“Isn’t Even Capable”: Horse Trainer’s Allegations Against Equestrian Federation Spark Debate On The Internet

In 2021, the equestrian community felt satisfied with the steps taken by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI). The step was to ban Andy Kocher, a top American show jumper for ten years with an enormous penalty. Kocher was found guilty of the offense of horse abuse repeatedly. However, after 3 years the same argument took place again. But this time, USEF’s response to a similar case came at the receiving end. 

Some days ago, a few disturbing clips regarding horse abuse made it to the stage from equestrian veteran Katie Prudent’s gymnastics clinic. After that, complaints heaped in USEF’s corner to take stringent action on the issue. But the result wasn’t satisfactory. Recently an FB raconteur voiced up on this issue. 

Milestone Equestrian minces no word in taking the fight against the authorities 

On January 30, the Canada-based FB page of Milestone Equestrian narrated a large commentary regarding the recent issues of horse abuse in the equestrian sphere. The self-proclaimed horse trainer initiated the post by describing a common notion seen in horse training programs. It conceded, “This test scored an 88%. This test consisted of a horse who was ridden extremely tense and behind the vertical for the majority of the test.” 

But soon after that, the equestrian page added some “common arguments”, that are usually flexed in such cases. But by giving the rebuttals to each argument, the trainer tried to disburse a general theme questioning the need for hyperflexion in testing the horses’ abilities. With the addition of the horse-test pictures, the situation left the audience with a chilling ending. So in the comment box, the responses echoed the same sentiment. 

The protest from the fans 

An equestrian fan Samantha Pearce expressed her take on the issue. She penned, “I can’t understand how anyone can look at this and see anything other than the discomfort of this horse.” Eventually, the questioned gymnastic test also received a narration. In that test visual from Prudent’s fiasco, the USEF prohibited certain violent frames. But still, that was worrisome for equestrian lovers like Caryn Frazier. She wrote in the comment box, “I couldn’t even finish watching their full test because of everything you’ve mentioned in your post. That poor horse.”

Read more: Amidst Recent Controversy, US Equestrian Authority Releases Statement Ensuring Safety for ‘Horses and Riders’

But even after facing the mistreatment, the high test score achieved by the horses received a shoutout as well. On that estimate, Meagan Sutherland added, “If horses can still perform so athletically in this grotesque hyperflexiom, then it really says a lot about how bloody brilliant they are.”

Watch this story: Essential Mistakes to Steer Clear of When Riding a Horse for the First Time