So - If horse riding was banned......

[blitznbobs]

I think the fact fox hunting was banned when our future king was a regular shows that she isn't.

We'd probably become a Republic overnight if the Queen tried to actually use any of her constitutional powers.

maybe if she was seen to... but she has lots of chats with the PM -- whats the point of that if she doesn't get a say.

 

[sakura]

maybe if she was seen to... but she has lots of chats with the PM -- whats the point of that if she doesn't get a say.

Not to derail the topic of conversation, but the purpose of those regular chats is for her to be kept informed, not for her to give her opinions. She can advise, but I doubt anyone would consider even that a good idea anymore.

Personally, I see her heavy involvement with horses as another sign of how exclusive and elite the industry looks to everyone else.

 

[Aperchristmas]

Well after losing our riding horses we now only have a mini shetland so I guess this is already me. He's with me for life though, he's my best bud.

 

[emilylou]

Yes I would, because I would just carry on riding regardless of the law. Highly unlikely but even if it was law, who would police it? The police are so understaffed they can't even effectively police actual crimes, so I would just carry on.
If horse riding was banned most horses would be shipped to Europe for the meat market, the rest would die in loving homes and horses would become a much less common sight.. similar to Shires and Suffolk Punch who no longer have a common functional use.
A pointless exercise anyway, it will never happen

 

[SibeliusMB]

Why on earth would riding ever be banned?

The spread of urbanism, fewer people growing up near or being exposed to agriculture, cost of living forcing more and more people away from ever taking riding lessons, the widespread and intelligent use of social media by animal rights groups to spread misinformation and slowly turn the public opinion against a specific population of horse sport....will all leisure riding/driving ever be banned? Maybe, 100 or more years from now when the majority of people don't understand it and it's seen as completely antiquated. Maybe not. But will horse SPORTS be banned? I think that's a definite possibility, and I don't think it'll take 100 years.

In just four years I watched the social media comments on Olympic dressage go from mostly ignorant/annoying statements like "it's not a sport/WTF is this" etc, to a noticeable increase of more dangerous statements like, "This is abusive/They train this horses with whips and chains/This should be banned/"Poor horses!"/etc. Most of those statements are based on ignorance, and some are based on the misinformation spread on social media by these animal rights groups. And that was just the dressage. The Great Tokyo Pentathlon Sh!tshow of 2021 was an absolute GIFT for Animal Rights groups. Why? Because they will take that footage and those photos and spin/use it against traditional horse sports for decades to come....and the general public will NOT know the difference. They do not make the distinction between Pentathlon and proper show jumping, or any other equestrian discipline. Animal rights groups are currently attacking horse racing, carriage horses in cities, and now eventing is now a target. Why? Because they all have had incidents that can be used for a smear campaign. Once one industry falls, it makes it a little easier to turn the public against the next one.

South Australia just banned jump racing because of incidents and the negative public perception. I'm sure there were folks in that industry who thought they would NEVER see that day coming. I say that because every other discipline needs to wake up now and take notice. Do better by the horses. Educate yourself to be a better, more compassionate, humane horseman. Know better, do better. Educate those around you who have never been around horses. Bring them out, teach them about husbandry and horse care. They can become an ally later and help dispel some of the misinformation campaigns.

Here is a thought-provoking opinion on the "social license" in the horse industry and how public opinion of horse sports are changing (not for the better).

Some Animal welfare groups don’t want people riding horses and a lot of the public are against horses riding and think it’s cruel and see horses as a inconvenience.

It's again important to distinguish between "animal rights" and "animal welfare." Perhaps the nomenclature is different here in the UK, but in the US there is a very important distinction between the two. Animal RIGHTS groups like PeTA don't want animal use by humans and see it all as exploitation. These groups would love to (eventually) have horse sports banned, and will work slowly/systematically to erode public opinion of horse sports to a point where the general population doesn't support it.

Animal WELFARE groups work to promote humane treatment of all animals - pets, livestock, working animals, etc. They promote education and animal husbandry. They try to expose people who have no exposure to agriculture to it so they can learn and understand it. The majority of shelters are run by animal welfare groups. The Welfare movement acknowledges that there are mutually beneficial relationships between most humans and most animals, and the best way for all to continue forward is through the fair and kind treatment of animals.
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/difference-between-animal-rights-animal-welfare/

PETA barely count as an animal welfare group, certainly not a respected one.

Again regional nomenclature depending, but back home we refer to PeTA as an Animal Rights group, not welfare.

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

….my mare would be thrilled…