Last year, I was at the Dutch stallion show where they had added quite a remarkable element to the judging of the test.
At the end of each test, the audience got the opportunity to rate it by applauding. The organization recorded the decibels and the rider who had gotten the loudest applause would get another prize.
As you can imagine, that resulted in a LOT of noise while the horses were still in the arena.
Want to know what I think of this? Then keep on reading. 👇
We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something.
It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.
The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse.
We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something.
It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.
The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse.
We love to show our enthusiasm when watching a competition, whether it’s at a local horse show or a big event. It’s our way of getting excited about something.
It’s natural for us to get into the spirit of things. But we have to be aware that it’s a human thing.
The difficult part is that of course, the organizers and people that are trying to do the good thing for the sport, are doing their best to create a good vibe. And where the problem lies is people not understanding what it means to the horse.
While our entertainment can be pretty exciting for us as humans, what we may not realize is that our applause might cause immense panic for the horses.
Horses are built with an instinctive fear of loud noises and bright lights. All those things are completely foreign to a horse and also incredibly threatening.
At a show of this nature, all of those things come together all at once.
And the other factor is, nobody is preparing their horses for those things. When your horse doesn’t have the knowledge and the information on how to handle situations like that, you’re basically putting them into their own horror movie.
The shows are getting bigger, the music is getting louder which is all the more exciting for us humans. But at the same time, the horses are not having more education about how to manage such environments.
The horses these days are more expressive, more sensitive and more athletic. And what comes with that is a higher level of natural instict.
While the development of technology rapidly increases and our shows naturally become more impressive in a way that to us humans seems normal, or horses are becoming all the more traumatised.
And the other factor is, nobody is preparing their horses for those things. When your horse doesn’t have the knowledge and the information on how to handle situations like that, you’re basically putting them into their own horror movie.
The shows are getting bigger, the music is getting louder which is all the more exciting for us humans. But at the same time, the horses are not having more education about how to manage such environments.
The horses these days are more expressive, more sensitive and more athletic. And what comes with that is a higher level of natural instict.
While the development of technology rapidly increases and our shows naturally become more impressive in a way that to us humans seems normal, or horses are becoming all the more traumatised.
These days you often hear: ”Oh yeah, the horse was running a bit, but the rider could get him under control, it was nothing.”
But I wonder if people realize that when a horse puts his head up and flees the scene, or is pumping out 5 laps of extended trot, or passaging like a cat on a hot tin roof, in reaction to the pressure in the environment, that there is an internal panic in that horse. His heart rate and physical reactions are relative to a natural last resort survival situation.
When a horse is going into a tension-contraction reflex through a moment of stress, the internal instincts are telling them to get the hell out of there.
If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the brid flew up and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s momentary.
If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s only momentary.
Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant state for long periods.
Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments.
We are preaching one thing about horse’s welfare and doing all the good things for the horse, but at the same time blindly putting our horses into situations where they are forced to endure a very stressful and traumatic experience.
So I believe if we are not spending the time to prepare and teach our horses how to manage them selves in such extreme environments, we should definitely rethink they way we run and the way we celebrate at the shows, that is in the best interests of the horse.
If they’re in an natural environment and a preditor came, and the horse could freely run away and have a certain level of panic where his heart rate and his blood pressure is going up a little bit, that’s only momentary.
Now we’re putting them into environments where that is becoming a constant state for long periods.
Because we haven’t thaught them what to do with themselves, we’re not spending time on preparing them to go into these environments.
I am really curious about your perspective on this topic. How do you experience this?
Let me know in the comments below!
11 Responses
I agree! While I like music at a show, I HATE how loud it is! We are never quiet anymore and now it’s transferring to the barns, the shows, if it can be exhausting to us, I can’t imagine for our lovely horses. Music during freestyle, I love, especially if the horse enjoys his music and really gets into the groove. We NEED to put our horses first again and screw the spectators
I’m neurodiverse which is why I find being with my horses so therapeutic but I also understand their sensitivity. I’m very sensitive to lights and noise. It’s creating problems for horses and stopping people with sensitivities taking part in events. It’s awful. However, at least I have a choice not to go but the horses of these owners don’t. I’d be interested in what others thought.
