GO HERE to read the editorial.
And if you are Purina or Spalding, please read it and most especially click on the link they have provided to the Cease and Desist letter they received by Schmersal's attorney. Unless Craig has an attorney who acts on his behalf without his knowledge or permission, this is clear evidence that in fact Craig DID threaten legal action.
I have been told that Craig has denied having done so. If the video of Craig's riding alone is not enough to bring about a re-examination of company sponsorship, does the fact that he lies to you make any difference?
Epona TV's goal is to document what happens at the upper levels of equine sport. They did not target Craig Schmersal in particular - they simply aimed their cameras at what they recognized to be abusive riding.
My goal is to vote with my credit card, giving my business to companies that stand squarely on the side of the horse and of riders/trainers who use humane training methods, humane horse-keeping practices, and who sit on the horses' backs who win them fame and money in a kind, respectful fashion.
And my secondary goal is to make the information I uncover in my effort to do this available to anyone else in the world who wants to read it and do the same.
Spalding has promised me an official response on Monday. Purina has promised nothing, but I will ask them again if they would like to address this given Epona's editorial.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Sunday, June 05, 2011
Friday, June 03, 2011
quick update: Purina, Spalding, Schmersal
I'm fielding emails, phone calls, and trying to get to the bottom of this, so please stay tuned. Craig Schmersal has denied that he got a verbal warning in the warm-up/training session (part of which was videotaped by Epona TV), and he has denied threatening to sue.
I am in the process of talking with Epona to see what their response is.
And I am appreciative that both Purina and Spalding are paying attention and looking into this situation.
As a friend just wrote on my Facebook wall: Take a deep breath and remember that you're only one person! One thing at the time and you'll get through it! I have confidence that you can tackle it all!!
Wise words. I will stay on top of this, collate the info, and write it up as soon as I can. Meanwhile I have horses to feed, trims to supervise, teenagers to chauffeur, and book sales to celebrate! But I will follow up on this AND on the BLM issue very soon.
I am in the process of talking with Epona to see what their response is.
And I am appreciative that both Purina and Spalding are paying attention and looking into this situation.
As a friend just wrote on my Facebook wall: Take a deep breath and remember that you're only one person! One thing at the time and you'll get through it! I have confidence that you can tackle it all!!
Wise words. I will stay on top of this, collate the info, and write it up as soon as I can. Meanwhile I have horses to feed, trims to supervise, teenagers to chauffeur, and book sales to celebrate! But I will follow up on this AND on the BLM issue very soon.
the senior horse, 5: don't mess with the boss mare!
This morning my husband came in from the barn to tell me that there had been some excitement sometime last night/early this morning.
An entire section of the barn, an exterior half-wall that makes up part of the barn overhang, had been kicked out. That half-wall was in need of some work. There were two holes in the Hardie Plank from previous kicks, and as are many things around here, it was On The List.
This morning it went to the top.
Based on the crime scene this is what I think happened:
Salina, the boss mare and resident goddess (and a senior at 28 years old) had come in from the pasture to relax under the shelter on the back of our barn and wait to be let into her area for morning hay.
An 11-year old painted pony gelding, who seems to be in the midst of trying to take over the herd in general, came in and moved in too close to the boss mare. I saw him stick his head over a stall door two days ago and bare his teeth at the black mare's rump. She responded with a double barrel kick to the stall wall and I am not kidding when I say that the pony did not move a centimeter. He has also been annoying the heck out of Keil Bay during the day, crowding into Keil's stall and not budging when Keil tells him to scram.
So, probably early this morning, when he moved in too close, Salina let loose with a double barrel kick and it completely shattered two panels of Hardie Plank. There were pieces strewn 25-30 feet back into the paddock.
The good thing about Hardie Plank is it does not splinter like wood does, so there were no sharp edges and Salina had one little scrape above the hock and one scrape on her forehead (I am guessing she spun around and scraped the stall door).
She also had one rear hoof that abscessed last year and the weak spot had just grown down to the toe area where it was very close to being ready to be trimmed away. I had looked at the fault line yesterday and wondered what our trimmer would do with it.
Guess what? He is coming today for our regular scheduled trims and Salina has basically done his work for him. When she kicked, the fault gave way and basically his job will be to clean up the edges.
As I did my investigation, Cody and Keil Bay lined up together in Keil's stall. "WE didn't do it!" was written all over their faces.
The pony was nowhere to be seen. Then I realized he was quite literally laying low in his stall, head and neck lowered so I couldn't easily see him over the wall.
Salina was happily munching hay in the barn aisle with her two donkey boys. "No problem here. I just did what needed to be done."
Which was put the pony in his place and move a barn project up to the top of my husband's list.
Salina, I salute you.
AND, further investigation reveals: another November Hill senior, Keil Bay, was also involved in the barn smashing incident. I still think the provocateur was the pony, but it appears upper level management had a smack down in the wee hours of the morning.
