alexomahony
Well-Known Member
I think when tension comes into play, we need to think not only about physical pain, but the mental welfare of the horse too. Anything more than just grazing in a field brings a horse into unatural territory that we need to prepare them for. I totally realise that no one can recreate arenas like Olympia and the huge crowds at these competitions, but they should be making a better effort to so the horse shows less tension at these types of events. I'd be keen to watch these horses working at home to see the difference - I bet the tension shown in competition isn't seen at home... in the run up to events like the Olympics, it's be so good to see Pro's asking for support from the equine community to help prepare horses for such huge events to give the horses the best chance of being relaxed. It's maybe an impossible task... but I bet it'd be worth it.
Add a tighter than normal (probably) noseband, rider competition nerves and pressure etc I wonder if our riders just don't do a good enough jobs of preparing horses for the grand stage - we just expect them to cope, and when they struggle, the nosebands get tighter and the aids get harsher (I'm thinking about all levels), and the horses shut down and just learn to cope because they can't escape. Plus, the horses we're seeing at these competitions are getting younger and younger, so the riders need to think more about not only preparing the body for these manouvers, but the mind too.
I think people are becoming more and more aware of mental wellbeing in animals (and people) and recognising the signs that an animal is struggling which maybe the Pro's aren't ready to accept as critisism yet. Physical lameness is easy to call out as it's able to be medical proven by a vet, but mental lameness...that can be hidden through many things such as highly strung breed lines, type, temprement etc when in fact, preperation that promotes relaxation and mental wellbeing would probably solve the negative tension issue.
Sorry for the essay - just my mind doing serpentimes!
Add a tighter than normal (probably) noseband, rider competition nerves and pressure etc I wonder if our riders just don't do a good enough jobs of preparing horses for the grand stage - we just expect them to cope, and when they struggle, the nosebands get tighter and the aids get harsher (I'm thinking about all levels), and the horses shut down and just learn to cope because they can't escape. Plus, the horses we're seeing at these competitions are getting younger and younger, so the riders need to think more about not only preparing the body for these manouvers, but the mind too.
I think people are becoming more and more aware of mental wellbeing in animals (and people) and recognising the signs that an animal is struggling which maybe the Pro's aren't ready to accept as critisism yet. Physical lameness is easy to call out as it's able to be medical proven by a vet, but mental lameness...that can be hidden through many things such as highly strung breed lines, type, temprement etc when in fact, preperation that promotes relaxation and mental wellbeing would probably solve the negative tension issue.
Sorry for the essay - just my mind doing serpentimes!