CDJ withdrawn from paris

HaplessHorse said:
I think to some extent, some of the neophobia we see in horses may well be due to the equipment we use to ride. Horses are, undoubtably, flight animals and the tack we use to “confine” and “control” them restricts their ability to flee, which likely means that they feel less inclined to explore new things because they have no option to escape if the new thing is a threat.

I’ve noticed this a bit in my own experience, with my old horse who was extremely neurotic, he was safest to ride in a headcollar (although still not 100% safe, even in the field he was prone to spooking at a leaf). With Cob, she responds far better to cues when ridden in a rope halter than her Pelham (we slowly transitioned) because she feels that she has more of an “option”. She is also far easier to ride in areas that she considers “spooky” when bareback likely because she has that option for escape, and/or possibly because I’m better able to detect her feelings, and adapt my riding to give her the reassurance she needs.

At present, it’s just a theory linking to a slight pattern I’ve seen.

ETA: I sound like a hippie dippie numpty, but I still very much have the approach that horses should still do their “job”. I just like to try and make it easier for them. Since I’ve had my own horses and learned from them, I’ve become less and less enamoured with the “extreme” side of equestrian sport, where we push horses to the absolute max of their physical and mental capacity simply for the competitive gain of top riders. I quite like to do things that are enjoyable for both horse and rider. I think that low-level riding is quite nice, it keeps horses healthy, and horses are quite likely to enjoy it, it has some thinking and work involved without going too far, really. I think it’s also a case of knowing what your horse does to be a bit annoying vs pain signals/fear signals.

That is just my view though, and it’s based solely upon my personal experience, so it’s a pretty small sample.
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I think I qualify as much more hippie dippie than you 🤣

Yes I agree that tack particularly the more aversive stuff has the potential to increase reactions to new situations for the reasons you say (while also ironically often being put on to control those reactions). But it's still in their nature to be suspicious of new things, as with a lot of other animals, and there's a degree to which we expect to be able to train that out of them in order to do anything new without extensive habituation to every new thing.
 
Burnttoast said:
I think I qualify as much more hippie dippie than you 🤣

Yes I agree that tack particularly the more aversive stuff has the potential to increase reactions to new situations for the reasons you say (while also ironically often being put on to control those reactions). But it's still in their nature to be suspicious of new things, as with a lot of other animals, and there's a degree to which we expect to be able to train that out of them in order to do anything new without extensive habituation to every new thing.
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I think it often depends on the individual for any species, and I think that training is fine as long as it is done sympathetically with the aim of reducing future stress, really.

I know I’m definitely suspicious of new things, and I definitely took some “training” to avoid constant habituation to new things! Probably more so than my Cob! 😂
 
equinerebel said:
What hope even is there? For horse sport to continue, or most importantly, for the horses involved?
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This feels so much like a massive and deliberate F*** U to anyone who cares about horses that I would actually be thrilled to see horse sport banned as completely unworkable, ethically speaking, and all these people out of a job. I don't drink, but I'd make an exception for that day.
 
Time to completely ban it

Theyre effectively saying they need these disgusting half a tack shop on their heads to be able to control them and it doesnt matter if it causes blood. Notice how the French Parliaments suggestion of banning those hideous combination bits was rejected. Surely theres a problem if they need half a tack shop to function?

Absolute joke
 
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I don't want to see horse sports banned, but I can't think of any good reason to reverse this - and blood on a horse on TV / social media WILL lead to public outcry (rightfully)

I dismounted at speed when I mistook blackberry juice for blood FFS. Not a chance I would have carried on hacking for actual blood.
 
Burnttoast said:
www.change.org

Petition unterschreiben

Blut am Pferd? Stopp! Save the No-Blood-Rule
www.change.org www.change.org
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Signed. Honestly, what is wrong with people.... on a welfare, compassionate level firstly, but even as leaders who surely have a responsibility to set up their sport to continue.

I'm another who still values lower level dressage and see lots of people just wanting to do the best for and in partnership with their horses, but I'm now totally turned off top level pure dressage. There are good, responsible people there to, of course, but in general, the leadership and most common training and riding choices I see aren't anything I'd now consider acceptable, never mind a good role model or aspirational. ☹️
 
Signed.

I just can’t fathom this new relax in the rules when horse sport has never been more under scrutiny. Is this just a way to try and protect the professionals whose training methods are now being challenged and outed as abuse?
“Oh well the federations says a little blood is ok so whipping a horse 24 times can’t be that bad. There’s no blood after all.”
 
@pistolpete In racing there is a vet down at the start of every race. If a horse bleeds on the way to the start (or the jockey is concerned about its welfare in any way) then the vet will check it out and may not allow the horse to run.

Same in reverse after a race. Any horse with medical concerns will be checked (and treated if necessary) by the on course vet team either in the unsaddling area and/or back at the racecourse stables.

In the event of a 'bleed' from the lung/airway during the race the drug Lasix (which prevents known 'bleeders' bleeding) is banned in this country. I don't know if it is still used in the USA now but it used to be.

One of my multi-owner syndicate horses was recently retired to be a sports horse broodmare due to her 'bleeding' in her 2 or 3 races and also at home in pre-race fast work.
 
I think it's different authorities

Governing body in question here is FEI

Racehorse breeding has dropped in numbers I think about 30 per cent in ten years, 10 per cent in last year, by foals born registered, it seems racing is trying to attract more race goers numbers in some places have dropped
 
Crazy_cat_lady said:
So the owner has trained with her and still owns the horse for her.... enough said.

Very disgraceful promotion, glad I have no interest in having h&c, maybe if people unsubscribed citing that as the reason...

Funny how they didnt state the reason says a
eahotson said:
Maybe or it could be simply that a lot of people want to comment. I think that helps their revenue.
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says a lot about the owner sadly
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daffy44 said:
I've never made a horse bleed from any part of its body or mouth, and I've never left any unclipped patches on the side of any horse either.

I've ridden hundreds of young horses, sj to 1.35, evented to intermediate, and produced three horses to gp dressage ridden in a variety of bits including doubles, and ridden in spurs a lot, no blood, no bald patches, nothing ever in decades of riding.
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Oh I have. When I was 8 I was riding my favourite riding school pony Biscuit, who threw in a little buck at canter and I fell off. She bit her tongue and bled and I saw the blood and cried. Honestly I think I’d have the same reaction now. It’s seems there is an emerging and fundamental difference between hobby riders and professionals, and the difference is that one group are prepared to hurt their ponies more than the other group. I watched some of the Helgastrand documentary last night, and what stood out to me was the quote that they’re horses, you can’t be too nice to them. That’s kind of turned everything on its head for me.
 
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