Hampton Riding Centre

08/30/2025

Throwback to 1949 when the show ring looked a little different. In the early days, showing horses at The Royal was often the domain of military cavalry men. Pictured here is Major Gayford with his horse, Gamin — one of the many service riders who helped shape the roots of our sport.

08/30/2025

Make plans now for how you'll keep your older horse active this winter; His health depends on it. Click the link in the comments to learn more.

08/30/2025

Olympian Isabell Werth explains how elasticity and suppleness allow your dressage horse to do his job well and how to help him achieve these key qualities.

08/27/2025

The question wasn’t complicated, but it left a noticeable pause in the room.

“If a horse is lame in the ring, who is responsible for making sure it doesn’t continue to show?”

At a recent Plaidcast In Person event, longtime judge, trainer, and international clinician Geoff Case didn’t hesitate with his answer: “In my view, the buck stops with the actual horsemen.”

But the conversation didn’t end there, because in today’s horse show landscape, responsibility for horse welfare isn’t always so clearly assigned. From class limits and unsound horses to legal concerns and ring dynamics, Case and other panelists peeled back the layers of a growing dilemma in modern competition: who actually protects the horse?

Judges are trained to observe. To reward precision. To penalize error. And when necessary, to step in when something looks wrong. But when it comes to a horse showing obvious lameness, Case admitted the reality is murky.

“The truth is, a horse is either sound or it’s not. It’s not a spectrum,” he said. “But the minute you call a horse lame, there can be consequences. Legal ones.”

It’s happened before. At major events like Pony Finals and the Hampton Classic, judges have been sued after calling a horse unsound and eliminating it from competition. In those situations, even if the decision is correct, the cost of defending it can be tens of thousands of dollars.

That’s a huge burden for someone working a freelance job in a small judging booth, especially when they may not feel protected by horse show management or the governing body. “The stewards feel like the federations in general don’t have the backs of the stewards enough,” Case explained. “So the judge is often the last line of defense.”

By current USEF protocol, if a horse appears unsound, the responsibility begins with the schooling supervisor. That person should report the issue to the steward, who communicates with management and the judge. But according to Case?

“That has never happened in my experience.”

Instead, it often falls on the judge in the ring who must weigh the ethics of eliminating a potentially lame horse against the legal and professional fallout that might follow. And if they’re watching a child or adult amateur pilot an unsound horse under the direction of a trainer?

“It’s horribly embarrassing for them,” Case said. “They’re out there to have fun. They may not even realize anything’s wrong.”

Interestingly, Case said he feels more supported when penalizing unsafe riding than when calling a horse unsound.

“When it’s an obvious danger, like a horse that’s way too fresh or a rider clearly overmounted, it’s easier to justify intervention,” he explained. “That is fairly well received.”

But lameness remains a gray area. And it’s not just about ethics or fear of lawsuits. It’s about structure. The way horse shows are currently set up doesn’t always give officials the backing they need to act swiftly or definitively.

🔗 Continue reading the discussion at https://www.theplaidhorse.com/2025/08/27/where-does-the-buck-stop-soundness-class-limits-and-the-accountability-gap-in-horse-shows/
📸 Photo © Heather N. Photography

08/22/2025

Dr Temple Grandin is one of the best known animal scientists in the world. She grew up in America, and she is autistic, which means her brain works a little differently to most people’s. She often says she “thinks in pictures.” This helps her notice tiny details about animals that others might miss.

Most of her career has been spent improving how cattle are handled on farms, making systems calmer and safer. (Which is why many farms have safe handing pens for cattle on farms today)But her ideas are just as useful when we think about horses.

Temple reminds us that animals don’t see the world the same way humans do. A shiny puddle, a flapping jacket, or a garden chair in the wrong place might look like danger to a horse. Horses are prey animals, always on the lookout for threats. What seems silly to us can feel very real to them.

As she explains: “Horses have to see the same object from all angles. They don’t automatically transfer learning from one side of their brain to the other.” In other words, a horse that walks calmly past a wheelbarrow on the left rein may still shy at it on the right.

For coaches and riders, this matters. If a horse spooks or refuses, it isn’t “naughty”, it is reacting in the only way it knows. Our job is to slow down, let the horse look, and give it time to learn.

Temple also talks about how animals respond to pressure. A gentle aid, released at the right moment, helps the horse to understand. But rough hands, loud voices, or constant pushing only build fear. As coaches, that means showing riders how to be clear but kind, guiding, not forcing.

And this links horse welfare with rider welfare. A calm horse gives the rider confidence. A frightened horse makes the rider nervous. By putting the horse’s feelings first, we create safer, happier lessons for both.

Temple Grandin may have made her name with cattle, but her lessons about patience, clear signals for animals are pure gold for anyone who works with horses. When we see the world through the horse’s eyes, we become better kinder horsemen.

08/22/2025

08/22/2025

Absolutely true. Also, be better to have more fun and enjoy your horse, not just ribbons and "glory".

08/21/2025

Another fabulous night in the Cross country field.
Great riding by all😊