Making sport safe for horses

Submitted photo

I’m not a trainer, or an FEI rider, or close to being any kind of expert in horses and horse welfare. But I am a life-long horse lover and a horse owner who once upon a time served the equestrian community as a provincial president and member of the Equestrian Canada board of directors (then Canadian Equestrian Federation - CEF).

And way back then in the dark ages, welfare was one of the CEF’s mandates. Dedicated experts spent years developing the Equine Code of Practice, which details how horses should be housed, handled and cared for. The national federation sent representatives on a cross-Canada tour in coordination with the provincial associations to answer questions about the code of practice and educate equestrians about it as much as possible.

Would you believe that back in those days, the Canadian Equestrian Federation changed its name to Equine Canada, largely to reflect that its mandate included the equine industry and welfare, and not just equestrian sport?

That was then. This is now.

As its current name would suggest, Equestrian Canada is now focused primarily on sport, as it would seem the USEF, FEI, and other federations are. And yet all these organizations have codes of conduct for members and a mandate to promote and protect horse welfare.

How? There is no straightforward, easy-to-find means of reporting abuse to our national or international governing bodies. And if a report is filed, there’s no way to know if or how it’s being investigated. In both the Helgstrand and Parra cases, the most recent shocking photos and videos only came to light because of brave whistleblowers. But those are far from the first allegations levelled at either trainer. Many people are now coming forward to say they have reported these men over the past decade - with photos or videos as proof - and nothing happened.

This is a watershed moment. This is the tipping point where change must happen, just as it did when the number of young athletes being abused by their coaches finally came to light. We need a SafeSport for horses - an independent, arms-length body whose sole mandate is to receive and investigate reports of abuse, and to sanction abusers.

The process needs to be transparent and it needs to offer protection for those brave enough to speak out. Advocating for abused horses shouldn’t come at a risk to personal safety, yet as I type this, some of the whistleblowers in this most recent case are being protected by armed security.

At the same time, several loyal clients are refusing to leave the alleged abuser, choosing to believe that the videos are fake and their idolized trainer is the victim of a vicious campaign by disgruntled former employees. My heart breaks for their horses and I feel so helpless. I bet you do too.

What can each of us do? First of all, develop a zero-tolerance attitude in our own barns, communities, and competition circuits when it comes to abusers. Develop a culture of standing up for what’s right. Start by looking in the mirror. We can all question what we accept as normal and acceptable. All of us have moments we look back on with regret. The way many of us were taught to deal with resistance or disobedience in the 80s or 90s is not how we do things today. When we know better, we do better - most of us, at least.

​I’m not suggesting that all horse training in the real world is rainbows and reins of silk. Things can go wrong in a split second. Accidents happen and horses can get hurt even when everything has been done correctly. We also know that sometimes a firm hand is needed to keep people safe from a 1,000lb prey animal in a dangerous situation. But I do believe (or at least hope) that the vast majority of riders, coaches and trainers can examine their own practices with a clear conscience.

We can educate those who have come to believe that any moment of tension, a hollow back or a nose behind the vertical is a clear sign of abuse. We have to teach them the difference between a horse going behind the vertical and one being forced to work in that position. We must put a stop to the harassment and defamation of good riders and trainers by keyboard warriors whose good intentions don’t make up for their lack of knowledge. There must be a way of assuring the public that the disgusting undercover videos they’ve seen are NOT the norm.

Most importantly, we should all write, email, call, and tag the industry’s governing bodies to demand change. Demand that horses be protected the way that minor athletes are finally being protected with a SafeSport-type system. It’s one small step we can all take to feel less powerless.