I think there are stereotypes on both sides of this discussion.
I have worked for two different show horse trainers. One who had no business being anywhere near a horse, she was abusive and forceful, and when abuse and force didn't work she would call the horse crazy and refuse to deal with it any more, sending more than one horse to be put down because it wouldn't tolerate her treatment.
The other "traditional" trainer actually had C.Anderson working for her back when he was in his late teens. She showed great understanding to her horses worked patiently and slowly to achieve wonderful results. She would occasionally get more forceful than I care to be (because I'm a nutty unicorn hugging NH person
) but when your livelihood depends on that horse performing perfectly
all the time it is understandable that you demand higher expectations from that animal. She gained my respect when I seen several burned out, soured show horses come to her, with the attitude of never wanting to preform again, and with her gentle but firm teaching, they began to look as though they enjoyed their work once more.
All generalizations are false; including this one. - Mark Twain
I don't think their is a way to completely break down all stereotypes. The best we can do is try to be "Exceptional". The exception to the rule no matter what type of horsemanship we identify with.
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