The great debate

tonight's sunset

Since I'm still feeling sick, I have done my best to stay quiet and let my body do its thing...which means no horse time. I did get to talk with Mark Mottershead of Horse Conscious on Skype today. We started off by watching this clip. It truly brought home the differences between what people say and what they do. As usual, we batted about our different ideas and approaches to what we could offer the horse community to help it along the way from dominance to partnership.

The best way I can sum up our difference of opinion is this:

I believe that the best step is to do what Alexander Nevzorov has done which is first, walk his talk of no pain, punishment, force, and nothing which isn't in the horse's best interest, even if that means no riding. Secondly, to educate himself and anybody else who is interested about the horse's physiology so he has the scientific facts to back up his claims.

Mark thinks (Mark, correct me if I'm wrong here) that it's too big of a leap for most people to make. He wants to create a forum led by people who are headed in the direction away from humans exploiting horses to considering the horse's view on their relations with humans. Along the way there are many different points. To use a bit or not? Liberty training? Punishment versus reward...of course all good questions for people to consider and answer for themselves.

One of the things that both of us want to have happen, is for more people move down that road. Will that happen through discussion and debate, or an individual making a choice for herself? For me, it was the ability to see that what Alexander does with his horses, and their state of being as a result of it was something that I had never seen before. Then, I took his word (through the website at first) that in order to achieve that relationship I had to stop using bits, shoes, competing, punishing, forcing, and nearly all riding. Yes, this was a price I paid. I could no longer make a living giving lessons, I was no longer in demand across the country as a judge, and honestly, for the first couple of years I felt more like I was an incompetent child around horses rather than an accomplished horsewoman.

Yet something in me kept pulling this direction.

I suspect it will be this way for others too.

No amount of convincing or debate from other people could have inspired this change. It came from my feelings when I was with the horses themselves and the things I would see myself do, and be supported in doing by other trainers. What was required for me, was first to admit that the current relations I had with my horses and those of my students was not what my heart longed for. Secondly, I had to meet that person who was able to show me without a doubt that the relationship I wanted was a real possibility. Once those two elements were in place I put myself in a position of following the steps that this person laid out. Now that I'm 4 years down the road of adhering to NHE guidelines, they are no longer rules that I'm experimenting with, I see them as essential pieces of creating the type of relationship I want with my horses.

What the crux of the debate between Mark and I may hinge on is that he sees that people still want to own horses for the purpose of riding them. When the purpose for having a horse is to ride, the rest of the elements have their logical places. In that case I can understand the use of bits, shoes, whips, spurs, martingales, halters and punishment-based training. And, yes, even if that is the case there is also the possibility of achieving that in more "horse conscious" ways which would take into consideration the physiology and feelings of the horse to some extent.

Would you get rid of your dog if you knew you'd never be able to ride him? Of course not. You never had any expectations of riding your dog, therefore, your relationship is not based on that. Would you get rid of your horse if you knew you'd never be able to ride her? What is the difference? The only differences I can see are our conditioned expectations, (i.e. that being ridden is a horse's purpose), and the fact that it does appear that we can ride horses without causing them undue harm, and that it appears that sometimes they even enjoy it. The first difference would be relatively easy to let go of if the second two differences were proven to be false.

I wanted both. I wanted a great relationship with horses and to be able to ride. It was hard for me to believe at first that those couldn't exist together. Now, I see it as obvious. If, as research shows, a horse's physiology never evolved to carry a load from above, and that by being subjected to such a load for more than a few minutes at a time, the horse will experience numbness, pain, and other scientifically proven consequences then there is only one thing that will induce her to bear that load...a greater pain from other sources...or a huge love for the human involved.

Herein lies the heart of the "horse conscious" dilemma. If a person does choose more horse conscious ways without at the same time learning about a horse's physiology and the signs of discomfort and pain, the horse will probably allow herself to be ridden. It us up to us to understand the costs of this.

So, I will state right here and now that if the most important reason that you have your horse is to be able to ride her, then this blog is not for you. Riding may happen as a result of putting the relationship first, as it has with one of the three horses I work with, but there is no guarantee, nor even a likely possibility that your relationship will include riding to any serious extent.