I too recall seeing Cleve train at a horse fair, it was very short because he is far from the only trainer at fairs and expos to be doing abusive things to the horse – so I tend to glance quick and keep moving. I have petitioned a few fairs to stop bringing certain trainers back when they are obviously injuring the horse (and not just doing it through their own innocent naivete)…
What I notice is common among many of these trainers is that what they say is very sweet, promising, alluring (if that is all you pay attention to), but what you see is a far cry and doesn’t match up with the commentary. What I have also observed over my years of involvement with horses is that the majority of riders look up to someone. It is rare for me to encounter someone who has no “idol” of sorts as a trainer or rider. Many feel they can never achieve the great things this said rider has, don’t have the talent or promise, etc etc. It is really unfortunate because what I have learned is that anyone can ride, not just well but very well – particularly in comparison to where the general state of horsemanship has gone – as long as they get the right direction, encouragement/support and put in the time it takes to get there.
Have you noticed the huge increase in product sales that it seems accompanies every big name trainer now? I don’t know what your experiences were when you were fresh into horses, but as far back as I can remember – it was a big deal that John Lyons (natural horsemanship) was selling reins at one time. Pat Parelli of course jumped on the merchandise bandwagon, and now I get the impression that if the goal of a trainer is to compete with some of the ‘higher-ups’ they would have to find a way to merchandise because the money isn’t made in hands-on training of the horse and rider anymore. It is through sponsorships, tv spots, media stunts, etc.