I had a conversation with a teenage rider recently who was clearly a bit upset. She had just returned from showing and had been told her horse was keeping her from winning. That he could mess things up for her. Even though she did win a class. I asked whether she was in it for the riding or for the winning, and she clearly articulated that winning was seen as proof of good riding, which, she added, it was not. Not necessarily, anyway.
I had heard recently at a barn that they pride themselves in offering a “curated experience” for their clients, and I think that actually describes a trend that has been dominating US hunter/jumper barns for a while, but is also creeping into the dressage world. Horse ownership isn’t so much about having a horse anymore. This trend is no longer about the commitment, the time, the elbow grease, the relationship, the ups and downs in the training, it’s a narrow time slot to be filled with a handsomely paid for experience. The management of the horse is pretty much left to the trainer. Owners hardly know what their horses eat, how they spend their day, they just see a bill at the end of the month. Grooms have the horses ready and tacked up by the lesson (or show) time, and are handed the reins back once the lesson is finished. If the horse is lucky he gets a kiss or a cookie. Kids barely learn how to tack up a horse, let alone how to take care of one. Many don’t even come when they can’t have a lesson. Horses are too expensive to be allowed to be horses. Horses just need to function. If necessary sedated. Or in draw reins. (Lunging might mess up the expensive footing.) Some trainers don’t train horses as much as they specialize in buying trained horses. And anything that’s not push button will be resold quickly. Because trainers whose clients win can hope for more business.
So it’s no wonder that kids who actually have the horse bug, who actually feel love toward their horses, can feel immensely conflicted when they see their peers who traded in the horse that “made mistakes” for one that doesn’t (or at least that’s the upsell pitch to upgrade the horse) appear to win more ribbons than they do. They feel conflicted about their desire to do well and succeed in the eyes of their trainers, parents, and peers, yet deep down think that it’s ok if they and their horse “just” did their best.
I find it utterly heart wrenching for both the kids and the horses getting caught in the cross fire of prestige and posturing. My stance has been and will be a voice for the horse. And also the kid who wants to love their horse.
Of course there are still training programs who put the horse first. However, there is a clear trend in the higher end barns toward selling a “curated experience” rather than an atmosphere in which earning the horse’s trust and partnership over time through proper, horse-friendly management and training are emphasized.
