LOOKING FOR PERFECTION

By Mette Boegh 

Posted by her Facebook page Hverdagshesten (‘The Everyday Horse’) in response to the photos that the FEI recently shared of dressage ‘moments in time’ that they, and many of their followers, think are admirable. Lightly edited for clarity.

“…it is a big misconception that we who criticise the sport are looking for perfection. We are not.”

We at Hverdagshesten share the Concordia Principles, and what we see in those photos are horses that are robotic and mechanical, and the images do not at all take into account that the horse is a sentient being. What we see today are horses with just about the same expression all the way through the test. Horses that are so held by the hand, that we don’t get to see the true partnership.

Unfortunately, horses that are most often highly placed in competitions are those ridden with a heavy, restricting hand and exhibiting robotic responses. Riders are being rewarded for the outcome, when arguably, the reward is in the journey. This is recently (or most) evidenced by the partnership between Lewis Carrier and his horse Diego at The FEI Dressage World Cup™ competition at London International Horse Show.

It is a misconception that those of us who question this sport are  looking for perfection. We are not. If anything, we are looking for less perfection than most people within the sport. We want to see horses free to lose balance and to find it again. We want to see horses move from one expression to another. We want them to have freedom in front to express their true degree of education. 

Carrier’s horse Diego was less perfect than the other horses, yet much more correct. At  the same time, Diego was not looking as if his jaw was dislocated throughout the test.

And about the FEI, people have tried to change the system from within. But you reach a wall, you don’t get asked back, or you may perhaps suffer threats. Subsequently,  many riders have turned their backs on the sport, simply because changing from within, just doesn’t get met with praising words. Their efforts have often been met with words you cannot express on this page!

Therefore, we have now –  unfortunately – become an outside voice.

The FEI has gotten recommendations (actually, their own welfare committee put it a lot more ultimately), from as high up as the French Government, yet has made no intention to change anything.

There has been no argument for the use of spurs when it comes to animal welfare for years. Yet it has  only been in 2024 that the FEI made spurs optional, even though they have publicly claimed for years that the horse’s welfare is their biggest priority.

And how about the double bridle? They still haven’t managed to make that optional in dressage. Mind you, we at Hverdagshesten are not against the double bridle or spurs in principle, but when it comes to the welfare of the horse, there is no argument for having mandatory tack in 2024. 

So when will we finally see the FEI embrace bitless dressage? The FEI is simply moving at such a slow pace that it makes one question their motives and any consideration they may have for the welfare of the horse. 

If competition riders really were aiming for all the nice things for their horse, then they would have long since pushed the FEI to make changes for their partners – the horses! Yet, they make no such attempt! That’s what many of us can’t accept!

How can you say you have a partnership with an animal, yet rather than choosing the tack that fits the animal and makes it feel comfortable, you just comply with old rules? This shows a complete lack of understanding of said animal. As most of us know, no two horses are the same, so having all elite horses fitted in the same tack in dressage certainly doesn’t have anything to do with caring for an animal.