# George D'Ambrosio



## Showjumper1289 (Oct 27, 2012)

The Value of Falling Off: Part II | Horse Collaborative
great article so. im so exited to be at he and Nona garson's clinic next month


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

Good article. Although I don't show, I find many of his points valid regardless of discipline. 

Have fun at the clinic! Will you be riding or auditing?


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

He's writing about a world that is foreign to me in some ways, but very familiar in others. Our culture in America has become risk adverse to an extent that I sometimes feel like I've landed in a foreign country at 55 years old.

I'm taking paralegal classes in hopes of coming out of retirement and going back to work. I've already told some of my instructors that I'd rather stay retired than work for a plaintiff's attorney because I consider most of the civil cases I've seen to be frivolous or outright malicious. The judges and lawyers all talk about the plaintiff's right to have their day in court, while I argue that the defendant should have a right to NOT be in court unless they have done something wrong. I'm taking a class in tort law, and the teacher keeps harping on how you need to find some way to drag in someone with 'deep pockets'. If you can't, there won't be enough money to pay the law firm for their time. I see it as a corrupt system destroying the risk taking that allows society to excel in anything, not just riding.

"_I think, personally, we shouldn’t have to be worried about the threat of being sued so much_"

I think so too, but I can promise you the lawyers, who control the courts and often the legislature, will fight that tooth and nail.

From the perspective of riding...I don't jump. I do love using a forward seat, but I see a definite difference between the forward seat taught in the 30s & 40s and what I see on videos of jumping now. The teaching in the 30s & 40s was that a forward seat was used for ALL riding. It now seems folks use it for jumping and then settle back to a central balance between jumps - something Littauer railed against in the 50s. Maybe I'm wrong on that, being a total outsider to the world of jumping.

When I see pictures of kids jumping while sprawled out on their horses' necks, I think of Gen Patton and suspect we are missing the point of a forward seat:










And when I read case after case of someone being sued because someone else didn't bother to watch where they were walking and slipped thru stupidity, I think of these pictures...and suspect that the American legal system is feeding off of our country's future:



















The lawyers would salivate at pictures like that in modern America...:twisted:


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

This is from part one of the interview, linked to in the OP's link:
_
"The day that changed my life occurred when I was 8 or 9 years old. I was riding an 11.2 hand pony named Dinkie and every time I rode this four year old, I bit the dust three to four times a day. Finally I approached my dad and told him I wanted a new pony. 

"If you can show me that you can stay on, I will get you a new pony," said Dad. I was so determined to show my dad I could stay on that I hopped on Dinkie and I rode like I have never ridden before: I was stronger, more thoughtful and I did not fall off. Triumphantly, I turned to my father and he gave me an unexpected answer.

"Now that you have demonstrated that you can stay on, go ride your pony," he said. It was the best thing that happened to me and it was the day I really began riding. Dinkie was a great pony and I learned so much._"

Sounds like a great Dad....

George D’Ambrosio sounds like an interesting man. A clinic with him ought to be fascinating. Good luck, and please report on what you learn!


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## Weezilla (Aug 3, 2012)

George's father is Anthony D'Ambrosio, who twice set the Puissance record in the US, the first time in 1973 on a 17H TB named Sympatico at the National HS in Madison Square Garden, NYC-I was lucky enough to see it in person:mrgreen:
Here he is jumping 7 feet 7 1/2 inches at Washington, a record that stood for 25 years.






The grey horse, Sweet n' Low, was a 17.1H OTTB  George comes from bold and talented stock, and Nona is brave as all get-out also (We showed together as juniors)!


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

Weezilla said:


> George's father is Anthony D'Ambrosio, who twice set the Puissance record in the US, the first time in 1973 on a 17H TB named Sympatico at the National HS in Madison Square Garden, NYC-I was lucky enough to see it in person:mrgreen:
> Here he is jumping 7 feet 7 1/2 inches at Washington, a record that stood for 25 years.
> 
> Anthony D'Ambrosio with Sweet & Low: Puissance World Record 1983 - YouTube
> ...



George's BROTHER is Anthony, who has set the records and is now a famous course designer. His father (if you read part 1 of the article) restores buildings and churches. He is a horseman, but not the riders his sons are. His name is Anthony, but I've never heard anyone call him anything except Tony.


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

Is it my imagination, or was he using an uncommonly long leg for a jumper:



















Fun to watch.


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

17.1 is a tall horse


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## Weezilla (Aug 3, 2012)

:mrgreen:I stand corrected


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Uncommonly long leg for a jumper? Is there such a thing? xD


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

What he says is very true, not just in the US but here in the UK too. 

All this use and be dammed is so wrong because it is ruining life in general. 

If you get on a horse you can expect to fall off it. Generally the biggest hurt is pride. Sometimes broken bones but even so they mend. 

I was brought up in a tough school of life. Never any sympathy from my parents, just laughter at injuries and told of I couldn't take it stop riding. 

Back when I was a child everyone and their brother rode in gymkhana games. This were highly contested and taught you balance, hand eye coordination, agility with having to jump off at a gallop, land running and vault back on without stopping. Style went by the board it didn't matter but, it taught you how to land and how to fall. 

Only one way to get good at something and that is to do it and I doubt if many fell as many times as I did because I would ride any dirty little pony that was in the habit of burying its rider. Yes, I did get injuries, yes, some hurt but there was never any fuss over them and falling usually cost you hard earned pocket money because you were fined! The instructors were kind to me because when I was sorting out the rogues I was never fined! 

Nowadays, of a child falls there is such a fuss over it. The more noise they make the bigger the fuss yet the child who is hurt rarely makes much noise. Those that do are usually just frightened and need to be told to stop, in no uncertain terms and thrown back on. 

It is time to get back to folk being responsible for their own actions. If they get on a horse they can expect to fall off - tough! 

As for riding with long stirrups I don't think he is long. He has long legs especially the thighs, his knee is well up in the saddle which signifies he is the right length for him. 
It seemed to work OK for him'


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