07/27/2024
It is been a while since I have been on social media posting. (I was hospitalized last year, with a long 5 month recovery. I'll post more about that in the coming days). However, I feel I should comment on Charlotte Dujardin Horse Whipping video. Here it is:
Headline:
Charlotte Dujardin provisionally banned, out of Paris Olympics
Jul 23, 2024
This is a long post.
By now I'm sure that most equestrians, along with the general public have either heard, read or watched the video of Charlotte Dujardin whipping a student's horse. The video reportedly was shot 2.5-4 yrs. ago, with many questioning the timing of its release, just prior to Paris Games. The FEI has released the video and it can be found on the internet. I won't be posting it here. However, I would like to offer my thoughts as it relates to the training of dressage horses.
First, I would like to say that I do not condone what is depicted in the video. It is sickening and hard to watch. If it were a video depicting the whipping of a dog, cat, adult person, child, etc. it would equally heinous. Physical abuse is an act of violence perpetrated against another sentient being. As humans we must do better. Not, only must we speak out when we witness physical abuse of another being, we must remain vigilant and monitor our own frustration and anger issues.
Anyone who regularly works with horses knows that it is easy for frustration to build in daily training sessions and handling. We've all been there. My Lusitano will not let me give him paste wormer, until I first tie him in his leather halter and feed him carrots, putting an empty syringe in mouth for 20 minutes or so. Only then will he allow me to put the paste wormer in his mouth. If I don't do it this way (and I've tried everything!!) he will rear and strike out as if he's fighting for his life. And, this is just a simple task, with no pressure. I don't know if anyone (other than a previous Olympian) can imagine the pressure these horses and riders are under.
In fact, modern dressage has become a volatile pressure cooker, where more and more is expected. It is the horses that suffer under the current system. They are pushed too hard, too fast and are expected to win, win, win for their riders, no matter the stress on their bodies and minds. The judges don't follow the directives mandated by the FEI. The FEI tests seem to become more difficult every 4 years, with the movements not having good flow throughout the tests. Podhajsky complained about this years ago.
We see horses forced to piaffe for too long - tails swishing, faces behind the vertical, hind legs trailing out behind, mouths and tongues twisted from being tightly bound shut, etc. I've been using the word 'duress' to describe modern dressage competition for a while now. It is extremely difficult to find FEI level horses that are not under duress in the show ring.
Hopefully, this is a watershed moment where clear dialogue can begin and changes implemented. There has been a growing outcry regarding examples of horse abuse in the dressage community in recent years. We don't need to bully individuals. We need to train our riders better - to become humble and check their egos at the door. We need to start at the ground level to ensure that our horses are trained slowly, methodically, using humane, gentle training principles. We owe it to ourselves to improve as human beings and most of all, we owe it to our horses - so that they can become truly willing and equal partners in this art which we love.
A Northwest Ohio Dressage Training Farm, specializing in Classical Dressage Training and Horse Rehabilitation
