Monday, September 06, 2010

Sjef Janssen illustrates everything I hate about competitive dressage

11 comments:

forever in blue jeans, Beth said...

Monsters come in many guises - I wish I could sue horse abusers for the emotional pain they inflict on all of us suffering in witnessing their cruelty - I ~ feeeel ~ such painful distress watching this unnecessary suffering . . . will it never stop ?! And it isn't just dressage horses...it's blind, thoughtless, greedy, self-serving cruelty that seems to take hold of some folks like a malicious demon...the devil wears prada...or seeks blue ribbons awarded by blind judges.

billie said...

Arlene, although this appears to be from 2003, I posted it because I find it interesting that this is how he rides/trains - and yet doesn't now want to be associated with the word rollkur, even though at one point he boasted that he invented the method.

If this is modern dressage I reject it completely.

billie said...

Beth, go for it. I wish there was a way (there may well be and I just don't know about it) to sue him on behalf of every horse that has been ridden this way because of people emulating this kind of riding that he has openly taught and claimed credit for developing.

I made a new label with this post: hideous horsemanship.

Anonymous said...

I dispise that man he is a bully and a thug. How could he ever have thought that taking Astrid on in the courts of law was going to help his reputation,you can call it what you like Rollkur ,L D R what ever its still cruel to horses.

billie said...

It's difficult to imagine what was going through his mind with the lawsuit, especially since he had emailed all sorts of threats and profanities to her which he must have known she would pull out to show if pressed.

He sounds and appears in videos quite unstable to me - which makes it all the more upsetting that anyone listens to anything he has to say when it comes to training methods with horses.

Máire said...

This is all about control and there is nothing about unity. I suppose he is not interested in unity. It is so sad that those who judge competitive dressage are taken in by this. The Emperor's New Clothes should be read to all dressage judges.

billie said...

Maire, I think it is safe to say he is probably not looking for unity, harmony, or partnership with his horses. I have posted enough rides on here by people he has trained - the moment I saw this I thought, okay, now I can finally post his riding as the epitome of all I am railing against when I rail against competitive dressage.

The sad thing to me is that when I look only at his seat and his legs I see a classical seat that I'm guessing could look beautiful if the rest matched up.

Matthew said...

That poor horse!

billie said...

Someone who commented on this video in another venue said that this horse disappeared very early on in his life/riding career - probably ruined by this kind of riding. (that's my conclusion based on nothing but my own thought process)

Jenn said...

My heart breaks for that poor animal and any other that is forced to endure that level of inhumane cruelty for SPORT and MONEY. It sickens me.

billie said...

Me, too, Jenn. :/