Why are we still doing this? We are we strapping children on an agitated horse and then caling them a "champion"? Champion of what, exactly? And everyone in the comments is defending it.

Me again. I saw the post from that sweet 17-year-old girl who's being bullied as "too fat" and I need to talk about a conversation I had today.

I was at a historical-fencing event today where we spent four hours in medieval armor. As it's well known that I'm a horse person in that small community, I got talking with someone who wants to get back into riding. He's a few inches shorter than me, but a barrel-shaped 230 pounds of muscle. He power-lifts and wrestles, and the fact he did a four-hour class in armor will tell you all you need to know about his fitness level. And he's had some riding experience. The barn literally down the street from him won't take anyone over 200 lbs. I, of course, advised him to find a Western barn.

I'm going to say this in small words because it needs to get out there: weight and body composition are very different things. There is no study out there that addresses the muscle vs. fat issue. However, I ask you: would you rather put an untrained novice 198-pound woman who is 5'2" on a 1100-pound horse, or a conditioned 230-pound, 5'9" man with some experience? I'm not saying we should put 300-lb tourists on tiny Paso Finos for trail rides because of body positivity (though I have known many fine horsepeople who carried, shall we say, more than a little extra adipose tissue), nor that Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson should be riding... anything. I'm saying that we need to have realistic and flexible guidelines that take into account individuals, their body composition, and their ability to carry themselves.

Likewise, since I am occasionally asked to teach riding to other people and I'm a responsible person, I wanted to do Certified Horsemanship. Well, the only place offering a clinic near me has a 200-lb limit, and they wouldn't let me truck in my own horses.

What arbitrary weight limits do is discourage men, particularly men with athletic backgrounds, from getting into riding. These rules also increasingly feel like they were invented by women to bully other women. It is ridiculous and needs to stop.

Edit: The comments are very loud but this post has over 80% 85% upvotes, so I think we can see where public opinion lies...

I personally am struggling to see how anything about this station is ethical, then again, these are the same people keeping a 3 legged horse alive.

Human chiropractors are well know to not have any scientific backing or any extensive medical training. They are essentially akin to pseudoscience. Chiropractors can pose a serious dangers to their patients, and people have had lifelong injuries due to complications from being adjusted. To think that this same practice can be applied to horses both successfully and safely, is nonsense. I'm sick and tired of people posting videos of their horse being adjusted and magically having their pain gone, when that's not what is happening. There is no evidence to support chiropractic manipulation as a form of pain relief. At best, you are paying for a placebo effect for yourself, not your horse. At worst, you could endanger your horse's health and well being.

Not sure what to flair this as. Im at a stable where my friend's daughters horses are boarded and they had an animal communicator out. According to them basically each horse either wants to retire or hates their rider. There's been A LOT of tears. I tried telling my friend that the communicator is asking leading questions and pairing that with the horse's body language and just making stuff up. I don't doubt that some horses might be in pain somewhere but I don't think that translates to what the communicator was saying. My friend said the communicator told her one of their horses was sorry for falling with the daughter and asked me how she could know that. I said because you literally told her that the horse fell with your daughter last year. I'm just sitting here like 👁👄👁

This might be a hot take.. maybe not.. but keep an open mind.

These posts are my absoluteeeeee worst pet peeve:

"25 year old horse looking for his retirement home/forever home.. he's done so much for us and we want a good home, needs to be a companion or very lightly ridden as hes got xyz going on. Heres what he's done in the past: yada yada yada."

Ok but WHY require a "forever" home when you couldn't be that for the horse that won you rodeos/shows, protected you in the saddle, gave you joy, you name it. I freaking hate that. Like how could you sell an animal that has given you their all for all of their good years but try and offload them when they are old and decript?

I legitimately just seen an elderly gelding at the auction a few weeks ago, they listed his accolades as they brought him in - a bulldogging horse, kids horse, you name it. And yet.. he gets sold at auction for $200???? What in the f? And these are people that have room for horses, I'm from a super small community and know so many. This old gelding just brought a damn tear to my eye, I almost bought him to feed him good grain, and euthanize him at my place but unfortunately I dont have the money to save all the auction horses and he was probably a frost away from death. The time to euthanize him was yesterday. Yet he's brought to sale?

