>>>> Then I got to thinking some more - I wonder if part of the reason the Brits don't do any better now than we did years ago is actually to do with our attitude to our horses? Maybe we just don't push them that extra bit, don't train them that bit hard enough etc. (and I'm glad we don't). .... Saying that, one or two of the team members are really, really competitive, and they get a lot of help from some of the top European riders. How long will it be before they find out exactly what they need to do to win? : (
Mic, I think you're seeing it right, Mic...unfortunately. Many years ago when my daughter was in middle school, it came to our attention that the school's discipline had just gone awry. The teachers apparently had tried to change things for a while, but after a while, when they got no response from the administration, they quit trying and the horrible just seemed normal to them. We found out about what was going on when our daughter, 12, came to us and admitted she'd been assaulted - not literally raped, but physically assaulted in a way that no adult woman would stand for...in the school. She was just a child. And, not just once, but several times, by several boys...in the hallways, in the cafeteria...you name it. We immediately went into the principals office and when he said something to the effect that "boys will be boys" I almost had to pull my husband off of him. We'd already called the sheriff's department, and the juvenile officer came in about that time. Thank God. He interviewed probably two dozen girls, got similar stories from them, involving probably over a dozen boys. It was simply chaos. Once the sheriff got involved from the outside, there was no question of what was happening, or how rampant it was. With no coercion, the deputy got confessions from about 6-8 boys, and parents of about a dozen girls were supportive of their daughter's pressing charges - some girls were too embarrassed to talk about it, some didn't want to tell their parents, and some parents didn't want to press charges. It was open and shut. Our daughter decided to press charges, so we supported her decision...and eventually the principal and one teacher were fired. Every boy who went to court was found guilty. EVERY SINGLE ONE. There was no question that it was happening....once an outside agency got involved. But inside it had become normal. I went to that same school when I was her age, but with a different principal. I NEVER had such adult worries when I was so young. The parents of the girls were stunned. How on earth could this be happening in a civilized society? The juvenile officer explained it to us this way. Essentially, most people are sheep when it comes down to it. He said that in their police training, they are told its critical to get any hostages out of a hostage situation in a very short period - I think he said within 24 hours generally. Otherwise, most people, in an attempt to survive, will start to see the absurd or even horrendous as "normal." Hostages will quickly identify with their captors even. That's exactly what was going on in that school...and apparently in other schools across the country. I'm proud to say that several of us got active and got some new laws passed to protect our children. Our kids, and even the teachers were virtually hostages. So, Mic, if you or anyone else wonder why I so strongly scoff at the idea of changing things from within...that's why. Once you are "inside", you are in danger of becoming a "hostage", be that literally or figuratively. Not a single teacher was doing anything to help those poor kids. At least the teacher that my daughter reported her first incident to, and who chose to do nothing, got fired. My daughter will live with that for the rest of her life, but the ones I feel sorry for are the kids who were too scared to tell their parents, and who didn't have emotional support at home... Those of us on the outside don't see what's happening in the Icelandic show world as "normal" - and I pray to God that I never do... By the way, I was never, EVER as mean as I am now before I went through that with my kid. I learned quickly that I can be mean when it involves child welfare, and I feel the same about animals. Karen Thomas, NC
