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I
recently received yet another phone call from an attor- horse training” continues to be swept under the carpet of pub-
ney asking if I would be available for hire as an “expert lic awareness.
witness” in a lawsuit in which his client, a “professional A few years ago, Don Adams, the outgoing executive direc-
horse trainer”, is being sued by a student who was very seri- tor of Equine Canada, was representing our country at an
ously injured during a session together. The plaintiff in this equine conference in Europe. Mr. Adams asked many of his
case is now a paraplegic and feels that her crippling injury is European colleagues why they thought that the Europeans
the result of negligence in how her trainer “trained” her horse. performed so much better then Canadians on the world
The lawyer was hoping I would be willing to testify that I equestrian stage? Apparently he was told repeatedly that the
believed the trainer was not negligent and that this woman biggest difference was NOT the quality of our horses, but
was just another unfortunate victim of what we all know is an rather the quality of our horse training. It seems that in Europe
inherently danger- the young riders are taught how to ride on horses that are truly
ous sport. After
hearing the details
How can we expect our going “correctly”. How can we expect our students to learn to
ride correctly on horses that have not been trained “correctly”?
of how this woman students to learn to ride While it is true that the horse industry is fractured, in that
was so critically those who race do not feel that they have anything in common
injured, however,
correctly on horses that with those who jump and those who wear breeches do not
there was no have not been trained often mingle with those who wear cowboy hats, the fact
doubt in my mind remains that a horse is a horse is a horse and that competent
that the trainer was “correctly”? horse trainers are in seriously short supply.
indeed negligent. I While Equine Canada has certified “riding instruction” for
told the attorney I could not in good conscience help him both English and western riding, and driving, the fact is that
defend his client. This was the third phone call of this sort that riding and driving coaches are NOT necessarily competent
I have received from an attorney in just the last year. To add horse trainers. For instance, in English riding, every certified
insult to injury, the “trainer” is a certified Equine Canada riding coach theoretically teaches the concept of riding a
coach. horse from back to front, from the inside leg into the outside
I also receive countless phone calls and emails from frus- rein, on a horse whose topline is allowing the rider to move
trated people who have hired professional horse trainers, and, impulsion “through” a level, long and low, or well rounded/col-
yes, EC certified riding coaches, only to find that their horses lected topline. The sad
are worse after they have been handled by these “profession- In other words, talk reality is, however, that
als” instead of better.
There are too many Thoroughbreds flipping over in the
is cheap, actions the vast majority of
these same instructors
starting gates at the racetracks, and too many horses being speak louder than do not know how to
seriously injured by people attempting to load them into trail-
ers. There are too many horses and riders suffering crippling
words, and no achieve such results
with their own horses
injuries in jumping and three-day eventing. There are the driv- amount of theoretical and we find riding stu-
ing horses that become “runaways” during public events such dents being taught
as parades and also tragic stories from Alberta like the nine riding instruction “theory” on horses that
horses that died after they jumped from a highway overpass qualifies a person to are inverted and
during a “drive” to the Calgary Stampede. Or the young girl, counter bent. In other
also in Alberta, who was killed last summer when the horse know how to train words, talk is cheap,
she was giving her little sister a riding lesson on ran away and
dragged her to death. What about the ‘A’ circuit rider in B.C.
young horses. actions speak louder
than words, and no
who was killed when her horse kicked her in the head? What amount of theoretical riding instruction qualifies a person to
is going on? know how to train young horses and/or “problem” horses so
Nobody wants to hear about these “accidents”, let alone that the horse says “yes” to the aids. We have jumpers rush-
talk about them, yet time and time again Equine Canada, the ing to fences on inverted horses that are being savagely
governing body of Equestrian Sport in Canada, ‘passes the pulled on and this does NOT come remotely close to a sup-
buck’ and the problem of defining what exactly is “competent porting half halt applied to a collected horse. We have too
continued on page 93
58 HORSE SPORT / October 2006 www.horse-canada.com
viewpoint.qxp 8/23/2006 4:12 PM Page 93
horse tales
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