The world is currently rocked from the recent release of a video exhibiting clear animal abuse.. and I’m not going to single this out – because it’s becoming a common pattern.. we are having “footage” of top level equestrians and trainers openly abusing or disrespecting the animals that not only provide them with a wonderful livelihood but more disturbingly, they are showing a side that people do not expect from people who are supposed to love and care for these animals.

These videos send shockwaves, not just through the equine community, but through the entire world population. Only a very small percentage of people will be ok with seeing an animal being hurt or mistreated.. which leaves us with a wide audience of animal lovers, who see this – and automatically the comments of “Horses should not be used in sports”,  equestrians only use these animals for their own fame and glory”, “time to ban the use of animals in sports” and with all honesty, as a lifelong equestrian, who really only have ever known horses as a constant in my life – the more that emerges, the more I feel ashamed to even admit that I share the same sport with these people.

Abuse happens across all levels – there’s absolutely no point in saying it doesn’t… but when we see our idols openly do it – and in particular when you’re young and impressionable – isn’t it only natural to assume that it’s ok – that X does this – so let’s imitate it – I’m not just talking about the likes of whipping a horse – I’m including the use of toxic bits, over use of aids and so on.. the level of cruelty and fast fixes that have somehow crept in and alarmingly become acceptable in this sport, is mind boggling.

Pentathlon was removed from the Olympic Games after a display of vile “horsemanship” where the rider had an open breakdown on the horse and he suffered at her frustration and her trainer spitefully lashed him – open abuse on one of the world’s biggest stages. How long more is it before officials are forced to remove the rest of the disciplines?

As equestrians – we just have to do better – for the horse – for our sport – for our own damn reputation of animal lovers.  What happened to the old saying – “love the horse first and the sport second”.  Has winning a rosette become so important that we loose our integrity? Has hard work become such a chore that it’s easier to abuse a horse into doing what they need to?  What happened to good old fashioned hard work and genuine horsemanship where the long hours were put in and we took great pride in achieving results through it?  

What happened to people just saying – you know what? I’m not comfortable with this…can we try another way?

In a modern day society where people are often afraid to speak out because of backlash, or looking silly, or scared to offend their trainer – have we lost our morals?    

Maybe we need to start the change with our young riders… I would love to see leading affiliates like AIRC, BHS, Pony clubs and local riding schools actually sit and talk to their students – let them know that if they are ever asked to do something that they are not comfortable doing – that it’s quite ok to say “I’m not ok with this” without the fear of getting into trouble or being ridiculed. They should be taught to put their pony first and not be pushed beyond their boundaries on someone else’s say so and if they are not comfortable, that there is a sympathetic trainer or parent there that will do it for them. 

And it’s not just kids – how many of us adults look back at our lives and wish we may have done something differently? I’m not saying that we don’t all mistakes on our journey with horses – I don’t think any of us can hand on heart say we’ve not made multiple mistakes along the way – but with increasing pressure coming on the equine industry – we need to bring our sport back to a level of acceptability and accountability where we show the general public and fellow equestrians that we are in this for the love of the horse. We need to live in a world where yes means yes, and no means no, without any shame or judgement. 

We are all responsible for our horses and their welfare. WE have to be the voice that protects them, the voice that does right by them and the voice that at the end of the day, we can go to bed proud – knowing that we stood up for our best friends and sleep with a clear conscience that there will never be a video – or even the ability of someone to pass comment on how we treat our beloved pets.