A little of that might be where your focus is. I own a couple of gaited horses and belong to several gaited groups and I do see a lot of push back on big lick (as well as the idiots who think gaited horses need to be started at 18-20 months 
)
4 Likes
To be fair this poster does actually address many of the disciplines that people listed above.
2 Likes
Two of my nastiest fall came when I was just doing this. One was when I was cantering my horse tripped and one when my horse tripped after a cross rail.
1 Like
It’s mentioned but are they actively involved on social media trying to have dialogue with those who do it as to why it’s bad and should end? I don’t see that. I see that to us eventers though.
2 Likes
I say this as someone who is generally supportive of lower level eventing, and likes the concept of the well rounded horse and riders who can perform in all phases: upper level eventing has lost me. I don’t enjoy watching it anymore. The courses are too trappy, the questions don’t look fair, and the risks to the horse of an innocent mistake are too great. Those of you who are defending upper level eventing need to be aware that on the social license to operate front, you are even losing people WITHIN the horse industry by turning a blind eye to the problems. I won’t knowingly push students in your sport’s direction at those levels. Get better goals. It’s like watching the Triple Crown–thrilling to see horses in action, but heart in your throat whether they will make in unscathed: not worth it.
15 Likes
If you’re fine with lower level Eventing why would you turn riders away who are interested rather than educate them on how to ride safely and make choices as riders?
How are we turning a blind eye when this thread alone has been nearly a decade long conversation about Eventing safety? It’s on the forefront of most people who events mind.
If you think hunter jumper horses aren’t dying too you’re absolutely in the wrong. I would say more H/J horses die at shows in a year than eventers. You just never hear about it because it’s usually back in the stall where they pass and it’s all hush hush. The governing bodies would have the facts.
8 Likes
I have plenty of critiques of the hunter-jumper world and you will find them on this site. I have been doing this a long time and have lots of opinions across a lot of disciplines. A common denominator is that competitive zeal overtakes people’s basic respect and affection for the horse in a lot of instances. People are so determined to prove something to others that they don’t stop to do a gut check about what they are asking of the horse, and why. For those who have mentioned it, I do believe there can be abuses in the lesson barn world, too–and my personal pet peeve, the poor aggrieved 2’6" horse who is doing 35 shows a year on the local circuit so that someone can earn a giant ribbon at a year-end banquet. But upper level eventing to me has become a standout in terms of the deadly consequences for the horse that answers a question wrong. If people think my riders don’t do cross country work or we never leave the ring, they are 100% wrong, btw.
11 Likes
I will be honest the refusal of you and others on this thread to take a step back and honestly look at upper eventing is very concerning to me. Many horses compete at the uppers levels and never have any issues. And it has been my experience that event riders take horse suitability very seriously. If you want to look for problems you can find them, but In my experience generalizations and blowing things out of proportion are not ways to find solutions.
7 Likes
But more horses are dying at hunter jumper shows, so why choose Eventing as the one who “asks too much”?
where did you find the statistics on this? [honest question]
14 Likes
I would like to know that about stats/sources too. In terms of notoriety, the pony hunter Humble at Devon is the only one that comes to mind, and that was 2012 (and not while being ridden). Maybe one junior hunter ridden by one of Amanda Lyerly’s good juniors a few years back. Not to say that there are not problems in that world but I would be surprised if the horse death rate is greater in the H/J disciplines
4 Likes
Where did you get this figure, and is it a percentage or an absolute number of horse deaths at h/j shows vs events? Thanks
4 Likes
Turning one discipline versus another is not a way to answer the valid questions about THIS sport. It does the entire horse world no good to point fingers and “yabbut” each other.
When eventing is able to say: here are our stats. Here’s the work we’ve done. Here are the comparables. Here are our ongoing efforts to improve, and eliminate unecessary risk. Here is the level of risk we find acceptable and the reasons for that: then we are addressing the issues.
23 Likes
Ehh… if one sport has a DRASTICALLY higher injury rate “per capita” then we, as horseman, owe it to the horses to have a frank discussion about it.
I think NOT comparing and contrasting is a disservice.
3 Likes
Look up the safety stats for FEI and for British Eventing. The evidence is there, changes have been made, Eventing is becoming safer by several metrics. The question to ask, perhaps, is why USEA doesn’t produce similar reports with annual stats.
3 Likes
Here is information about the last FEI safety meeting that was help in France in January. I find it interesting that one of the things that was discussed/ trained for was social license. The FEI cares enough about how eventing is presented that they have offered training for it .
1 Like
Are you suggesting Eventing has a higher injury rate of horses? I would argue that one. Impossible to know without data, but I see many many injured hunters, dressage and possibly the most is WP and barrel racing just anecdotal evidence.
No I’m not, because like you said you can’t know without data (which you then followed by calling out other disciplines you deem to be worse than your own - cute).
But if they do, they should answer for it. Right?
5 Likes
@Rallycairn replying to you both.
This information is from sources at the governing bodies.
H/J deaths are not publicly reported like Eventing deaths. Majority of the time when a horse dies at a show no one even hears about it. Still happens at events too however thanks to this thread I’ve had many people reach out over the years to tell me about fatalities that weren’t reported publicly.
You would have to reach out to your governing body to ask if they would share the numbers.
1 Like
I agree and I don’t want to make this sport Vs sport, but it’s relative to the discussion when people want to stop Eventing but not other sports.
