not sure what the headgear is on these horses

[paddy555]

take it you didn't watch long enough to see the one standing on the saddle then

many of the comments were predictable but I didn't expect this one. The man standing was also the one riding backwards.
Is it this particular man on this video you object to or all people doing trick riding/cossack riding etc, those type of activities.

 

[Birker2020]

You sound as if you approve of using sour and crocked horses in a riding school to make money out of them for people who ride badly to have fun on.
.

Different country, different way of life, different way of looking at things maybe.

Not saying its right, as it's clearly not. But they probably are ignorant about the emotional and physical damage they are clearly doing to their animals. They all seem to be relatively young. I used to canter at every opportunity on whatever verge type material I could find and do a fast extended trot on the roads in the 'old days' but it was only because I knew no better. Then you mature, become experienced in such matters and can see the damage for yourself.

There's stuff I used to do with my horses in the late 80's and early 90's that I would dream of doing now. Probably harmless fun at the time but with the benefit of hindsight and all that .....

 

[Birker2020]

many of the comments were predictable but I didn't expect this one. The man standing was also the one riding backwards.
Is it this particular man on this video you object to or all people doing trick riding/cossack riding etc, those type of activities.

I think those that do trick riding/cossack riding are only to be admired. But pounding a bunch of horses on a hard surface isn't ideal in anyone's book. I guess the fact that every one of the horses have their ears back 90% of the time is particuarly telling.

 

[milliepops]

many of the comments were predictable but I didn't expect this one. The man standing was also the one riding backwards.
Is it this particular man on this video you object to or all people doing trick riding/cossack riding etc, those type of activities.

why after almost a whole page of people saying they didn't like it, is this the one you've picked up on? I guess i should be pleased that you've described me as unpredictable this time

I have no problem with cossack or trick riding in general. it just tickled me that K had said they needed to get out of the saddle, and he did just that.

*shrug*

 

[paddy555]

why after almost a whole page of people saying they didn't like it, is this the one you've picked up on? I guess i should be pleased that you've described me as unpredictable this time

I have no problem with cossack or trick riding in general. it just tickled me that K had said they needed to get out of the saddle, and he did just that.

*shrug*

I picked on your comment because that was one I didn't understand. You put a rolling your eyes after your comment so I thought you disapproved of it and someone else posted about riding backwards so I thought these activities were frowned upon. I was looking for explanation as to why you didn't like those activities
Obviously you didn't disapprove of it so sorry I picked on you.

 

[Steerpike]

It's a 5 minute video, no one on here knows these horses, how they are cared for or ridden at any other time.

 

[Birker2020]

It's a 5 minute video, no one on here knows these horses, how they are cared for or ridden at any other time.

If a photo tells a thousand stories a five min video tells considerably more.

But yes I guess you have a point, I'm not suggesting for one minute their not dearly beloved horses.

 

[paddy555]

It's a 5 minute video, no one on here knows these horses, how they are cared for or ridden at any other time.

 

[Cortez]

You sound as if you approve of using sour and crocked horses in a riding school to make money out of them for people who ride badly to have fun on.
.

No I don't particularly approve, but unfortunately these are certainly not the worst examples of that genre.

 

[Cowpony]

I think I was so alarmed that they were cantering with only neckstraps alongside an unfenced railway line, I didn't notice the horses' expressions!

 

[Keith_Beef]

I think I was so alarmed that they were cantering with only neckstraps alongside an unfenced railway line, I didn't notice the horses' expressions!

I didn't notice the railway line, I was too busy looking at the horses, riders and the apple trees. So I went back and watched a bit more closely, and saw the railway line from about 30 seconds in.

It looks like a line that is still maintained and in use, but in landscape like that I think that there must be only slow and occasional trains running on it. I would expect a line with fast and frequent trains to almost certainly be fenced to stop deer and boar from being hit by trains. And for filming I would expect the organiser to have checked the timetable.

 

[Steerpike]

Looks a nice area to go riding in!

 

[Scotsbadboy]

And we all have a melt down when there is a bit of ice and the odd pothole to contend with, lol! Im going to show this vid to my horse ... no excuses sunshine .. no excuses! Hahaa

 

[Keith_Beef]

I laughed out loud at around 5m27: Rue des crottes!

 

[paddy555]

I re run the video to specifically watch the horses expressions. I don't think they look sour. I think they look like a group of unbridled horses more or less running free (or as free as they can be ridden) who are using their ears some of the time to react to their riders. Often riding if I make a noise, wave my arms in the air my horse puts his ears back to listen, if I do that for a while his ears stay back as he is listening. For another part of the time they are using their ears in relation to each other. I think it is at the beginning the leader has his ears flat back and a crabby expression as the 2nd horse is challenging for position. That happens on several occasions through the video. The horses are reacting to each other with freedom to move their heads and necks far more than bridled horses. So in this video I don't see 5 minutes of sour horses. The horses at 3.44 look very dejected as do the riders but I took that as part of the video showing the depression of the constant rain.

If you want to see sour horses there are no shortage of them. The collecting ring before a jumping competition, whips at the ready. I cannot see these riders having to whip their horses to drive them on. Plenty of bored and sour horses going round and round in indoor and outdoor schools in circles and getting nowhere. Not the top class riders but just normal riders.

The 2nd video in Luberon is just normal riding country to me. (although I wouldn't ride on ice)

As for riding on the hard track then they didn't do that for the whole ride, some was on grass. However I don't have a problem with that. I would be far more worried riding in many schools, especially outdoor ones, with poor surfaces especially those with deep surfaces in the wet winters.

If most of my riding was in a school with a poor surface then of course I would be very careful about trotting and cantering along harsh tracks, I would wonder if the legs were up to it.
If I was to look at a video of say the Tevis where conditioned horses were trotting and cantering for mile upon mile on hard track I would think nothing of it.

