There is something to be said for Pony Club. Yes, it is overly picky when it comes to tack, attire, grooming, and everything else. However, NOTHING will keep you safer than following the Pony Club manual when you are working around horses. One of the very first things it teaches you is how to act safely around horses, how to walk around horses, how to lead and tie them safely. I am currently in an internship with a top Grand Prix rider and I help out at his barn where he keeps his imported show jumping horses. One day, his best student (a Grand Prix jumper herself) let her guard down around one of the stallions while filling his water bucket in his stall. The stallion ended up kicking her nose out of alignment and she had to have extensive surgery. No matter how much you know, no matter how much of an accomplished horse person you are, you NEVER let your guard down around horses. Don't decide to not wear your helmet one day because you've been riding a particular horse for many years, or walk around the back of a horse without letting him know you are there, even though you've done it a hundred times. That's how people get killed, good, experienced, knowledgable horse people.
Another thing Pony Club teaches you is how to get out of an dangerous situation. Before you learn how to jump, you must learn how to execute an emergency dismount. Before you learn to ride in the open, you must learn the"pulley rein." The emergency dismount is pretty self-explanatory, and the pulley rein is, quite frankly, yanking on your horse's mouth when he is completely out of control. Leo is not only a dear friend of mine, but also my lifeline and my one-way ticket to international competition someday. However, he tries to kill me. Whenever I ride him out in the open, I ride in one of these. I have very soft hands and completely understand that this bit could damage his mouth; however, I have had to use it harshly on several occasions. Namely yesterday, in which I also had to execute the emergency dismount. Leo, being the whiny little shit that he is, decided that he did not want to cross a small creek. Keep in mind that he has swam in lakes before, he can jump well over 4ft wide, and the creek wasn't even 2ft in diameter. In my naïveté, I assumed that he would merely step over the small creek and possibly break into a slow trot coming up the other side. I was sadly mistaken. He crow-hopped the creek and ran off bucking wildly. Realizing that not only was my horse a complete idiot, but he was also rapidly approaching a solid fence, I executed a not-so-perfect emergency dismount, rag-dolling in the sharp grass, and lifting my head up just in time to see my horse crash into the fence, flip over, entangle himself in the reins, break the reins, scramble awkwardly to his feet, and run off madly back towards the end of the pasture (easily 4 acres long) with dragging reins and bleeding mouth. Being a sunny spring day, there were easily dozens of other riders out in the pasture who saw my predicament, caught Leo, and even gave me a ride double bareback up to the pasture gate. When I finally recovered him and took him back up to the barn to grab my spare pair of reins, I found his mouth has several deep cuts from where the corners of the port had dug into his mouth from when he broke the reins. I'm now riding him in a hackamore until the cuts heal, which will take several days. He was found guilty of being a dumbass and sentenced to 2 weeks of hardcore dressage training with an emphasis on buck prevention.
Looking back on it however, I realize that if I had not bailed, I may have ended up like this girl. Her name is Jassica Forsyth, and she died tragically in a riding accident. This is what happened to Jessica:
"Jessica was found lying about 4 ft outside of the arena fence. It is clear that they flipped over the fence and Boomer landed on her, (barely catching the top of her helmet as her face and rest of her body appeared unharmed) crushing her skull and breaking her neck. What we believe happened, based on all the evidence we have and on past history, is that Boomer became frightened or bolted after one of her jumps (something Jessica herself talks about in one of her YouTube videos “Why I don’t release more” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zFxvnM4sHg where she shows that occasionally Boomer would bolt/run out after a jump), and in the struggle to stop, they flipped over the fence."
My heart bleeds for Jessica's family, and this story has reminded me of the importance of knowing what to do in a dangerous situation. Sometimes, it's better not to stay on.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Breed Bias
Yes, I know, a pretty hard-hitting subject for my second post. But IT NEEDS TO BE TALKED ABOUT. Now, pretty much anyone with half a brain that knows the first thing about horse breeds can identify the following:
He is the "classic" Arabian: the perfect little head, the long, arched neck, the flat croup, the high tail, and the spindly little legs. People will look at this picture and identify the horse as an Arabian immediately.Now, look at this picture:
This horse is not the stereotypical Arabian. Besides the unusual color for a purebred, this horse has many non - "classical" characteristics, such as a very deep heart girth and huge lung capacity. He does not have the classic, long, arched neck of the stallion above him, but he does have a nice neck that is well put on. He also has shorter cannon bones than the horse above him and his tail is not raised as high. At first glance, a person with minimal breed knowledge would probably not identify this horse as an Arabian, at least not a purebred. What is the difference? The gray horse won The Most Classic Arabian in The Arabian Horse Times magazine for 2008, and the flaxen chestnut horse has a scope of over 5ft and has won many jumper, dressage, and 3-day eventing awards at open shows. But most importantly, one is feeding breed bias, one is helping to do away with it.
