Holt Your Horses

As there is still a huge emotional response from current equestrian news events of recent days it is important to not get stuck in the negativity of these events. I am sure that there is much disappointment, sadness and shock from what has come to light however blaming, shaming and arguing amongst ourselves is really not a productive way forward. We need to take the situation and turn it into something positive. We need to learn some lessons here, we need to think about what is the way forward in Horse sport before it gets lost completely. I truly believe it is possible to find a way forward for the good of the Horse and to enable top level sport to continue, with the emphasis on welfare and happiness of the Horse, instead of getting stuck in this unproductive negativity let’s use this to find a way forward for the sake of our horses

What are some changes that could be made to the sport in order to put welfare in a much higher regard

Changing rules regarding tack, especially bitting and nose bands (much more in depth than current vague not adhered to rules) and giving/rewarding the opportunity to wear less tack rather than more controlling aspects of equipment

Developing a new scoring system which focuses more on correct function and biomechanics and less on extravagant flashy movement will enable a focus to be more on soundness and longevity of our Horses. It would help develop correct muscle structure, relieve stress and promote a more relaxed way of going. This would also require complete elimination of rollkur/BTV etc. developing a marking system in this way would make the sport less subjective because it could actually be marked on a more scientific biomechanical aspect eliminating the biases we currently see.

A focus on facial expression and an understanding of what these mean during competition and in warm ups could be used to enhance and develop a happier athlete with higher reward for those looking more relaxed and enjoying their work. Harsher marking/elimination for those looking unhappy or struggling

Using age restrictions for levels would prevent young horses being pushed to fast up the levels and being over faced with movements they are not strong enough to do yet.

All of these would promote better knowledge and training methods and restore priority to The Horses well-being. Just some thoughts on turning this around Yes, implementing new rules, regulations and guidelines would take time and effort however we have ended up in a place no one wants to be so I’m sure making changes would benefit everyone especially The Horses

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Effective, lasting, training occurs when you find the balance between enforcing boundaries and kindness. We don’t do our horses any favors when we don’t have boundaries. However, enforcing those boundaries does not need to mean physical harm to your horse! Vocal and other sound-related corrections are extremely effective (I’ll hit myself before I’ll hit a horse). Stopping and backing will go a long way! All contact you make with a horse should be in communication…not punishment. Treat them with kindness and you’ll receive kindness and trust in return ❤️

“Horses are ‘too dangerous' to train with food”

But did you know?

🐘African Elephants, the largest land mammal, have been trained to take injections and many other husbandry behaviours.

🐻Bears, who have a bite force of over 1,200 PSI, have been trained to have their teeth cleaned and to give hair and blood samples.

🐯Tigers, with claws 4 inches long, have been trained to back up their tails into their handler to get injections and to accept fly spray on ears.

🦓Zebras, who have been known to kill lions in a single kick, have been trained to voluntarily walk onto a scale, stand still and get weighed.

🦛Hippos, the worlds deadliest mammal, have been trained to have their teeth brushed and blood drawn.

🦧Chimpanzees, who have 5 times the arm strength of a human male, have been taught to get their temperature checked and teeth inspected.

🦒Giraffes, the tallest mammal in the world, have been trained to have their hooves handled and trimmed.

This is just a small sample of the amazing things that have been taught with clicker training / positive reinforcement (R+). No force or fear needed! All these behaviours have been taught with food. If these larger, more dangerous animals, can be trained safely with food, so can your horse! 🐴🦄

Note: Just like all types of training there is a learning curve and methods of ensuring the safety of both the animal and the trainer. Sometimes that requires protected contact but most importantly requires a thorough understanding of the animals needs/body language.

Inspired by Doggie Drawings by Lili Chin(included in comments!)

Good training is boring and takes longer…but it will always last longer.

Hey howdy hey everyone! I got the approval from the facility I work for to start taking haul-in clients. We have lesson horses available too, of course! Reach out to book your session here or email me at [email protected]

This. All of this.

Have you ever just come to the abrupt realization that you don't see anything the same anymore?

The two year old that you once would have approved of starting under saddle now looks like an incredibly immature baby that you can't imagine asking to carry a load.

