To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

I think @SmokeyDevil you are just a bit confused. If you read my posts I do not think the entire sport needs to be banned. I think your rage is getting you slightly muddled. I was replying initially to a post that said ‘ I should turn a blind eye’ to dressage if I think it’s abusive. I think some practices in dressage are definitely open to abuse and some people practice unnecessary training techniques ( hence my post regarding the Olympian earlier) and it’s not a leap to think that is happening elsewhere. I would like this highlighted and acknowledged and not everyone whipping up in a frenzy in huge denial about it all. It does happen and the more it is talked about and brought in to the public arena, the better for everyone involved in the sport especially the animals, who after all, are not our sole playthings.
Not everyone is the perfect animal owner or doing it for the right reasons, the desperate desire to win can sometimes lead to bad practices.
I do absolutely think shipping animals thousands of miles for a competition to satisfy our needs for entertainment is bizarre and definitely not on the same level as taking you cat to the vet. I don’t lock her in the hold of a plane for 17 hours at a time. You are not really helping your point by posting ridiculous parallels between humans owning cats and competitive horse events but hey, knock yourself out. And just as a by-the-by if you ever owned a cat your would know that you can’t make it eat anything it doesn’t want to and that’s a fact! 🤣

Cat circuses??
Horse ballet??

Tbf I couldn't get upset about a cat circus, they are hardly snatched from the wild if you are meaning a domestic cat. If you mean tigers etc then clearly it's not the same as one is a wild animal even if born in captivity whereas one has been domesticated for thousands of years

This conversation is just getting more and more batshit.

[quote Hopeisallineed]@SmokeyDevil yep. You are totally right. Really I secretly think all animal ownership is weird and only own cats because basically they don’t give a shit about me and can’t really be ‘owned’ but I totally agree with you about cat shows, in fact any animal competitions, including horse events and feel very sorry about the stress they go through being shipped all over the world for our amusement.[/quote]
But you are being hypocritical because you do own a pet. You take her to the vets (I assume) for check ups and vaccinations etc, which scare her. You feed her food she may secretly not like but eats anyway because its what you are giving her. You cannot come to us proclaiming that we participate in a cruel sport or ownership when you participate in owning animals. Until you get rid of your cat, you are a hypocrite and your opinion means nothing.

@SmokeyDevil yep. You are totally right. Really I secretly think all animal ownership is weird and only own cats because basically they don’t give a shit about me and can’t really be ‘owned’ but I totally agree with you about cat shows, in fact any animal competitions, including horse events and feel very sorry about the stress they go through being shipped all over the world for our amusement.

[quote ChiefClerkDrumknott]@Hopeisallineed Specifically which of the Olympic horses do you think look as though they were suffering?

All of the ones I saw looked in peak fitness, very healthy and happy. There are riders who’s style I don’t agree with, but that’s a seperate issue to the claim that it’s cruel to fly these horses out to Japan. The racing industry has nothing to do with the Olympics, apart from the fact that some ex-racers are retrained as eventers or showjumpers (I’m not sure if there were any there this year tbh).

Some are spookier than others, naturally, but none looked as though they were distressed. The eventers wear literally rearing to go in the x-country start box, so I’m fairly sure they enjoy their job[/quote]
Glenfly, a member of the Brazilian 3DE team, is an ex-racehorse who raced at the likes of Towcester. (Incidentally, his rider withdrew the horse after the cross-country phase because he felt the showjumping would be too much for him, demonstrating how riders at all levels are capable of putting the welfare of his horse above their personal quest for glory.)

There is abuse in all aspects of equestrian life, as there is in all walks of life. That is inevitable, because a percentage of all people are shits and shits crop up everywhere, and because a percentage of people let money cloud their better judgement and there is money to be made in certain horse sports. But they are the minority, generally they are called out - even if sometimes that takes longer than ideal - and the governing bodies take infringements seriously. Stories of bans for riders such as those posted above are a sign of this seriousness; yes it would be even better if the abuse didn't happen in the first place but if it is proven to have happened, there are sanctions in place which strike at the culprit's reputation and livelihood.

I don't agree with all the opinions of horse owners/lovers on this thread, and I don't disagree with all the points made by those looking at it with a fresh eye from without the horse world. There are always improvements that can be made. Personally I like lots of aspects of horse racing and tend to follow it, but I would ban the whip (for anything other than correction of course) and also racing two year olds. However the flipside is that the majority of people in the horse world do love and care for their horses, at all levels, and even more traditional elements of the sport are waking up to the importance of improving welfare standards and hundreds of thousands of pounds each year goes into veterinary and other equine research (e.g. the misting cooling fans used in Tokyo and other venues). Another example is that the BHA (the body that governs horseracing in Britain) has already started a long term project to improve the traceability of horses leaving racing - it's a shame that wasn't shown on the Panorama documentary, or the excellent work done by the Retraining of Racehorses and similar organisations.

