What kicked off my feelings today was in part some news about Sjef Janssen who is planning to sue yet another person over the matter of Rollkur, hyperflexion and questions over the true freedoms of the press. That wrapped up with the last few years of my watchful eye over the goings on of various clinicians, so-called educators, public forums and life in general. What has happened in the world when we are so gullible we hear a tidbit of information and begin spreading it as truthful wildfire? Nothing. We have been doing it for centuries, the human species seems genuinely slow to evolve in our natural habits, but it is the dreaded propaganda machine that has grabbed onto an idea and run with it.
It is one that has allowed natural horsemanship clinicians to take a great idea and run it into the ground with their money motivations. I recently posted a bit about Linda Parelli who was shown in desperate miscommunication with a ONE-EYED HORSE… and in July it came to the public’s attention once again as Pat Parelli himself proceeded to make a fool of himself with a less than obliging stallion. (Video Below) They are hardly the only ones though as my position on Clinton Anderson may be even lower and there are countless others who are reaching desperately for fame and fortune but have yet to be recognized in a widespread manner who are just as bad if not worse.
There is something at the heart of being misled that I truly want to address though. It might end up being a ‘shame on you’ to the professionals out there, something that few seem to want to do. Probably because they don’t want to be barred from horse society. I’m not really concerned with that anymore, I’ve reached a point where I would be happy simply enjoying the company of my horse and otherwise ignoring the goings on save for the fact that I truly hope some words I write give people pause and maybe steers them in a new direction of learning and discovery. Either way, here it comes.
I have experienced it first hand in my own learning curve, not just with horses but many other fields in my life which may make this post a bit more worldly than originally intended. Promises made for the positives, ignorance of the negatives, and a high price to pay in the process only to be left holding something of no value in the end… and a furthering of gullibility.
It perturbs me time and again when I see postings of people defending Rollkur online. I can dismiss them at times with thoughts that they are coming from the young and impressionable youth that will one day take over the reins of dictatorship over the horse world. Sigh. And then I become all the more concerned that whoever is in charge of educating those young riders has not been educated themselves to even *know* about Rollkur (yes, there are a LOT of people who still have no idea what it is) and warn the youths or that they use it themselves and promote it. I also wonder at how these young riders are a reflection of young people in general and their common confidence of knowledge with so little life experience period. I recall keeping my own mouth buttoned shut on matters I knew nothing about, which meant for the most part I was a very quiet child. Talking was for the wise and experienced and I listened to every word they cared to share. Are equestrian instructors now leaving their young riders to run at the mouth on things that they have little practical awareness of?
Digressing… for a moment. Where I meant to go with this was not in the direction of Rollkur anyhow, but rather propaganda – what is being advertised to us! It is small and sinister, almost unnoticed and that is precisely the problem. It is so imbued into our culture that we no longer know where it came from but it becomes assumed fact.
I remember when I was learning how to trim hooves and began to really see through different eyes – educated eyes – and began to wonder that other people didn’t see what I was now seeing for the first time. Ads in horse catalogs where close-ups of the hooves were hooves with severely contracted heels, bad angles, long toes and so on. But, for most they were ‘normal’ feet because that is what is seen all the time – in catalogs and in person. Unhealthy hooves.
So it begs to reason that as I became educated and learned to recognize hoof ailments based on the information I was learning rather than assumed ‘facts’ without foundation, I began veering away from proponents of products that showed these kinds of hooves. I was dismayed that a company could be so ill-educated and choose THOSE feet to promote their hoof boots or wraps or whatever kind of products with. Companies do not necessarily profit off of their customers’ intelligence.
Now, thinking about that let’s go back to Pat Parelli’s recent mishap. How many people sat in the seats with a smile on their face and in awe of Pat’s wonderful training methods as he twitched and made attempts to hobble a head shy stallion in order to bridle him? Did no one wonder, “Why is bridling him so important right now? Why doesn’t Pat work on the foundation first?” Because foundations don’t sell. This is the same reason why Dressage was not as exciting a sport to watch as jumping or eventing until the Musical Freestyle became so popular with Warmbloods bred to be leg movers. Audiences who pay money want entertainment – building trust with an animal is honestly boring to watch for someone uneducated. Even for the educated it would be a stretch to charge the kind of money that many clinicians do for auditing. Why do you think Pat Parelli’s demos showing bareback and bridle-less riding over jumps and through odd obstacles draw peoples’ attention?
And why don’t people speak up? They do, actually. This is exemplified by the thousands lending their signature and posting about Rollkur and that it must end. The problem is that unless there is no more money flowing to the Parelli’s or Janssen or Anky and so on they will continue to do what they do and sell their ‘product’ to the uneducated.
This is where I have a really big issue as well. It is not and should not be the job of the uneducated and newly imbued student to research and research and research to make sure that the instructor they are with will not guide them in the wrong direction for monetary purposes. But the truth is that it is done every single day and I feel a great deal of shame to be considered in the same category as anyone who does this. Anyone selling a product for their method or a gimmick and so on is, in my opinion, hard pressed to tell you their honest opinion if it differs with what will benefit their pocketbook.
Unfortunately it is easy to mislead the uneducated because for the most part they trust you. They have the belief that you will guide them in the right direction and are honestly cheering them on in their academic journey with horses. But this isn’t always the case as I’ve heard from one person after another and through my own experiences that the process of learning is often strewn with disappointment as you learn that the trusted instructor has misguided you for the sake of money or ego time and again.
Actually, and I laugh a little at this, I’ve often dreamed of starting a program that offers free riding instruction and horse training. Completely devoid of monetary gains and run through volunteers and so on. That education is truly free and accessible by anyone who truly wants it. It is my instructor’s euphoria.
Propaganda as a whole in the horse world has led us to believe many things though which may or may not be truth.
- Horse propaganda has told us that horses are stubborn creatures by nature and need to be ‘broken’ and made to be submissive, need to be dominated and learn we are their master.
- Horse propaganda has told us that if the horse is not responding you need a stronger bit, sharper whip, bigger spurs, a twitch, a pair of hobbles, a cowboy.
- Horse propaganda has told us that if you question the motives or methods of those at the highest level of competition or professional success it is because you don’t have the talent yourself.
- Horse propaganda has told us that we need to send horses to slaughter because backyard breeders can never be stopped and it is needed to keep horse numbers down and sales viable.
- Horse propaganda has told us that LDR (Low, Deep, Round) is non abusive and therefore superior to Rollkur or Hyperflexion.
- Horse propaganda has told us that there is an inequitable differences between the disciplines.
- World propaganda has told us that those who are most outspoken are the most intelligent…
- World propaganda has told us that to be the best we must pay for the most expensive.
- World propaganda has told us never to question those with a degree or certification or position higher than ourselves, as though that negates the possibility of that person being human and imperfect.
I could go on… but really I just wanted to put some words down on what I was thinking today.