Physical issues that lead to training and performance issues you no longer view as the problem but perhaps the solution to the actual problem.

All of the things you would have considered behavioral issues you can now see as the balance issues that they are. You no longer want to address the behavior but instead the reason for the behavior.

You are no longer fooled by words. Anyone can say anything about their training and approach...but the horse will tell you a lot about whether the words match the action, if you're educated enough to see it. Some things are debatable...other things definitely aren't.

You now recognize that you are a nervous system and your horse is a nervous system...and that the priority is to keep you upright and alive. That matters, A LOT.

You recognize that developing a horse is an endeavor that takes years. YEARS. Years of a lot of time and a lot of commitment. There's truly no substitute.

You also realize that getting here has meant admitting that there were times when you were wrong. That there were times when you did harm with the best of your intentions. That you had to walk away from circles of people whose beliefs and approach no longer lined up with what you now know...or maybe they walked away from you? Either way, it's hard to stand alone sometimes.

You realize you've had to become a beginner a thousand times over...and you'll continue to find yourself in that spot a thousand more times in the future, plus some. Maybe even at some point today.

You realize that even when it feels like you haven't grown at all...you actually have. That growth is something to be proud of, no matter where you're at on your journey.

- Terra

They had me for a bit there

Ultimate Checklist: Why Every Jumping Rider Absolutely Needs Draw Reins

1. **To Be One of the Cool Kids:** First and foremost, nothing says "I'm a pro" like a pair of shiny draw reins. It's like high school all over again, but with horses. Fit in or miss out!

2. **Because Head Position Is Everything:** If your horse's head isn't touching its knees, are you even riding? Remember, aesthetics over athletics!

3. **To Make the Hind Legs Decorative:** Who needs all that power from behind when you can have a beautifully useless trot that's all show, no go? Plus, those hind legs make great accessories.

4. **To Give Your Horse a Reason to See the Physio:** Let's face it, we all know physiotherapists need love (and business) too. What better way to support your local equine physio than by creating some totally avoidable back and neck issues?

5. **To Complicate Simple Tasks:** Anyone can ride a horse using balance and mutual respect, but it takes a real genius to make it complicated and gadget-dependent. Why keep it simple when you can keep it interesting?

6. **For That 'Instant Dressage' Look:** Instantly transform your jumper into a dressage diva with just the tug of a rein. Who cares about years of training and communication? Instant results are where it’s at!

7. **Because Who Needs Trust Anyway?:** Building a relationship based on trust and understanding is so last century. Let's fast-track to obedience with the magic of draw reins. Instant respect, right?

8. **To Never Actually Improve:** Because true improvement requires change, and who has time for that? Keep doing things your own old way (whether it works or not), and you're guaranteed to stay exactly where you are.

😆 Remember, this is satire. For real horse pros, the real shortcuts are the long, hard hours of dedication, understanding, and respect between horse and rider. 😘

“She’s such a mare!” - said about the tail swishing, ear pinning mare who is kicking out at leg because she doesn’t want to go forward.

“Oh my god, look at her mare face!” - someone laughs at the mare who is ear pinning and snaking her head at those passing by her stall, threatening to bite.

“Thats definitely a mare!” A commenter jokes on a video of a horse who tries to kick and bite while doing up the girth.

The amount of internalized misogyny that we project onto mares is really sad, especially when so many of those doing it also have uteruses and likely understand the experience of having similar hormones and know what it’s like to cycle.

I’m not always feeling my best. Sometimes I have cramps that make me uncomfortable enough that work becomes harder.

The difference is that I have the autonomy to go and take pain killers, take a sick day or at least articulate my pain to those around me so they can understand why I’m having a harder time.

When mares attempt to do that, we brush off their feelings and blame their gender, reducing their discomfort to the fact that they’re a female.

When geldings offer the same behaviours, it is never blamed on their s*x.

Did you know that in the studies they have done on horse s*xes and whether there is actually a notable difference between mares and geldings, mares actually tested higher for having more amiable behaviours?

Overall, mares and geldings proved to be quite similar with very marginal differences, though.

