“This was arguably the absolute toughest edition (of Horse For Life magazine) to date. Not because of the time but editing pictures of these poor horses.
Dressage shame - exhibit 1
Looking into their eyes… hurt. It really hurt. It hurt so bad that the first time I went to edit these pictures and bring you the close up views that we have, I couldn’t do it… I had to quit. I just couldnt look at one more picture.
Dressage shame - exhibit 2
Three months later we are giving it another go.. somehow its easier this time. But not by much. It’s something I know has to be done. Something I want to do. For the horses.
Dressage shame - exhibit 3
To be honest.. I really wonder when I look at these pictures.. that if we can’t stop this training practice that maybe, just maybe, we should remove dressage entirely from competition. If this is what we do with it. Maybe there should just be no more dressage. You may think that is harsh or an over-reaction, but truly if we were to do this to a human being or any other animal we would hear violent reactions from those all over the world.
Dressage shame - exhibit 4
There are no words to express my emotions when I look at these pictures. Those poor creatures, treated as we would never want to be treated ourselves. Tied up with cavessons, shut up with rollkur, blind to where they are going, slaves in the worst way. We truly should as a species be ashamed of ourselves.
Dressage shame - exhibit 5
I hope this issue touches you, makes you spill a tear, for what these poor horses are going through. And then I hope you get mad, that you get angry and you decided to speak for the horses.
Not to do something makes all of us just as guilty.
And as I write this, I know I will be making some very powerful people angry. People have been sued, magazines like St Georg have been accused of being inflammatory, internet sites shut down, all because they don’t want you to see this.
Isn’t that the saddest part? They are not mad because we are making up stories or because we are gossiping. They are mad because they don’t want you to see what they actually do. They will take your accolades and they will take the medals, but they don’t want you to look at the method.
One quiet voice cannot perhaps do much, but, together, we can do anything.”
Nadja King
Editor in Chief, Horse for Life Magazine
The above has been reprinted with permission of Horses For LIFE Publications.
ok, i agree that sometimes it can go too far, but its not cruelty!
Thank you Nadja, as you say, together we can do something for their silent suffering. The medals, rosettes and glory won via this method of training are very hollow victories. Hopefully, we are on the path of change now.
keep up the good work, Nadja.
it makes you cry
how can people say bad things about horses when they have such wonderful dispositions that they suffer such abuse. I hate it when people bag out horses and blame their lack of understanding and savvy on such a beautiful and long suffering animal.
God Bless the Horse!
Nadja,
You do a wonderful job for the horses-they need you and please know that we are behind you all the way in this-thank you.
Keep up the good work, this insanity MUST stop, it is almost contagious as an illness in its very origin, if I did not know better I might suggest that these people are significantly troubled by disorders of the mind and certainly cut off from their hearts, where is the joy, freedom and majesty of these incredible animals after time spent in the merciless hands of these torturers, what must be going on inside a human for this level of destruction to go unnoticed. What barriers lie in the way of a conversation about the absolute pointlessness of using these methods, are hearts and minds so buried beneath fear and greed that this disgusting display of control can even be justified by anyone. They are breaking the very thing that attracted them to horses in the first place, a deep resonance with a power beyond our wildest dreams and God given opportunity to connect with that power and experience the joy of a lost consciousness that we recieve when we connect with our horses with the grace and humility that they teach us about in bucket loads. I am saddened beyond belief.