RIDE PRIVACY PLEASE!
Horse Shows and privacy? What has one, got to do with the other? In one word…everything.
In the past, horse shows, where by default, semi-private. You went to location, you rode your ride at your scheduled time and unless you had someone videoing your ride, that experience was then put to memory by everyone who happened to be there. Even then, the video was yours and only you got to decide who and what was allowed to see it. Security and privacy was controlled by you. No commentary. No opinions. No arm chair judges. Just your private reminder of the experience.
But as the years have gone by, the costs of showing at an on-site horse show have skyrocketed, preventing many from partipating in the sport of competitive dressage. It is a truly unique experience and the only sport where men and women, young and old can compete equally. The base cost of horse ownership take priority over the desire to ride down that centerline, dressed to the T, horse beautify groomed and smiles with friends and family around. A distincly unique experience, in a sport marked by kings and queens. No, something had to give.
Enter the internet.
The internet has been a fantastic game changer for many equestrians who want to compete, but lack the fiscal funding. Or parents of minor children who desire to show, but also require safe-sport compliant supervision. Or even a senior adult, who put off riding until they could afford it, but are now too nervous to attend the electric environment of a on-site show. Nosies, bangs, sound and bumps are just not for everyone and every horse.
The internet and online showing to the rescue.
- No required association fees
- No transport costs
- Ride at home
- No hotel bill
- Safe environment
- Reduced costs
- No safe-sport requirements
It is a perfection solution of squeezed budgets and desire for personal growth, in a sport that we love. It does not replace the excitment and community that on-site shows have, nor is it intend to be. But it is a wonderful alternative and continues partipation with the same trained eye of professional licensed judges.
Gotcha…but what does that have to do with privacy?
Videos on your phone or camera are private. The minute you upload a video to the internet, unless that site has a lock down firewall, that video is now free for anyone to look at, aka “public”. Depending on where, it could be forever.
As negative as that sounds, the warning comes for those who use online showing. A warning intended to prevent a problem. A warning intended to inform. What is that warning????
When you uploaded a video ride, that is public;y viewable, it is potenitally ready and waiting, for the arm-chair judges to publicly critique you and your horse, if not verbally assault. One such group is “Dressage Hub“. They proudly perform this type of negative commentrary for fame and profit. To verbally condem your trainer. To make commentary on the qualties of the judge. To twist and scrtintize your every move. Every wingling leg. Every jump of your horse. Every move of your arm. Every bounce of a whip. Every seat position. Every bit and saddle pad. Even yourtrainer’s training method may come into question. What ever is dynamic. Whatever can be twisted into story, regardless of who it hurts. If the trainer or judge is well known, even better.
Online showing is no longer the private experience between you, your horse and the judge, but a public fader. Even teenagers and children, have no protection from these gossip and critic machines, as “Dressage Hub” promotes. They post away on social media, Facebook, Instagram, Tic-Tok, YouTube and their own site. They call it educational, yet in reality, Dressage Hub, solicits negative comments from others. Luring other persons to the material, in order to see what all the commentary is about. Who does not like a good story!
Thus the rumor machine begins. Truthful or not. Factual or imagined. Whatever gets the most hits. However they can get noticed. No matter who it hurts. No matter what trauma they cause. No matter whoses reputation they destroy by accusation. No investigation involved. If using your ride, helps them build an audience…so much the better. What do they care? Little editing here…screen grab there, some nice headlines of abuse….it is money.
Of course the battle cry is free speech…and they are right, they can. That is the beauty of living in the United States. You may say what you think. You may comment. The question is, why should they be spiteful? How does negative and hurtful talk, help the sport? It certainly does not help the understanding of our non-equestrians friends and family, who already have questions about our dedicatio to an animal.
Then there is the fall out. For no one remembers the complement, but they always remember the negative. Leavng a doubt of authenticity of a rider/trainer/judge. More importantly, why should any of us provide the material for their commentary? That is where privacy matters.
There is a solution
Don’t throw away online showing just yet…the solution is simple. Make sure that any online shows that you particpate in, has a video privacy option. In short, the public can not see your video at anytime or by any means, unless YOU show it. Now you have hit the reset button, back to on-site showing. You control who. You control how. You are in charge. The online gossip mongers are out of commision.
If you already show online, this issue, the prevention of a problem, may require a change in who you show with, as using YouTube, Vimeo or Rumble, are defintiely public links. They have to be, so a judge can see the ride and review it. But being public link also means the link is open for downloading and editing with a focus of heightened sensation. All at your expense. You have to do your research. Who will keep you safe? Who will keep you away from the problem.
Virtual Horse Sport has been giving riders the option to keep their videos private since 2020, the enception of the service and at the beginning of the pandemic. Your protection and comfort as well as the protection of judges is a primary concern.
Groups like Dressage Hub, are not a good example of sportmanship and sport growth. While they have the right to free speech and commentary, their method and communication style leaves something to be questioned.
DO NOT ALLOW ANY RIDE VIDEO TO BE PUBLIC
WDAA MEMBERS BE AWARE....
