is too much horse for this man to ride. He looks as if he expects to get chunked any second and is holding on for dear life.
ReplyDeleteHis stirrups are way too short too.
ReplyDeleteI agree, PRS... also it looks like a little bridoon in the horse's mouth, which WOULD hurt like a mo-fo.
ReplyDeleteYou didn't mention the poor horse's hollowed back....
I also see the typical male flapping elbows. And hanging on the horse's face like that should be punishable in a court of law.
Humping a football, indeed.
And... when you're that tall... GET A BIGGER HORSE.
I think you see so little proper saddle seat eq. because it's HARD to ride with your knees in, and your body kind of perched over them, and still maintain good hands. Good SS riders always look like they're magically balanced on hardly NUTHIN', like those mobile-like desk sculptures that are weighted on one end, and rest on a tiny little point supported by an indented base...
Well, here's an extreme example:
http://www.officeplayground.com/Bobile-P248.aspx
A craptasic attempt at Saddle Seat. Oh my, my, my! It doesn't matter what kind of bit was being used. It is inflicting pain on the high end of the autrocity (sp?) scale! That horse is a saint for the moment this picture was taking but I'm kind of fantasizing about what happened after they snapped this picture. No, that guy doesn't do anything for me unless he were flying through the air, in the greatest of pain and then impaled onto a large oak branch only to be abandoned and eaten by the buzzards. Then the horse will skip off into the sunset with a loving new owner and live happily ever after...... if only......hmmmph!!
ReplyDeletetailwindssouth.blogspot.com
Oh, you can talk about the position and the bitting all day.
ReplyDeleteBut what I really love is the logo in the corner - could this be a professional photo?
Perhaps the dust cloud is really a scary horse ghost, like the Dead Horse Patch in National Velvet, and the horse has actually just spooked and the rider is doing a manful job holding him back so that the photographer can capture this moment of strength, beauty, and supernatural power.
...maybe...
unionsquarestables.blogspot.com
Unfortunately. :P This is standard turnout for trainers on Arabian English "pleasure" horses.
ReplyDeleteThe bit is not just a snaffle -- it's a bradoon, with a thin mouthpiece, quite likely at least a "knife-edge" bradoon, or a single or double wire twist.
The rein is just a single one, although some trainers with at least a clue about bit effects do use two reins on the bit -- one through the martingale, one not.
The apparent extra rein is actually a harmless (probably the ONLY harmless thing in this photo) carry strap that runs from one martingale ring around the horse's neck to the other ring and serves the dual purpose of the absent neck strap (keeping the martingale from dropping too low) and the bit guards (keeping the martingale rings from catching on rein snaps or bit).
The rider (and I use that term loosely) is a little below average for the style. The poor idjit is trying to bounce on the kidneys and simultaneously hoist the horse's forehand into the air, with the result -- well, imagine the big-lick monkey-humping-a-football riding style -- but he has to POST ...
I feel for the poor horse... how does he even breathe with his head and neck at such angle!?!?!
ReplyDeleteThis guy makes me laugh: heels way down, stirrups too short, bad seat, bad legs, bad hands, bad posture... well... everything about him is bad! The horse looks like a well put together SAINT! Love his colour too.
That guy is SO going to end up IN the pile of dust, sooner or later. Even if the horse doesn't get fed up and throw him, the slightest little trip...
ReplyDeleteI want to scream 'Shoulders back' at him.
is that horse's pastern touching the ground?
ReplyDelete.... and check out what appears to be upside-down muscling on the poor horse's neck. This guy is ridden like this ALL THE TIME.
ReplyDeleteA friend and I were at a show and during lunch we watched some people working their horses. We quickly decided some of the horses needed to buck off their riders and start a "buck off pile". We ranked riders from worst to not-so-bad on who would be first on the pile. This guy would be one of the first ones on the buck off pile!! He appears to be literally "hanging" on the horses mouth with the reins!!! Learn how to ride guy....it is called an "independent seat".
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure but I think I see big ol honkin western spurs on this cowboy too! Yikes!
ReplyDeleteHahaha: Monkey humping a football! I don't believe I've ever heard that term before. Funny and accurate. I like the idea of a buck off pile too!
PRS, don't insult cowboys ;)
ReplyDeleteExcept for the long back, I like the horse... Unless the rider is very tall, though, the horse is probably too short for me.
ReplyDeleteMmm, dreamin'... give him a good trim and a rest, groundwork for balance, flex work, basic dressage, get him into good self-carriage, and take him back to the show ring...
Note to self: buy more lottery tickets.
Ruthie
It is so interesting to read so many comments -so many things I do not see!
ReplyDeleteBut seriously, anyone else notice the unraveling polo wrap XO Oh no!
to me it just looks like the mans lost his balance and your meant to be looking at the quality off the horse not what the rider is doing when buying a horse!!!
ReplyDelete