I've been a horsey person since I was a little kid. I grew up loving horses, and I've wanted nothing more than to work with them for as long as I can remember. It sounds a little prejudice, but I won't lie - they have a special place in my heart. Many vegans and animal rights activists like to focus on things like factory farming and remain relatively mum about the suffering of 'pet' animals, and while it may be true that horses as a whole suffer relatively little compared with cows and pigs, that doesn't mean they aren't part of the larger problem of animal oppression.
Because of how I've grown up I struggle more with how to define my relationship with my horse than with any other aspect of vegan ethics. Cheese? I'd give that up a million times again to avoid having to think about the ethics of horsemanship as a vegan. In this area, I am so unperfect I feel very weird being critical. I usually try to keep my mouth shut - and then something like this happens.
This year at the Rolex Event, two horses died during the cross country phase of the show. For those of you, Rolex is a huge three day event - a horse show with three phases, dressage, stadium jumping and cross country. It's an international caliber show. It's huge. It's famous. Thousands of people attend yearly.
So when a friend in another online board brought up the fact that two horses died this year, I was a little upset. This isn't the first time this year a horse death in eventing has been highly publicized, but what most people don't realize is that this kind of death isn't as unusual as you might think, and the statistics are going up. While that's upsetting, what's truly unnerving to me is the attitude of some of the horse people. This quote sums it up nicely:
"It's a dangerous sport," acknowledged Valerie Ashker. She added that for those who love it, it's worth the risk.
To be fair, Valarie is speaking about the danger to people (several of whom have been critically injured when their horses died), and her comment is intended to prove that the people who become involved in eventing know and assume the risk. What this quote fails to address is the horses, who are risking just as much, if not more, when they are put out on the course.
When we consider horses to be nothing more than resources at our disposal, this attitude is what results. It doesn't matter that the horse has no say in what he's doing, we're willing to have him risk his life for something that doesn't matter to him. You can think what you want, but I don't believe horses care about winning prestigious awards and trophies. They don't care if they're #1 in the point standings, or how much money they win. They may love going over the fences, but I guarantee they equally love romping in a paddock with other horses. At least, if they have the chance. Many expensive, high level competition horses are stall bound for 15+ hours per day and when they are allowed out they're turned out alone. All this to prevent them from injuring themselves so that they can break their necks over a course of huge jumps.
Think about it this way. If I go rock climbing with my six month old baby strapped to my back, things could be perfectly fine. Or, I could make a 'small mistake', fall 50 feet, and kill my child. But hey, that's fine, because it's a risk I'm willing to take. I'm sure the judge who takes my case will accept that explanation and let me off the hook.
The cherry on the icing is that one of the horses killed was ridden by a woman who has had at least one other horse she was riding die during an event. She was not fined, punished, or even suspended despite the fact that she made the horse finish the course even after he broke down. If I break my horse's neck because I feel like it, I'm guilty of animal cruelty, but if I break his neck making him go over a jump, it's all good?
Don't get me wrong. Most of the horse people I know wouldn't put their horses in this position, and most acknowledge that something is seriously wrong with this, something that can be fixed by making the jumps smaller, the courses less technical. And yet, I can't help but feel like we're missing the underlying issue - as long as we see horses as nothing more than property, we'll be free to abuse them and call it a 'sport'.
You claim you are a horse person. If so then you know one person cannot make a horse jump a cross country course if it does not want to jump. These horses live to go into the start box. Any one who has ever participated in this event will tell you that the horses often cannot go near the start box until right before they are ready to go on course because they get too excited. Many times, with young/inexperiencd riders on experienced event horses, the horses will leave the box and just start the course. This being said, I am sure you have no experience with the sport you are bashing. You say they should make smaller jumps and/or less technical, what you don't realize, is that accidents happen at all levels. Just as accidents happen in the paddock. I've had a horse playing in the paddock slip and break his neck. He was euthanized at the barn. He had been eventing for 20 years and injured himself playing in the paddock. I've also had a horse that jumped out the paddock and broke his leg slipping on the concrete when he landed. He was following the horse van when he was being left at the barn during eventing season. It is a terrible tragedy that this horse has died, but you should get some knowledge and facts straight before you judge.
I've made my horse do many things he didn't really want to, including get in trailers and walk over puddles. Eventually he agreed to do so, but what do you think a 'refusal' is exactly, but a horse saying "no, I don't want to jump this jump, thanks." We may eventually 'talk' our horses into doing these things, but as a horse person you know if you put a horse in a paddock full of jumps, 99% of horses will not jump them. Granted, a refusal may not have been to blame for this, and the horse may have been willing enough to go over it, but these horses do not really have a choice about being in this competition. Example, my baby may be okay with being strapped to my back while I rock climb without a harness, but he doesn't really have a choice.
