I'm not on FaceBook so I can't see what was posted there and I didn't want to follow the rants on the New Zealand forum -- too quick to assume that the fault here is somehow "American" - so my thoughts are only on the photos I saw. So, perhaps I am wrong from what may have been posted elsewhere, but we don't see evidence of this woman "riding" the colt. She is only sitting on him for a moment. Now, yes, she's a fair-sized lady, but it's a stout colt and if she got up there for just a moment I would cut her some slack. We all do silly things sometimes and I've seen people do stuff like this before. Generally the person doing it is smaller. So, unless there are more photos I haven't seen, I think the posters on the NZ forum are overreacting, but again, I didn't read anything past the first page. As soon as a couple of them starting blaming Americans they lost their credibility with me. Sitting on the colt for a moment is not the same as "riding" a two-year-old. That said, the lady is probably too heavy to be on the colt at all. What amazes me as much as anything is the self-righteous overreaction. But again, I am only judging by the photos I see and if there are other photos of this woman still on the colt and riding him around the yard, etc... my grace would end.