I am trying to be honest, and I do not want to start anything ugly, but it's time to ask the apocalyptic question of centuries: What are we really accomplishing by breeding Arabian horses for looks only? I'm sure most would agree that the gray stallion is stunningly beautiful, and it is clear from his show record that he displays the fire and spirit of the breed. But besides that, what is he good for? For making more of himself? Can he jump? Can he run? Does he have incredible stamina, or superior carriage? That's the point, GOD KNOWS! We will never know how he can perform, only that he looks like a fresh out-of-the-box Breyer horse with "classical" Arabian conformation. And we wonder why people label Arabians as being pretty to look at and nothing else.
I'm going to say this now and get it over with: in order to establish the Arabian horse as a capable performer, Arabian horse owners do not need to start competing in open shows. Horse owners competing in open shows NEED TO BUY ARABIAN HORSES. And marketing the Arabian as a solely "pretty" horse is not doing the job. Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong about an Arabian horse owner competing in open shows. It helps the breed's image indefinitely. But the sooner we identify the Arabian by its performance instead of its breed, the sooner breed bias will dissipate. Back to the 2 horses: If the first horse was boarded at a local multi-discipline barn, he would be the Arabian. If the second horse was boarded at the same barn, he would be the jumper.
If an Arabian horse wins a level 5 jumper class, the crowd should be commenting: "WOW, that horse can JUMP!" as apposed to "Did you see that Arabian? I had no clue they could jump!" Same thing with the owners! If your Arabian was the one that won, don't go around bragging about how he is an Arabian! This actually draws attention to the negative stereotype that Arabians aren't good performers in open shows, and makes your horse seem like one in a million (even if that was the intended effect, it's not good for the breed's image).
I have worked with Arabians all my life. My first riding lesson was on a little gray Arab gelding named Blaze. I then rode his brother, Shadow. My first horse was the flaxen chestnut pictured above, which I owned and trained. And if you don't think I encountered breed bias first hand at EVERY SHOW I WENT TO, you're dead wrong. We would get snarky comments at dressage shows, weird looks at horse trials, dropped jaws at jumper shows. I only competed on him in one Arabian show, ever. And believe it or not, he performed better at the open shows.
I challenge anyone out there who is looking to purchase a new project or prospect to buy an Arabian horse. If you put the breed aside and focus on performance, I can promise you you'll be surprised.
He is the "classic" Arabian: the perfect little head, the long, arched neck, the flat croup, the high tail, and the spindly little legs. People will look at this picture and identify the horse as an Arabian immediately.Now, look at this picture:
This horse is not the stereotypical Arabian. Besides the unusual color for a purebred, this horse has many non - "classical" characteristics, such as a very deep heart girth and huge lung capacity. He does not have the classic, long, arched neck of the stallion above him, but he does have a nice neck that is well put on. He also has shorter cannon bones than the horse above him and his tail is not raised as high. At first glance, a person with minimal breed knowledge would probably not identify this horse as an Arabian, at least not a purebred. What is the difference? The gray horse won The Most Classic Arabian in The Arabian Horse Times magazine for 2008, and the flaxen chestnut horse has a scope of over 5ft and has won many jumper, dressage, and 3-day eventing awards at open shows. But most importantly, one is feeding breed bias, one is helping to do away with it.
I am trying to be honest, and I do not want to start anything ugly, but it's time to ask the apocalyptic question of centuries: What are we really accomplishing by breeding Arabian horses for looks only? I'm sure most would agree that the gray stallion is stunningly beautiful, and it is clear from his show record that he displays the fire and spirit of the breed. But besides that, what is he good for? For making more of himself? Can he jump? Can he run? Does he have incredible stamina, or superior carriage? That's the point, GOD KNOWS! We will never know how he can perform, only that he looks like a fresh out-of-the-box Breyer horse with "classical" Arabian conformation. And we wonder why people label Arabians as being pretty to look at and nothing else.