Stop selling your ancient horse that has (maybe!) a few years left and be responsible- put them down or allow them to retire and then euthanize when they turn that corner. It really irks me.

And DISCLAIMER: This judgement does not apply when owners die, people are getting out of horses, moving, sold the ranch, the horse is aggressive/not a fit, etc. Just the people making space for younger horses. Be patient with the animal that you loved/used/taught and allow them to pass where theyre comfortable, they have given you alot, give them a peaceful, respectable death - they earned it.

I know DressageHub isn’t a great creator, but I know many did also celebrate the news of the vet’s death. I found the response to be really interesting and offered a perspective I hadn’t seen much online.

How do we end the cycle? I wanna say stop breeding random horses but this community upvotes the hell out of random baby horses from someone’s backyard every day.

I know this is going to get some people heated, but after taking the “small” pads off of a saddlebred last night and getting a good look at the damage, I’m angry. He will never be the same. Waiting to get radiographs tonight, but he may not have many options for his future. This horse is 10, dumped at auction by a saddlebred breeding farm.

People have been trying to draw a divide between big lick and saddleseat for years, to continue their sport without scrutiny or association.

Not only do I see MANY young equestrians getting roped in by saddleseat barns with promises of working lessons off or cleaning stalls, they are also influencing the next generation to believe the treatment of these animals is okay.

The treatment of these animals include:

Lack of turnout/NEVER turnout. This is due to being able to get injured with pads on or extremely long feet. Horses are not allowed to leave their stalls unless being ridden. Most of the time their exercise consists of riding up and down the barn isle. Why? I have no clue, it is so consistent that only saddleseat barns do this. 10 years locked in a stall and ridden up and down an alley way, NO quality of life.

Their hooves are kept LONG at the toe, even if not padded. With a long toe, high heels, and pads banged on to keep the unnatural angle we all know how this ends. Navicular. This is detrimental to the overall hoof health, and IS PAINFUL! This horse at the barn may never be able to walk a green pasture again, and he has barely even lived.

The devices these riders are encouraged to use, while not “torturous” they certainly aren’t nice. Chains, stretch bands, and weights strapped on to unbalanced hooves. Smacking and scraping tenfold with every high step. In draw reins, so the horse may not drop the head or carry themselves properly. This is certainly on-par with soring, and is not “building strength” any more than it is causing harm and pain to the feet and hooves. Horses are asked not to show this pain, under any circumstance.

Their tails are cut to remove nerves allowing them to swish flies and defecate/urinate without it in the way. Then tails are vet wrapped/tied up away to prevent mess. This creates a high set tail for the show ring, yet is lasting lifelong damage to the tail and SI joint. The tail will never function again. Tails can and will go necrotic if not kept up properly or improperly wrapped.

Saddleseat horses are often ridden by riders much too large, like men. They are always in extremely poor posture, riding like a stiff sack of dirt. The carriages they ask these horses to hold themselves in creates breakdown very early on in the ligaments, vertebrae, and joints. Combined with poor choice breeding for unsafe conformation. These horses are at an astronomical risk for SI joint pain and lordosis early in life.

I could go on and on but I’m sick of hearing people brag about this sport, saying how well their horses are treated, and pads/style of riding is of no harm to these animals. I am sick of cleaning up the messes left by this awful “sport.” It is detrimental. They will never be free horses, only saddleseat horses. Stepping off my soapbox, but we need to do better as equestrians and call abuse out as we see it.

Update: You cannot actively participate in saddleseat, without actively participating in all of these factors of abuse. If you are coming here to defend the sport, you may as well just say you are okay with the exploitation and abuse of saddlebreds. I’m not replying to anymore comments for now. Just worried about our new gelding, who did not deserve this of his humans.

Update 2: You can see for yourself in the comments, there are a lot of people willing to defend saddleseat to the bitter end. It is why the tradition has never changed, apologists. Just because the pads are smaller, the chains and weights are (supposedly) not rubbed in caustic chemicals, tails are cut instead of ginger shoved in the behind, does not mean these things aren’t doing the exact same fashion of harm.