An entire section of the barn, an exterior half-wall that makes up part of the barn overhang, had been kicked out. That half-wall was in need of some work. There were two holes in the Hardie Plank from previous kicks, and as are many things around here, it was On The List.
This morning it went to the top.
Based on the crime scene this is what I think happened:
Salina, the boss mare and resident goddess (and a senior at 28 years old) had come in from the pasture to relax under the shelter on the back of our barn and wait to be let into her area for morning hay.
An 11-year old painted pony gelding, who seems to be in the midst of trying to take over the herd in general, came in and moved in too close to the boss mare. I saw him stick his head over a stall door two days ago and bare his teeth at the black mare's rump. She responded with a double barrel kick to the stall wall and I am not kidding when I say that the pony did not move a centimeter. He has also been annoying the heck out of Keil Bay during the day, crowding into Keil's stall and not budging when Keil tells him to scram.
So, probably early this morning, when he moved in too close, Salina let loose with a double barrel kick and it completely shattered two panels of Hardie Plank. There were pieces strewn 25-30 feet back into the paddock.
The good thing about Hardie Plank is it does not splinter like wood does, so there were no sharp edges and Salina had one little scrape above the hock and one scrape on her forehead (I am guessing she spun around and scraped the stall door).
She also had one rear hoof that abscessed last year and the weak spot had just grown down to the toe area where it was very close to being ready to be trimmed away. I had looked at the fault line yesterday and wondered what our trimmer would do with it.
Guess what? He is coming today for our regular scheduled trims and Salina has basically done his work for him. When she kicked, the fault gave way and basically his job will be to clean up the edges.
As I did my investigation, Cody and Keil Bay lined up together in Keil's stall. "WE didn't do it!" was written all over their faces.
The pony was nowhere to be seen. Then I realized he was quite literally laying low in his stall, head and neck lowered so I couldn't easily see him over the wall.
Salina was happily munching hay in the barn aisle with her two donkey boys. "No problem here. I just did what needed to be done."
Which was put the pony in his place and move a barn project up to the top of my husband's list.
Salina, I salute you.
AND, further investigation reveals: another November Hill senior, Keil Bay, was also involved in the barn smashing incident. I still think the provocateur was the pony, but it appears upper level management had a smack down in the wee hours of the morning.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
can we make the world a better place?
Friend and kaleidoscope artist Sue Ivy posted this yesterday and gave me permission to repost it here on camera-obscura. It feels so relevant this week as we struggle with what we can do to change things for horses and in the world.
We should not let the magnitude of worldly problems negatively impact our ability to bring about change in our own spheres of influence. It is tempting to assume that because we cannot solve humanity's problems that there is no reason to even attempt to make the world a better place. But our limited contributions join those of other, similarly minded individuals, and our combined efforts can have a major impact on suffering. Large-scale changes begin when a single person chooses to undertake a task that will improve the lives of a handful of people.—The DailyOMwww.dailyOM.com
Enchanted Forrest kaleidoscope gifts, apparel, stationery, posters and more:http://www.cafepress.com/enchantedcorgi ~ Books and calendars http://stores.lulu.com/store.php?fAcctID=1019842
Blog:http://the-enchanted-forrest.blogspot.com
Thanks, Sue! I needed to read this today. And please go check out Sue's links to see her offerings. Beautiful!
We should not let the magnitude of worldly problems negatively impact our ability to bring about change in our own spheres of influence. It is tempting to assume that because we cannot solve humanity's problems that there is no reason to even attempt to make the world a better place. But our limited contributions join those of other, similarly minded individuals, and our combined efforts can have a major impact on suffering. Large-scale changes begin when a single person chooses to undertake a task that will improve the lives of a handful of people.—The DailyOM
Enchanted Forrest kaleidoscope gifts, apparel, stationery, posters and more:
Blog:
Thanks, Sue! I needed to read this today. And please go check out Sue's links to see her offerings. Beautiful!
Wednesday, June 01, 2011
Purina's response to my email about their sponsorship of Craig Schmersal
Billie,
Purina appreciates your concern and FEI is reviewing the video of Craig Schmersal. Purina Horse Feed is not involved in the decisions made by the governing bodies of the sport of reining and leaves decisions regarding reining and other equestrian competitions to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). At this time, no statement regarding EponaTV‚s video of Craig Schmersal has been released by either organization. Until Purina Horse Feed learns of a rule violation in the sport of reining, Craig Schmersal will remain in the ambassador program.
Regards,
Beverly Fischer
Customer Service Manager
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed
100 Danforth Drive
Gray Summit, MO 63039
800-227-8941
636-742-6220
636-742-6170 (fax)
email:BJFischer@landolakes.com
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened" Anatole France
I guess they will wait and see if anyone ELSE is going to address this. Which is particularly ironic considering the quote at the bottom of the email.
