Always, Never, Absolutes in riding

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SouthWestWhippet

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Does anyone else cringe a little bit when they see/hear/read people using these words.

Was on another forum earlier and someone was posting saying that they were confused as they'd been taught to create bend in the horse by using the inside rein but a new instructor had told them to NEVER pull on the inside rein to create bend...

You hear it all the time when people are talking about (usually other people's horses)... "Personally, I would NEVER take that on the roads" or "I'd NEVER buy a cribber/rearer/veteran/horse with sarcoids etc etc"... "I would NEVER use draw reins/schooling whip/spurs etc". Don;'t mind when it is done in a 'well I dont think I'm competant enough' fashion but so often it comes across as really santimonious and judgemental rather than supportive.

Likewise you get the "well I think you should ALWAYS keep your horses barefoot/out 24/7 stabled in winter etc etc"...

Seems to me that horses are individuals and each situation needs to be approached with an open mind - learning from the past doesn't necesarrily mean closing your mind to certain ideas and practices.

Whenever I hear these sort of absolutes I can feel my hackles riding as often they seem to offer the horse and rider no solution or room to improve and change. They seem more designed to make the 'giver' of advice feel better about their own choice than to assist someone else.

Maybe I'm being naive but does anyone else feel this way or do you think there is room for absolutes in the horse world?
 
the only absolutes i'll use are in the interest of the horse. for instance i will NEVER get on from the ground, no matter what. i'll walk half a mile to find a gate or fence to clamber on from, if necessary! umm, i try NEVER to lose my temper. the horse is ALWAYS trying to tell you something.
that's about it. probably not very helpful! doesn't make my hackles rise, no... not as much as ignorant people doing stupid things that make horses suffer, anyway!
 
I always take nevers/absolutes/always with a pinch of salt as they're generally a i"n most circumstances i'd never... "etc. Good example is something i revealed on here the other day, we work magnus with his tounge over the bit constantly. He works best like this, changes of bit and various gagits/nosebands etc just upset him make him angry he goes nicely into a contact and has great brakes plus he's 19 now so why upset htings, he's fantastics with the young horses and is worth his considerable weight in gold. Normally I would try to fix this he's an exception that there are to every rule
 
Good point. There are few things I would NEVER do - eg. smoke on a horse (but then I don't anyway so that's a given) or allow someone to smoke when mounted on mine, get around Badminton in one piece
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I think you have to work to your best practice and think that, in the majority of cases, you would do things a certain way but sometimes you have to accept that there are exceptions and be flexible in order to work to that.
There are some things that I usually do, but these are mostly the things that I would do day to day without thinking because they are ingrained. As far as advice is concerned, I always try to say what my experience of a certain thing and how I dealt with/experienced it. With individual problems, they aren't going to fit every situation.
 
most always and nevers are like Ezme says 'mostly I would.......' as we never know what is round the corner i.e. 'I will never sell George' - I hope not but you can't read the future. But I would never get on without a hat on and I will always try to do what is best for George.
 
i dont know how i would stand on this one by what i got asked the other day;
(background story) unfit mare been jumped in competition on hard ground in 2/3 classes 2 days later come in from field lame with a big splint on front tendon. came sound after 2 wks off started hacking gently (walking) and walking round the field 2wks into it i was asked what i thought of her doing a small ode, i said i wouldnt do it because the mare wasnt fit enough, she hadnt been trotting on the roads so didnt know if she would stay sound and that it was to quick after her injury and if she went lame she may not come sound again bearing in mind she's 19. anyway she did the ode and a night of s/jumping and now she is lame again! was i wrong to say this???
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thats what i thought!! why risk her mares wellbeen for the sake of not been able to wait a couple of months? now she is lame again there hoping she comes sound in next week or two. she had been entered in a british eventing thing 1st week in september!!
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i dont think they will be doing it now anyway.
it's a shame because the people are really lovely and now they say they wished they had lishened instead of just doing it. my hope is that the mare does come sound and that they have learnt by there mistakes.
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These are my absolutes. I am sure I have more if I really think about it.

