The way horsemen and the public think about training and abuse is changing. In some cases, the line is clear, but in others, it's a more subjective question, according to a recent report from The Horse.
Though equine training methods differ between breed and discipline, certain practices can be considered abusive regardless of the goal. In the past, more attention has been paid to getting a horse to submit to a rider's will than to ensuring a horse's welfare is protected. Situations that create obvious pain like tying a horse's head down or to the side, rollkur, or too-tight nosebands are one kind of abuse. The Horse reports than in other cases, abuse is the absence of something; keeping horses in stalls with no social interaction as punishment, or limiting diets can also be considered a type of abuse.
Often, horses subjected to these methods are emotional scapegoats for a stressed trainer, or they may be pushed to achieve a particular financial or performance result. There is also a disconnect between some horsemen about certain training tactics that are overlooked as things that have “always been done.”
Horse owners may be reluctant to speak up against perceived abuse as they feel the professional knows what is best for the horse.
A horse in an abusive training situation may be at increased risk of harm and even death, as the horse may injure itself while in training or colic from the stress. Generally speaking, The Horse reports, physical and mental welfare of horses is becoming better understood and that understanding is guiding changes in philosophies and training methods.
Read more at The Horse.
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