The Western Dressage Association has been a leader in online showing and recongition of onine shows. It’s methods on sign verification and equipment checks via video has lead the way as an example that other assocations could follow. And as such have made a signifcant dent on how online showing needs to be done for the protection of the horse and sake of the sport at large.
But 2026 brings a warning for WDAA Online Showing particpants….
As of this writing, for the 2026 Show season, new demands went out to online horse show managers. Now online show manager must provide a link to each video at the end of each event. At present, the common practice, will require that the ride video link must be public, so that organization officals may review the videos, at their pleasure. To spot check, at random. Even if the video was reviewed by a licensed WD judge. The “public” setting is required, at least through the entire show season.
The concept of spot check by an organization, is not a bad thing. It keeps the intergity of the online show. It is just the technology of how to do the spot check is the question.
This present practice leaves you, the rider and trainer vunderable. It leaves your ride available to these online critic groups via an ever lasting video, where you can not even take it down. They copy it. They edit it. They make commentary and post over social media. Ouch…
Should you be worried? The WDAA representatives doesn’t think so. At present, they dismiss the warning as being unworthy of consideration. Not that it can’t happen. Not denying that it IS happening in classical dressage. Not respecting the potential issue as most WDAA show rides are public via YouTube. Sadly, they have ignored the premise.
Respectfully, I disagree.
In this writer’s opinion, and with all due respect, it is just a matter of time until Western riding comes under the review of those who perfer to condem. To hararess. To wound. To belittle. It is the age the internet, with all of it’s pros and cons. You need to treat the spreading of your personal information and person, data, media with caution. AI is also not fair behind in the use of public media.
Already the riding styles of classical dressage vs western dressage have some conflicting opinions. Judges, Trainers and even riders disagree. What is a correct gait goal? What is not? What training method is demonstrated? Is it right? Is it wrong? The debate rages. Such it is in the sport.
Time will tell. But why should you offer free video content to those who would profit off of it? Those who would debate it? Especially when there is a solution to prevent the issue. I have such a solution and will make that solution available to any online organization that chooses to protect riders from such exposure.
So why not stick to on-site shows?
Because onsite shows are expensive, through no fault of their own. Don’t blame the show managers for this. They too are caught between making a living and keeping costs as low as possible. Rising facility costs, demands for upfront payment of stalls, insurance coverage, judges day fees, judge travel, assocation fees and more, are just some of the demands horse show professionals have to deal with. Combined with fewer and fewer riders entering, due to their own economic challenges, as horse ownership costs go to levels not seen previously in our life times. Especially in the equestrian sport of dressage.
In Southern California, boarding costs can be as high as $1500 a month and that is before feed costs, training, farrier, vet and grooming help. It runs about $3000 a month for a single horse that is healthy and before competition expenses. Judges too are impacted with on-site shows becoming smaller or worse, cancelled. More and more judges asking to become part of the online community, simply for the opportunity to work. It is expensive to recieve and maintain the offical licenses they have.
The foundation of horse sport, under siege.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- In summary:
- Investigate and ask questions. Who will keep your ride private, should you desire it?
- Keep your child’s ride videos hidden and private at all times.
- If you are a Western Dressage Assocation rider, riding for online points, make your thoughts known to the organization. What are your concerns. What is not.
Virtual Horse Sport will ALWAYS keep videos and results private, when requested. We do this for you, your trainer and the judges protection. We have a technical solution for the WDAA in this topic. What happens next and our continued participation with this organization is yet to be seen.
HAPPY SHOWING!
Debbie Kurth on Rainman
The Author
Debbie Kurth is a classical dressage rider in the Southern California area. She has shown 6 horses in her life from Training Level through Intermediare I, receiving her USDF Qualified Rider, Bronze and Silver Medals.
She is holds a BS in computer science/engineering, with a minor in music and did her senior project on custom systems softtware and network security while at Califonia State University, Long Beach. As a Walt Disney Imagineer, she was personally awarded the pregious international THEA award for interactive design on the themed ride “Star Tours”. Also at Imagineering, she was listed as a co-patent designer for a large screen camera/wireless mouse solution on the attraction, “Where is the Fire”.
When the pandemic hit in 2020 and seeing all horse shows shut down, Debbie wanted to do something to keep the sport of Dressage alive, riders showing and learning. Especially after an S judge asked her, if she could do anything to help. Thus Virtual Horse Sport was born. She designed and coded the VirtualHorseSport.com software from scratch, based on her 20+ years of experience competing and working at on-site horse shows with Cornerstone Dressage, as a scribe, scorer, ring stewart, front office and all round runner. She has been granted a utility patent for all Online Horse Shows, within the United States and Canada.
Today Debbie runs her own software engineering company, Multimedia Designs, LLC, the sponsor of Virtual Horse Sport and has chosen to focus on small business websites, custom interfaces and custom systems software.
“The Virtual Sports Competition”
U.S. Patent No. 11,291,916 · Issued May 29, 2020
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