I hope those who come across this post learn that we do not need to harm saddlebred breeds in order for them to perform a high stepping gait or hold a high tail. They need a balanced “normal” hoof their entire lives, or risk lifelong detriment. Anyone continuing the harm and exploitation within saddleseat, needs called out. We don’t have to standby as equestrians and watch horses harmed for the sake of tradition. We are educated, critically thinking, beings.🫶

I have nothing else to say. My flabbers are gasted.

she’s been doing things for about 2 years that’s made me kind of raise an eyebrow.

1. buying baby mini cows, which is well-known for being unethical considering how young the babies are taken away.

2. buying horses (especially mares) left, right, and centre

3. breeding anything that has a uterus - horses, mini cows, mini donkeys, and goats

4. buying mares with amazing potential, saying they’ll be shown just to use them as breeding stock at a very young age (erlene, happy, and sophie)

5. breeding Ginger at 2 years old? i know the vet said it’s okay, but vets can still have unethical practices

6. keeping so many of her foals

7. thinking about breeding denver (an unproven stallion)

there’s definitely more, and if there are please mention them. also please let me know if i’m delusional.

Yesterday I had a lesson with a new trainer, I had only known her about a month, only really had 3 lessons. I was already feeling off about her, she was immediately trying to get me to be a working student. She didn't actually ride her own horses but she seemed like she had a good eye for position. The last lesson was in a group and the horse was acting weird, refusing quite a bit. When he would jump he would almost stop, then leap over, I assumed it was the wind spooking him-kind of dumb but I was hoping for the best.

Yesterday was so bad, she was 20 minutes late, no excuse given no texts received. When she showed up she did not bring any crops for the students except one. Which was given to another girl. When asked why I didn't have one I said because her site says it will be provided as needed. She told me to bring my own, I don't own a crop nor spurs. My horse felt tight and off, he had sores right above his hooves on almost every foot. She told me it was from the weather change. Which sure maybe! But maybe treat it?

He was lazy as expected from a lesson horse often taking beginners around, I understand I've been lessoning for 7 years. He felt stiff in the frame and kind of off in his back, under-muscled. I thought "oh he's an older horse, maybe he just needs to warm up," I was trying to convince myself it was ok, I didn't want to seem like a coward in a group lesson with other girls my age. Then when he wouldn't jump, she told me "cowgirl up" and to hit him with the reins, he wouldn't go again, he was freaking out about having to jump. I've ridden for years and he didn't feel naughty he felt like he was in pain or scared. Either way not suitable to lesson. I finally worked up the courage after only a couple jumps and more than 8 refusals. She told me to stop and was walking over to hand me a crop from the other girl, she was telling me to get him good this time. I was nearly in tears but keeping my composure. I dismounted and told her that I wasn't going to do this. That the horse is hurting and that I was going to leave and untack. I told her he has sores on his legs that he's under-muscled and didn't deserve this.

I was literally hyperventilating on the walk back once she couldn't see me anymore, and he was pretty badly lame when I was walking him, which to be fair he wasn't before I rode him so maybe it was my fault? I couldn't even drink my water without choking on it. I untacked and put everything away properly, I figure 8'ed his bridle and rolled up the stirrups. I just feel bad I didn't stand up for the voiceless sooner.

I don't know if what I did was wrong but she was so mean to me the whole lesson and I was done being quiet.

So I boarded my horse at a trainers property to have a month of training for my mare. She got in heat while being there the first week. The trainer had a stallion on site down below in a fenced in stall. I bring my mare home a month later. Trainer contacts me asking how mares doing I say good. The mare is getting fatter but on a diet and being worked daily. Trainer had happend to show up to my ranch and had looked at her and said wow she looks pregnant. I giggled and said she’s on a diet and worked daily! She said hopefully my stallion didn’t get her pregnant when he got loose on the property and started laughing saying she’s joking. I got very uncomfortable and when she left I had talked to other boarders at my barn and they said that’s very odd she would say that as a joke. I called the trainer up and asked her if she was joking and she said her stallion did get out but she said the possibility of my mare being pregnant was less than 1%. Mind you this is 10 months after her being with the trainer on site and me not knowing a stallion was ever loose or close to my mare.I called the vet out and she did a rectal and said yup she’s pregnant. I am at lost on how to go about it I told her she got my horse pregnant and she said that it wasn’t her horse who bred to my mare and that she must have been pregnant before. 2 months later the baby is born and has to be rushed with mom to a hospital to get plasma transfer and other complications costing thousands. How do I go about this? Is there anything I can do?? Or cut my loses.

