Lately, horse abuse by some high-profile horse trainers has been in the news. Public outrage has been loud. It’s hard to imagine the perpetrators are unaware that what they do is animal abuse. There is nothing new about horses being subjected to abusive training practices. It’s been going on since Moses was a little boy and will likely continue to go on until every guilty party is exposed and suffer consequences.
But why is there abuse by professionals who know better (or should know better)?
I believe there are several likely causes. But I think at the top of the list is the pressure to be successful. It’s difficult to have a good business as a professional trainer or rider if you only have mediocre success in competition no matter the discipline. Success brings riches, reputation, sponsorship, clients, and students. Success brings a nice barn, a nice house, a nice car, and great staff. So the pressure to take shortcuts to be at the top is very seductive.
Many of these trainers and riders are choosing methods and practices that conflict with the best interests and welfare of horses. And here is the problem. So what if I use harsh bits and strong contact and you use a bitless sidepull with light contact? If my canter pirouette is better than your canter pirouette I win. So what if my horse has excess foaming from the mouth? So what if I have my flash noseband so tight it’s a miracle my horse can breathe? So what if I use hyperflexion at home? So what if my horse is chewing crazily on the bit? As long as my horse’s canter pirouette is more extravagant than your horse's, I win. I get the prizes. I get the accolades. I get the rides on the best horses. I get the nice barn and the nice house and the nice car.
Every sporting body I am familiar with has somewhere in their mission statement a reference to the notion that the interests and welfare of the horse is a priority for their sport. I can’t think of any exception. Yet, when I look at the judging of various competitions, the idea that a horse’s interest and welfare are paramount seems no more than tokenism. It’s a nice idea that is rarely practiced in the judge's box. It seems that when it comes to judging an event only extreme distress and misbehaviour from a horse are penalised. In dressage, movement is always given priority and often it is extravagant movement (not correct movement) that is at the top of the pyramid when judging. I know the FEI talks about relaxation as an important consideration when judging dressage tests, but that rarely happens in real life. Just look at the record of the amazing Totalis under Edward Gal. He won almost everything because of his amazing athleticism, but internally he was a junkyard of trouble. If judges had taken their job of looking out for the welfare of horses more seriously, it would have forced Gal to approach the training of Totalis with more emphasis on the horse’s welfare and less on the showmanship of his movement.
Here is a thought….
What would happen if horses were scored on relaxation, focus, and softness first? What if those parameters were given top priority when judging instead of secondary consideration? What would happen if they needed to score 75% or higher (just as an arbitrary figure) for those parameters before their performance score was counted? If they received below 75% as their score for relaxation, focus, and softness their performance score was penalized on a sliding scale.
For example, if a horse scored 60% for relaxation, focus, and softness during its canter half pass, but scored 80% for the movement, the final score for the canter half pass might be dropped to 65%. If the horse scored 75% or higher, it would be allowed to keep the 80% score for the canter pirouette.
I haven’t spent enough time to figure out an algorithm to calculate the scores and penalties but you get the idea. It’s very do-able.
In the above example, I am clearly referring to dressage tests, but I can see how it could be adapted to just about every horse sport. In the jumping ring, if a horse scores less than say 75% for relaxation, focus, and softness it might get penalties. Say it got 65% for relaxation, focus, and softness, but a clear round, the penalty might be 3 points. It would receive another 3-point penalty for every 10% below 75%. I don’t know much about judging for other sports like reining, barrel racing, cutting, mounted archery, and plowing, but I can see a path where these principles could be adapted for each discipline.
I think one of the biggest hurdles is the willingness of those at the top to challenge and change the system. Change is never easy - especially when so much sponsorship money is involved. But once there is a seismic shift in attitude the next challenge is to universally agree on what relaxation, focus, and softness mean.
Finally, judges have to receive intense training in recognising and judging relaxation, focus, and softness in horses during a performance. This is a tough aim because many of us believe we know what relaxation, focus, and softness look and feels like. Well, at least we think we know it until from out of nowhere our horse bucks us off.
If you have better ideas or can see flaws in my suggestions, I look forward to your thoughts.
Totilas ridden by Edward Gal