The other night I stumbled across a post on Facebook where someone was looking back on how things were done when they were a child and how complicated things have become now. They finished their post by saying all their horses lived to good ages and maybe the Equestrian Industry should go back to how things were.
Now don’t get me wrong, this post did have a bit of a jokey vibe to it, but you could also tell that they believed most of what they were saying. Some of the points they made, such as 20 rugs for 1 horse and the hundreds of supplements available now are all quite excessive. But a lot of the things they were reminiscing about is quite scary!
They talked about how they didn’t get a saddler out to fit every new saddle and didn’t have regular visits from physio/chiro/etc and did their own horse’s injections! Yes this probably saved them a lot of money, but how many of us would be happy doing this now? The idea of not getting any new saddle checked by a saddler makes me wince! The industry has evolved to understand that these things improve the welfare of our horses. Surely you don’t want to go back to a time where horses suffer needlessly in silence?
They also complained about the hundreds of different types of bits, new types of saddle, different hoof management and the wide range of feeds available. Horse’s are not one size fits all. This wider range of options available to horse owners and horses means that we can find the best option for each horse. Imagine being told you can only ever wear super skinny jeans and high heels for the rest of your life, just because that’s how things are done and there is nothing else available, I certainly wouldn’t be impressed!
Yes, the industry has become more complex with a lot more options available, but on the whole, this is a good thing! I know they weren’t being completely serious, but there are numpties out there who will take this as confirmation that its absolutely fine to do those things.
Last Updated on 22/12/2021
Absolutely agree, having more options and the ability to look after our equines to a higher standard is wonderful. I think we could also say that we expect more from them these days?
Interestingly, here in Australia it’s actually really common for owner to give their horses routine injections like tetanus/strangles and antibiotics
I agree. In the “good old days” most people were just happy hackers attending the odd local show. These days the majority of horse owners and training for something and spending a lot more time working on improving their horse.
And that’s very odd! Even vet techs can’t do that in the uk!