I see it in the show ring. A horse digs in his toes at the trail bridge, stalls on approach to a jump or balks to enter the ring altogether. Why do horses get ‘stuck”? What are some doable solutions?
Humans show pain through facial expressions. These have been coded and used to assess the discomfort of patients who can’t communicate their suffering in other ways. Now the Horse Grimace Scale has been developed. Help to guide trainers, owners and vets in the determination of equine pain and its care…
Refusing to go over a jump or into the ring.. Head shaking. A canter that just feels “flat”.
Is it me or my horse?
Is it pain or a behaviour issue? Here are some of the questions I ask when I’m faced with a horse puzzle…
Do horses sense fear? Do horses smell fear? When a riding student wonders if their horse senses they’re nervous, I ask them “Do you think your nervousness changes the way you ride and move around your horse?”
Did you know that horses have an impressive ability to show facial expressions, with more “action units” than both dogs and chimps, horses can be almost as expressive as humans?
Thanks to horse research, we can better recognize these facial expressions and quantify horse stress, so we’re not just guessing.
I was reading about the latest in high-tech horse riding. Advanced robotics simulate jumping and a menu of advanced dressage movements.
I guess any tech breakthrough comes saddled with pros and cons. Discernment asks – “Just because we CAN, does it mean we SHOULD?”
Developers listed some interesting benefits for horse welfare and the riding industry I’d never have considered – I’ve noted some PROS below… and some CONS that surfaced in my mind.
Any more pros and cons you can think of?
An interesting article about how horse show committees must navigate the tricky waters of horse welfare and abuse -maneuvering around the varied voices of competitors, researchers and public perception.
Here are some article highlights and examples of FEI angles on the issues of head and neck positions, tack, whipping, and generally “abusive riding”.
Are ponies tougher than horses? French researchers say so.“We often hear that ponies are more robust than horses, and our study shows that they are less inclined to develop signs of poor welfare and that they are more resistant to deleterious equitation.”
(Deleterious equitation means “unhelpful” riding. We’ve ALL been there.)
WHAT might you expect to go wrong in the show ring? I’ll put on my judge’s hat and share common mistakes. So common, in fact, that every score sheet has a menu of these mishaps and space to record their numerical deductions.
WHY do these things happen? Here, I’ll wear my hat as a specialist in horse behaviour (and generally curious person ). Uncover the source and the symptom begins to fade away. Here are the final 3 common show ring “suddenly moments “ and how to make the best of them!
When equestrians take their horses off-property, it’s not a matter of if, but when the unexpected and unplanned will happen. So let’s plan for when things go wrong in the horse show ring.!