Good points and I concur. Asking horses to do crowd control where the crowd is likely to get unruly makes no sense. People that are stupid enough, ignorant enough, angry enough, vicious enough to throw hard and injurious objects at human targets (i.e., police officers), are not going to hesitate much about throwing those same objects at animals.
4 Likes
That is indeed a good article. Kudos to author Dan Walken for so eloquently describing the situation.
4 Likes
His horse spooked and he caught the horse with a spur. He felt very bad about it.
3 Likes
Probably and that proves the poor condition of dressage nowadaysā¦.
I stopped admiring Charlotte Dujardin after I watched this video
Which was done at the Olympics in London. And compared it to this videoā¦
And the important thing is to watch how the riders use their handsā¦ā¦
If you really focus on the hands you can see two riders with giving hands and two riders pulling with their handsā¦
7 Likes
OMG. To say probably not? Jesus take the wheel. Iāve heard this vet on podcasts and really appreciated his thoughts on feeding and keeping horses like the species is meant for mental and physical health. He really gets it. But wow.
Yes, so many horses are kept with owners who are uneducated, ignorant, even stubborn about what is needed for a healthy, happy athlete but wow wow wow that you put that in the same camp as beating, yes beating a horse.
And for those who said maybe sheās just popping the whip, I donāt think youāve popped a whip, right? Because thereās a snap back to your wrist to get that done. No, she clearly is whipping that poor horse.
And, no Iām not a bully. Iāve never ever bullied anyone. But Charlotte needs help. Something needs to change that there is SO much abuse going on to horses. Everyone willing to beat a horse needs professional help.
And yes Iāve made mistakes too. There are have been times in my life where Iām haunted at my actions earlier in the day. Literally couldnāt sleep. I lost patience and would whack my horse HARD once, maybe even twice with my whip. Pull on the reins, slap in the neck. Stuff like that. And later KNEW I was out of control. And had diminished the relationship. Literally the next time I would see my horse I would apologize. Tail between my legs. Beg for forgiveness.
Wasnāt really DEEPLY aware of the damage by harsh methods until I found Frederic Pignon and Magali Delgado and that was my paradigm shift. Their book Gallop to Freedom spoke about it all at length. When I knew that ANY anger, any angry force was wrong and would diminish what was possible in my relationship with my horse. And then I spent a week with them at their farm 10 years ago and all that philosophy deepened to my core. You could see the kindness, fairness and yes, firmness with their horses. But never crossing a line, never anger. They were truly leaders to their horses. Deep trust.
Anyways to have him say that blows my mind. It tells me everything about what is acceptable in correction to some people in our current state. So sad.
12 Likes
Well, that video disappeared fast.
Edited to add: Eventing Dressage had horse eliminated due to blood in its mouth. Didnāt take long to hit the press. https://www.essentiallysports.com/us-sports-news-equestrian-news-olympics-news-should-be-banned-paris-olympics-fans-angry-as-horse-bleeds-during-equestrian-dressage-event/
Equestrian events will be under a microscope for the next two weeksā¦
5 Likes
I just rewatched that test yesterday. What is remarkable is the lack of tension in the horseā¦ just balanced and light and fluid and calm. Fast-forward to '92 and you have Bonfireā¦ an entirely different kind of horse who carries a lot more tension but which makes everything bigger, more ābrilliant.ā
And I think thatās the genesis of where we are today. Harnessing, if not creating, extreme tension in order to have big movement, dramatic extensions and lift. You see it in the wringing tails, in the twitchy lips, the ultra-short necks and heavy punishing hands that punish mouths and/or turn tongues blue.
Going to duck back over to the h/j forums where we have our own internal sport crap to address, but as a former dressage rider who now boards at a barn that has a sizeable number of upper level dressage horses/riders, I see this go on every day, it is so hard to watch and it makes me really sad for the horses.
18 Likes
I had to go to YouTube to watch the Marzog/Ahlerich video. I hadnāt seen it in years and years and it was such a pleasure to see it again. My first thought was, āWow, the highest point of the horsesā necks are their polls! What a concept!ā 
16 Likes
Itās still on youtube if you click through. You just canāt watch it embedded in the post.
2 Likes
Sorry, it should work, if you click on the YouTube link on top of the pictureā¦. I believe you can only watch it on YouTubeā¦ but itās really worth itā¦
3 Likes
Yes, every time I feel depressed about the state of dressage nowadays I watch itā¦.i donāt think anybody rides like this anymoreā¦.
8 Likes
Thatās what Amy Skinner was saying on Facebook. I very much agree, with both of you.
I worked with the state policeās mounted unit to help them build a musical demonstration for the governor. The mounted police officer is considered the equivalent of 10 officers on foot due to the higher visibility and mass of the horse.
This dates back to infantry vs cavalryā¦barring protesters bringing cannons to protests, the mounted officer will provide an advantage over protesters on foot. There is also the PR aspect of letting people become familiar with the police by having an interaction with the mounted officer and his/her horse.
1 Like
Agree!!!
Hey, welcome to the club. Iām there too. Maybe we can create the Group W Benchā¦with apologies to Arlo Guthrieā¦for those who donāt have a clue to what Iām referring, google āAliceās Restaurant.ā
7 Likes
Who cares if it is ātoo boringāā¦and who cares if people are not āattractedā to itā¦other than those organizations who have a vested interest in taking money from members.
Horse training has been around since the horse was domesticated. It will be around as long as the AR people allow humans to own horsesā¦and people interested in their training will find trainers.
4 Likes
If you insist.
3 Likes
What in the name of all that is good and holy are you talking about? Dozens of us in this very thread have asked that question (myself included).
One of the very good articles linked above discussed it. People on SM have been asking this question. Iām not sure what youāre reading (obviously not this thread in full) but everyone and her dog is asking this question.
18 Likes
Good goddess, have we even had pentathlon yet??? 
This is the last Olympics with equestrian, right? But the fences havenāt changed?
6 Likes
I do like that clip so much. Such lovely cadence, impeccable rhythm, great feel from both riders. The horses look eminently ridable. Often times I look at some of the tests ridden at the international level and it looks more like a wrestling match rather than a dance with the rider struggling to contain the power the horse has and keeping a lid on the tension.
Training horses should be boring. A good test should be boring. And by boring I mean calm, fastidious, diligent and incremental. If your heart is in your throatā¦something has gone pear shaped.
15 Likes
I wish we could go to rewarding soft, quiet, harmonious rides over ābrillianceā and gaits. Itās really starting to look saddle seat-ish with all the flying legs.
But of course, people breeding $$$$ horses have a vested interest in keeping gaits and brilliance at the forefront, instead of making it so that gold medals are within reach of a skilled rider/trainer on an average mover that potentially only brought 5 figures as a baby.
19 Likes
