Skewed Priorities in the Horse World
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As a general rule, equestrian sports are slow to change and rely heavily on their traditions, often without questioning how or why said traditions came about. This, in turn, makes people less likely to consider new information if it threatens the way of life they’ve always known. Like their horses, they balk at new concepts. Concepts that bring the potential of having to evaluate the way things are done and what is justified as a community. Things they may have been guilty of doing themselves. This conservative mentality limits the growth that we could potentially have if we learn to look critically at practices that are still largely accepted.
To put it in perspective, there seems to be a tacit acceptance for critiquing the aesthetics of other riders while at the same time a reluctance to address potentially harmful horsemanship practices. It isn’t uncommon to see riders shamed or ridiculed for straying from the status quo when it comes to horse show fashion. While the traditional boundaries are being pushed more and more in equestrian fashion, someone will always decide when you’ve pushed too far. Be a show coat that’s a little too bright or a material one views as not formal enough: remember when the internet was a dumpster fire over Dani Goldstein’s lace jacket? The article discussing her attire got more outrage than a lot of articles discussing other big name riders and trainers abusing their horses or students. We’ve also had articles go viral in the online horse community that demean the severity of drug abuse by comparing horseback riding to an addiction on par with or worse than any pharmaceutical addiction.Why on earth would we want to compare a passion that enriches our lives to a disease that destroys lives? Tasteless in my opinion, especially since abuse (substance, physical or mental) already exists in our industry and need not be normalized or glorified. But hey, I’m a sensitive snowflake for thinking that. What can I say, my sensitive self foolishly expects addicts to be treated as people who warrant compassion, understanding and treatment, rather than a catchy punchline for an article talking about how often you ride your horse.
Similarly, as a community we are very accepting of unwanted criticism, even if it is worded in a unconstructive manner and with the intent to degrade the recipient. The amount of times I’ve been told by riders and trainers alike that I signed up for mistreatment by choosing to post online is excessive. You see, the problem with this attitude is that we are making it the victim’s job to take responsibility for the poor behaviour of others and feel ashamed for posting their riding journey if they can’t take the heat from strangers picking them apart for every little thing. While people can’t expect to post frequently on public forums without ever meeting negativity, the fact that we have become acclimated to hateful comments as the norm due to their frequency says an awful lot. And the message being sent is not good.
Even in lessons and clinics, we can hear equestrians justifying harsh comments from trainers as “not sugarcoating” or “being blunt because that’s what good trainers do” when said comments seem to have the intent to embarrass the person they are referencing. Some comments are just flat out cruel and aren’t constructive whatsoever. There are well known trainers I’ve audited or watched footage from their clinics who have made disparaging comments to their students regarding weight, appearance or ability in front of public audiences. Much more common than any appearance based digs, though, are unnecessarily cruel comments veiled as constructive criticism. Some trainers seem to be incapable of making corrections without adding in condescension and insults. Such behaviours either run people out of the horse world completely if they can’t develop a thick skin to take such comments (and people making fun of them for being too sensitive if they can’t), or they create long lasting anxieties and insecurities that poison riders’ abilities to enjoy the sport they initially joined for the love of the horse. It sucks the fun out of riding if you’re constantly paranoid about being yelled at or embarrassed while striving to improve.
In writing this, I am aware that if it gains enough traction, I will eventually see comments from those exact types of people- the ones who will say “you’re too sensitive if you can’t take intentionally mean spirited comments.” To those, I ask: Why then are our professional educators not taught to teach using ridicule and condescension? Why are the teachers who educate you, your children, siblings and friends instead taught that the manner in which you frame your corrections and relay information will determine how well received it is? It’s almost as though psychologically, there is a way that is most effective to connect with people and have them learn from what you say… Oh wait, there definitely is. It’s called teaching theory and a lot of equine instructors would crash and burn if they had to learn more about education than yelling or putting down the up and coming riders who look to them for guidance and growth. Teachers in our education system are taught to be adaptable to different learning styles, to be facilitating and encouraging, and that the building of relationships is most important to learning.Teachers are supposed to instill a willingness to take risks and ask questions that allow for skills to progress, not scare them out of ever asking questions due to fear of being snapped at. Whether you feel a riding coach’s rude comments are justified, the fact of the matter is that from a psychological perspective, it is simply not the most effective way to teach. Being a dictator and forcing people to bend to your teaching style or risk being shamed for it isn’t good teaching.