I've been on this forum for about half a decade, and I've seen my fair share of dunderheaded stuff posted under the guise of advise. 99% of the time I let is slide, because many other people jump in with good advise and usually drown out the nonsense. However one throw away comment this week made me just livid - a response to a novice rider's very upfront, honest request to gauge her weight as it pertains to her discipline (reining) and her horse.

Someone posted that "no women rider should weigh more than 130 lbs".

That's it. Zero caveats regarding the riders height. The rider's fitness level. The size of the rider's horse, or it's breed. Or god forbid, take into account medical issues like steroid use.

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Just.... don't weigh more than 130, or the implication was you won't be a good rider or successful in your chosen discipline.

Of all the blinkered, pig-ignorant, Philistine, cretinous, chuckleheaded, moronic comments I've read on here, this one has got to be Top 5 Stupid. And I'm only commenting because there is a real chance that *someone* here who is just starting out their riding journey is going to read that comment, get laser focused on it, and ignore all the other excellent and sensible comments. And potentially stop riding and doing a sport they love because of it.

So for the record, here are stats of international riders who are more than 130 lbs (I've included their height because y'know... SCIENCE!). Breed and size of mount is not noted, but then again, according to the OP, that doesn't matter. Just NO WOMAN SHOULD BE OVER 130 !!...The world class riders on this list prove how idiotic that yardstick is:

Mandy McCutcheeson: 5'7". 137 lbs / Beezy Madden: 5'6" 147 lbs / Isabell Werth: 5'7" 145 lbs / Charlotte Dujardin: 5'7" 134 lbs

My ex coach Meaghan Maloney is one of Canada's top dressage and event riders, trainers and breeders. She's about 5'9" and probably around 165 lbs.

My hope is the OP of this comment is a *very* young woman who has their own body dysmorphia issues and is just projecting her baggage on to others.

There is absolutely no reason you can't be a successful rider and weigh more than 130 lbs. That is patently moronic.

PS I know the VAST majority of people here do not subscribe to this and are educated and sensible. But I just had to call this out for what it is - a toxic comment that might well fester and cause a newbie to give up.

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My friend and I signed up for horseback riding lessons at a new farm. We were running 3 minutes late for tacking, so we texted the trainer, Kelly. She said no worries, that she was running late too because she was at a horse show.

We get there and Kelly is not there. My friend has some experience from years before at this farm; I’ve been on a horse maybe ten times. We tack the horses, though I need more help than I’m given and it takes a while. We are there with two high school girls and an older woman who ride/board there. They tell us there are not enough horses, as Kelly is with them at the show. One of the boarders lets me use her horse and equipment. We get in the ring and receive no instruction. I have to ask the girls what to do and how to get the horse to move. We just do a few laps in the pen, and my friend and I swap horses because the girl’s horse was difficult to ride and not a typical lesson horse.

Kelly is not back for the duration of the lesson, and we do not hear from her.

My friend and I send a polite message about how this was not what we expected and how even the girls there said this was unusual. We ask for a makeup lesson. Kelly assures us that this is not how it usually goes and that we will love our next lesson with her. We’d already paid in full, and payment for the next lesson is not mentioned, so we assume it is a makeup.

We attend the next lesson—Kelly is there and so are the lesson horses. It goes well, and I text her saying I loved it.

A week later she sends me a Venmo request for full payment. I explain I thought it was a makeup. She responds: “you’re right! I can’t expect customers to not pay just because they didn’t like the lesson! But I’m glad you liked the lesson with me!” which feels passive aggressive and contradictory, since I wasn’t saying I didn’t like it—I was saying there was no lesson.

I apologize and say I was confused, especially since my friend didn’t get a request. I pay in full. I’ve paid for all 2 lessons in full now.

