To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

That being said, the BBC Panorama episode was very biased. Whilst, sadly, it is still the experience of some ex-racehorses, there are lots of people doing excellent work to find them useful careers where they're hugely valued beyond racing

This is very true - it's worth following large scale well known trainers such as Mick Easterby or Lucinda Russell. Their horses are rehomed or retired and they frequently post updates of what they are doing now. After that documentary LR put out a statement to assure people that in her 35 years of training there had NEVER been a case where a horse had been pts because it had come to the end of its racing career.

*pats from its adoring public, not oats (one hopes!)

I think any sport can be made to sound ridiculous if you talk about it in very simplistic terms with little to no actual knowledge of it.

Football - adults kicking a small bit of air-filled rubber around into a seemingly arbitrarily chosen net.

Rugby - similar but insert some chucking and fighting and random lines and bars instead of nets.

Hockey - similar but hard plastic ball and sticks.

High-jump - person attempts to throw self into the air higher than all the other people.

Long-jump - same but longer instead of higher.

Tennis - people hit a ball back and forth endlessly whilst shrieking. Absolutely interminable.

None of those make any sense to me, and I don't understand them, as evidenced by my shit descriptions, but lots of people find them fascinating/feel very passionately about them. 🤷‍♀️ I think the equestrian sports demonstrate true skill. It's not just about the skill of the rider, but the ability they've shown in producing a horse to that level as well. To me, it's fascinating, although I have to admit that dressage isn't hugely my bag.

I think the issue of racehorses is quite a separate one to Olympic horses - most of whom have well-documented, happy retirements, because the public feel affectionately about them and like to know what they're up to, so there's a PR opportunity in letting you know that x horse has gone back to its owner for their children to ride at lower levels/it now happy hack and nannies the youngsters/it potters about in the field and occasionally gets oats from its adoring public. Sadly, that's not always the case for a failed racehorse because they fly under the radar. That being said, the BBC Panorama episode was very biased. Whilst, sadly, it is still the experience of some ex-racehorses, there are lots of people doing excellent work to find them useful careers where they're hugely valued beyond racing. I've had several horses off the track, and would never have anything else. I know of lots of others who feel the same, and I also know of lots of rehoming/rehab places, and trainers who make a huge effort to guarantee their horses' futures post racing. As with all sports, there is good and bad to be found, but the good is very often not publicised.

Interesting New Scientist article explaining the archaeological investigation of horse jaws that exhibiting bit wear on the teeth, showing that horses were being ridden in 4000 BC.

www.newscientist.com/article/mg13017724-500-science-damaged-teeth-put-the-horse-before-the-cart/amp/

I learnt to ride horses as part of my former career. The horses were well looked after and the stables adored those horses. But, the reality was that I had to kick a horse (however gently) to get in to do what I wanted. I had to put metal against the soft cartilage of its mouth to ensure it went were I wanted it to go.

Who taught you to ride?? Kicking and steering with the bit - wow!

If you kicked my DD’s pony, you’d be on the deck before you knew what was happening to you - then once you’d got up, you’d have my daughter to deal with.

She uses her legs and body position to ride and steer her pony

She doesn’t ride bitless, we tried several bitless bridles but her pony doesn’t like poll pressure so we’ve settled on a Happy Mouth snaffle - months of fiddling with bits and bridles, a specialist bit fitter, watching her pony’s body language, how she holds her head, her ears, whether she opens her mouth, tries to evade the bit, how she feels to DD when she’s riding her, tells us she’s happy with that combination.

As for strapping them into a saddle - we have a saddle fitter 3 times a year who ensures that DD’s saddle fits both her and her pony perfectly so that neither rider or horse are uncomfortable and her pony has the proper support on her back to carry DD - riding bareback regularly isn’t good for their back.

DD does hop on and ride with a head collar and bareback sometimes - a bimble up to the field or back when she’s turning out/bringing in, but it’s not a regular thing.

Horses are flight animals. You cannot train through fear, you just wouldn’t get anywhere!

Yes, totally agree. There will always be something they fear more than me.

They have to trust me and do what I tell them to do, when I tell them - not after 10 minutes of negotiation with a carrot - which is full of sugar and incredibly bad for them anyway. My retiree tried to fuck off at 100mph without waiting for me to take her head collar off this morning - she could have seriously hurt herself if she trod on the lead rope while galloping about - her lead rope wound over her nose reminded her that she needs to stand still and wait until I’ve taken her head collar off

Are they like the poor racehorses who are just sent off to slaughter?

I am part of a racing syndicate that expressly does not do this. Retired horses are assessed for being rehomed for hacking, competition in a different discipline, or being a companion horse (they are often rehomed with syndicate members). Horses that have picked up an injury that precludes rehoming live out their time at the rest and rehab centre, turned out full time together where they have mad half hours chasing each other round the field.