With that said, there is a difference between condescending remarks and being honest with your students. You absolutely can give criticism while leaving it constructive and not being insulting. Adding in extra digs to make someone feel bad about themselves doesn’t add any more weight to the information you share; it just plants a seed of anxiety or uncertainty that might blow up later in the rider’s career. But, hey, this type of behaviour in training barns is still so publicly accepted that it is common to hear riders either moving barns or leaving the industry altogether because of it. I find this sad.
While the horse community is busy defending questionable teaching styles and their right to make fun of Sally Sue’s pink show coat,it unfortunately isn’t the most welcoming of other discussions. At the forefront of unwanted (or at the very least, uncomfortable) discussions is animal husbandry for our equine partners. You see, people get uncomfortable if you dare point out that the 1200lb animals we love to ride and show are more than just fancy vehicles to take us into the show ring. Some may feel attacked if you dare breathe word that perhaps some of our widely accepted modern care practices for horses aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. Even if you substantiate a need for change using relevant studies and scholarly information, people will still grasp at straws to say why this doesn’t apply to them. Let me remind you of the five basic freedoms of living things:
Freedom from thirst, hunger and malnutrition by ready access to a diet to maintain full health and vigour.
Freedom from thermal and physical discomfort. ...
Freedom from pain, injury and disease. ...
Freedom from fear and distress. ...
Freedom to express normal behaviour.
Can you honestly say that these needs are met if you look at a lot of modern boarding arrangements for horses? It is not uncommon to see barns with stalls that allow horses no means of interacting with one another. Boarded up walls, stalls often no larger than 12x12. Small paddocks, again with no means of allowing social interaction and not an awful lot of room to run, if any room to canter at all. Feeding via large meals a few times a day, with horses going hours without forage. Such accommodations are a major issue for a trickle feeding herd animal. Some competition mounts may remain bundled up in heavy blankets through the spring and summer to prevent growing too long of a coat, something that would ruin the shiny aesthetic at shows. The lack of allowance of natural behaviour also results in horses who are not free from fear or distress. Cribbing, stall walking, weaving, and aggressive behaviours toward humans or other horses, along with other odd stereotypic behaviours, are not unusual habits seen in some barns. I’m sure most riders at a boarding barn can name at least one horse with one of these habits; whether they picked up the habit at that stable or another, who can really say they haven’t seen it? The kicker is that these behaviours aren’t present in wild horses because they are stress behaviours specifically stemming from lack of ability to move.
Don’t even get me started on freedom from pain, injury and disease. While injury, to some extent, is inevitable in any working human or animal, there is a limit. The lengths some people are willing to go to in order to mask pain or prolong the riding career of a horse that probably doesn’t need to be in a full work program, let alone jumping, is disturbing. At some point, it is no longer about the comfort of the horse (an excuse many use) and is more about the rider’s desire to achieve their dreams and goals with the horse. This obviously isn’t applicable to all cases, but the ease with which we justify varying levels of maintenance is something we need to be mindful of. Requiring maintenance shouldn’t be viewed as typical care for an athlete; it should be viewed as treatment of an ailment likely caused from activity or some pre-existing injury. Say it how it is. While some people may go to the chiropractor for basic maintenance, people like me go because, well, our backs are f*cked. I won’t sugarcoat it: I know why I take care of my body the way I do and why I have the pain I do. Own it for your horses, too. Make sure you know what you’re treating any time you do an invasive treatment and make sure you’re aware of how the workload you ask of the horse may influence said issue. If it is likely to influence it badly enough to rob them of comfort in retirement, perhaps it is time to reconsider.
