We have just got back from a great holiday in Turkey and I found an interesting article in a magazine left outside my stable. It has some views about whether or not we should even be riding horses anymore as our knowledge continues to grow with a particular emphasis on welfare. The last year has highlighted some of the worst of the training methods at the elite level of dressage competition from Helgstrand to Dujardin.

Whilst visiting Turkey we decided to go on a riding safari which actually left me really disappointed. We cannot ignore the high level abuse but we also need to be working with the lower level, pleasure riders to ensure they understand welfare and recognising signs of unhappy horses. Some of the training methods seen were medieval such as using chains on the hind fetlocks to stop a horse from kicking, a chain instead of a noseband and bits with shanks as big as my hand.

The horses had scars on their legs which I can only speculate on but really hope they are from field injuries. Some were unfortunately lame and some walked with an adapted gait which was not natural looking. There was no obvious weight limit for the horses even though they were of a finer arab type build at a max of 14.2hh and guests were of various heights and weights, definitely going over the 20% limit.

Whilst I don't think it is acceptable to have abuse in any form at any level, we must as a collection of animal and horse lovers be ready to question certain practices and to make ourselves and those around us more aware of what a better alternative is.

Do we stop riding horses completely? This is going to be a personal choice and everyone will have a difference in opinion. My view is that if we stop riding, there are going to be a lot of abandoned, unwanted horses without jobs and even fewer people out there able to afford them as companions. Particularly the large thoroughbreds, the draught horses, the sport horses, where are they all going to go if they don't serve a purpose?

I think that we can continue equestrianism as a sport as long as we learn from our mistakes, educate ourselves and others round us and make a promise to our equine friends that we are going to do better for them.

What are your thoughts?