Despite being an industry made up of an abundance of participants who know what it’s like to have a uterus, we still remain extremely discriminatory to mares, despite the fact that we should understand their experience better because of our similarities.

I, too, used to buy into the mare stereotype and “didn’t like” mares.

Now, I have more mares than geldings.

They’re dependable, they’re friendly, they’re brave, they’re sweet and they’re kind.

And if they ever deviate from this norm, it’s my job to explore why.

My OTTB mare, when she arrived to me, was the stereotypical mare.

She would try to kick me and bite me when I brushed her.

She was moody and disagreeable.

She was also riddled with stomach ulcers and extremely body sore from the racetrack, having been trained in an elevator bit and having substantial poll discomfort because of it.

Want to know what happened when I addressed this?

She became one of my sweetest and most easy to handle horses who is so incredibly consistent in her behaviour that she tends to be more dependable than a lot of my geldings.

Anyone who is perpetually running into mares who are “b*tchy” should work to consider what it is in their training and care program that is making them that way.

The fault is ours, not the entire gender category of mares.

This bias against mares and how many of their attempts to communicate their discomfort are simply attributed to their s*x is archaic and embarrassing.

It serves no one and it does mares a massive disservice while perpetuating the similar undertones of misogyny that are so harmful to women and other uterus having people.

If you just keep learning and growing and doing better, you are already doing enough.

“If you went back and fixed all the mistakes you've made, you erase yourself" - Louis C.K

I read this quote the other day and it really resonated.

Regret and shame are incredibly normal accompaniments of mistakes.

When you know better, you do better but you also have the capacity to look back on the past with shame and regret because you become aware of just how wrong you were.

But, back when we are actively making decisions that we now realize are wrong and condemn, we didn’t have the capacity to see the full picture.

We were making the best choices with the information we had and because of naivety, couldn’t make as favourable of choices as we can now.

Our mistakes are what lead us onto our chosen paths and without making them, we wouldn’t become the people we are today.

There are a lot of things I regret doing with horses and in life outside of this industry. There’s a lot of moments I look back on with sorrow and regret.

But ultimately, making those mistakes is what placed me firmly on the path I am now and for that I am thankful.

You are a mosaic of all of the choices you’ve made and all of the connections you’ve created.

The beautiful stained glass window of your soul is comprised of a lot of tiny little glass pieces, each a tile contributed to by a specific moment, event, or perhaps a largely piece commissioned by a highly important person in your life.

There is beauty in those imperfections and when you have the ability to look back on the fuller picture, it can become more clear of how even the “bad” moments were key in defining your personhood.

Learning from mistakes is important, being remorseful for times you’ve hurt others is key.

But, we must also accept our mistakes and be grateful the contribution they had in creating the human we are today.

For, without them, we would disappear.

So accurate! 😂

You guys are a hoot for quoting me on this! 🤣

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠…

I’ve never seen a more misunderstood animal more than 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞…

I’ve been trying to tell you that I am in pain, but you don’t seem to listen.

I show you that I’m in pain by not being willing to work but you just call me 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐛𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 or 𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐲. Instead of helping me, you just 𝐤𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by rearing when you try to ride me, but you enjoy showing people you can sit to a rear. Instead of getting off and listening, you just say “𝐇𝐞’𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭!”

I show you that I’m in pain by throwing my head in the air, but you just say it’s one of 𝐦𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬. Instead of helping me, you just buy 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐚𝐝𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 so that I can no longer 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐢𝐫.

I show you that I’m in pain by bolting, but you just get scared and decide I’m not the one for you. You sell me and I still remain as 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠.

It’s our responsibility as animal owners to do right by them, horses can’t speak, they communicate through their actions. So we need to listen!

9/10 times “negative behaviour” is caused my pain, the rest is learnt behaviour. Either way I always check for pain first.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠, deserves the world. The amount of tolerance, loyalty, patience and trust the hurting horse has, is something I can only dream of having.

Written by - The Horse-Centred Approach

Artist - Ruby Campbell

Sometimes it's not ulcers.

Sometimes it's not kissing spine.

Sometimes it's not EPM.

Sometimes it's not the bit.

Sometimes it's not the saddle.

