To think that equestrian events are ridiculous

[BFrazzled]

In the Olympics.

Poor horses. This ridiculous dancing in dressage, who the hell thought of that?

There was one winner of the dressage contest who supposedly also won in the nineties. No mention of the horse, guess it was with a different one then

Missed half a sentence out, there.

The dancing horses in Vienna are not treated kindly and I'll leave it at that.

It’s interesting that ‘horsey people’ are largely deriding people who don’t agree that horses should be travelled to the other side of the world to compete in high heat, high stress environments. When actually it is more the none horsey people, who acting on the instinct, that are probably more correct and show a better understanding for what is good and not good for horses!

‘Horsey people’ can easily become numb to the ill treatment of ‘much beloved’ equines. Spurs, whips, tight nosebands, wicked bits can all be very abusive and harmful and yet no one bats an eyelid. Keeping horses with no or very limited / solo turnout is terribly cruel for animals which are designed to live in herds and walk miles a day. Just recently an international competitor stated she never let her horses have any turnout .
High stress environments with lots of change and travel causing high amounts of stomach ulcers in horses that compete.

It’s sad many elements of the ‘horsey community’ are too busy getting on their ‘high horse’ and dismissing others for having lack of knowledge than acknowledging the real issues in equine sports.

@LobotomisedIceSkatingFan foals jump though. It's what they do to get over obstacles

Here's a 12 week old one

If you lead a foal up to a puddle/stream, it will likely jump over it

@Needapoodle

"There are historical reasons for dressage but the ignorant don't know this."

So rather than insult people why don't you explain? Unless you can't.

Because they aren't worth the google.

Or maybe they are so ignorant that they don't know how google works.

"Ignorant" isn't so much an insult as an observation.

Fair enough. I'm wrong. (About that). There's still an appreciable difference between them jumping in their own self-interest and jumping around Olympia with several stones on their back.

@MagicSummer we use our whole body to control the horse. At level the slightest twitch of a bum cheek can result in a different movement. If you watch the dressage, the riders legs are often in different places, near the front end, sometimes nearer the backend. The riders hands will move fractionally which will tell the horse to either Extend ( big flowing trot) or collect ( on the spot bouncy trot). A small press of your leg on the horses side will say move side ways.

@LobotomisedIceSkatingFan

Well, I'd be tremendously surprised if a horse spontaneously decides to jump over an obstacle. Possibly one that's already been 'taught' (viz, made) to jump.

I don't think any 'sport' which requires a sentient but ultimately non-consenting animal to be pressed into service is at best incredibly self-indulgent, and at worst, barbarous.

Honestly they do. If they want to say hello or fight with the horse next door or they prefer the look of the grass on the other side. My horse will often jump a clump of grass or wayward strand of bramble when we are out riding when it could just as easily go straight through it.

@DancesWithTortoises

I think team games are utter shite. Nothing more ridiculous than pampered boys chasing a ball around for silly amounts of money.

Also cycling is tedious and very boring.

There are historical reasons for dressage but the ignorant don't know this.

And you sound pretty ignorant about sports you don't like.

I love dressage and all the equestrian events. I haven’t ridden for years but I really miss it,

This thread has been eye opening to the utter stupidity of some people - even after some have patiently explained the concept of dressage and how cared for these horses are.

Yes, there has also been some arrogance shown on the other side, but as previous posters said, the OP was so rude and dismissive to start with,

I disagree that riding isn’t accessible to all as a sport. I used to write once or twice a month, it was all we could afford. As I grew up, I used to spend summers working at the stables helping out in a bid to “earn” a free ride. I suspect that’s what most people do.

Wherever you go on holiday, there’s often a chance to have a “pony ride” - just last week my daughter had a 15 min pony ride at centerparcs. So it is something that people can try as a one-off from almost any age.

The most exclusive sport of all has to be car racing/rally driving surely? I saw that Lewis Hamilton was trying to make F1 more accessible but that is a sport that requires millions of pounds to get started. On Mn that doesn’t get accused of being elitist or “toffs pretending to be athletes”…

Ride not write! Haha

Haven't RTFT.

I was on a horse once who decided to jump something that I didn't want him to jump. This is not particularly unusual.

I've done a bit of dressage - not a lot, but just enough to massively improve my riding when I hack out. I've been pony trekking, and you use all sorts of stuff you'd also use in dressage to open and close gates without getting off. It gives you a better seat. It makes you think more about where your legs are and what you're telling the horse. You learn to read the horse better. And some horses genuinely enjoy it: they become very alert and keen, and you can almost hear them thinking, 'Oh, this is FUN! I get to do this... and this... and ponce about a bit... goodness, I'm clever!'

Honestly, if you don't like it, turn it off. I can't stand boxing, so I never watch it.

I agree OP.

Transporting horses half away across the world to take part in some silly riding events is another throwback to the dark ages, same as Fox hunting! It really is time to ditch it.

The Olympics should be reserved for elite athletes only.

Horses love music and will often ‘dance’ in time to it of their own free will. Dressage combines this and their natural movements together.

I agree too. I think it’s cruel and unnecessary but it line with what humans do and think about animals in general, that they are solely there for our amusement and we can make them do what we want.

