Objectification Is Why Horses Are So Easily Abused
How often is it argued, that a human cannot force a thousand pound animal to do something it doesn’t want to do? An argument to defend against an accusation of abuse. But the physical comparison…
In The Media
Posts and Articles of topics related to time relevant, political and social issues, and those which are involved in media-covered events.
Dressage is Dead (can we please move on?)
Dressage is dead. There, I said it. Somebody had to. Okay, not dead in the literal sense. Dressage is still alive and kicking. But, the idea of Dressage as some kind of harmonious, artistic venture…
Science Proves Round Pen Methods a Joke
Round Penning techniques are used widely by Natural Horsemanship trainers and clinicians. Often to gain fast results such as starting wild horses under saddle in a matter of days. Perhaps you’ve already come to the…
FBI Makes Horse Abuse a Felony
Not just a felony, but a Class-A Felony. That puts horse abuse on par with assault, homicide and arson. That’s the exciting part. The motivation behind this change is to gather data on animal abuse nation-wide….
Bad Horse Ads: Episode 2
In this Episode of Bad Horse Ads we have the pleasure of two horses acting as the model of their breed and station, and one special old girl who’s looking for a good home. Mr….
Bad Horse Ads: Episode 1
Horse ads are everywhere online from dedicated horse classified websites to horse forums and social groups, and it’s hard not to notice the large number of downright bad horse ads. These aren’t just Craigslist ads…
Why You Should Buy A Helmet Today
If you haven’t done a check-up on your current riding helmet now is the time to do it and decide if you need to replace it. Why? Because today (July 12) is Riders4Helmets International Helmet Awareness…
The Longevity of the Dressage Horse
In the beginning of my journey into Dressage, there was confident talk about the longevity of the Dressage horse. It was generally accepted that the Dressage horse wasn’t expected to reach Grand Prix until they…
Barrel Racers Keeping It Classy
Heads up, this post contains foul language. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. More often than you’d expect, I receive comments that are .. displeased with my writing. But the majority of them always come…
Dressage Knockout – As Terrible As It Sounds
As if the overwhelming persistence of bad dressage wasn’t enough, now there’s Dressage Knockout. Picture this: instead of the traditional “bore-you-to-tears” Dressage we’re used to seeing you get the pleasure of watching two Dressage riders compete…
Carl Hester, “Don’t Bash Totilas”
I know, you either love or hate Carl Hester. Chances are pretty good you’re in the “love him” camp. I’d love to be there too, but I’m not. When he started talking about the benefits…
Wear a Damn Helmet Already
We’re all invincible, until we aren’t. But more than saving your own neck, wearing a helmet could save the people around you from a whole lot of heartache. Unless you’re so heartless you don’t care…
Romanticizing Bad Horsemanship
Let’s get brutally honest … This is not Dressage. It’s abusive riding. It’s unharmonious riding. It’s riding with physical force and coercion. But the one thing it is not is Dressage. Dressage is French for training …..
The Problem with “Show Us What You Can Do”
From time to time (sometimes more often than others) I receive comments or remarks along the lines of, “how dare you to criticize person-x for abusing their horse, if you’re so great then post a…
Monty Roberts Watches Horrific Abuse in the Breaking of a Horse
A video of Monty Roberts in attendance of a brutal beating of a young horse being broken to ride (and I mean broken), standing passively by while his film crews record, is making the rounds. Was he right in this situation or should he have stepped in to show a different way?
Do Tack Stores Perpetuate Abuse?
I avoid purchasing from major tack stores anymore, even from many local ones as they too carry very abusive items. I don’t want to support that kind of thinking in the industry so I look to buying items used from acquaintances and if not from them then from other individuals who aren’t in the business of retailing products to pain-train horses.