06/25/2023
The words "never" and "always" leave zero room for compromise, and therefore should not be taken literally in every single case, and an example might be the use of draw reins on a horse.
What draw reins do----They give the rider enough leverage, because of the physics of basically the pulley principle, to force the horse's head into positions that can cause extreme pain, and can even cause long term damage.
They also can so thoroughly overwhelm a horse's ability to avoid them that some horses who have been ridden much in draw reins automatically come behind the vertical, like in this picture, even when ridden without draw reins, and once that happens, that the horse just "gives up," it is extremely hard damage to undo.
Now, sure, it is theoretically possible for an extremely gifted rider to use draw reins with extreme tact to correct extreme resistance without causing extreme damage or discomfort, just as some extremely gifted riders can use extreme bits without similar damaging results.
The problem, though, is that lots of riders assume that they are "extremely gifted," when they are not.
I read something that makes sense, "Draw reins should only be used by the most gifted riders in the world, but the most gifted riders in the world do not need draw reins."
So, yes, while there is theoretically a tiny window, a sliver, of wiggle room, it is probably a mistake for any of us to equate ourselves with riders so exquisitely gifted that we can use devices like these safely.
Which means, since many riders use these things daily, that there are more exquisitely gifted riders out there than we realize, or there are lots of arrogant riders out there who think they are, and which situation is accurate, I leave to others to judge----
