Based upon today's lecture on the skeletal system (and furthered along by next week's study of the muscular system and soft tissues), we can see that there are ways to ride the horse that are physically humane and ways to ride the horse that are downright barbaric. It is unfortunate that many of these barbaric ways have become part of the culture in upper level riding (particularly dressage). It is even more unfortunate (pathetic, even) that those who train in this way are consistently rewarded with medals. It isn't right.
Two videos that go along with this:
This trailer for the video If Horses Could Speak is part of the marketing materials for the work of Gerd Heuschmann, a German veterinarian who has dedicated himself to making the horse world aware of the damage we can do to our horses through improper riding and training. I find it interesting that a German veterinarian is so prominent in this debate, considering that many top German (and other European) riders utilize the hyperflexion or rollkur style of training.
The second video is footage taken at a warm-up ring at a World Cup qualifier in Denmark. The man who is the main focus is obviously riding with rollkur techniques. This video is the uncut version - there is a cut and edited version also available on YouTube that shows some parts in slow motion. The horse's tongue is the focal point - trapped behind two bits (he's wearing a double bridle) that are being used to crank the head down and side-to-side, the tongue loses its circulation. One can only imagine the damage also being done to the ligaments of the horse's neck (and the nerves, and the muscles), not to mention the absolute betrayal of the horse's trust. The amount of unmitigating trust it takes for a horse to allow a predator (human) to sit upon his back (spinal cord) is awe-inspiring. To take that gift of trust and completely betray it by inflicting such pain is mind-boggling and infuriating. I'm now stepping down off my soapbox...
Not all trainers ride this way - and it isn't the bit or the saddle or the whip that is cruel; the cruelty lies in the way the tool is used, which is a decision made by the human. We can take the knowledge we are gaining about the horse's skeleton and muscles and use it to enhance our communication. We can enrich our dialogue with the horse by understanding him or her better.
I can't get over it. This really disturbs me.
ReplyDeleteI hear ya, Sarah! It's horrible, and, unfortunately, it's too prevalent in the dressage world, particularly the competitive world. Rollkur produces extravagant front end movement - horses practically bounce as they fling their front hooves out in front of them. However, if you watch the hind legs, they rarely engage under the horse's body. It isn't a path to "true" collection or extension of the stride - it's a shortcut that produces something that has the "wow" factor.
ReplyDeleteDressage should be/is about subtlety. However, in a culture that is always demanding bigger this and more that, the beauty of time and subtle work gets lost (that's not just true in horsemanship - it's true in art, movies, music, etc.).