I'm going to say this now and get it over with: in order to establish the Arabian horse as a capable performer, Arabian horse owners do not need to start competing in open shows. Horse owners competing in open shows NEED TO BUY ARABIAN HORSES. And marketing the Arabian as a solely "pretty" horse is not doing the job. Now don't get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong about an Arabian horse owner competing in open shows. It helps the breed's image indefinitely. But the sooner we identify the Arabian by its performance instead of its breed, the sooner breed bias will dissipate. Back to the 2 horses: If the first horse was boarded at a local multi-discipline barn, he would be the Arabian. If the second horse was boarded at the same barn, he would be the jumper.
If an Arabian horse wins a level 5 jumper class, the crowd should be commenting: "WOW, that horse can JUMP!" as apposed to "Did you see that Arabian? I had no clue they could jump!" Same thing with the owners! If your Arabian was the one that won, don't go around bragging about how he is an Arabian! This actually draws attention to the negative stereotype that Arabians aren't good performers in open shows, and makes your horse seem like one in a million (even if that was the intended effect, it's not good for the breed's image).
I have worked with Arabians all my life. My first riding lesson was on a little gray Arab gelding named Blaze. I then rode his brother, Shadow. My first horse was the flaxen chestnut pictured above, which I owned and trained. And if you don't think I encountered breed bias first hand at EVERY SHOW I WENT TO, you're dead wrong. We would get snarky comments at dressage shows, weird looks at horse trials, dropped jaws at jumper shows. I only competed on him in one Arabian show, ever. And believe it or not, he performed better at the open shows.
I challenge anyone out there who is looking to purchase a new project or prospect to buy an Arabian horse. If you put the breed aside and focus on performance, I can promise you you'll be surprised.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Why did I start this blog?
That's a good question. Despite the fact that I'm a junior in high school with a list of extracurriculars a mile long and barely a spare time to take a shower much less start a blog, I have decided to make a blog about the horse world through the eyes of a teenager. Throughout my years riding, I have come to understand a certain stereotype about teenage riders. According to this stereotype, there are three types of teens in the horse world:
1) The Stupid Kid - A stupid kid is simply that: some dumb kid that knows nothing about horses and rides just for the fun of it, whether or not what they are doing is dangerous. These teens are generally frowned upon and usually ride at their own stable or some dumpy boarding barn. You will frequently find them at small local saddle club shows, riding double bareback without helmets on a horse who's never seen a farrier.
2) The Barn Princess - Little Miss Princess: every barn has one. They come in all shapes and sizes, on all types of horses, and in varying riding abilities. You can always spot them by an insufferable holier-than-thou attitude and a vast difference between how they think they ride and how they really ride. You'll find them at every stable, show, club, etc. They are usually accompanied by a Barn Queen Mom.
3) The Riding Prodigy - This teen is a rare jem. Regardless of riding style or quality of horse, she always has an impeccable ability to connect with the animal underneath her. She is quick to learn and may even be self-instructed. She doesn't need a $100,000 horse or $900/month stable to shine. In fact, she will frequently win against stupid kids and barn princesses who are riding much nicer mounts. Because she doesn't require the same grooming and fine-tuning in her abilities as other teens, she is often mistaken for a stupid kid who doesn't know what she's doing.
There you go. And you KNOW it's true. Yes, there are many types of teen riders other than dumbasses, princesses, and prodigies. However, that is how we are grouped. Now what catagory do I fall into? That is for you readers to decide.
1) The Stupid Kid - A stupid kid is simply that: some dumb kid that knows nothing about horses and rides just for the fun of it, whether or not what they are doing is dangerous. These teens are generally frowned upon and usually ride at their own stable or some dumpy boarding barn. You will frequently find them at small local saddle club shows, riding double bareback without helmets on a horse who's never seen a farrier.
2) The Barn Princess - Little Miss Princess: every barn has one. They come in all shapes and sizes, on all types of horses, and in varying riding abilities. You can always spot them by an insufferable holier-than-thou attitude and a vast difference between how they think they ride and how they really ride. You'll find them at every stable, show, club, etc. They are usually accompanied by a Barn Queen Mom.
3) The Riding Prodigy - This teen is a rare jem. Regardless of riding style or quality of horse, she always has an impeccable ability to connect with the animal underneath her. She is quick to learn and may even be self-instructed. She doesn't need a $100,000 horse or $900/month stable to shine. In fact, she will frequently win against stupid kids and barn princesses who are riding much nicer mounts. Because she doesn't require the same grooming and fine-tuning in her abilities as other teens, she is often mistaken for a stupid kid who doesn't know what she's doing.
There you go. And you KNOW it's true. Yes, there are many types of teen riders other than dumbasses, princesses, and prodigies. However, that is how we are grouped. Now what catagory do I fall into? That is for you readers to decide.
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