Judgement – Get Off Your High Horse!

Judgement. In the horse world, it is easy to make judgements without any background information which is not doing us any favors. Horse people already can be perceived by outsiders as privileged because of our expensive hobby. So without any further information on the sacrifices one makes in order to have this hobby, we can be judged for it.

Additionally, there is a crazy amount of judgement passed within the horse world.  I will admit to being as guilty of it as the next person! You hear some negative things about someone and based on that alone, you judge them. Different disciplines also judge each other – even within the same broad discipline such as English or Western. Event riders may think dressage riders are snobs. Or dressage riders think hunter riders are not as skilled. There are all of these stereotypes and based on the discipline that one does, someone will automatically assume certain things.

We need to break free of the automatic judgement passing and start forming our own opinions based on each unique situation and person. There is something to be learned from everyone – even if it is how not to behave. For example, when I was a teenager I kept my dressage horse at a mostly Western barn. The owner of the barn taught me a huge amount about general horsemanship and I will be forever grateful for that. However if I had turned my nose up at him due to his different discipline, I would not have gained that knowledge.

The golden rule is to treat people how you want to be treated and that includes taking the time to educate yourself before passing judgement. You also have to give people the benefit of the doubt and understand that everybody is doing the best they can at any given moment. You have no idea what is going on in their life outside of a particular moment or interaction, so even if you have a negative interaction with someone, give them the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they got bad news and are trying to digest it and you happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The same thing goes for horses – one bad ride does not a bad horse make. Horses can have bad days just like us and it is important to remember that and give them the benefit of the doubt as well. The same thing applies if you see a poor ride at a show – that is not necessarily indicative of poor training/riding, it is just a moment in time that was less than ideal.

Horsepeople need to share our love for these amazing creatures and not let hasty judgements interfere. So let’s stop the drama, hold hands, sing Kumbaya and have some awesome rides!