Friday 17 October 2008

Horse Racism, an overview.

Racism is so obviously present in the British Equestrian Establishment, henceforward referred to as the BEE, it is quite incredible that nobody has questioned it yet.
Here's a question on the net.

Were can I find imformation on black horse riders, equestrians, show jumpers and anything horse like in the Uk?
Not including Oliver Skeet modern day preferably under 40

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

I do not think they will post Hey this guy is Black
lol
But all I can think of is you going thru the web site where you live and maybe the top shows and find one
There is not to many here in U,S,A, I wish there where But most do not like horses
We do have one that is a TOP rodeo rider he is one of the best Nice to see,
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Not too many of them becomes jockeys... they usually grow too big to be a jockey. I have seen at least one black jockey, but I don't remember what track or who it was.

Truthfully, you don't see many blacks riding horses, much like you rarely see them playing hockey. They're just traditionally not very interested in those sports.

This stuff is on the net, and it is garbage. Does nobody look at history any more? Does nobody with a horse care?

I'm not arguing deliberate, racism, just massive institutional racism

What is institutional racism?

"The collective failure of an organisation to provide an appropriate and professional service to people because of their colour, culture or ethnic origin which can be seen or detected in processes; attitudes and behaviour which amount to discrimination through unwitting prejudice, ignorance, thoughtlessness and racist stereotyping which disadvantages minority ethnic people." From the Macpherson report.

From balsall3

So none of these guys are interested.

The British Equestrian Establishment invented the whole idea of breeds and the fetishistic attitude to purity of blood lines but that doesn't make it right. There have always been types of horses, and types of people, but the invention of the Thoroughbred post 1760 really started the rot. Although the General Stud Book is seen as the record of the purity of the Thoroughbred it is actually a record of the corruption and double dealing endemic in upperclass horse racing and gambling. Since the aristocratic owners couldn't be trusted to tell the truth about the ages of the animals they brought to the start line, a record of which mare foaled when was kept, and called the General Stud Book.

Gradually the fiction of the purity of the Thoroughbred whitewashed the original purpose of the book and the whole "breed" concept was born. So don't think the Derby is for the fastest horse, it is for the fastest horse with "pure" blood. And if that isn't racism, what is?

This rant is going to expand and there is a whole load of evidence that the British equestrian Establishment has wiped out Black and Working Class Horse History. Lets have fun and bring it back.
Simon
To be continued, but I'm ravenous

4 comments:

Unknown said...

& the Roma?

Unknown said...

Yeah I know but that is a different angle that I don't fully understand. Roma horse history hasn't been destroyed to the extent that black equestrianism has been. I agree that Roma horsemanship gets shit thrown at it, but it is specifically different shit. However I am more than happy to look at and include the issue once I have got this rant fully developed. Equally any info may tie in and help me develop it.
Simon

Unknown said...

I was just stirring things & giving you more to rant with.

Bowleserised said...

The BHS did publish a diversity plan in (I think) 2006, which I've read and which sounded like a fight to be taken seriously by an establishment that thinks horse riding is only for white toffs (the prejudices about the horse world act on it from the outside too).
As far as I can tell, the upshot of this was the Hoof London project (a tie in with the Olympics 2012) which will aim to bring horses to inner city kids.
Hopefully it'll fund concerns like Wormwood Scrubs Pony Club and the Ebony Horse Club in Brixton (which already has a graduate at the British Racing School).