Apparently, the desire to win brings out the worst in a lot of people. We have invented cruel ways of tying a horse’s head up, down or around to get a headset. We cut, numb, break, or ginger tails to get a tail set. We lunge a horse for hours to get it “calm”. We add painful nails or irritants on legs or under saddles to get “animation”. We drug. We break and ride and compete babies before they have even had a chance to finish growing. We use crazy bits, rigs, or gimmicks to fast-track horses instead of actually training them. We perpetuate deadly diseases because the horses “look” good. When tests or trials are designed to catch cheaters, the cheaters find ways around the tests.
NONE of this is acceptable! It does not matter if Susie in the barn does it, or the Big Trainer down the road does it, or you are told that you will not win unless you do it. It does not make it right!
All in all, it is difficult to be a real horseman and keep competing honestly. It takes more time, more knowledge and more patience to come by all the fancy moves the right way instead of the quick way.
Most of my friends that used to show have stopped. They got frustrated by seeing the cheaters being rewarded, time and again, with ribbons, while they struggled to place.
If you still manage to show honestly, I applaud you. Please do not give in to the pressure to cheat. It is ultimately the horses who suffer.
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