#horsegirl rant fjdk sorry

[magnoliamyrrh]

im so glad ive been taught to ride by people who respected and loved and understood horses bc. even in the non-elite equestrian world abuse is way too normalized, Especially when it comes to horses used for riding lessons (and especially in those places that are less professional, more abt the money, or touristy). the amount of times ive come across clearly exhausted & overworked horses, malnutritioned horses, those too old to still b working almost daily, those who were clearly lame or had some physical discomfort being ignored, saddle sores.... warranted bad attitudes or just outright depressed-like states bc they were overworked and constantly dealing with bad, unknowing new rides who are allowed to pull and jab and whip them and barely taught how to ""ride."" and ive seen plenty of outright bad or dangerous "horsemenship" from owners or teachers or employees

like it truly is disgusting seeing how some ppl pull on their horses bits as if theyre not sharp metal in the horses very sensitive mouth. the reins and the bit should be a gentle, back-and-forth communication btw rider and horse for gods sake. and then you see these poor creatures, clearly working out of fear, not out of wanting to please or joy, with their tongue sticking out, salivating, their head so drawn back and pulled it makes me wanna do the same to the rides to see how the hell theyd like it. and jfc, the way some people smack their horses, overwork their horses, get mad at the horses for things that are Their fault. its just cruel,,,, the damn way some people talk abt their horses too is just 🤮 a horse is not a thing or object or entertainment to be used, to be expired, to be broken in, it is a life and a soul and frankly, working together with a horse is an honor & privilege i dont think you should have if you think that way

its gross too because it is excused as "this is how we train them" or "tradition" etc etc "weve always done it this way it works" and "the stallion/mare has an attitude" but its all damn unnecessary. you can train a horse to ride competely without a bit!! something id like to do if i ever have a horse. and you can most, most certainly 100% train a horse gently, compassionately, without beating or scaring them half to death, to understand suddle cues in change in seat pressure & gentle tugs on the reins. and use soft bits. and not only can you, its the right way for it to be done. even more complicated things like "dancing" or dressage can be taught gently without cruelty, if the horse is willing. absolutely none of the horrible ways humans go abt horsemanship is necessary or unavoidable - and if some parts of it cant be done without the cruelty, then those parts shouldn't exist

.....idk its just. this is part of the bigger issue of the lack of respect we tend to have for animals and how we view many of our interactions with them in terms of using them :// horses are terrifying, beautiful, 500 kg + towering, highly intelligent and empathetic creatures covered in muscles which stand on 4 sharp toenails. and they have teeth. can most certainly outrun you. and they could easily give you a very painful death, if they wanted. but instead theyre usually nice and lovely creatures, and they can be wonderful friends and helpers, and they deserve a high level of respect & honor, not to b used & abused & given no agency so someone can make money or feel good about themselves bc they have power over another being.

#horsegirl rant fjdk sorry #fell down a rabbithole of horse abuse which. i do at least 5 times a year. and every time it makes me wanna gnaw class and set things on #fire #. sometimes people dont know better and some of those people can learn #some dont know better but theyre so cruel its no excuse #some know its deeply fucked up and just dont care. and those are the worst ones