As the person of a very excitable horse who goes happily and willingly over jumps - including cross country courses, by the way, since that's what we trained to do years ago - I can say without a doubt that if I didn't ask him, he wouldn't do it. I have plenty of experiences with the horse world (Eventing, and Hunters) which is why this kind of thing is extremely painful for me. I used to be part of it. Even now it's hard for me to recognize it, and it eats me inside.
I'm not saying make the fences smaller or less technical. I'm saying stop, period. Horses are not resources, period. I also recognize that horses do hurt themselves on their own time. We've had two do exactly that in the past year. The key is, it's their own time - they hurt themselves doing what they want to be doing without interference from us.
I try my best to get my facts straight, and these facts are as straight as I can get them through my own experience with the 'horse world'. This leads me to believe it's not my facts that are the problem, it's the way we think about horses in general.
If you want to talk further, or have more questions about Rivet and my experience with horses, I am happy to start a conversation via email. Or you can leave a web site where I can reach you ;)
I was at Rolex this year at fence 5 and my girlfriend events. She treats that horse with more love and cares for him more than most people would each other. As far as Laine having another horse killed in the past, the horse had an aneurism and died after the x-country phase. Now you can say she pushed him after he broke down and that's your right, but realize this that horse could have had an aneurism at any time. After the autopsy it stated that it was a medical condition that was not caught previously. So if your going to state something make sure you do it correctly and in full. I bet your a left wing liberal too, stating half truths and half facts when it benefits your point.
Thanks for leaving your contact info Kevin. I'm fully aware that all I have to go on is the facts I can gather. I check all my sources as best I can (in this case, both AP reports and a friend who shows with the USEA), but that's not as good as having someone on the inside. It's nice when someone like you leaves contact information so I can get back to you, so we can talk and so I can get ALL the facts that you seem to say I missed.
I was aware of the autopsy report, but you'll notice when they say it's a medical condition not caught previously they indicate that if it had been caught, the horse would not have allowed on course. What does that say? That also ignores 90% of my argument. So one of her horses died from a treatable medical condition that might or might not have happened outside of this setting. It didn't. It happened on course because she put him there. I'm not denying that people who event love their horses and give them what they believe to be great care. I believe they love their horses, but they still view them as resources for their pleasure. I'm saying that this view is wrong.
The fact that you were at Rolex on the course means that you are willing participant in this - you have a stake through your girlfriend. That probably means you are biased. Your girlfriend is also probably biased. She loves her horse, but she's still willing to risk his life and she knows it. Ask her. She may rationalize it, but she knows he's at risk to have something like this happen. I've been there, and I've done it. I wouldn't do it now, but I had totally change the way I think.
When it comes down to it, I want to save horse's lives and will do everything in my power to do so. Including not put them at risk so I can feel good. I believe that most people feel the same and if they're able to see things differently, they'll agree. I'm sure your girlfriend would agree that horses have the right to live, because I know if she feels like me she does love her horse. I'm not debating that.
Everything I've said is the whole truth. If you'd like to do more than pull a hit-and-run comment, please contact me and we can talk about it. I want real discussion on this issue, because without it, nothing will change.
As for my political views (which have nothing do to with this - liberals and conservatives alike are equally anti-animal rights), from what you just wrote I could say the exact same thing about you, just substitute 'conservative' for liberal. Or, I could just call you a stupid meanie do-do head. Neither one will solve anything.
As you so eliquently put it "I was aware of the autopsy report, but you'll notice when they say it's a medical condition not caught previously they indicate that if it had been caught, the horse would not have allowed on course. What does that say?" What that says to me is that if they had caught it before then the horse would not have been allowed to participate in the three day event. To say it was her fault is insane.
"The cherry on the icing is that one of the horses killed was ridden by a woman who has had at least one other horse she was riding die during an event. She was not fined, punished, or even suspended despite the fact that she made the horse finish the course even after he broke down."
Your saying that she should be punished for a condition that was not caught by a highly trained and highly professional Vet. Thats nuts.
I have a question for you? do you know how many college football players die every year because of unknown heart conditions? This spring alone there have been 3. So should the coaches and parents be punished? I know what your arguement will be. "They choose to participate animals don't" Which is a bogus arguement because if you ride a horse or have pets in general then you are making them do something that is not natural to them.
As far as being at Rolex and a girlfriend that events and me having a stake stake in this is another arguement that is just an opinion and not factural. You are passing judgement on someone you know nothing about. Which is funny because you care so much about animals and their well being but you can't respect a human being and not pass judgement.
I personally could care less if they banned eventing or not. I am not a horse person or a person that enjoys sports involving animals at all. That doesn't mean I am a animal rights person, it's just not my thing I am a self imposed adrenaline junky.
Finally, whats the difference between smaller jumps and less technical jumps from the jumps now. Lets say they make the jumps smaller and less technical? Would you be happy then?
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