*Warning: post contains sarcasm, name calling and I'm pretty sure I cursed once or twice. Now that you've been adequately warned, proceed.
It’s happened again. Andreas Helgestrand, being outed for horse abuse.
This time our anger can feel vindicated; despite Andreas’ denials of any wrongdoing (aka, the #AndreasBlameGame) the FEI finally agrees with us.
But we shouldn’t feel vindicated, instead we should know we’re being treated just as the FEI has always treated us — like childish idiots.
Yeah I said it, childish idiots — oops I did it again.
We’re idiots because despite our disagreement with the practice and reward system for riders who abuse their horses with [rollkur] [hyperflexion] [LDR] [whatever bullshit name the FEI comes up with next] there are many who continue to pay and support the FEI to be involved with their competitions and events.
And, like children there are a lot of Dressage riders who genuinely believe the FEI is out to do good, despite the bad apples amongst it’s ranks.
Are we children? I’m not. I know the FEI is merely pandering to it’s customers (oh, did you think they saw you as something more special than that?) whenever an incident arises. It has an image to protect, and its business interests go above and beyond any meager effort towards improving the horse’s welfare.
I don’t support the FEI, period. Am I missing out on competing and titles and making sure everyone knows I’m better than anyone else? Absolutely. (dear Baby Jesus I hope someone reading this has a sense of humor.)
What I’m not missing out on is abusing my horses. Their interests always come before my own whenever possible, and you can believe it’s possible to boycott the FEI.
Now that I’ve thoroughly insulted myself and everyone reading this (remember that childish idiots remark? yep.) — let’s look at the bigger issue since not many people are talking about it.
It’s not Andreas Helgestrand
Both EponaTV and Starstone are talking about equestrians overlooking the fact that the Andreas Helgestrand abusing his horse drama isn’t about Andreas Helgestrand abusing his horse. And I agree.
I think that we are losing focus on what the real issue is. It is so very easy to keep hunting Helgstrand, because clearly he isn’t clever enough to not get caught on camera time and time again, but the fact is; he is not the problem.
He is a problem, spawned by a sick sport. He is but a symptom, he is not the disease.
Truth is, FEI (the International Equestrian Federation,) and DRF (the Danish Equestrian Federation,) allows, condones, supports, protects and encourages this kind of riding.
It’s another witch-hunt, maybe with more fire this time since he’s a repeat offender.
Still, I don’t think this is even scratching the surface of what Andreas Helgestrand abusing his horses represents.
In fact, many of the riders we catch and criticize about abusing their horses can't sum up what the real issue is all on their own.
It isn’t the Tennessee Walking Horse abuses still happening despite a law passed in Congress outlawing the practice of soring.
It isn’t all of those big-name reining ‘trainers' running their horses into walls to stop, spurring and yanking on the reins.
It isn’t Linda Parelli smacking a blind horse in the face in the name of Natural Horse-Man-Ship and later claiming she had to because the horse was out of control.
It’s not the horse-racing industries’ regular track deaths.
It’s not the violent repeat-offender who assaults and rapes horses in Wisconsin (and who was just released, again).
It’s not even Totilas, horse-extraordinaire! Competed lame (and still knocking the competition out of the water) after years of injuries, training issues and abuse. The horse who could not be beaten. The horse who earned perfect 10’s. The horse who was bought for an unimagined priced and most valuable. Now retired at 15.
The issue is what all of these have in common – the horse is a disposable commodity with no stable value.
Yes, I said horses are disposable.
Oh, of course your Precious, Sweetie, SnoopyWhoops or Honey Bunch isn’t disposable to you (no, never!) and now I’m just talking out of my ass.
Need a few more minutes to finish being [upset][offended]?
Okay, you should be just about wrapped up now with the follow-up remarks counting how many people you personally know who would never dream of undervaluing, getting rid of, euthanising their most [loved] [cherished] [favoritest] horse(s) of all time.
So, of course I must be terribly wrong and making it all up. There isn’t a single human being on the planet who would dispose of, sell, trade, euthanise, abandon, shoot, misplace, forget, gift, give, ‘off property free-lease’, slaughter, or carve up their darling horse.
Didn’t we already agree that we’re not childish idiots earlier on?
Equestrians treat their horses like disposable, replaceable objects every single day. Chances are good you have at some point in your life; I know I have and am willing (unlike Andreas Helgestrand) to take full responsibility for any previous dumb idiotic things I’ve done and hope I’ve learned not to do them ever again — including treating my horses like disposable, personal [entertainment][gratification][ego-boosting] objects.
