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Good post.
The bottom line, in the end, is that regardless how you hash it, horseback riding IS a selfish sport. I don't care how much your horse appears to love you and enjoy being ridden, asking them to perform the way we do obviously puts a strain on their bodies that nature likely never intended. All you need do is walk down a line of stalls and see the horses with bowed tendons, and sway backs, and digital flexor injuries, and any other wide variety of injury directly related to being worked and ridden and realize we somehow justify what we do to them by claiming "they love it".
We've all found little avenues to make ourselves feel better about it - for example, we are outraged when people ride yearlings and often two year olds. However, the one article with scientific reasoning and study behind it tells us that NO horse has EVER matured fully in the spine before the age of six years old. So yes, every year we give them is beneficial to the horse, another year of maturing, but realistically, both that 2 year old and that 4 year old are classified as "undeveloped". You risk less chance of injury riding the 4 year old, but you risk even LESS chance of injury riding the 6 year old, so were do we develop a "cut off" line?
Essentially, when it comes to horseback riding, it ALL serves the RIDER. People do not medicate their horses to make them "comfortable" - they medicate their horses so they can return to function. Trainers do not work horses at the pace the animal needs - they train at the pace the owner demands, or whatever pace is going to be most cost effective in the end.
The business of horses is nothing but money, but unlike other businesses so often we forget we are dealing in live animals with brains and understandings. They aren't china dolls, you can't cover up a chip and sell it for the same price and expect nobody to ever notice. People keep the doll with a chip - people don't keep the horse with the chip.
And don't get me wrong, I make no attempt to be self righteous, we are ALL guilty of it. We're just all afraid to admit it because then we're forced to think about it, and how maybe our horse isn't all that happy being made to gallop around a demanding course that could break his leg. How they'd probably be a lot healthier if they never saw a human on their back. I'm not saying stop riding - I will stand up and admit it, I am selfish, and I will not stop riding my horse. But I try to make a conscious effort to make him as comfortable and happy as I can, and listen to what he's telling me about his health.
The bottom line, in the end, is that regardless how you hash it, horseback riding IS a selfish sport. I don't care how much your horse appears to love you and enjoy being ridden, asking them to perform the way we do obviously puts a strain on their bodies that nature likely never intended. All you need do is walk down a line of stalls and see the horses with bowed tendons, and sway backs, and digital flexor injuries, and any other wide variety of injury directly related to being worked and ridden and realize we somehow justify what we do to them by claiming "they love it".
We've all found little avenues to make ourselves feel better about it - for example, we are outraged when people ride yearlings and often two year olds. However, the one article with scientific reasoning and study behind it tells us that NO horse has EVER matured fully in the spine before the age of six years old. So yes, every year we give them is beneficial to the horse, another year of maturing, but realistically, both that 2 year old and that 4 year old are classified as "undeveloped". You risk less chance of injury riding the 4 year old, but you risk even LESS chance of injury riding the 6 year old, so were do we develop a "cut off" line?
Essentially, when it comes to horseback riding, it ALL serves the RIDER. People do not medicate their horses to make them "comfortable" - they medicate their horses so they can return to function. Trainers do not work horses at the pace the animal needs - they train at the pace the owner demands, or whatever pace is going to be most cost effective in the end.
The business of horses is nothing but money, but unlike other businesses so often we forget we are dealing in live animals with brains and understandings. They aren't china dolls, you can't cover up a chip and sell it for the same price and expect nobody to ever notice. People keep the doll with a chip - people don't keep the horse with the chip.
And don't get me wrong, I make no attempt to be self righteous, we are ALL guilty of it. We're just all afraid to admit it because then we're forced to think about it, and how maybe our horse isn't all that happy being made to gallop around a demanding course that could break his leg. How they'd probably be a lot healthier if they never saw a human on their back. I'm not saying stop riding - I will stand up and admit it, I am selfish, and I will not stop riding my horse. But I try to make a conscious effort to make him as comfortable and happy as I can, and listen to what he's telling me about his health.