07/27/2024
I don't post much on this page at the moment. I am in a transition in life where I am focusing more on my family, and less on my students and riding. But anyone who is at all connected to dressage and has social media has been bombarded with this week's high profile fall from grace. I have thought about not commenting at all, as the internet is full of strongly held opinions and so much hurt and anger regarding this topic. If you know me, you know that I am a positive person, and I strive to bring positivity with me wherever I go. But, the reality is: bad things happen in this world, and it's not all sunshine and roses, no matter how much I wish that were the truth.
So I'll share some thoughts on this situation.
1. We must always be the voice for our horse, to be their advocate. They speak LOUDLY in their own way, but they are also generous, kind animals who will often continue to allow themselves to be pushed into detrimental situations. When their 'words' are not heard by others, it is our place as their steward and their friend to put their communication into simple words that other human - less capable of hearing the words from the horse- can understand.
2. There are some situations which can feel like it is impossible to do what you may feel is right. As teachers, we should all endeavor to help our students develop the skills to raise their voice when they feel that tightness that starts in their chest. When their discomfort and unease heightens, because they do not recognize the instruction to be in alignment with the good of the horse. It is a horrible feeling, and it takes practice and encouragement to learn how to turn that feeling into words and actions. I don't know a single professional in the industry who does not have at least one story of regret, where they FELT the wrongness of something they were being asked to do (usually as a young rider in the presence of a respected/powerful/well known trainer) - but they didn't know how to use their voice yet to stop it. This is a skill that has to be taught and practiced.
3. We will each do things in our lives with horses that we will later live to regret. This is somewhat related to #2. But there is more to it than that. Training and riding horses is a life long evolution. No one person will ever have all of the answers and do everything perfectly. With each horse you work with, you develop more skills, you expand your tools. And when you look back on the horses you trained years ago, there will be memories you are ashamed of. Not necessarily because you did anything intentionally abusive, but most commonly because you didn't have enough skill to do justice to the kind soul of the horse who was really trying to understand what you wanted from them.
4. Positions of power are very easily, sometimes unintentionally, abused - even by good people. It is right that we hold people in positions of power to a higher standard. They have more opportunity to impact the lives and wellbeing of more creatures - horse and human. Their words carry more weight, and the respect that people give them can quickly turn to fear, because that rider has so much influence. I imagine it is a lonely business, being placed on a pedestal by many around you. And I imagine it is easy to succumb to the pressures placed on you by sponsors and owners.
5. Actions have consequences. If we are humble, the horse will teach us this with every interaction. There is no one involved in the current situation who will escape without feeling consequences. The horse carried the consequences of that session with it into every other training session moving forward. The rider surely carried that memory with her afterwards, and likely agonized over what the right course of action should have been 'in the thick of it'. Charlotte is feeling the consequences now, in a very public way.
Long ago, as a young working student - I realized that the wrongs that occur in the horse world are far too great for me to solve on my own. There are people who disregard the horse as worthy of being protected, respected and treated as a partner. There are people who view the horse as a utility, a tool to achieve a career or an accolade. I didn't venture too far into 'high performance dressage' after realizing that the reality of how the horses are trained was enough to turn my stomach in many barns. Many of the most kind, skilled, effective trainers I know will never compete for a place on an Olympic team. Because they aren't willing to 'do what it takes' to achieve at that level. I took a page from their book, and I use my small influence to actively improve the lives of the horses around me, through education of those who seek it.
I feel confident that there are good trainers who are working hard with true horsemanship to bring horses that are trained through kindness and understanding to national and international teams. When I see those riders, I celebrate them, and I cheer SOOO loudly from my tiny corner. They are out there, swimming against the current, working against the challenges inherent in high performance dressage to SHOW to PROVE that horses trained through systematic, biomechanically sound, mentally stabilizing training methods can perform and achieve.
So what can we do about all of this, besides scream into the void? We can support those trainers who are doing it the right way. We can support those professionals who clearly respect and honor the whole horse. We can publicly CELEBRATE the riders we see making good choices for the horses they encounter. We can educate our young riders what it looks like to be kind to a horse. We can arm them with the words and the confidence to speak up when they are directed to train with UNKINDNESS or down right abuse.
At the end of the day: nobody wins in these situations. Everyone loses. =( There is nothing to celebrate here, and a lot to mourn. I am sad that the horse was exposed to that. I am sad that the rider had to figure out how to navigate that situation. I am sad that Charlotte felt that was her best training 'tool' in that moment. I'm sad that many people lost a hero once this became known. I'm sad that someone who has done a lot of good for dressage has to be seen in a different light now. I would like to think that there might be SOME good that comes out of this, that trainers may look at their own methods and think "Hm....maybe this isn't the right way." That might be the only good that actually comes from this.
Also: I don't condone the training approach shown in the video. But I also don't condone the witch hunts I'm seeing online. Charlotte is a real live person, who made a really bad choice that has consequences. Maybe this is a one off situation, maybe this is habitual to her training program. We can hold a standard to say "this type of training approach is unacceptable" and NOT have to reduce ourselves to hate speech. Be outraged, be angry, be hurt, mourn. Go through all the phases of grief, but ultimately: remember to have kindness in your heart towards horses AND humans. Even the ones you don't agree with or understand. Hold them accountable: yes absolutely. But do so with integrity and humanity.
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