When my Hanoverian mare turned 19, I took a hard look at our career together and decided to re-evaluate. My mare had been a broodmare for the majority of her younger years. She came into my life at age 14 with very little wear and tear, so we set out to show competitively.
And we did for a handful of years, very successfully in the hunters and in lower-level dressage. But at 19, when my athletic mare truly felt the most fit she’d ever been, I decided it was time to start easing back on her short-lived showing career. She had served many long years pleasing her human caretakers, dutifully in the show arena and before then, as a doting mother of several premium foals. She had earned her retirement. But it wasn’t an easy decision. As a working adult amateur, I could only afford one horse. I knew I was destined to be the last owner this mare ever had.
The issue:
Sometimes I see the younger riding students at my barn and others in the area treat their horses like they’re a bicycle, easily tossed aside when the ride is over, and hastily brought back out when it’s time for the next one. Riding is a gift – truly it is – and we’re so lucky these animals offer us the chance to get to know them so intimately in this way. But in return for that gift comes the knowledge of horsemanship. Horses are not machines. It is on us to learn and be better for them. They deserve that much, at least.
IMO:
Too much emphasis is placed on drilling riding techniques over and over again so students can learn to ride better. This comes at the expense of the horse, who even at the lowest levels of the sport, have only so many jumps and flying lead changes in them. Being able to compete and show off your skills and partnership is thrilling – it’s what attracted me to this sport as a kid, but it isn’t what’s made it a lifelong hobby and lifestyle as an adult.
The art of riding is steeped in connection. If only more trainers would emphasize this in their daily lessons.
This hot take originally published in the Heels Down Spark in April 2021. Get more conversation starters in your inbox every weekday morning by subscribing to the Spark now.