04/15/2025
โ๐๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐ ๐๐๐งโ๐ญ ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ญ, ๐๐โ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐๐ฎ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐.โ ๐๐จ, ๐๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐๐ข๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ซ๐ฌ๐.
Itโs a phrase Iโve heard too many times and every time, it hits the same nerve.
No, your horse isnโt a danger to himself because turnout is risky. Heโs dangerous because heโs been denied everything that would make him mentally and physically capable of handling life outside a stable.
Weโve taken animals designed to roam miles a day, interact socially, graze constantly, and move with freedom and weโve locked them in boxes. Told ourselves theyโre โmanaged.โ That this is what it takes to keep them โsafe.โ
Safe for what?
To protect a price tag? A schedule? An image?
Weโve raised horses so sheltered they donโt know how to walk up a hill, handle a breeze, or tolerate a patch of rain. Horses who panic at birds, trip over flat ground, and break under pressure and weโve convinced ourselves that is better than the โriskโ of turnout.
Letโs stop lying to ourselves.
The issue isnโt turnout.
The issue is ๐บ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐.
Weโve built an industry where horses arenโt horses theyโre assets. Investments. Marketing tools. The minute a horse carries a six-figure price tag, it stops being allowed to behave like an animal. Every choice becomes about preserving performance, protecting value, and minimising risk even if it means stripping away everything that supports actual wellbeing.
In this system,
freedom becomes dangerous.
Socialisation? A liability.
Forage? Controlled.
Rest? Only if it fits between the shows.
And turnout? God forbid that might cost you a win.
๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐โ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ญ๐ซ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ฆ๐๐ค๐๐ฌ ๐ฉ๐๐จ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฌ๐ช๐ฎ๐ข๐ซ๐ฆ: ๐ฐ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ซ๐ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐๐๐ซ๐๐ โ๐ซ๐ข๐ฌ๐ค๐ฒโ ๐ฐ๐ก๐๐ง ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ข๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐.
Iโve worked with horses whoโve never touched grass. Never seen another horse face to face. Never been allowed to roll in the dirt or splash in puddles. And yet we still call them โwell cared forโ because theyโve got a shiny coat and a clean stable.
Is that really the bar weโve set?
Weโve normalised a sport where basic needs are seen as optional where turnout is a luxury, not a right. And weโve done it all under the guise of professionalism, tradition, and discipline. But the truth is, itโs all rooted in control and control is rooted in fear.
Fear of injury.
Fear of financial loss.
Fear of losing an edge in the ring.
Fear of what might happen if we let horses be horses.
๐๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ธ๐.
And that system? Itโs powered by money. Eye-watering sums. Massive prize pots. Elite sponsors who know nothing about horses but everything about brand alignment. Spectators who clap for polished rounds without ever asking what it took to get there.
Itโs not just about individual choices. Itโs about an entire culture that rewards success at any cost and the first thing to go, every time, is the horseโs voice.
So yes, if your horse โcanโt be turned out,โ thatโs not a fact to accept, ๐ถ๐โ๐ ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ด๐ป.
A symptom.
A call to wake up and ask: What are we really building here?
Because if our horses canโt handle life as horses, then something is fundamentally broken. And if we keep justifying that because of money, prestige, or pressure, then we are complicit in it.
We canโt change the whole system overnight. But we can choose what we tolerate. We can speak up. We can demand that welfare isnโt sacrificed for a rosette or a sponsor.
And
๐๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐ข๐ฌ๐งโ๐ญ ๐ ๐ฌ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ. ๐๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฅ๐๐ฆ. ๐๐ง๐ ๐ข๐ญโ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ข๐ฑ ๐ข๐ญ.
We donโt need to eliminate competition. But we do need to stop pretending that chasing results excuses neglecting needs.
The horses canโt ask for more. But we can ask for them. We can do better. And if we love them as much as we say we do, we have to.
๐๐๐๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ง๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐ ๐ ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ฎ๐ฌ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ .
Letโs start giving something back.