When you need ear canceling bonnets, not that this is a bad thing for some horses, I work part time for a theraputic riding program they can be helpful for some noise sensitive horses. It just seems to be the norm for showing now.
We were at Harpbury last year with a guest DJ invited to add music to the horses test, it was unbelievably loud.
Both horse and rider were affected by how loud it was and intimidating!
Seagry First amour is an experienced horse (think you worked with her mum Tristan, Seagry Sanay (Saucy)) but it was to much, nobody had thought about the horses because ( I assume) they were looking for additional revenue streams/attractions..hence the DJ.
Personally, I like a mane and tail to be flowing, riders to ask for contact in the head position chosen by the horse, and judges looking for grace and symbiotic relationships … the power will come naturally and willingly, allowing the horse to show character and freedom…. that is beautiful.
We have an awful lot of thinking and talking to do before we can be truly kind to all our animals… starting by learning how to listen to them rather than how we can use them for profit would be great 👍
I agree that the additional noise is detrimental for the horses. Low level Background music may be ok, but we do need to support our horses and riders by providing an environment better suited for our equine partners. I wish I did not have to put ear plugs in our horses ears during large shows.
I agree that this has to change.
Perhaps at stallion shows & indoor dressage comps, etc, they could put the horses up on a screen, after they have all been in the arena, and the audience could applaud the ones they like from the video of them on the screen instead of with the live horse in the arena. This way the audience still gets to participate without traumatising the horses.
Horses still need to be prepared prior to the shows so that they can cope with what they have to deal with.
What do you think?
I believe people who want to participate with their horses in shows should boycott such events, as they do have the power to change how these shows are planned and executed: if there are no registrations of participants, then such shows simply cannot be put up again. It is the responsibility of the horse owner where and how he / she presents his/her horse. To “prepare” the horse for such a show – how and why should a horse owner prepare the horse for such an extreme?? Just do not attend! Get creative how to present your horse to an audience and surrounding that is really horse friendly! Find allies in this! There is so much knowledge about horse´s needs and sensitivities that is beyond my comprehension how such show events still exist and draw audiences / participants.
Great blog Tristan,
As an autistic l am with the horse. Nothing worse for me but to be in a crowd, with more than one person talking, let alone noise layer on top of noise layer.
I attended a “public speaking”clinic in London ( l wanted to know how to be more affective/effective in speaking) my gosh, three days of loud, bright, noise, boom boom music, l had to wear my shades all the time and it was all very overwhelming but l struggled through. When l got home l was I’ll for ten days, due to physiological stress.
Our beloved horses must be given the same surroundings as autistic people ie down the lights, quiet the noise, soften the tones, more rest and relaxation, gentle energy and freedom to say “l would like to go now, l have had my fill.” No reason for a horse nor an autistic to have to be loud in their behavior before they are heard. Distress begins with very subtle signs ie small stimming gestures like fidgety behavior, hair twiddling etc. Horses are the same, they tell us when their stress bucket is getting quarter, half, three quarter……up the behavior cause no one is listening…..
Surly just putting you arm up for a yes is an indication that it is liked…not so easy to measure l suppose. Let’s not bother with winners, yes drop that and only have people and horses having a go and having a good time. When they feel they have had enough they leave.
Thanks TRT Team…..love to you all 💖💐👍
Spot on!!
Why is the music so incredibly loud? We own a Showteam and enjoy it a lot, but we want to make sure our horses do too! So we do prepare them for applause and stumping feet, not by ‘letting them get used to it until they don’t care anymore’ but by training according to your strategy also. We try to make the horses feel that the noise is Just there, but nothing they need to be bothered with. But we still use earplugs because for me, as a human, the music is already too much… I hope we can change that over time!
Why not give the audience a remote that allows them to vote electronically on a scoreboard? We do this at medical educational lectures in answering multiple choice questions–and the survey says….
Quietly…..
There must be a better way to do this. A horses sense of hearing is much more amplified than ours right(?), so this must be pure torture for them! It’s not like they can press their hands to their ears either. What did the horses do at the show you attended? Surely the proof was in the pudding?