With a single article published in late December
2012, The New York Times shook the equestrian community to
its core by suddenly bringing the normally secluded and traditional horse show
world into the mainstream media. But I wondered, what about the rest of us that were already here? In 2013 I wrote a 27 page article commenting on the author's lack of intimate familiarity with the sport that is a common affliction to many outsiders looking in. By no means were the author's comments unwarranted, yet I found them irritatingly uninformed.
I grew up the oldest daughter of a local New Jersey horse-trainer, competing before I left the womb, and once breathing before I could walk. I spent 18 years of my life being able to look out my bedroom window and see my ponies and horses grazing peacefully in their pasture. Their care and health was my responsibility and an integral part of my life. From the day I was born, until the day I began law school, I had spent the great majority of my weekends at horse shows and equestrian meets all over the country. As I began to do the Equitation, I had to become familiar with the USEF Rule Book. I was lucky to have these opportunities; without realizing it I had amassed a great deal of knowledge about our sport just by experiencing it. With my legal education halfway complete, and a lifetime of equestrian experience under my belt, I hoped I would be able to comment on the topic of the USEF's rules and how they could get the leg up they needed.
Building on that idea, I explored what our sport actually needs to overcome and improve the problems with the USEF's regulatory scheme. I started with the premise that the principles underlying the USEF's regulatory efforts were the basic values of rider safety, horse health, and preserving the integrity of the sport. I found this reflected in a wonderful quote included in the USEF Rule Book:
“That the exploitation of sport for profit alone kills the spirit and retains only the husk and semblance of the thing; That the qualities of frankness, courage, and sincerity which mark the good sportsman in private life shall mark the discussions of his interests at a competition.”
After conducting extensive research and interviews, I eventually completed the article entitled, "Struggling to Remain on Course: Faults of the NewUSEF Rules AND HOW THEY CAN GET The LEG-UP they need."
I
liked the article, but it didn’t feel like what I had started out to do was complete. The article is, after all, a piece of
legal writing and it didn't reach as many people as I had hoped. Since that time two years ago, I kept feeling like I had a lot more to say on this subject, and many others...some related and some not. I love my two horses, Moose and Zoë, I love a good glass of wine, and I love spewing my opinions and thoughts all over the internet just to see what people think... okay, not really. But I do hope that I can contribute to the conversation in a meaningful way and provide a new perspective to legal, equestrian and women’s issues (and sometimes just post pictures of my horses). And thus a blogger is born!
Please remember, I
am new at this and not exactly tech savvy! I appreciate all comments and can’t
wait to get started! Welcome to “BACK OFF COURSE” and enjoy the ride :)
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