I suppose this blog post is merely a long winded way of me expressing my frustrations with what we view as acceptable on a public scale in the horse world versus what we sweep under the rug. Ethical conversations make some people uncomfortable to the point where they want to shut the discussion down instead of responding with a rebuttal and some sources on why they do not believe it to be an issue. Consider why these discussions regarding ethics and the way we handle and treat equines angers you, if it does. Consider reading further into certain issues if they actually have scientific merit, too. It isn’t shameful to recognize previous mistakes and learn from them; in fact, growth should be encouraged. You’re not selling your old self out if you realize something you used to do isn’t okay and choose to make the change. I used to be the exact type of equestrian that worries me now. A rider who genuinely loved their horses but blindly followed the status quo, depriving them of turnout and socialization and using unfair equipment without a care in the world. I loved my horse,and I genuinely wanted what was best for him but at the time, I was incredibly naive and it most definitely affected his care. Now, I look back on my errors and continue to better myself and my knowledge of equine behaviour. I actively seek the most ethical way to apply training to horses and to keep them in a living situation that is most fair to them with what I have to offer.
This isn’t to say that everything you do with horses has to be a perfect, best case scenario in terms of care. We live in a modernized world and the amount of space horses SHOULD have isn’t always possible. However, if people aren’t even aware that lack of space or socialization is a problem to begin with or if they deny it, then there isn’t any room to make adjustments to make the situation as good for the horse as they possibly can. If people continue to be hard headed about certain training practices that rely on causing the horse immense fear or pain, then there isn’t a lot of room for growth. Some people proudly proclaim that they rough up their horses when they’re bad and if you suggest that perhaps taking a whip to your horse isn’t the best way to instill confidence in trailer loading, you’re a fluffy Parelli loving natural horsemanship junkie who feeds their horse treats when they’re bad. People are so anti change that they oversimplify horse training and care to the point where you either have to be as harsh as them or a total push over who has horses without manners. It’s utter nonsense.
Some of our horse sports are more regulated than others, too. Dressage riders will feel less compelled to take shortcuts through bitting up because there are so many rules regarding what bits are legal that it makes no sense to throw on a thin twisted wire or some type of gag, but, in the show jumping ring pretty much anything flies. It’s doing the horses a disservice if we justify equipment that cannot mechanically work without exerting excessive force or creating pressure points. In denying how certain types of bits work, we’re shutting out information for our own selfish benefits, not the horses’. I’m not anti-bit or bitting up in any sense, but there should be a limit. The fact that double twisted wire gags exist and are justified because “some horses are strong” or the fact that mule bits are a thing that people actually buy and use and see no issue with is something really startling. I agree, some horses are strong, but the extent you’re willing to put them in pain or discomfort to address their strength speaks volumes about your horsemanship. Some horses do need stronger bits, but there are bits that are unfair even with the softest of hands. We need to recognize that. We need to start questioning things within our own communities and cleaning up our act. Horse people outside of the racing community don’t care too much about the protests to end racing, but if that is ever successful, we are next and there are equally as horrifying things going on at our competitions if people choose to find them. We are lucky we aren’t under the microscope as much as horse racing because we sure as hell are not immune to abuse in the show industries and we aren’t as fortunate to have such good access to injury databases and a large sample of studies resulting from it to learn from our mistakes in the same way.
The bottom line is that if we are in the horse world because we love the animals, we shouldn’t tolerate unnecessary judgment and social pressure towards our human participants while dropping the ball or feeling attacked if someone even dares question the treatment of the horse participants. People are so afraid of change impeding their ability to continue living the way they know that they fail to look further into anything that questions that way of life. Horses can’t speak for themselves, so we need to speak the loudest. We are their voices and we have been silent about far too many things.
It’s time that horse people start valuing the opinions of professional equine behaviourists and other types of scholars and scientists who share the research and studies we are lucky enough to have on horses. Their opinions should be esteemed far above that of upper level professionals. We need to realize that someone’s ability to ride and win isn’t necessarily indicative of a program that is inherently fair to the horse. It is perfectly possible to be a phenomenal rider and produce winning rounds, all while having horses that do not receive the 5 basic freedoms and may express a lot of stress behaviours in their time off.
After all, if we aren’t in this for the horse, then why the hell are we here?