Monday, February 13, 2012

Optimum Performance - At what price??

My last few weeks have been consumed by training, competing and coaching at horse shows and no, I am not complaining. Even though there never seems to be enough hours in the day, I acknowledge that there are certainly less pleasant ways to make a living and spend your time.

With that said though, I have recently witnessed some treatment of horses at the last couple of shows that got me thinking about the often blurred lines between the use of whips and spurs to enhance your aids and hence your performance versus being instruments of abuse.

Anyone who knows me and certainly anyone who has followed my blog posts should know that I take my role as guardian and caretaker of my horses very seriously and think that everyone else should as well. Whether a horse is a pet, used for trail, a lesson horse or a high level show horse, I think that their standard of care and treatment should not differ and that includes how discipline is established.

As a trainer, I have dealt with horses of many different types of personality and at times serious temperament and discipline problems, more often than not caused by inexperienced or uneducated owners. I believe that horses, like children, need to be given clear boundaries of appropriate and inappropriate behaviour and that they must understand that there will be consequences for stepping outside of those boundaries. I don't hesitate to correct a horse when needed but making a clear, firm correction versus the extreme use a whip or spurs are miles apart in my mind. To others it seems that perhaps, those lines are not so clear. I was at a horse show a few weeks ago with Uiver and we had a close encounter with an ugly scene that unsettled both of us.

I was warming up for my Prix St. George class and as is the usual case, the warm up was busy with horses and riders warmng up for classes in other rings and a few riders just schooling horses. There was a very well known and "respected" trainer from my area in the arena schooling a horse and he was obviously displeased with how the horse was performing. It appeared that he was trying to get the mare more active in her hind legs but I was not sure what, if any, movement he wanted her to do. I was going around the arena working some canter movements when this trainer hit this horse down her hind leg several times and hard enough with the dressage whip that it made a cracking sound. Uiver and I were relatively close when this happened and the sound scared him enough to send him bolting away for a few strides. It did not take much to get him back under control but he was clearly rattled and looking fearfully back toward the other trainer. When I put him back to work, he was nervous and hesitant to go back to that end of the arena so to calm him I just avoided that area. I certainly couldn't blame him, it had startled me as well. We went on to do our test and had a solid ride scoring a 65 but even when I went back to the arena to cool Uiver down, he was leery of that end of the arena.

So that brings me to the question - was that discipline or abuse? Even if the "correction" was warranted, I feel it was completely inappropriate in a horse show setting and cedrtainly in a crowded warm-up arena. Over the years I have been blessed with very sensitive, and slightly "hot" horses that usually require more finesse than drive. Others would consider this type of a horse more of a curse, but I seem to mesh the best with horses that need more codling than force. I am not against the use of a whip or spurs but I tend to use them sparingly only as an extension of my leg aide and rarely ride with both. I tend to ride Uiver with either/or depending on what we are working on but at shows don't use a whip at all since they are not allowed for FEI dressage competition anyway. Now with Uiver, and before with my older horse Pete, the most I would do with the dressage whip it to tap to ask (not demand) for a little more effort or encouragement. If I was ever to hit Pete the way that trainer did I am sure I would have been launched into orbit and you could not get within 10 feet of my other horse, Hank, whip a whip or spurs because of the abuse he endured in his past.

So what do you all think, should I have reported this trainer?? Do you use whips when you ride/compete and how do you draw the line between discipline and mistreatment? In Dressage competition today they do check rider's spur and the horse's side for spur marks at the completion of your ride, but what about what takes place in the warm up?? I am interested to hear your thoughts.

12 comments:

Laura Crum said...

Well, Terri, what you described is one reason I don't compete any more. There is always someone who is "abusing" a horse in order to get a winning performance--its pretty universal, no matter what discipline we're talking about. I certainly saw plenty of stuff much harsher than what you describe in the western events I competed in (cowhorse, cutting and team roping), and in the end I just got thoroughly sick of it. The root of the evil is competition and the desire to win--though I know it is possible to compete and never abuse a horse. Its just that some folks WILL do whatever it takes--including torture the poor horse--in order to win, and what goes on in the warmup pen, and at home prior to the show, is very hard to regulate. (Horses tied with their heads up all night in their stalls in order that they should keep those heads down the next day, for instance.)

