08/29/2023
“All good riders used to be not-good riders”….
We should of course always be striving to better ourselves as riders and better our horses so they can do their jobs as happily and comfortably as possible, but we don’t get there staring at them through a window.
With so much knowledge and conversation with other horsemen at our fingertips, it’s never been easier to become so overwhelmed with information that we end up paralyzed, afraid to do anything with our horse out of fear of doing it wrong.
But the truth is, our horses have survived much worse. Honestly, they’ve probably survived US being much worse. When I look back at how I used to ride my own horses I cringe.
We want the best for them, we want them to be happy and comfortable and biomechanically correct and balanced, as well as ourselves, but we don’t just wake up one day able to achieve all of that. You have to go out and work at it. And that may mean that sometimes it’s not pretty, but when that happens we take that information and apply it to the next ride so we can do better.
All in all, don’t be afraid to go work your horse, even if it’s imperfect, and don’t hate on others because that are simply working through the normal learning process.
𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘀 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴!!
• A horse grinding their teeth or behind the vertical or on the forehand does NOT mean the rider is some ethically grey arse who doesn’t care about horse welfare. Riding is hard. There is a huge learning curve. We don’t come out of the womb with perfect horsemanship, but then create tension because we decided draw reins are quicker.
• A horse that’s tense at a show and clearly not having a good time does not mean the horse hates their human or that the training sucks or is lacking. I don’t care how much you work your horse at home- that’s not going to keep them from being nervous at a show. You have to work on that away from home, which requires working through that tension in public.
• Knowing that your hands or seat is causing issues doesnt magically fix the problem. Everyone who learned to ride well spent years riding poorly.
Yes we should be looking to minimize negative effects on the horse while we learn.
Here are just a few ways to do that…..
- gentle tack for green riders
- lunge lessons
- riding with an instructor more often than not
- learning loose rein riding before riding in connection
- fitness program off the horse
- not advancing too quickly (aka, master sitting trot without stirrups before cantering, master 2 point before jumping, etc)
If someone is using a double twisted hack gag combo with a wire tie down to control their horse- THAT is a moral issue.
If someone ties the horse’s head to its girth until it’s in a state of learned helplessness before doing a western pleasure class, THAT is a moral issue.
Botoxing tails is a moral issue.
The FEI continuing to allow nosebands so tight the horse can’t open it mouth a centimeter, none-the-less yawn, THAT’s a moral issue.
Being braced with your left hand is not a moral issue.
A crooked seat is not a moral issue.
Can these things still negatively impact your horse? Absolutely. But these things should be temporary and while we minimize negative impact on the horse as much as possible, learning to ride will never be totally tension free. I have a string of lesson horses and overall they are pretty happy. We do exercises and match horse and rider in a way that allows riders to learn and grow without the horses suffering for it.
Now, if one of those students took a horse to a show, you would probably see some tension. Just like when I show, it’s certainly not always perfect. That’s one ride out of thirty. Seriously, the horses can handle some occasional not-great rides. But the social media keyboard warriors seem to think that if a horse has some mouth issues/ tight neck/ collapsed throat latch in a few show pics, that somehow the rider is a bad person.
The guilt that is cast on riders for not having perfect hands in every picture is ridiculous. Now, if an FEI rider keeps turning horse’s tongues blue, THAT IS A MORAL ISSUE!!! Go get um!!!
But if a 45 yo woman on her OTTB is trying to survive a training level test abd her horse’s face is wrinkled with tension, for crying out loud, she isn’t doing it on purpose!!!! Leave the poor woman alone. She’s working on it! She’s never going to stress that horse as much as the track did and she’s doing the best she can.
All good riders used to be not-good riders. Most riders already judge themselves harder than the trolls do. Stop the hate.
