I have nothing against dressage. As a kid I was a big fan of the Lipizzaner Stallions

[cali]

I think I saw a tv show about them or something and then got into reading about them. And dressage has a long and interesting history going back to the Greek philosopher/historian/military commander/strategist, Xenophon.

It's not dressage itself that people find objectionable when it comes to the Romneys. It's that it's further evidence- as if any were needed- that these are people who are massively out of touch with anyone but the wealthiest among us. Dressage is a rich person's sport. There are no two ways around that. It's not just like owning a horse for riding- here in the country I know lots of folks, some of them poor who own a horse.

Dressage is beautiful to watch, I think. It's not animal abuse. It's just that it lives in a rarefied world and so do Ann and Mitt.

[annabanana]

1. Neither am I.. BUT a $77k tax break for it?

THAT I have an objection to.

[hack89]

9. Only $50 of that $77,000 was eligible for a tax deduction

The way this works is that the Romneys, the Ebelings, and Beth Meyers have together formed a corporate entity called "Rob Rom Enterprises LLC," which owns Rafalca and pays for his upkeep. The Romneys reported $77,731 in "passive losses" related to their investment in Rob Rom Enterprises, but of that their account only deemed $50 to be actually eligible for deduction. The forms don't explain the thinking behind that, but it's probably because losses from your horse corporation can't be used to offset unrelated income. If Rafalca had brought in more money, then Rafalca's care and feeding expenses could be deducted from that income, but in 2010 Rob Rom Enterprises doesn't seem to have had much income.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/06/19/clarifying_the_record_on_mitt_romney_s_77_000_losses_olympic_horse_rafalca.html

[DCBob]

2. The NY Times called it a "rarified sport" of "six-figure horses and $1,000 saddles."

from the NY Times..

As Ann Romney immersed herself in the elite world of riding over the last dozen years, she relied on Jan Ebeling as a trusted tutor and horse scout. In her, he found a deep-pocketed patron.

A German-born trainer and top-ranked equestrian, Mr. Ebeling was at ease with the wealthy women drawn to the sport of dressage, in which horses costing up to seven figures execute pirouettes and other dancelike moves for riders wearing tails and top hats.

A taskmaster, Mr. Ebeling pushed Mrs. Romney to excel in high-level amateur shows. He escorted her on horse-buying expeditions to Europe. She shares ownership of the Oldenburg mare he dreams of riding in the Olympic Games this summer. Mrs. Romney and her husband, Mitt, even floated a loan — $250,000 to $500,000, according to financial records — to Mr. Ebeling and his wife for the horse farm they run in California, where the Romneys use a Mediterranean-style guesthouse as a getaway.

more: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/27/us/politics/ann-romneys-hobby-spotlights-world-of-dressage.html

[cali]

3. yep. that's exactly my point.

[mia]

4. "Dressage is beautiful to watch"

I enjoy watching it too.

&feature=related

[cali]

5. It makes me smile kind of giggle in amazement

[NNN0LHI]

6. I always preferred watching the Russian Dancing Bears

[dynasaw]

7. Nice if You Can Afford it

[mia]

8. Glad I can afford to watch it on youtube.

I like horses.