I would never get on from the ground, ride my horse if he was in pain, fail to get him vet treatment if he needed it, punish him, lose my temper with him, forget to give him clean water.

The other thing I wouldn't do is do something just because someone tells me too. If that makes sense..... follow peer pressure.

lastly I will never forget to give him a kiss on the nose every night.

X

X
 
nah dont use absolutes, life is too uncertain, my horse also requires a very open mind lol!

I do get cross when people say 'i would NEVER buy a TB, Mare, Chestnut, Grey, Cob, Elderly, Youngster blah blah blah.
I always think they are stupid, you dont go out and turn down your other half because he's not tall, blonde, rich, six pack etc

I always think get the horse you click with, who cares if its a bright orange elderly, marey cob with grey bits. If it inspires you to do what you thought you'd never be capable of doing thats the main thing.

Those buying/judging horse absolutes are the only things that really irritate me.
 
I would always wear a hat
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can't think of anything else, but I know what you mean, people do tend to get quite excited in voicing their opinions and tend to go rather extreme!
 
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can't think of anything else, but I know what you mean, people do tend to get quite excited in voicing their opinions and tend to go rather extreme!

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I think this is what i mean. To me, it is almost a red flag warning that someone might not be too experienced if they start 'always' and 'never' -ing. Seems to me that the people who have worked with many many different horses know that there are nowhere near as many nevers and always as you might think. When you just have your own horse it is easy to have always and nevers and I 100% support individual rights to have them... but then I do wonder, with this individual horse rather than multiple horse experience, does one really have the knowledge to get overly critical and dismissive of someone else's experience or view?

Or maybe when I am more experienced I will realise that there are some true 'always' and 'nevers' in the horse world that I haven't learnt yet...
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thats what i thought!! why risk her mares wellbeen for the sake of not been able to wait a couple of months? now she is lame again there hoping she comes sound in next week or two. she had been entered in a british eventing thing 1st week in september!! i dont think they will be doing it now anyway.
it's a shame because the people are really lovely and now they say they wished they had lishened instead of just doing it. my hope is that the mare does come sound and that they have learnt by there mistakes.

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See now that is totaly different. You were asked your opinion and you gave a considered response... ie I think you shouldn't ride the mare due to her age, her fitness and the recent injury.

You didn't say "well, I would NEVER compete a horse that had been off for a few weeks". Because there may be a circumstance in which this would be appropriate. For example if the horse had been off for a couple of weeks with something minor like a missing shoe, was fit beforehand and the competition was low level and well within his scope.

It is that sort of response that gets my back up, it doesnt seem to have any "sense" to it... just gives the advice-giver the opportunity to shout their mouth off
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when people ask me for my advice i offer them it after explaining that i am only going on what i have done/experianced/found to be the best for me, if they then choose to use it it is up to them (no offence taken if not)
i have been around horses most of my life and worked on lots of different yards (ie dealing/showing/s,jumping/harness racing and studs) i dont know all there is to know about them (as is life a big learning curve) and im always open to new ideas and new ways.
we are all taught the basics (ie never ride without a hat, how to tack up 'properly', correct aids etc etc) but then its how we choose to use this information and if its going to help people i agree with it but if its just saying it for the sake of saying it or to downgrade someone then i think its wrong.
(eg if i saw someone riding without a hat i wouldnt go up to them and confront them because they already know its bad for there health and safety but still choose to do it.) does that make any sence???
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just read your responce to earlier post, thank you but it was more to do with the injury and lack of fittness than her age. i just thought as we all get older we get more aches and pains and it takes longer to get over injurys so with her age and injury and rushing her back in to competiting that they may cause alot more damage and may never be 100% sound with anything more than gentle hacking. (does this make any sence??? it does in my own little world!!! lol
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