Our boy, Quixote
It seems that people across the world are suddenly discovering that equestrian events like dressage and eventing exist, and they are captivated by the synergy between the horses and the riders. There have been some amazing events this year:
Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart
Did you know that Snoop Dogg was afraid of horses? While he was an ambassador at the Olympic games, he was afraid of what he would encounter during the equestrian portion, so he asked his friend Martha Stewart to join him and to help him overcome his fear. They both dressed in dressage gear, complete with helmets, and Snoop Dogg even fed one of the horses!
Snoop Dogg has a very funny video with Kevin Hart where they watch part of the 2000 Olympic games dressage competition.
Dujardin Withdraws
The games hadn’t even started before Great Britain’s premier rider, Charlotte Dujardin, pulled out of the games when a video suddenly emerged of her beating a student’s horse across the legs four years prior. Facing a suspension by FEI, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports, Dujardin voluntarily withdrew from the Olympic games.
The FEI will have to investigate, and then determine how to proceed. Why the whistleblower waited four years to expose this abuse is uncertain. Until the investigation is concluded, Dujardin will not be able to compete in any FEI events. Even without Dujardin, the Great Britain dressage team took home the bronze medal.
Sweden’s Horses Compete Barefoot
Hanaeleh does everything we can to keep our horses barefoot, because we believe that it is often in the best interest of the horse’s health. In the show world, however, shoes are the norm- so much so that when horses compete barefoot, it makes the news!
Sweden has been known to compete barefoot, and in the 2020 Olympics they won the gold in Team Showjumping and Peder Fredricson won the individual silver.
This year, Sweden’s King Edward, ridden by Henrik von Eckermann, who usually competes barefoot, threw his shoe in competition. Since King Edward usually competes barefoot anyway, Eckermann decided to keep the shoes off. He came in fourth in the competition, but two other horses competed barefoot as well- one horse, All In, won the silver medal!
While every horse is an individual with their own needs, these wins show that listening to our horse’s needs can help improve their health without sacrificing their talent.
More King Edward Fun Facts
Besides being one of the few barefoot horses at the Olympics, King Edward competes in a unique bridle as well. Eckermann noticed that King Edward was uncomfortable with the bridle pulling around his ears, so he took the browband off, and noticed that King Edward was much more comfortable. Instead of the browband, King Edward’s bridle has a double throat latch. King Edward also is very sensitive to flies, so he competes with a nose net. These are also used with horses who have issues with head shaking.
It seems almost silly that we are heralding the fact that King Edward’s handlers actually listened to his needs, and accommodated him- but we should celebrate these people who are the ambassadors of the equestrian world, and they should be leading by example. All of us should be listening more to our horses, and if these Olympians can both listen and change to improve the lives of their horses, we can, too.
Horses Eliminated
Two horses were eliminated from competition due to fresh cuts. U.S. rider Marcus Orlob and the horse Jane were eliminated during the middle of a dressage test. Jane had reared up before the test, and during the kerfuffle scratched herself on her hind leg. In the middle of the test, a judge spotted the blood, and Orlob was out of competition. Dressage has strict rules that no fresh blood is allowed in order to prevent abuse, even when an accident like this clearly is the case.
Italian dressage rider Emiliano Portale was also eliminated when it was discovered that his horse, Future, was bleeding from the mouth. This was discovered in a post-ride check, and while there are no allegations of abuse against Portale, again, this rule is in place to prevent abuse, and there is a zero-tolerance policy.
While it may be heartbreaking when there are accidents, all decent equestrians understand that these rules are necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the horses in competition.
Other allegations
Fresh allegations of barring, or rapping the horse’s legs with a pole to make them jump higher, have been made against Austrian rider Max Kühner. This did not occur at the Olympic games, but was supposed to have taken place at Kühner’s training stable, and barring was made an illegal practice last year. This is not the first time Kühner has been accused of abuse; a video in 2008 showed him jumping a horse over a wire, although that case was dismissed because it wasn’t technically illegal. The investigation of barring is ongoing.
Brazilian rider Carlos Parro was given a yellow card when images of him hyperextending his horse’s neck, also known as rollkur, were taken at the Olympic games. Rollkur is illegal because it causes pain to the horse’s mouth, can cut off the horse’s oxygen supply, and extended use can create pinched nerves and neck and back issues. It has unfortunately been a common practice in dressage for years, but was banned by the FEI and Olympics in 2010. This ban has not stopped trainers from using it in practice, however, but it IS illegal even in practice! While it is disgusting that Parro was abusing his horse in this way, the fact that he was called out and carded shows a trend in the right direction- that such abuse can be verified, and will be punished.