The more I look around the equestrian world, the more I realize that I am just too old to join in. So many influencers out there paint a picture of the past, of “traditional methods”, that does not resemble the horse world I grew up in. I see things celebrated with awe, such as riding bridleless, that were once rather normal for children to do. People are so convinced that the world they know is how things have always been, and I am too old to think that what I see in the horse world today is normal or right.

I am old enough to remember when top jumpers were often ridden in simple snaffles, sometimes with a standing or running martingale that rarely was engaged during the course. Over-jumping was seen as the fault that it is – a result of training shortcuts and poling – not seen as something to admire. Jumping rounds were exciting for the size of the jumps and complexity of the course – not because of the wrestling match we see now, nor because of horses bucking regularly between fences. For those who believe this is just ‘high spirits’ – it is not!

I am old enough to remember when Dressage was “as boring as watching paint dry” – but only to those not understanding that the quiet dance in front of them took years of development to achieve. Horses were given those years to develop their bodies, and the reward was that they were still top of form at 20 or more. Riders took those years to develop a partnership, where horse and rider could move as one, and trust was such that a helicopter could land in front of Podhajsky’s horse at a royal celebration and the stallion would not move a muscle. Today, awards ceremonies are nail-biters!

I am old enough to remember when many of the top, most respected instructors were either former cavalry officers or their first generation students. This background brought a depth of knowledge and experience rarely seen in today’s professional trainer. Until the 1950’s, most countries’ Olympic competitors came from their cavalries. The cavalry riders were also responsible for full care of their horses, at least until they became officers. They grew to understand horses far more than many of today’s top professionals who have a crew to take care of their horses – and often they’ve had little direct care of their horses from the beginning.

I am old enough to remember when the trainer was a champion for the horse. Yank on your lesson horse, or swat him out of frustration, and you likely would be told to get off and put the horse away. Riders might come with ambition, but they were kept to a level they were capable of without doing harm to the horse. You want to jump? First you had to show that you had an independent seat at all three gaits. Want to do the ‘fancy’ movements in Dressage? You’d better have that independent seat, as well as demonstrating that you can manage the more basic movements, such as an immobile halt and a basic circle. Trainers were the gatekeepers who worked to ensure the horse’s welfare and your safety – not consumer-driven service providers.

I am old enough to remember when there was no blood rule because there was no blood. In thirty years of competing and following the sports, I once saw blood in the mouth of a cross-country horse who took a fall, and I saw blood on the side of a horse at a tryout for the US Dressage team. There were no top riders running to defend the rider. There was no gaslighting that it was simply from a stumble. This was unacceptable and people were open about that. Today, no major event happens without at least one blood incident, and all they do is make up excuses. But is it really enough to accept that horses are stumbling, cutting their gums, and biting their tongues at rates never seen before? When do they finally acknowledge that something has fundamentally gone wrong?

I am also old enough to remember when judges looked for signs of distress and tension – grinding teeth, wringing tails, pinned ears, gaping mouths, etc. All of these were automatic deductions on the scores. Science now supports that these are signs of distress, but good horsemen once didn’t need science to explain it to them. Yet, now judges ignore those signs completely.

I am old enough to have played tag with my fellow Pony Club members, bareback and with neck ropes. A famous riding school in our state had an entire drill team of kids riding this way – the team started in the late 60s and still has kids performing at events to this day. I am told that other riding schools in the US did the same. Yet, today, anyone who uses a neck rope is somehow seen as exceptional, admirable, and more humane. Never mind the rest of the riding, how the horse is schooled when not on video, nor the indicators the horse is giving as to how this is working for them. Yes, some are admirable – and just as many are not. But it is no magic nor exceptional, as I can tell you from experience.

I am clearly too old for this modern horse world, where everyone wants a unicorn, few want to put in the work it takes to be good riders, and ‘influencers’ are everyone’s new trainers of choice. Twenty-somethings regale us with what they have learned in their few years with horses, while us oldies know that we have still not learned nearly enough. I may be too old for this modern equestrian world, but I will never be too old to love, respect, and honor my equine friends by continuing my journey to understand and better serve them.