Its hard to say if you should have reported the trainer. I'm sure he would have firmly justified the need for the whip. And I have used tough methods on horses who had dangerous habits that they needed to lose--and I think those methods were appropriate in that situation. Like you, I can't think of a time when I used spurs and whip simultaneously--either one or the other. But what I really HATE is torturing a good horse who is just doing his job in order to get a little more out of him....in order to win. That is a very different thing from disciplining a horse that has a bad/dangerous habit and is taking advantage of his rider.

OK--your post touched a nerve with me, I admit it. And yes, it is quite often these very "respected" trainers who are dishing out the abuse to horses. And yes, I have bawled out folks who were beating up a horse in the warm up pen and gotten them kicked out of the arena. It didn't make me popular. And in the end, I just didn't want to be around it, or support it any way, not even with my presence. I realize this won't be everyone's choice, nor do I think less of those of you who compete and love your horses and treat them fairly. Its just how it worked for me.

Great post. Something we should all think about.

Cassie said...

Hi Terri, I think you know what I'm going to say, this is abuse in my opinion. Reporting the trainer gets tricky because unless there were marks it would turn into he said/she said. I would however report that the discipline used disrupted your ride and is unsafe. At my reining shows there are "trainers" notorious for being unsafe and spinning into others, doing rundowns where they nearly take out horses. I'm lucky my horse is as calm as they come and isn't upset by much but I have seen near catastrophes. I reported the trainers to the show steward for unsafe riding and disrupting others.

battleshipdestroyer said...

Hey Terri,

I'm not sure whether I can really comment on whether or not it was abuse, as I don't know what the horse was doing to deserve it. Perhaps she had just tried to kick out at another horse? In that case I would say a significant swat would be reasonable, as that is very dangerous behaviour, but more than one? Not trying to justify it, just that I would be more comfortable reporting it as abuse if I were watching on the sidelines and had seen the whole thing go down.
I have to say, my horse has a few issues I have to work through, and she is VERY LAZY, and I have used my whip on her before, but certainly not with the intention of brow beating her or punishing her for anything. I use it because she entirely ignores my leg when she is feeling willful / does NOT want to work (she's fairly new to riding) and it takes a light tap with the whip to drive her forward when she does this. Using spurs wouldn't be a good option... ANd when I say a light tap, I mena a light tap/move of the whip, sometimes not even touching her with it.
I think the difference between what we are talking about and what he did, is that it sounds like he was punishing rather than disciplining. It is a totally different thing. It doesn't take much to actually get your point across, it is more the idea of a tap with the whip than an actual tap with the whip that does the job. Honestly, my horse has no fear of the whip whatsoever, and I certainly don't want her to.
I think people make a weird change somewhere along the way, and decide that the horse is being "bad" and needs to be "punished" for not listening, when really either the cues weren't given properly or the horse isn't really in the mood for competition.
In my eyes, we are working together towards a goal of lightness and responsiveness, of being content and actually happy to be working together. and shows are more FUN because they are more exciting, with all the distractions and other horses and everything, not because I could win a ribbon or a bridle or whatever. I dunno. I find the whole competitive thing odd when it isn't tempered by compassion and understanding.

whitehorsepilgrim said...

Our criterion is ethical. Theirs is winning things. One answer is a film clip of abuse out there on YouTube. That method certainly was effective when the 'blue tongue' incident occured.

Terri Rocovich said...

Hi Laura:

I was looking forward to your response on this because I know you had witnessed the ugly side of showing. I just don't understand how some people can think that brow beating a horse will ever get a better result. And how do they sleep at night. I am determined to set an example for my kids (students and pony clubbers) that it is the spirit of doing well, not just winning that really matters. I like to win like everyone, but for me it is more about "personal bests" then where I place. I am not ready to walk away but I am more determined than ever to demonstrate that it is the partnership and how happy the horse is that really makes you a winner.

Terri Rocovich said...

Hi Cassie:

Yeah I hadn't even considered the whole areana etiquete/courtesy side of it. I do hope that this treatment will come back to haunt this "trainer" because several other people did notice that the incident has scared the crap out of poor Uiver and one even commented that every horse this person was riding simply anxious and unruly. Good comment.

Terri Rocovich said...

Battleship...