Lots of racehorses go on to have long happy careers as eventers, show horses etc.
Some racehorses are not suitable for a life outside of the racing industry. I see no issue with euthanising these horses

Have you? I think lots of people have circled round it. I’m amazed none of the horsey people on here have a problem with those numbers. That’s a lot of dead horses for our ‘entertainment’.

[quote Thatsjustwhatithink]@countrygirl99

So I take it you don't use bits or spurs? Which is great if so.[/quote]
I use a bit. I don't use spurs and I don't steer with the bit because I cam ride properly. I only use the bit for pressure in an emergency such as when I needed to evade a knobhead driver recently. I'm sure you'll agree that a few seconds of pressure in the mouth is better than being hit head on by a car driving in excess of the 40mph speed limit.

Was waiting for the horses in the medal ceremony at the Olympic Showjumping. Oh wait...! wink

Blimey, how many things can a person get wrong in one post??

1. That's the dressage team, not the showjumpers.
2. That's not this year's dressage team, which was only made up of three riders.
3. You can literally see two horses' heads in the background of the photo, waiting for their riders to get back on for the lap of honour.

Here is a photo showing Explosion W in the medal ceremony arena. The pinky-purple ribbon you can see on the right of his shoulder/leg is the rosette awarded to the horse. Obviously the horses can't fit on the podium so they stand behind it (also for safety reasons as during a normal medal ceremony with a much bigger crowd, the noise of the cheering as the medals are awarded can make them spook or dance around a bit), and then the riders get back on and canter round the arena in a lap of honour, showing off the horse as much as themselves.

@Hopeisallineed it depends. Some retire and live out their days with the owners, some move to lower levels and become a schoolmaster for younger or less experienced riders, some will be bred from....
Mine only competed up to advanced medium but basically stopped competing, was being schooled at home and did loads of hacking around the countryside and then died in the field suddenly

@lizbethb37

Type in "the domestication of horses" in to Google. Look for the archeological tab, and it will explain about horse bones/bits/domestication.

There's better info in some of the more detailed studies.

I would like to know what happens to dressage horses once they are no good at prancing around anymore? Are they like the poor racehorses who are just sent off to slaughter? I read recently between 6,000 and 7,000 race horses are killed each year, there’s also a panorama investigation about it. That’s pretty horrific numbers.

If you were to attend any equestrian event in the UK, you would see that they do. They get a rosette on their bridle and a lap of honour. And believe me, they know it means they have won. Then of course there's praise and treats and affection.

Was waiting for the horses in the medal ceremony at the Olympic Showjumping. Oh wait...!

More seriously, am sure you're right that the horses knows they've done something good. Not sure they know they've won-if the 'medal winners' are together after say, cross country, unless they can read their times...

You can’t compare the bits used by tribal people to those used today 😂

Yet as the horse can't talk this is all your interpretation.

Depends how you define 'talk'.

With spoken language? No.
With their voices? Yes.
With their body? Yes
With their facial expressions? Yes
With their ears? Yes
With their general demeanor? Yes

Would you need a horse to shout "Move! I don't want you here!" If it were galloping at you across the field with it's ears pinned to it's head and mouth wide open before you moved? Or would you read the body language and react accordingly?

How do you think vets define what they suspect is wrong with an animal before blood tests etc? The animals general demeanor and reactions outside of the 'norm'.

Bits can be incredibly harsh in the wrong hands, which is why learning to use one properly is vital. But then bit less bridles, which use nose and poll pressure can be very harsh too - which is why learning to use one properly is vital.

In the same way that you can hurt a dog with a collar or harness or halti if you misuse it.

If you look at historical bits you'll see we've come rather a long way, even in the last 20 years never mind from the Middle Ages 😆

@lizbethb37

Well why would a vet know? It's anthropology.

I'll find you a link but it's pretty standard stuff. If you want to understand a tribe/people look at the tools, metal, bone etc.

Horse bone at the jaw had distinctive scarring on it from metal.

I'll find you a link if you can't see it online

@liveforsummer mine loves his lozenge bit, hates a straight bar. I’ve spent so much time and money making sure he is comfortable.

Why do you keep talking about spurs? I rode for a decade having weekly lessons and probably used spurs two or three times ever and for practicing dressage. It's not common to wear spurs except at the very top level.

Every sport is a bit silly if you think about it too much. Look at swimming. It would be simple if the competition was to see the fastest swimmer over X distance but we have;

• different distances
• crawl
• backstroke
• butterfly
• breast stroke
• have I missed any?

My advice is don't think about it too much and only watch was you enjoy.