Oh yes they did: Questionable show jumping mums

Over the past week, news reports have surfaced involving horse-show mothers who may have taken their passion for equestrian sport a little too far.

Now, we’ve all done things to support our horse habit we’re not exactly proud of: “borrowing” the husband’s credit card, taking a personal day to hang out at the barn, paying the farrier instead of the utilities company. These are all relatively forgivable offenses.

Can we say the same, however, for the British ex-policewoman, Rachel Hewett, who raised hundreds of pounds by tricking colleagues into believing her daughter was suffering from leukemia? In reality, she was using the money not on chemotherapy but on show jumping lessons for her perfectly healthy daughters, aged 12 and 15. In addition, she used the excuse that her daughter was ill to get time off work to take them to competitions.

Hewitt, 39, pleaded guilty in court earlier this year to a charge of misconduct in public office and a separate charge of fraud. She was recently sentenced to 18 months in jail.

Read the full story at Horse & Hound.

In other news, controversy erupted this week when the Belgian girlfriend of German Olympic show jumping team member, Christian Ahlmann, gave birth to their son by C-section two weeks before the estimated due date in order to avoid a potential conflict with the Olympics.

Really? You decided to have your child prematurely, risking complications such as respiratory and feeding issues, so it wouldn’t get in the way of your boyfriend’s horse show? Sure, it’s the Olympics, but…

Read the full story at BabyCenter.com.

What do you think, Horse Nation?