Laura Graves article. Thoughts?

Again you have the narrative you want to follow and I am going to be respectful of that . I don’t think I am going to change your mind on this subject and I am not going to waste my time proving my point.

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hot, humid and buggy here the other day - mine went out rolled, did about 5 min of mutual grooming than all came and banged on the gate to stand in their stalls with the fans and bug sprayers. Today they stayed out 10 hours with cooler temps and a nice breeze. Freedom, Friends and Forage is a lovely catch phrase but it’s not always the one true path to happiness - 15 acres of grass, two water troughs, and a stable herd dynamic makes freedom lovely when it’s nice out, but they are willing to go with foraging in their stalls to be comfortable.

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Consistency is key.

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Late to the party, but she’ll eventually realize why sitting in a bean bag (of all things!) is really not a good idea around a 1200 pound prey animal. That one likely won’t be on Insta.

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Not clear to me that anyone here is saying that.

That said, I’ve found that whether or not you need a new saddle for every horse tends to be discipline- and income-determinant.

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It’s been said many, many times in this forum. :wink:

I disagree that you need a new saddle for each horse, but each horse deserves a saddle that fits reasonably well.

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And I am happy for you!
My body is happy with thigh blocks and my horse has a saddle that fits…yet there is a mob out there that also blames thigh blocks for “incorrect riding” because the riders did better in the “old days”. There is just not enough video proof of what really happened in the old days.
Thankfully my retired horse had the same saddle for 15 years and my current horse is happy in the used one I bought for a previous horse.

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Agree! And I cringe a bit at the “my old saddle fits everything!” narrative because… says who? Says the person who owns the saddle and is somewhat invested in it fitting everything because they’re (even subconsciously) convinced new saddles won’t feel the same? Or worse, have a bit of a complex about being “old fashioned”?

As long as the horses are comfortable I don’t care what you ride in. But saying that old = better is just as bad as saying “my brand new CWD fits every horse I’ve ever put it on”. Call me a skeptic!

ETA: I used to sell hiking and camping gear for a living. The amount of people who’d come in all Holier Than Thou with “my military surplus external frame pack from the 70s is better than this crap you’re selling” was hilarious. Okay bud. But then they’d need a pack because they couldn’t take the old one or it finally broke - I’d get them into something adjustable that actually was made to fit humans and watch the cognitive dissonance clang around in there for a bit. Yeah this thing isn’t going to survive 30 years of neglect in an attic and it can’t be used to haul out an elk carcass, but you’ll actually be comfortable at the end of the day instead of considering illegal drugs to survive :joy:. If your old stuff fits and is safe, great! If not, we’ve come a long way in comfort and fitting a variety of bodies - horse and human!

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Excuse you, I have three saddles for one horse! :laughing: :laughing: And I don’t even show anymore!

I read the interview a few times and what struck me is the middle section where she talked about the rules changing so often, e.g. the noseband. I got the impression that she’s fed up and feels like she can’t train with the horse in mind. That said, maybe I misinterpreted the article.

I found that my first dressage trainer, who actually brought Steffen Peters to the barn (I didn’t meet him, but I met another Olympian who I can’t recall right now), was far more ethical with the horses than other barns I rode at or boarded at. Her GP horse had 24/7 turnout with access to cover and friends. She told me that SP recommended turnout, although this was around seventeen years ago when Courtney King-Dye was still riding with him. He might have changed his views since then.
The most abusive people I have met have been people who “cowboy” horses the old way. I have some wild stories about these horse people that would make people sick. It’s funny at how people point the finger at dressage. One local I know often drags horses down a gravel road with his pickup. If the horse doesn’t stay on its feet, well then, the horse gets dragged on its back or however it goes down the gravel. What’s the point, you may ask? I have no idea.

And Milestone can’t ride or train horses to save her life. She basically “catches” rides. It’s so painful to watch.

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https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMfiEMqo-AA/?igsh=cGh2aHhyNDh6d2oz

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Whatever that was, Insta says it’s gone?

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It’s still there for me. It was just a video of a guy saying the only way to train a horse was to punch it and then he demonstrates the “correct” way to punch a horse which basically is him giving it copious smooches

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It’s still there.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DMfiEMqo-AA/?igsh=cGh2aHhyNDh6d2oz

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Not what I was expecting at all

Doesn’t work for me either.

Sorry kids.

Lolol!

Yeah, nice little “twist” – and it sure is wonderful to see a guy kissing his horse. :heart:

(I do this all the time – right in front of my husband. He just sighs and shakes his head and says: "I wish I got half that much affection from you!)

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:woman_shrugging:

That’s when you gotta clap back “have you tried being half as cute?” :joy: On the topic of SOs, last week Mr Beowulf asked me “how is my girl doing?” I thought he was asking about me and was pretty touched actually… No… he was referring to my mare, AKA, his lady. :roll_eyes:

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:joy::clap::heart: