27/07/2021
I love how we are all looking at the same event, thanks to the Olympics. We can all see the same riders at the same time and discuss it after, and I love what this brings to the table, both from those defending sport horse welfare and those defending competition results.
Now, there are some of us that take offense because we are picking at the equitations of riders we don't personally know (for most of us) and that we should have the same competition level to have the right to emit a critic.
In France, and on French social medias, we had the exact same debate in January this year. The veterinary Eva Van Avermaet and her association Collectif Pour Les Chevaux (that works against any form of hyperflexion in horses) got involved in a nasty debate. It got all the way to justice and the conclusion was that publicly highlighting hyperflexion, as in a form of animal abuse, IS NOT defamation (in France at least).
Just so you know that in France, not being an Olympian, whatever our job and expertise is, does not stop us from recognizing abuse and/or lack of welfare in ridden horses.
In the medical world, we speak of "ordinary abuse" (maltraitance ordinaire in French) : abuse that has become so normal that we are not able to recognise it unless the victim (the patient) speaks up, or an external observer calls it out. As horses lack language understood by the majority, we need external observers to call out the ordinary abuse of the equestrian world.
I love discussing with those defending sport results and different training methods. But please respect that abuse is a public debate and (at least in French law) allowed to take place publicly without needing credentials of any kind.
So yes, while I do not want to ever lash out at any rider, I will continue to call out anything that I feel is ordinary abuse, and prolonged, forced or excessive hyperflexion IS ordinary abuse.
We intend to drop a line to the IOC ethic comity and I believe that any one of us that has been a witness of ordinary abuse during the Olympics is able to do the same to help make a change.
In three years, the Olympics will be held in my country, in my city, and I really hope that in three years, we can all share and discuss the progress that have been made in that time and the positive changes that the equestrian world is making towards equine sport welfare !
----
A bit more context about the justice decision that supports any French that wishes to call out hyperflexion abuse :
Eva published an article about a tutorial video in which the rider was using "LDR", while the video sometimes showed rather a rollkur posture (really deep hyperflexion recognised as abuse). Another video was a tutorial for amateur riders about "stretching the horse" and while the video lasted only 3 min, the rider explained that it was really good for horses to make whole sessions in this posture, which was LDR (recognised as abuse if maintained for a long time, the FEI tolerates a maximum of 10 min).
The first article was rather nice (not calling out abuse directly) but the comments got really heated. All of said rider's fans got aggressive, while the rider herself attacked Eva's expertise (asking to see her perform at least as well in competition before making any comment).
Eva was shocked of those reactions and the rider, her stable and her mother filed a complaint for defamation.
During the following days, the rider published two articles in one of the French biggest horse magazine, attacking Eva and all of us calling out for horse welfare, calling us terrorists.
The magazine has still not given the possibility for Eva to answer to this attack. Two articles were planned, written then cancelled last minute without explanation (and journalists stopped answering). We are now battling for an article about the judgment decision...
The legal complaint was full of vices of form (is that the legal term in English ?) so the judgment was cut short. However, the judge asked both parties to expose their arguments.
Eva explained how (prolonged, forced or excessive) hyperflexion is recognised by the vet and scientific communities as abuse, and that could not be considered defamation as it reports to public debate.
Neither the rider, the stable nor the mother went to the tribunal so they could not argue back. Their lawyer made a really poor argument.
The prosecutor then declared that Eva's article could not be considered as defamation.
More information (in French) here : https://collectifpourleschevauxcontrelhyperflexion.com/2021/07/04/proces-pamfou-dressage/
----
After some discussion about how to go forward and transform a critic into positive chance, I offer some ideas for improving sport horse welfare:
- enforcing rules already established (FEI regulation)
- stop allowing hyperflexion (LDR, rollkur...) for longer than 10 seconds for any reason (any horse can fall into that posture but the rider should never promote and maintain it)
- enforce the banishment of harsh bit, spurs or other tools that may lead to injury that can be used during a competition
- enforce a mandatory turnout for every horse
- promote a science based care of the horse : fibers all day, science based farriery, etc
- promote the learning of theoretical knowledge of anatomy, physiology, pathologies, biomechanics, behaviour, etc. The more you give tools to understand the horse to the riders, the less we will see abusive riders, the more we can enforce the rules and banish those riders for voluntarily abusing their horses.
Abuse is not only hitting your horse or drawing blood with spurs. It is also breaking their spirit to a state of learned helplessness. It is also hurting them just a bit over the course of several years. It is also cutting short their painfree lifespan for selfish reasons.
We are all victims and perpetrators of ordinary abuse. The only way to get out of it is to recognise what endangers horse welfare and try to do better.
----
Picture of Mag trying herself at an olympian extended trot. She however is well aware that her lack of ability will never impede on her right to alert me if I ever adopt abusive behaviors.
