milliepops
Wears headscarf aggressively
Please take this in the manner it is intended, which is a light hearted exploration rather than intending to bash anyone!
Just thought I better get that in at the start!
Something I've been pondering over for a while now but came a bit sharper into focus yesterday.
I went on a BD-organised yard visit to Gareth Hughes which was wonderful, really inspirational. Gareth very clearly explained their approach from the young horse (a recently backed 3yo did a great demo, not perfection but a clear system in place) up to GP. We were invited to ask questions all the way through which Gareth answered candidly and in detail.
Some of the questions raised reminded me of the kinds of things we discuss here, always coming from a point of concern for the horse's welfare etc - it's all from a good place but I just wondered whether we actually make life harder for ourselves sometimes? I'll give some examples - if anyone was there, again this is not pointing the finger but cogitating on a theory!
the 3yo was brought out wearing a flash noseband and one of the attendees asked why it wasn't in a cavesson. Gareth answered to the effect that it is to develop a good habit - that the horse learns from day one to accept the contact and keep a quiet mouth - not so they could strap it's mouth shut, but that it never dawns on the horse to open its mouth and resist. How many of us would press on (or feel we should do) in the cavesson because it's the "right thing" or more horse friendly? When in fact we are setting up a problem, rather than shutting down the possibility of a problem?
Someone asked about variety in their work - do they do jumping or go to the gallops, and he said no, because they need to be strong for their day job which is dressage, so jumping doesn't actually help them with that. Dressage training makes them strong for dressage, so that's what they need to do. They hack and go in the fields etc... not just drilled in the school but they don't need extracurricular stuff
Do others on here feel pressured to add different stuff in, just so we can tick the box? (I don't mean doing things for fun, but for example there was a time when I would have taken a horse on a fun ride because I thought it was good for them - I wouldn't now because it's not helping the training I want to do. Likewise I once thought I should teach Kira to jump, but I've made my peace with that because I've realised she doesn't need to do it, it doesn't help her so we don't do it).
Dunno, would appreciate other people's viewpoints, I realise I'm coming at this from (now) a fairly single minded (and single discipline) amateur perspective but I suspect most of the other people who were there are similar, so it was interesting to have these questions raised... and the answers seemed so obvious that I wondered why sometimes we try to do the right thing but actually make a rod for our own back?
Just thought I better get that in at the start!
Something I've been pondering over for a while now but came a bit sharper into focus yesterday.
I went on a BD-organised yard visit to Gareth Hughes which was wonderful, really inspirational. Gareth very clearly explained their approach from the young horse (a recently backed 3yo did a great demo, not perfection but a clear system in place) up to GP. We were invited to ask questions all the way through which Gareth answered candidly and in detail.
Some of the questions raised reminded me of the kinds of things we discuss here, always coming from a point of concern for the horse's welfare etc - it's all from a good place but I just wondered whether we actually make life harder for ourselves sometimes? I'll give some examples - if anyone was there, again this is not pointing the finger but cogitating on a theory!
the 3yo was brought out wearing a flash noseband and one of the attendees asked why it wasn't in a cavesson. Gareth answered to the effect that it is to develop a good habit - that the horse learns from day one to accept the contact and keep a quiet mouth - not so they could strap it's mouth shut, but that it never dawns on the horse to open its mouth and resist. How many of us would press on (or feel we should do) in the cavesson because it's the "right thing" or more horse friendly? When in fact we are setting up a problem, rather than shutting down the possibility of a problem?
Someone asked about variety in their work - do they do jumping or go to the gallops, and he said no, because they need to be strong for their day job which is dressage, so jumping doesn't actually help them with that. Dressage training makes them strong for dressage, so that's what they need to do. They hack and go in the fields etc... not just drilled in the school but they don't need extracurricular stuff
Do others on here feel pressured to add different stuff in, just so we can tick the box? (I don't mean doing things for fun, but for example there was a time when I would have taken a horse on a fun ride because I thought it was good for them - I wouldn't now because it's not helping the training I want to do. Likewise I once thought I should teach Kira to jump, but I've made my peace with that because I've realised she doesn't need to do it, it doesn't help her so we don't do it).
Dunno, would appreciate other people's viewpoints, I realise I'm coming at this from (now) a fairly single minded (and single discipline) amateur perspective but I suspect most of the other people who were there are similar, so it was interesting to have these questions raised... and the answers seemed so obvious that I wondered why sometimes we try to do the right thing but actually make a rod for our own back?