We don't buy Purina products anyway, so I can't take my business elsewhere. But if I did, I would. Purina is a big enough company to make a statement without threatening their profit margin.
ADDENDUM:
I just received and published a comment from Malina at the FEI with a link to their official statement, which I am pasting below (and sending to Purina and Spalding for their information):
The FEI is constantly reviewing and amending the rules for all its disciplines to ensure that horse welfare is maintained.
Three working groups were set up in January of this year to conduct a full review of the discipline of Reining which will address all aspects of the sport, including rules and veterinary issues.
The working groups have already reviewed the Reining rules and regulations, the competition format and educational standards for all FEI officials within the discipline and will be giving their recommendations to the Reining Committee shortly. Also included in the review process are new Stewards’ guidelines and details of permitted training practices.
Representatives from FEI HQ spoke to the Chief Steward in Bökebergs Gård and were assured that all practice sessions were fully monitored, that each training session was timed and that all practices were within the rules that are currently in place. However, a preliminary report from the Chief Steward has been received by the FEI which records that a number of verbal warnings were issued to riders about their training methods during the practice session.
As part of the review process that was initiated in January, footage from the FEI World Reining Final and the resulting debate will be included in the file that will be submitted to the Reining Committee for inclusion in the review process.
The new FEI Reining rules and regulations will be voted on at the 2011 General Assembly in November for implementation on 1 January 2012.
As the international governing body for equestrian sport, the FEI condemns all training methods and practices that are contrary to horse welfare.
ADDENDUM TWO, PURINA's SECOND RESPONSE:
Billie,
We have now included the link from FEI with their official statement on our correspondence concerning Ambassador Craig Schmersal. Malina emailed me too with the information you had posted. We appreciate your feedback and please always feel free to call or email us with any concerns.
Regards,
Beverly Fischer
Not very satisfying, but it sounds like they might be getting some correspondence about this issue, which is good. If you haven't written or called yet, it's a good time to let them know what you think about sponsorship choices. They make a big part of their living due to horses. I think they should be the first to step away from affiliation with people like Craig Schmersal.
Purina appreciates your concern and FEI is reviewing the video of Craig Schmersal. Purina Horse Feed is not involved in the decisions made by the governing bodies of the sport of reining and leaves decisions regarding reining and other equestrian competitions to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). At this time, no statement regarding EponaTV‚s video of Craig Schmersal has been released by either organization. Until Purina Horse Feed learns of a rule violation in the sport of reining, Craig Schmersal will remain in the ambassador program.
Regards,
Beverly Fischer
Customer Service Manager
Land O'Lakes Purina Feed
100 Danforth Drive
Gray Summit, MO 63039
800-227-8941
636-742-6220
636-742-6170 (fax)
email:
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened" Anatole France
I guess they will wait and see if anyone ELSE is going to address this. Which is particularly ironic considering the quote at the bottom of the email.
We don't buy Purina products anyway, so I can't take my business elsewhere. But if I did, I would. Purina is a big enough company to make a statement without threatening their profit margin.
ADDENDUM:
I just received and published a comment from Malina at the FEI with a link to their official statement, which I am pasting below (and sending to Purina and Spalding for their information):
STATEMENT ON FEI WORLD REINING FINAL, BÖKEBERGS GARD, SWEDEN
25 May 2011
Three working groups were set up in January of this year to conduct a full review of the discipline of Reining which will address all aspects of the sport, including rules and veterinary issues.
The working groups have already reviewed the Reining rules and regulations, the competition format and educational standards for all FEI officials within the discipline and will be giving their recommendations to the Reining Committee shortly. Also included in the review process are new Stewards’ guidelines and details of permitted training practices.
Representatives from FEI HQ spoke to the Chief Steward in Bökebergs Gård and were assured that all practice sessions were fully monitored, that each training session was timed and that all practices were within the rules that are currently in place. However, a preliminary report from the Chief Steward has been received by the FEI which records that a number of verbal warnings were issued to riders about their training methods during the practice session.
As part of the review process that was initiated in January, footage from the FEI World Reining Final and the resulting debate will be included in the file that will be submitted to the Reining Committee for inclusion in the review process.
The new FEI Reining rules and regulations will be voted on at the 2011 General Assembly in November for implementation on 1 January 2012.
As the international governing body for equestrian sport, the FEI condemns all training methods and practices that are contrary to horse welfare.
ADDENDUM TWO, PURINA's SECOND RESPONSE:
Billie,
We have now included the link from FEI with their official statement on our correspondence concerning Ambassador Craig Schmersal. Malina emailed me too with the information you had posted. We appreciate your feedback and please always feel free to call or email us with any concerns.
Regards,
Beverly Fischer
Not very satisfying, but it sounds like they might be getting some correspondence about this issue, which is good. If you haven't written or called yet, it's a good time to let them know what you think about sponsorship choices. They make a big part of their living due to horses. I think they should be the first to step away from affiliation with people like Craig Schmersal.
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