To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

Also, where will all these non-ridden horses live?!

@Bryonyshcmyony

My horse loves being ridden and loves competing. You can shout about how deluded all horse riders are all you want. You are wrong, plain and simple

I sometimes hear people say that horses should just be allowed to relax in a field. For many horses, such a life would be akin to us being in lockdown and stuck at home forever. They’d get bored, stressed and upset. Many horses need a job, need to be busy and engaged.

Everyone I know in the horsey community is absolutely disgusted with what happened in the pentathlon

My horse loves being ridden and loves competing. You can shout about how deluded all horse riders are all you want. You are wrong, plain and simple

Looking forward to the searing defence of the German coach who has just been ejected for punching a horse.

No defence of that behaviour from me. It was an awful display of what I won't even term 'horsemanship'.
I'm further annoyed about the comments from commentators about the 'poor' athletes dreams being ruined by a horse.
That aside, it does show that horses will not perform when they are not happy, this horse wasn't happy and by rights, the rider should have retired before they even got in the ring as apparently the horse 'misbehaved' in the warm up ring and they had problems there.
There's a complete difference in body language and facial expressions between a horse having a leap and a buck when it's fresh and bucking because it's not happy, from what I saw that horse had discomfort and unhappy written all over it, if you have a relationship and knowledge of horses, that should be glaringly obvious.
They tried to force the horse and look at the result, it didn't perform because it wasn't happy. All on the rider and anyone else official that should have stepped in and called a halt to it immediately. Totally unfair on the horse, you can't just get on any horse and expect it to perform, you've got to put time and effort in. Although it should never have happened, it illustrates that.

It's world's apart though, from the standard of the pure equestrian sports we see in the Olympics and you'll find it's being widely condemned here and across the 'horse world'.

One horse in the SJ has been withdrawn because of colic, another because he had a minor injury and continuing (although the write up I read said he would have passed the trot up inspection - he didn't fail the trot up he was withdrawn before) wasn't in the horses best interests and jumping that track would have led to further injury and discomfort.

I don't think anyone here has excused the German pentathlete have they? I don't think they should have the show jumping in modern pentathlon full stop.

It was a good example of how horses need to make a bond with their rider though.

Abject nonsense. In the arena of animal cruelty, the frigging fence to die on is surely not how stubborn the horse was in the face of abuse, but that the abuse shouldn't be happening in the first place. Some of these comments are akin to bloody Mary Chipperfield insisting she was 'encouraging (a chimp) with a stick'
rather than, er, beating it. All this bollocks about 'reminding horses of their manners' as if there is parity between horse and rider rather than a massive imbalance of power; as if they have the mental acuity to be able to do any such thing, is frankly revolting.

I haven't misread the tone, and I'm not clinging to an argument. I'm making a valid one, and you know it: there's plenty on this thread who have made their points more forcefully and more frequently. The fact is - horses cannot consent to this treatment and you pursue these pastimes because you want to. It's entirely selfish and the only way it can be justified is by vainly attempting to convince the dissenters among us that you and your beasts are all in it together and they love every minute.

That's really not the argument-winner you seem to think it is

Well, as its a perfect example of a horse refusing to do something despite being kicked, whipped and punched, I'm saying it probably is.

Nobody will defend either that rider or that coach. You have totally missed the tone or the viewpoints within this thread in your desperation to cling to your opinion, regardless of the evidence.

I'm sure some horses are euthanized if they retire injured. No eventers or showjumpers put healthy horses to sleep when they are finished with them 🙄

And yes every racing stable I've been involved with has rehomed or retired their horses

Ok, short version. Dressage and show jumping horses can go on to be schoolmasters for younger risers coming up through the ranks, or they might go on to breed or to stud, they might be kept by their owner or rider as a pleasure horse or pet or be sold to a private owner as one. Some yes, do get retired to grass but most horses benefit from being ridden and kept active.

Would be pleased to be enlightened though.

For instance, my racing syndicate either rehomes horses to become light hacks, companions or perhaps dressage or jumping horses if they are fit and capable / enjoy it (often to syndicate members) or are retired to live out their days at the rest and rehab centre.

I agree OP. Haven't RTFT but to those saying the welfare is good, what do they think happens to the horses when they are finished being useful?
Well if you do bother to read the thread you'll find that answered

Unfortunately I don't have the time available to read 35 pages. It's not that I can't just be bothered. Would be pleased to be enlightened though

The horse didn't do it though! @LobotomisedIceSkatingFan

But yes it was a perfect example of a horse refusing to do what it was being told and the rider being completely unable to make it despite acting like a total twat.

Looking forward to the searing defence of the German coach who has just been ejected for punching a horse.

Some grinning pillock upthread put some terrible anthropomorphic bollocks along the lines of 'Have you ever tried to make a horse do something it didn't want to do?' as if the balance of power in a horse/rider relationship is somehow equal. Well, here's the answer. Some people obviously do make horses do things they don't want to. Violently. The whole sorry affair is appalling.

The pentathlon show jumping is shocking I agree, but for some reason it isn't governed by FEI rules like all other Olympic sports.

The really irritating thing about the pentathlon show jumping so that people think it's the same calibre as the other equestrian events.

www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/58127366

Those poor horses. It’s a shame that so many horsey people can’t see the harm that’s being caused by using animals for sports.

@Ekofisk absolutely adding in xc in the current format and standard would be a bloodbath. But if the sport was developed differently, with the riding an essential part from the offset, the standard would be much higher. Pony club triathlon and tetrathlon have xc riding, running and swimming as the core, then add in shooting and fencing later.

For many, their tetrathlon is running, swimming, shooting and fencing and the riding is added in later as an afterthought in order to compete in pentathlon.

When relying on an animal and a partnership as an element of sport that needs to be the primary focus. I think this further highlights the skill, talent, hours and hours of practice, and most importantly the relationship and partnership of the other equestrian sports.

I agree OP. Haven't RTFT but to those saying the welfare is good, what do they think happens to the horses when they are finished being useful?
Well if you do bother to read the thread you'll find that answered

I agree OP. Haven't RTFT but to those saying the welfare is good, what do they think happens to the horses when they are finished being useful?

Clue: there is no grassy meadow fir them to live out their retirement in. Well, for very few.

But I am anti the use of animals for entertainment in any situation