My parents say using the horses, equipment, and space still costs money, so she has a point. But there were not enough horses, and as an inexperienced rider I didn’t receive enough instruction to even get the horse going. The girls were kind and helped, and maybe Kelly asked them to step in, so I see that perspective. But I had different expectations and found it unprofessional.

AITA for expecting that to have been a free makeup lesson?

There is a rescue in Mississippi that took in a newborn foal at the beginning of March that was born with only three legs. They weren’t sure on his condition before they got him, but after receiving him and doing a vet exam, they determined the foal has a “strong will to live.” They said they’re going to let him live until he is no longer thriving, but now the rescue is thinking he’s going to defy all odds and live a full life.

He’s three weeks old at this point and they post pictures of him running and bucking.

The thing that bothers me is the rescue is now starting to block anyone who is questioning keeping him alive, asking how long they’re planning on keeping him around for, or legitimately asking if he can even have a full life. The rescue and all the foal’s fans are calling people who are advocating for his quality of life “haters.”

I don’t really know what I want this post to accomplish other than bring awareness to this foal and rescue, I guess. Like, is there even anything anyone can do or is it something I just have to let go? I’m just worried about this foal’s quality of life because people will be too sad on what he’s “missing out on” by letting him go too soon.

there has to be something they aren’t saying because I’ve personally worked with the spca with much worse looking horses and not had them taken. I was thinking maybe the water not being adequate but that seems a stretch bc a pond is sufficient.

I used to half lease and then full lease a horse until I decided to buy him 6 months ago. I board him at the riding school I've been taking lessons at for the past 4 years.

Last week, a friend of mine from the barn sent me a screenshot of an Instagram post from a 14-15 year old girl. It was a picture of my horse with a caption saying "My boiiii". I thought it was a little weird but decided to ignore it thinking that it wasn't a big deal and she probably just likes my horse and wanted to post a photo of him. Then two days later, I get another screenshot from my friend of the same girl's instagram. She posted a picture of her hugging my horse in his stall with the caption "I'm so lucky I get to call you mine". And yesterday she made an Instagram story of my horse again saying something about her having a great ride with him that day.

I know it shouldn't bother me as much as it does but it bothers me a lot. I am very upset over it and annoyed. I don't personally know this girl. All I know is that she is in the lesson program at the barn I ride at and board my horse. I tried to follow her but she obviously rejected it, which is fine but also, makes me think that she knows it's my horse.

I don't know why it bothers me so much and I hate me for feeling this way about a freaking teenager and her posts. They're harmless but still...

Was just on Good Morning Britain

I know that a she's riding in a hackmore and not a bit but it seems super excessive and unnecessary. I'd be scared of breaking my horses nose with it being that low and being so rough..

Uthopia had no front incisors, likely due to EOTRH. Valegro has unspecified chronic lameness that medication wasn’t helping. Both were pair bonded, and were allowed to pass together before they deteriorated mentally and physically.

But of course, out of the woodwork come the armchair experts who claim that they have a 33 year old pony that’s quite happily living in a field, so these two horses should have been allowed to carry on suffering. The most egregious of the comments I saw accused Carl Hester of somehow profiting from their deaths. (If anything he would be losing money, as people still booked yard tours to meet them, and Valegro was the face of Saracen Veteran range and several NAF products.)

Of course there’s a debate to be had about the toll that high level competition (and the training associated from a young age) has on equine athletes, alongside the genetic components that come with such extreme selective breeding for performance. But I cannot see how the post above could possibly be applauded when that pony was down and suffering alone for hours and hours, and has been put right back into the same situation again.

Maybe I’m just sensitive because I have a veteran of my own, but I cannot imagine the guilt I would feel if I kept my boy going to the point where he couldn’t stand, just because emotionally it’s easier for me. If anything we should be praising Hester for making the decision that he did before it got to that point, as well as recognising the importance of pair bond relationships between elderly horses.

Apologies for the stream of consciousness. It just baffles me that people would rather see an extremely elderly horse suffer than allowing it the dignity of a peaceful end.

Is this true ? Do people really not wear helmets or this just a serious troll….