The tracks in the video are no different to many of our tracks. Forestry ones for example.

I don't see very much difference between trotting and cantering on those tracks and doing the same on tarmac roads except the tarmac is often more slippery.

ETA I found this video on a FB group for teaching nervous riders. I guess it was posted to try and get through to people some of whom may well struggle that riding is fun, people can canter along with other horses, without bridles and it is fun and safe. From some of the posts on here there appear to be some of those more nervous riders.
Plus of course the endless posts that their horse doesn't like hacking, can't hack alone, they are scared to go hacking alone with the many other problems.

 

[ITPersonnage]

I laughed out loud at around 5m27: Rue des crottes!

France really is a **** hole isn't it ? (Not really )

 

[SJJR]

This is sad. Riders having fun at the expense of the horse

 

[Keith_Beef]

France really is a **** hole isn't it ? (Not really )

You probably know the old joke about when [insert your favourite deity here] was making the world, and made a country that had mountains, rolling hills, plains and forests suitable for all kinds of wild animals and agriculture; there lakes of every size and shape; broad slow rivers and fast mountain streams teeming with all kinds of fish; wide, flat, sandy beaches and also gravel beeches and cliffs...

One of [his or her] [demi-gods, angels, or whatever] said "do you realise what you've done? You've made the most beautiful land, and all the people of the earth are going to want to fight each other to move in and take it over!"

"You're right... but I've put in a deterrent..."

Spoiler

"I've filled it with French people."

 

[HashRouge]

I think I was so alarmed that they were cantering with only neckstraps alongside an unfenced railway line, I didn't notice the horses' expressions!

It was the woman riding in the flappy plastic poncho for me - I'd get decked if I tried to ride in something like that!

 

[TPO]

This is sad. Riders having fun at the expense of the horse

Surely everything we do is "at the expense of the horse"?

Riding at fixed fences, continuous circling, metal in mouths, pressure on noses, saddles, carrying weight, nailed on shoes and so the list goes on...

We have horses for our "fun" but as soon as we clamber aboard, if not before, we are compromising them ?

 

[Cortez]

This is sad. Riders having fun at the expense of the horse

Please give an example where this isn't happening? Horses don't "enjoy" being ridden, it is always the rider's idea.

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

Ouch. I’d feel bad going at that speed on that surface.

 

[Cortez]

Just judging from the majority of the responses on this thread, I'd hazard a guess that not many people have gone out on a fast paced accompanied hack from a trekking centre?

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Just judging from the majority of the responses on this thread, I'd hazard a guess that not many people have gone out on a fast paced accompanied hack from a trekking centre?

I've done a few seasons drag hunting over very mixed ground and crossed all sorts of ground, ridden the Golden Horseshoe (once!) but still jib at hammering on hard tracks. More so these days

 

[ycbm]

Horses don't "enjoy" being ridden, it is always the rider's idea.

I've had more than one horse, and one now, who turns back to the gate when turned out and would clearly like to stay with me and work for me. One would march past the gate when I got home in an attempt to continue a hack. The one in my avatar had to be restrained from getting into any open lorry he was led past. More than once he jumped a round of fences when turned out. As a test one day I finished the show jumping of a ODE, changed my kit, mounted, and stood holding my reins by the buckle and waited to see what he would do next. He scanned the horizon until he saw, far in the distance, the start box for the cross country and he went there to do a cross country, completely undirected.

 

[ester]

I've done plenty of fast trekking, I've never cantered down a hard track on an off-feeling horse though.
And I'm not overly fussed about cantering on such surfaces in general if need be, albeit I wouldnt' go out of my way to do it. I'd be on the grass verge next to them, but lots of people don't like doing that either I guess.

 

[ycbm]

Just judging from the majority of the responses on this thread, I'd hazard a guess that not many people have gone out on a fast paced accompanied hack from a trekking centre?

What's your point? Yes I have. I also canter my own horses on tarmac. But there are several of those who don't look fit to ride at all, to me, and several more I would not want to pound on hard tracks for so much of a ride.,
.

 

[Cortez]

What's your point? Yes I have. I also canter my own horses on tarmac. But there are several of those who don't look fit to ride at all, to me, and several more I would not want to pound on hard tracks for so much of a ride.,
.

Great, so don't do it then. I think people are getting their underwear in a twist over a fairly standard trekking video. A lot of horses that wouldn't pass a vet are worked hard when they wouldn't be if they were in a pet home. A great many horses in riding schools are miserable, most of them are ridden by not very good riders. A lot of hunters canter on tarmac; working carriage horses are on tarmac for their entire lives. Would I go out and do what these riders are doing? No, but I don't see anything any worse than I can see any day of the week in the average riding/trekking establishment.

ETA - that video is edited to fit the music, and there are several sequences that are repeated, so there is not as much "pounding" at you might think.

 

[ester]

I'm a bit confused as to why the fact that are lots of horses like that makes it all fine and dandy? It's a bit whataboutery.

 

[Lipglosspukka]

Just judging from the majority of the responses on this thread, I'd hazard a guess that not many people have gone out on a fast paced accompanied hack from a trekking centre?

Yes. Mixed results.

Most places were fine. One place in Cornwall though, which has recently shut down, a bloke was leading the hack and he cantered down a track which was literally broken cobbles. It's hard to describe but it was like a cobbled road but the cobbles had been broken up so they were uneven, unstable and very unsuitable to be doing anything other than picking your way carefully at a walk. I was about the forth in line of perhaps ten riders. I pulled up. Not a chance was I cantering down there, much to the dismay of the remainder of the ride who were stuck behind me.