How to Change?
Well for starters you could cancel that damn membership you're holding with the FEI and withdraw yourself and your horses from any FEI-associated events. Yeah, I think that's a good place to start.
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Very well put. He is a symptom not the disease. #preach
Well, you sure hit the nail on the head. And I’ll totally and fully admit being guilty of that myself right this minute ! Yes, I love my horse. Yes I try to handle, ride and train it as humanely and efficiently as I can with him being the least troubled. And yes, I repeatedly consider selling it and getting another one if my gentle tactics do not result in good enough outcome.
I guess I’m at peace with this way of thinking, because I could swear, a hand on my heart, that I’ll never ever even think to “dispose” of him, but use any needed means to get him to perform like I’d want him to, thoroughly abusing him physically and mentally in the process. My way of handling this would rather be letting him go in the future to a venue that is more suited to his natural talent, being a fantastic trail horse, for instance.
Will I sell him, will I keep him, that’s not even the question. The question is that yes, I consider myself a compassionate equistrian, I do sincerely love my horse, and yet still, he is potentially disposable to me. I guess at least I’m both lucid and honest enough to admit it.
I do agree that I’m faulty in this. I’m tempted to change for a better bred horse with more work ethics. I haven’t taken any action in this direction, though. Because I do love this horse. And I know the minute I hand him over to even the most carefully selected family, his fate is out of my hands, and I will have utterly failed him. That really gives me pause. So maybe I can still be saved 😉
If people performed the same hitting,jerking,kicking acts, even proportionally, to a dog..most would run to the dog’s rescue.
I think it is a common perception that horses are big and need to be mastered in order to keep everyone safe. The general public is afraid of the creatures and appreciate that knowledgeable owners and trainers continue to keep those beasts under control.
I have seen videos of experiments where women are verbally and physically abusing men..most walk by laughing at the situation as the man is perceived as being the stronger and more able bodied of the pair and thus able to protect themselves if they really wanted to.
Until society changes their way of thinking, they will not change their actions.
Well said, Ann! I see very many, even top riders, quite afraid of their large partners – yet too often their own training short cuts have created the problem, if there is one.
Well done, Erica – with anger sufficient for the situation! Hopefully the “hate mail” will be minimal … not sure how anyone could argue, but I’m sure they will!
I aspired to be a professional and ride at the top level, but my weakness was that I could not consider horses disposable. I watched too many really special horses end up in bad hands. So, I end up with my horses for life – which is a bit of a drain on the competition budget, if you aren’t wealthy. But when I see where the competitions are today, I’m just as happy staying away and enjoying my little herd!
The “Good ol’ Boy” System is rampant throughout all of the horse world. This kind of pandering to the big names is nothing new. It will continue in all aspects of showing and breeding until there is enough public outcry that those in charge of the organizations utterly fail and fall. The individuals will not change; they must be replaced.
You nailed it! The unfortunate part is that this all begins before the FEI level. I applaud you (standing, cheering, REALLY) for once again writing about something true and having the balls to talk about it. Thank you!
Good points made here but unfortunately the FEI is doing what virtually ALL of the breed and show organizations do, and that is turning a blind eye to abuse in the name of the almighty dollar. If they would take a moral stance and clean house, they could stop the worst of this within a few years. And, if ordinary horse people would shun these organizations and let them know why, they would sit up and take notice.
I own 2 beautiful Quarter horses and have refused to be a member of the AQHA for many years because of their pro-slaughter stance and their Western Pleasure judging/winning of the peanut rollers. The abuse I have witnessed in the creation of those crippled up gaits and the nose dragging on the ground has surpassed anything I ever saw in the hunter world. I’ve seen 10 WP horses out of the barn where I board euthanized or dumped at the slaughter auction before the age of 10 due to permanent lameness caused by nerve blocks and the unnatural gaits these horses were made to do. Raftering is another horror that was typical before AQHA FINALLY changed the judging rules.
If you think these associations are in it for the good of the horse, you are sadly mistaken. AQHA did not change the WP judging rules until people began to speak out despitetheir being the laughing stock of the rest of the world.
I do take exception to your including euthanasia in this comment though; “would never dream of undervaluing, getting rid of, euthanising their most [loved] [cherished] [favoritest] horse(s) of all time.” I have never, ever sold a single horse I’ve owned but was forced into having to put one of my beloved mares down when she became dangerous to handle. This was a far better end for her than selling her “down the river” or dumping her at an auction.