SAD

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

I am saddened by the way riding is going. I am not generalising so please don't anyone be offended, but if the shoe fits, please try and change yourself and your attitude to your horse. It takes one person to change the world. A lot of younger generation riders seem to be riding for the prestige of it all and no longer the pleasure. They exhibit no form of horsemanship or common sense when it comes to horses. I have on more than one occasion seen them come out of the jumping arena throw the reins at their groom and yell to mommy or daddy that this horse is simply not good enough and that they wanted another one. And lo and behold at the next show there was little Jimmy on his R700 000 horse. He then looks down on the other riders with their R15 000 horses. I am sorry I think that kind of behaviour is unacceptable. Now I don't know whose responsibility it is to sort these people out. Is it their parents or their instructors. I can tell you that 50% of young riders these days do not even groom their own horses as they have a whole entourage of people looking after their every need. Surely there is more to owning a horse than just competing? How do you expect that horse to ever perform for you if there is no bond? They are not mere machines? Take up quad biking! There is nothing like hearing my horse neigh from his stable every afternoon when he hears my voice or seeing my 2 year old come galloping across the field to greet me when she spots me. It has just become so sad for me. You now need the smartest GPA, the smartest Maximus horse box, the best saddle money can buy and largest string of expensive horses. What happened to the thing that was supposed to bond us all together? Our love for horses. I have reached the point that I have lost all motivation to compete as it breaks my heart to see this happening. As someone who has been riding and competing for 24 years it is a very bitter pill for me to swallow. It feels like there is no more space for us golden oldies that just want to compete purely for the love of it. Does anyone else feel the same?

[Chelsea]

i completely agree!!!!!! Good discussion, Nevenka. It is very sad to see that loads of ppl dnt have that relationship with their horses and dont even groom or tack up their own horses!!! Half of them dont even know how to tack up their horses. it is very sad indeed!!!!!

[Debbie Marshall]

It is so very sad that the world of instant gratification has filtered through to the detriment of our sport.

The fault lies. I think, primarily with the parent but it can also be laid at the door of the ambitious and unscrupulous instructor.

We can't change it and it doesn't help to explain to the child who does it the other way that she will be the better person in the end with far more depth of character than the others could ever dream of.

Oh so very sad.

[Magda]

I think it is so very true.
I bought my mare for R2000 only, but to me she is worth millions. We are not a perfect match as She is rather small and I am very tall, but She is my little girl that I love more than anything in the world. Very often I hear "why don't you sell her, get a more suitable horse, so you could compete more". For most of those people their horses are like toys, but for me my horse is part of my family. How can I just get rid of her and change her for a "better" model, where she waits for me every evening and neighs the moment she sees my car. I LOVE you my little girl.

[Suzanne]

I totally agree with you. I've seen far too much of this sort of thing myself. I've seen it all across the spectrum from lead line to advanced dressage. It is infuriating and very sad. :o(

[Nevenka van Niekerk]

I am just seeing more and more of this. I live in George and you never used to see this, but it has become rife even in this small town. And it boils down to too much money and not enough passion. It breaks my heart to see these "machines" at every show. The horses come and go and are physically broken one after the other. They have to be the shiniest, the best bred, the best performance all at the cost of the horse. They are blanketed 24/7 winter and summer to prevent them from bleaching or growing coats. What happened to a horse having a good roll and scratching his back on the grass or feeling the sun on his back? What is happening. They are fed so many supplements that their systems are overtaxed and they are walking timebombs. I don't know what to say. SA keeps on about Human Rights what has happened to animal rights?

[Elbrus Ourtaev]

Hey Nevenka,

I ams o glad you bring this up. One of the reasons my family has stopped competing, is just because it seems everything is about money and not much about the pony or the sport. What people forget is thst horses have hearts and feelings just like us. We have lived with between 10- 15 horses on our property for 10 yrs roughly. We see them all the time and what they have taught me is that a. horses are clever indeed, have an excellent memory, love the person that feeds and takes care of them, love to be visited in the field, just as much as they love being with other horses, feel taken advantage of if we just use them and never thank them. Have their own personalities and thoughts! about certain situations. I feel that horses are often so misunderstood, because their whole way of life has changed so much to accommodate us, their owners! Horses are stabled for long periods of time and kept spotless and are not allowed to really play in the fields, incase they get a scratch here or there. That is not normal. If we look at the history of the horse, it has always tried to please us humans and so often the horses spirit has been lost in the process, yet they will always try to please. ( The noble horse) Probably the horses that turn "bad" is merely a result of the horse just not coping any more. How many riders trust their horse? Horses feel what the rider feels , even before the rider is aware of how he feels!
Horse and rider should be a partnership all they way, with much less focus on competing and winning and much more or caring and having fun with your horse. The kids should be taught not just how to jump and win, but also what a horse eats and needs to be happy! We has a pony camp last year Dec for kids around the counrty and I made up 150 horsey questions. Not more than 50 were answered correctly by a combined number of 6 kids who had been riding for 2 yrs plus!! The questions were not too difficult at all. So perhaps the riding instructors should not just focus on the physical riding of being on a horse but also on horse care. Parents should be made ware too, that riding is more than being on top of the horse.
As horsey people, we should always try to keep our horses happy and they will reward us plenty! I read somewhere that the old masters who had all the knowledge seem to have past on, and the old horse master of today has been riding for say 5 yrs! Sad.