Sometimes it's not the trainer.

Sometimes it's the fact you're a crazy human who continues to anthropomorphise these behaviours and insist that it couldn’t possibly be a pain related issue or anything related to you.

Sometimes it’s the fact that your horse was designed for the purpose of moving 20+ kilometres per day with their head down grazing and is now confined to a box stall and fed up on high energy grain whilst going without hay for hours each day, creating a sore tummy and a greater likelihood of having ulcers as a domestic horse than not in addition to being chronically understimulated and largely unable to exercise unless they have a human on their back playing puppeteer.

Sometimes it's the fact that you dress your horse in a variety of equipment with the purpose of restricting the movement of their mouth (flash) or creating more leverage for you to be able to ride and direct them easier by using a number of different harsher bits or gadgets like draw reins. This effectively removes any ability for quiet communication, so when your horse can’t take it anymore, they must get louder.

Sometimes it’s the fact that way too many unqualified trainers play saddle fitter and tell students their tack fits when it actually does not.

Sometimes it's the fact that your horse absolutely adores running away from you because it is one of the few things that brings them relief from the otherwise high pressure, high stress lifestyle that can be rides, especially when their communication of stress and/or discomfort is being labelled as personality and otherwise viewed through an anthropomorphic lens.

Sometimes it's the fact that you think your horse will wait for you while you mount or dismount but your horse is chronically stressed and cannot fathom the idea of standing still for a couple of seconds while they’re in fight or flight mode so they instead use the opportunity for relief by moving.

Sometimes it's the fact that the majority of the stress and avoidance behaviours we see ARE correlated with mental and/or physical discomfort and have shown consistent correlation in extensive equine behaviours studies.

Sometimes it’s the fact that we have a 70-90% rate of stomach ulceration in domesticated horses so your horse is more likely to have them than not.

Sometimes, the issue is that we as humans are really great at denying anything that would push us to self reflect and see the gravity of what is an industry wide issue of ignoring the horse and then when they finally get loud so we have to notice, blaming their loud behaviours once again on them.

Horses do not lie, their behaviour is honest. Humans, on the other hand, DO lie. Especially to themselves. To protect from having to sit information that is hard to hear.

It’s taking the easy way out to anthropomorphise your horse. But, I can promise you that if you actually put the time, money and belief into diagnostic work, you will have a very good chance of finding out what physical issue is causing their behaviour. Many who claim it can’t be pain related just don’t actually put the work in to find out because the real truth is often expensive and could be painful. For years, I avoided the truth for the same reason, all without knowing that was why.

If you learn to look for the reason behind their unwanted behaviour instead of just looking at the behaviour at face value, you also may find what situations, equipment and other factors contribute to it.

If you consider ruling out pain first and honestly looking at your horse’s living situation from a welfare standpoint, you may just realize how often pain and inadequate management cause behavioural issues, because these factors are behind the vast majority of issues we run into with horses.

After all, I thought it was “never the horse’s fault” or are we just saying that to sound good?

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You can support my work for as little as $1 a month by subscribing to my Patreon. You can get free access to behind the scenes, early video uploads, training help, tutorials and more: http://Patreon.com/sdequus

You can also see my website for more about me, my horses & free learning resources: http://milestoneequestrian.ca

Alliance For Horse Welfare In Sport Our Vision and Mission is to protect horses in Sport by adopting evidence & research based protocols

Although I have covered the Waterford in other posts, I figure it deserves a post of its own.

The Waterford bit has a number of strange ball joints, and all of the lumps and bumps create pressure points, digging into the tongue and bars. As well as this, the numerous joints will collapse in the mouth and “wrap” around the jaw, intensifying the pressure felt by the horse, and allowing no "escape" from the pressure. This bit is VERY strong, and operates on pain alone.

Many people will claim that their horses "love" a Waterford. "They're so soft!" "They stop straight away" "The bit is only as harsh as the hands" and "It is a myth that they are harsh". These claims are false, and we must make sure that common sense and love for our horses prevails.

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It’s blanket season again! Friendly reminders to all who don’t have woolly mammoth horses this winter

When you start to take on training clients again…..if you know you know 😂