Can Equestrian Sport Be Saved From A Few Bad Apples?

Helgstrand. Parra. U.S. Reining Federation.

These are just some of the headlines that have rocked the horse world in recent months, with Cesar Parra and the U.S. Reining Federation making news this week.

In case you have been living on a remote island with no access to the internet, let me give you a quick recap:

In December 2023, Danish Rider Andreas Helgstrand was exposed for utilizing cruel training practices by an undercover television investigative report called “Operation X” and was removed from the Danish national dressage team by the Danish Equestrian Federation.

Then, this past week, horrific videos of Cesar Parra surfaced. A dressage rider from Columbia, who now rides for the USA, the videos confirmed what many had suspected for decades. As difficult as the videos of Helgstrand were to watch, the videos of Parra were just plain horrific.

In addition, the NHRA (National Reining Horse Assn.) voted to allow the use of Sedivet in horses 30 minutes before the competition. Sedivet is a sedative + preanesthetic, which masks energy levels of horses.  Horses who are administered Sedivet have dull eyes and expressions, low heads, drip urine, and will stagger. Somehow, the NHRA thinks this is ok to administer to a horse about to be ridden.

Common Horse Keeping is about taking good care of our partners, not just in the barn but also while we ride them. All aspects of horse keeping are about the horse- the good of the horse!

Sadly, horses have been subjected to abuse since the day that man learned to ride them. Horses were easily domesticated because they sought us out as friends and caregivers, but we used them in war, as vehicles, to plow our fields, and for amusement. We don’t take the time to learn how to listen to them or to understand them, many times misreading their behavior and labeling them as “difficult,” “stubborn,” or “mean.”

The allegations against Parra go back 20 years. Not only for crimes against horses, but there are reports of sexual abuse and manipulation of employees, particularly those who depended on Parra to stay in the United States legally. In 2015, Trudy Miranda filed a civil lawsuit alleging negligence in the training of her horse, William PFF, who Parra seriously injured. That case was dismissed.

I like to think we all ride horses because we were horse-crazy kids and loved animals. I know that I loved horses more than anything else! I was fortunate to have horses in my life from an early age. When real horses weren’t around, Breyers and horse books, such as the Black Stallion series, filled the void.

I have often asked myself, how do people stop loving and showing compassion for horses? How are fame, money, and egos more important than an animal’s life? I have never experienced any of those, and if beating my horse into submission was the trade-off, I would gladly stay poor and unknown. I could never drug a horse to make it more rideable. The very act seems so unsafe for many reasons. I once quit a job at a barn because I witnessed how, the day before a horseshow, a man showed up with a bucket full of syringes and made his way down the barn aisle, popping every horse and pony heading to the show with who knows what. It disgusted me.

SafeSport exists to protect riders, but what is in place to protect the horse? Officials, from local levels to the FEI, know about these crimes against horses but do nothing to protect the horses. Dressage judges routinely reward riding which do not fit their own criteria. Tense horses, which have dull expressions, exaggerated movements, and lack impulsion, are given high marks instead of rewarding horses who are happy and are loose through their movements with impulsion generated through their back and hindquarters. Rollkur is blasted for being a cruel training method, yet there are top riders who still practice it and are rewarded for doing so.

Despite the suspension of Helgstrand, hundreds flocked to his Wellington-based stable to watch him teach clinics last month. Not only was that shocking to learn but do we not hold the riders in these videos accountable, too? And it is just not Dressage. We all know of the cruel practice of soring, which is still allowed to continue in the Tennessee Walking world. In other disciplines, horses are subjected to tight nosebands, belly guards are needed to prevent rubs and injuries from improper use of spurs, riders resort to side reins and draw reins in an attempt to fast-track training, and the list goes on and on.

How is it that the riders and owners are not speaking out? I know that if a trainer took a whip to my horse, attempted to hobble the front legs while riding, or tie down his head while lunging, as Parra is seen doing over and over again, I would not only be off my horse and confronting the “trainer”, but I would have my horse out of that barn immediately, even if it meant walking him down the road to the first barn I could find to provide for his safety. I would not need some whistle-blower to make me come to my senses and suddenly decide that these practices are cruel. I have seen the photos of the whip marks on the horses under Parra’s “training.” How can any owner or rider observe these cuts and allow the horse to train with such a monster?

I have said it over and over….equestrians are setting themselves up to be turned upon by the general public, with animal rights organizations at the charge. PETA has already started a petition demanding that all equestrian sports be removed from the Olympics. Once they achieve that goal, what will they look to banish next in the horse world? Look at what happened to the Olympic sport of Pentathlon after the abuse of Saint Boy at the Olympics in Tokyo. Horses are no longer a part of Pentathlon, with Obstacles replacing it in 2028. And rightfully so, if these athletes cannot learn how to ride a horse.

The question arises: can horses compete and be treated with compassion and kindness? Can horses be trained utilizing training tools that do not subject them to pain?

Every horseman must answer YES to these questions because if not, the face of horse competitions will change dramatically in the next 10, 15, or 20 years.

In next week’s blog, I will explore options for how we can address this issue. I welcome any suggestions and your feedback, to share in the blog.

I am sharing these two photos of my daughters when they had their first ponies. These pictures demonstrate the love we should all have for our horses.