Horse sport is not perfect, but the majority of participants are not blind to that fact - you'll always get the odd vocal hidebound traditionalist - and are actively working to provide the horses and ponies in their care the best standards available to them. And there are mechanisms for reporting abuse if you see it: one of the governing bodies, as listed above, or organisations such as World Horse Welfare, RSPCA etc.

Ok, so no answers, just glib remarks when people have clearly shown they are aware that it’s not perfect but that everyone is concerned with horse welfare

Good. No need to all be in denial about it then. 😊

@Hopeisallineed Absolutely it should be talked about and very much IS being talked about in the horsey world. But that doesn’t mean that every single horse sport should be banned because some people use disgusting methods. Horse welfare is taken very seriously by governing bodies.

So again, which horses looked as though they are suffering from being flown to Japan? Which is what the OP was about

Yes sorry @Hopeisallineed

Don't have time to read yet another article saying how awful dressage is as I know that it isn't in the UK. Just look at Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin and be proud you live in th UK with their very sustainable training methods.

I don't have time because I'm about to go and bring my horses in for the day to escape the flies

Apologies for the mistakes in that post. I’m just checking on my new 2yo Dales pony after her second night in the field with the big boys. She’s already figured out that her stable is a nice place to be, with breakfast and shade and hay and relief from the flies and took herself in today.

She’s also been introduced to rugs, trailers, quad bikes, hoses etc., to prepare her for her working life. Some of which she was a little scared of, in which case they’ve quietly been shown to her and she’s been praised and reassured.

But she’s destined for showing, dressage, fun rides, perhaps a little jumping, (whispers) hunting , perhaps some driving. So someone call the RSPCA, the BHS, the FEI, the IOC, because that would be cruel 🤣🤣

@ChiefClerkDrumknott I agree…and as long as it is still going on in some areas it needs to be talked about.

😂😂😂 I have cats but they don’t compete in sports ( as far as I’m aware) I don’t ride them around the garden, trying to make them trot nicely. Enjoying the way you are completely ignoring the recent article on dressage abuse from an Olympian though. 😉

@Hopeisallineed

Do you have any pets?

I hope you don't have a cat because some people treat cats very badly indeed. If you think you are a "cat lover" maybe you should think again?

I agree there are training methods (Rolkur, crank nosebands, draw reins, rapping, for example) that I absolutely think is cruel. However I do think there’s been a shift away from these methods. More of the horses in the dressage looked most relaxed and naturally carrying themselves, to my amateur eye. The one who’s technique and training I personally cannot stand, is an exception. I thought he really stood out this year and not just because of his orange tails

Hose lovers

I'm not a horsey person but I thoroughly appreciate the skills involved. As for the horse, I see it as akin to training any working dog. They're incredibly intelligent animals and need both physical and mental stimulation x

Why do you feel the need to put hose lovers in speech marks?

@Hopeisallineed Specifically which of the Olympic horses do you think look as though they were suffering?

All of the ones I saw looked in peak fitness, very healthy and happy. There are riders who’s style I don’t agree with, but that’s a seperate issue to the claim that it’s cruel to fly these horses out to Japan. The racing industry has nothing to do with the Olympics, apart from the fact that some ex-racers are retrained as eventers or showjumpers (I’m not sure if there were any there this year tbh).

Some are spookier than others, naturally, but none looked as though they were distressed. The eventers wear literally rearing to go in the x-country start box, so I’m fairly sure they enjoy their job

I think it’s upsetting how some so called ‘horse-lovers’ continually ignore what is clearly going on in the sport. Fine that you still want to do it and that you feel you are treating your animals with the utmost respect but that doesn’t mean to say there doesn’t need to be tighter restrictions on abuse or to deny that that abuse is actually happening in some areas, as it clearly is. It’s very blinkered ( if you excuse the pun) and I’m surprised that more people aren’t upset about it. Every kind of sport is open to abuse and highlighting that should be a good thing not ranting on about ‘ignoring it’ or ‘just turn the telly off if you don’t like it.’🙄

The worst abuse in this country comes from the people with no fixed abode who race horses on tarmac roads and leave horses tethered to the side of the road to starve to death. I actually went with my horsebox to rescue a horse who had been abandoned, tethered with no water for 3 days. Took him to the local horse welfare place. He was sunburnt, starving, lame and covered in lice. He still gave me a little whicker and a happy ears forward face as we led him into the trailer. So you can sit on your arse banging on about how awful it is that you are made to watch dressage on the TV or you can get out there and do something about perceived abuse.