You make some great points and I could not agree with your last paragraph more. Competition should be about Fun and our competive spirit should always be tempered by compassion and understanding. In working with David Blake, my trainer, and watching Steffen Peters (David's trainer) over the past several months, I have learned that optimum performance comes from a horse's responsiveness to the lightest of aids and that you can use taking your aids off to elicit a reponse as well. For example, with Uiver I have learned that for the walk to canter, I take my leg away, he reacts and then just the lightest brush of my leg (not a squeeze) results in a canter transition. Then the aid looks invisible and seamless. I realize that this is easier on some horses than others, but it should be what we all strive for. Thank you for your comment.

Terri Rocovich said...

Battleship...

You make some great points and I could not agree with your last paragraph more. Competition should be about Fun and our competive spirit should always be tempered by compassion and understanding. In working with David Blake, my trainer, and watching Steffen Peters (David's trainer) over the past several months, I have learned that optimum performance comes from a horse's responsiveness to the lightest of aids and that you can use taking your aids off to elicit a reponse as well. For example, with Uiver I have learned that for the walk to canter, I take my leg away, he reacts and then just the lightest brush of my leg (not a squeeze) results in a canter transition. Then the aid looks invisible and seamless. I realize that this is easier on some horses than others, but it should be what we all strive for. Thank you for your comment.

Terri Rocovich said...

WhiteHorse-

Great point and boy did I rant on this blog last year about the blue tongue video. In my opinion it is against everything that dressage is supposed to be about.

jenj said...

So much of "abuse" is a matter of semantics. Was it "discipline"? Was it "warranted" by her behavior? Was he "just tapping" her or did he "hit" her? Everyone's lines are different. You say to-may-to, I say to-mah-to.

Ultimately, I would be torn between sticking my nose in someone else's business, and the realization that if someone at some point DOESN'T call the problem out, it will continue and may escalate. Then too there's the perspective that if you don't object, it's as good as condoning whatever's happening. It's always a gray area.

Having said all that, it's important to do what YOU are comfortable with given the situation. Do what you're going to be able to live with and not lose sleep over at night. And then, be a positive example to others. If spectators are used to seeing horses hit with a whip, or ridden for an hour rollkur, they won't protest because it's become the accepted norm. But if enough folks ride kindly and compassionately and that is the norm, abuse will no longer be tolerated.

battleshipdestroyer said...

Hey Terri,

Yeah, I will have to try that next time, taking the leg off entirely almost as a reset. I think there are different ways of training for the same thing and I am always excited to hear other folks' perspectives.

I remember when I was riding a lease-horse in a schooling show. I had a whip, just in case she decided to be silly, but I ended up not using it (as happens most times, really).

It was a 3'6 round, and we jumped clear until the last jump, at which point she refused. I turned her, came at the jump again and we cleared it. I had her entered into another class and she did the EXACT same thing again. I burst into laughter, turned her, and cleared the final jump the second time.

When I left the ring, the judge came up and asked me why i hadn't given her a good pop with my whip and made her clear it when she first started to refuse, instead of letting her stop. I would have gotten first place. I answered that it was 100% my fault, and there was no point in hitting my horse for not going over. I was always taking the pressure off on the last jump, because I was sort of pre-emptively finishing the course in my head. Khia knew that I wasn't focused and took advantage. Yes, i could have hit her, and yes many trainers I've met would say I would have been right to do so, to teach her not to refuse, but I KNEW it was my fault.

There are times for discipline / stronger aides, and there are times when you need to just sit back and refocus before trying something again. I do hope I am a good enough horse-person that I know the difference and don't bring personal issues into my training techniques.

This has been a really really interesting conversation. Thanks for getting this started.

Alison said...

Hi Terri, I'm sorry I am chiming in late, but this post actually took me out of horsemanship to the issue of abuse. As a teacher, I know logically and emotionally that no student, horse or human, learns well or better under duress. It's just not effective. So if a trainer states he/she is using whipping in a manner that was scaring your horse it had no 'training' purpose. This reminds me of being in the grocery store and having to listen to some mother verbally abuse her four-year-old the entire time. "Um, do you really think that helps?" I want to ask her. Unfortunately, those kinds of parents are using verbal/physical 'force' for reasons other than eliciting effective behavior. Same goes for the trainer.
PS. I would have reported it.