By: Lydia Scharlau
When people think of horses, they immediately go to major jumps, fancy dressage moves, or as Snoop says, “That horse is crip walking”. But depending on the person you ask, you may also get the people who immediately say that it’s not a sport or that it’s straight abuse. If you know horses, ride horses, or were simply raised around them, you know that these statements aren’t entirely true, but they aren’t entirely false.
For those who have been keeping up on the media coverage on Charlotte Dujardin, then you know how large of a blow that was to the Equestrian community. She was a top rider and a main funder of some welfare programs who seemed to be a genuine person when it came to the care and training of her horses, or so we thought. If you haven’t heard this news, then let me give you a brief description. Just before the Olympics started, an anonymous video was posted of Charlotte hitting a horse with a whip harshly over 20 times. What shocked the Equestrian community the most, I believe, was the fact it seemed so natural to her, as if she had done so many times before. Now, the biggest piece of information was the fact that this video was not 20 years ago at the beginning of her career, but 2-4 years ago, specifically when she was at the top of her career and getting gold in grand prix competitions. To say this sent shock waves through the Equestrian community and media was an understatement.
In all sports, no matter how hard you may try to stop or prevent it, there will always be a form of cheating or abuse. But the thing is that a majority of these communities are not in that percentage of abuse or neglect, but it seems so large since that is what gets posted to social media and goes viral, while the good performances of riding do not. I have heard and seen people call the horse underfed and overworked, when in reality the horse is likely eating a little more than normal and doing its daily work. The thing that stuns me is the fact that so many people claim horse-riding as a whole is abusive. “Horse riding is not only physically and emotionally harmful to horses but—more importantly—it is a form of exploitation” (Emily Moran Barwick). What shocks me about this particular article is the fact that the author herself says that horse-riding is unethical as a whole, and yet she has a video of her riding attached to said article.
No matter how you define it, there will be abuse in all disciplines of riding, but there is also ethical riding. And by discipline for those who don’t know what I mean, I’m talking about showjumping, dressage, ranch, western, as well as many others. No matter how hard you try to avoid it, you will find riders who are in it for money, do it for power, or just do it because they could. These riders are what the media feasts on. It creates what we call internet vets and trainers. They think they know what will work on a horse from seeing these bad videos, and then proceed to comment how an actual trainer should be acting on a good video. It makes me sad that that’s what the internet has come to.
Is restraint and some force needed at times? Yes, depending on the situation. If it’s a purposeful move of aggression from the horse, then yes, you react accordingly, but you only apply said force for a very short amount of time. It all depends on the situation, the horse’s behavior mentally and physically, and if you’re willing to put time and effort into these animals. It’s the same as any other sport. You must put work in to improve your skills, your horse’s skills, and the bond you have with your horse. Without a bond, your skills are useless. And I say this as a rider, a horse will listen if you force them, but it creates a memory in the horse’s mind that you will always force them to work instead of working together.
In conclusion, horse riding is largely misinterpreted by the media to the public. It’s not always the riders’ fault entirely, but it’s never the horse’s fault. The media is a plague and thrives off violence. I can only pray that with time and effort, the media can heal and become the happy, good place it used to be when it was first made. ★