07/24/2024
I have to get a few things off my chest this morning after seeing the video of one of my favorite dressage riders using excessive force in training. There isn’t really any excusing it…she was aggressive. Most people don’t even know what she was trying to accomplish (except the dressage riders out there that are familar with upper level self carriage) Someone seeing this video without that knowledge would be shocked by what they are seeing…as well they should be.
The only people I see excusing it are the ones who tend to believe it’s ok to use this level of aggression to force a horse into doing the work we think they should do for us. It’s so common in the upper level world that most, if not all of the upper level riders have either done something similar, or seen it done…it’s common to them. I’d gander to say that fellow Olympic level riders are rolling their eyes that she got caught on camera and is being cancelled…because they don’t think there’s much wrong with it.
Abuse is rampant in every equestrian discipline. Horse abuse, even common training methods using a pressure release system, is actually the rule not the exception. Most of the industry is based off monetizing these sovereign, sweet creatures for our own human gain and greed. The entire industry needs to look deeply at how we treat the animals. I have had to take a deep hard look at my own learned behavior with horses over the years as someone who makes their living teaching and training.
Some of the things I’ve witnessed over the years still cause me pain and guilt…for even being complicit in abusive behavior. I used to routinely get chased by a whip in college (it was actually so common that it remains a joke to those of us who experienced it) to “send my horse forward.” That same trainer was abusive to humans as well as horses and ran the entire dressage department at a prestigious equestrian school. She still teaches to this day publically.
I once saw a barn owner I worked for chase down a horse in the pasture who didn’t want to be caught, in a kubota, with a whip. For two hours she chased the horse. Finally the horse gave up and got caught…just to be beaten horribly up at the barn because she was so angry. What did that accomplish? Nothing, it was abusive and cruel. That same barn owner was cruel and abusive to all those who worked for her, horses and humans. She runs a program near me to this day.
I’ve witnessed abuse from farriers who are still in practice that was awful. I had to fire a farrier for beating my lesson horse for trying to lay down because he was in such pain. He has a malformed pelvis and lifting his hind legs was beyond his range of motion. These two “cowboy” types routinely used force and aggression to force a horse to “behave” and you know what? Every time I tried to speak up about the horses reacting to pain…I was told it was “just bad behavior” or treated like a dumb woman who doesn’t know anything. (Shoutout to Scott Sullivan who is my farrier now…he never once has lost his temper, forced a horse to do something painful or used aggression with my animals. Ever. He’s literally the best) When I fired that farrier, the barn owner was upset with me and told me I was “burning too many bridges” and no one would want to work with me if I spoke up. F that.
I worked at a facility where “natural horsemanship” was a common phrase for flat out abusive tactics. Dragging horses with heavy farm equipment to teach them to not pull back. Using twitches, using food deprivation, excessive use of whips and flags. It’s all learned helplessness. The horse is more traumatized by the handlers and makes the smart choice to shut down and not protest anymore. Is it teaching the horse? Sort of. Used ethically, natural horsemanship can be a beautiful training method. But most often, it’s not.
I have way too many stories to post. There were many moments throughout my career that I saw things, did things I was told, or didn’t know any better. I was in vulnerable positions…living on property or boarding. Feeling like I was trapped because I didn’t know where else to go to support my program. I often kept my mouth shut and tried to do damage control from the side. And I have a lot of guilt for it. My moral compass has been tested so many times. My fear of retribution or retaliation kept me quiet or complicit. Either way, I don’t ever have to go back to any situation like that again.
Now that I have my own facility I’m not longer vulnerable to other trainers or barn owners. I no longer have to keep my mouth shut or look the other way. I don’t have to compromise my horses safety, my own safety or anything else I don’t morally agree with. The entire industry needs to change. We know better and we can do better. Me included. Look at that video as someone who doesn’t know anything about horse training and break it down to the basics…she is using pain and fear to get the horse to move a certain way. And it’s bu****it. Do better.
(Pic of my adorable working students as part of the community I’m building here) I’ll post the video in the comments for those who don’t know.
