Researchers Ask for Review of Top Riders

[bingbingbing]

Researchers Ask for Review of Top Riders

Researchers provided a large number of images from the recent Amsterdam and Neumunster horse shows of top-placed dressage riders and horses.

[Snowdenfarm]

I am happy to see this all coming to light. I just wish it could have been handled internally within the sport. All of this publicity gives ammunition to the animal rights groups that do not want horses ridden at all.

[skydy]

I agree. The FEI has been “reviewing” the blue tongue and gaping mouth photos for months.

That’s not good enough, and it’s not the full bridle that’s the issue. It’s the riders harsh hanging on the curb that’s the issue.

[Jackie_Cochran]

It IS possible to ride a horse in a double bridle without turning the horse’s tongue blue.

Decent riders have been doing it for centuries.

But all of a sudden in modern times it seems that many of the “top” riders are incapable of riding in a double bridle with finesse like top horsemen were expected to ride in a double bridle up to around 20-25 years ago.

If my riding teachers told me that my contact was so harsh that the horse’s tongue had turned blue I would be really ASHAMED of myself and consider that just maybe I could no longer ride a horse in a humane manner.

I have MS, a really bad nervous system, and I always ride with a double bridle nowadays without the horses cussing me out or my riding teachers yelling at me about my hands, and I am in no way, manner, shape or form considered a “top rider”. I know for sure that in the last 15-20 years I have never turned the tongue of a horse I ride blue. My riding teachers would crucify me for torturing their precious lesson horses if I ever did this.