15/08/2025
Thought for the day from my friend Colleen 🧡
Being away on holiday and out of "horses" for a few weeks always gives a fresh perspective when you jump back in :)
Mostly, I have been reflecting on all the talk around welfare (for both horse and rider) and how the theory of it - which is all over social media and magazine articles - sometimes doesn't match up to what we see happening around us. The information around it is getting so much better, but the practice can be very slow to change. The disappointment you feel over sometimes hearing a recommendation from another professional about adding force or equipment to solve a training issue instead of taking the time to do it correctly. It's tension and force sometimes being rewarded at competitions. It's riders being shamed for being cautious or taking a slower, more considered approach. At times, it's riders who are doubting themselves and their abilities being knocked down even further by a friend, yard mate or instructor.
I have so much admiration for all the folks "in the trenches" -refusing to take short cuts, always training ethically even knowing sometimes it's not going to get you the highest score on a particular day, building up their neighbours when they are having a wobble - all the small things that add up to genuine WELFARE in our lovely sport. And the vast majority do it quietly, honestly, under the radar, often in the background of things.
But I see you - matching your words with actions, holding onto the hope of not just talking a better game, but actually playing one.
Im so grateful for chats with colleagues like Julie Chapman and Nikki Routledge, for my lovely clients who believe in the process and doing the best they can for their horses, and for organisations like Equestrian Business Awards for making welfare the epicenter of what they do and what they celebrate.
It makes me excited for the future 🥰