Lol at horses not naturally jumping.
There’s a 3 year old horse at my stables, for various COVID reasons she’s not been backed yet and hasn’t been taught anything. She has an amazing jump and I’ve personally seen her jump clean out of her paddock with practically no run up, then trot straight into the hay barn. Seriously her owner needs to get her started because she will be amazing…. However extracting her from the hay arm and putting her back in her field was not my favourite experience… because when a half tonne of horse doesn’t want to move it’s not going to move, and nothing little puny me can do will change its mind.

Olympic level dressage and other equestrian sports show the teamwork between riders and their horses. And the horses are praised - most people can name Charlotte Dujardin famous ‘valegro’ but I couldn’t tell you a single player in men’s hockey this year - from any country!!

Wherever you go on holiday, there’s often a chance to have a “pony ride” - just last week my daughter had a 15 min pony ride at centerparcs. So it is something that people can try as a one-off from almost any age.

This doesnt really prove that horse riding is accessible though (and I would say that a lot of sports are expensive including, as you say, motor racing) in that
a) centre parcs is not exactly a budget option
b) not many people would get very far with horse riding if it was limited to 15 min rides when they went on holiday.
Having said this when we were camping in France once we were next to a stables and they did a very good value lesson, I think for an hour, in a huge indoor area (sorry dont know the technical term) for the same price as just being "led" on a pony for half an hour in other places.

Ha ha, yes I agree OP - as if it’s a sport, totally agree that the Olympic should be about human prowess. This weird horse stuff is totally for the privileged few who can afford all that too. I mean, hasn’t a royal won a few of the comps in the past?

As did the OP. But that's OK apparently. How about if you she wanted polite answers she asked a polite question? I'm sure the responses would have been very different. But as it is some people gave tried to explain and offered help.
As for cost, how much do people spend on a night out clubbing vs the cost of a riding lesson? People are free to spend their money how they like whether it be clubbing or a hobby and no one had the right to call them names like "toff" just because it's not how they spend theirs. I'm from a working class background, my DH is a chimney sweep. My neighbour works on a food packing line. Another horsey friend is a hairdresser, daughter of a teenage working class single mum. Yeah, none of us compete at the Olympics but what proportion of any sport compete at the highest level and quite frankly none of us are talented or driven enough to do so. But we go out and have fun at a level we are happy with, we help out at events and get to meet our heroes and even get to pat their horses.
I often explain to parents of pony mad kids how they can go and watch events for free or very low cost and they are amazed that it is possible even though the location is only a couple of miles away. You can't go and watch top footballers for nothing. Even a top event like Burghley or Badminton is cheap compare to Premier league football. Every equestrian competing at the Olympics could be watched for free.

If a horse is very talented then it is treated well and then put to stud and retired. While training many are brought on too young and have injuries which means the average age for a sport horse to be put down in the uk is only 7 years old. Horses are very cooperative and will perform even if uncomfortable. I think the sport has huge value but there is a long way to go in terms of animal welfare for the horses.

@Muminabun

If a horse is very talented then it is treated well and then put to stud and retired. While training many are brought on too young and have injuries which means the average age for a sport horse to be put down in the uk is only 7 years old. Horses are very cooperative and will perform even if uncomfortable. I think the sport has huge value but there is a long way to go in terms of animal welfare for the horses.

Have you got some sort of source for this?

@GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman

Yeah my horse will jump anything for fun. When he was younger if you accidentally pointed him at a jump, you had to be quick about stopping him or you'd be going over it. It took me a long time to train that out of him. And he loves doing dressage, the more you work his brain the happier he is.

If a horse doesn't want to do something, you'll struggle to force it. Seen racers refuse to leave the start box, jumpers refuse jumps, dressage horses dump their rider and leave the arena. You get shit heads in every sport though and the ones that abuse horses are hated and if caught, are punished for it. Any actual horse lover treats their horses like gods.

And you sound pretty ignorant about sports you don't like.

What was inaccurate in my description? I know more about football than I want to because of blanket coverage in news programmes. It isn't news it's a game.

I dislike that some sports take on an unmerited importance when they really, really don't matter in the great scheme of things. They are enjoyable pastimes - like dressage.

It's great if people enjoy them, as I did dressage back in the day, but we shouldn't pretend they have any importance.

@XelaM

Why don’t you try it to see how easy it is to make a horse “dance”

Equestrian sports have centuries worth of history unlike some ridiculous skateboarding/surfing/cycling in a circle events

@XelaM

I don't doubt it takes a lot of effort and skill to make the horse do the moves. But it doesn't make it a sport. Horse is clearly doing most of the physical things there.
Clearly in terms of athleticism skateboarding/surfing etc takes much more in terms of athleticism. (That you call it ridiculous kind of betrays your age, sorry. Things are changing as the generations change.)

Have you ever tried to persuade any horse to do something it didn't want to do? grin

I have seen lots of horses ‘persuaded’ to do things that they don’t want to. Heads tied down below the vertical, beaten, whipped.
Tenessee big lick? Equestrians really let themselves down with this often repeated quip, it’s equivalent to two year old racehorses running because ‘they love it’ .

I am not a fan of dressage and not keen on the lack of hacking and the multiple aids used for the horses on my yard but Charlotte and Carl look after their horses very well as far as I can tell on social media. They were turned out as soon as they got home and allowed to display natural behaviour. I have no idea about the training of the other competitors or how they are treated.