With an unprecedented wave of animal rights activist groups in our world today,  we have to ask ourselves is horseback riding ethical? Any true equine lover would be remiss if they didn’t question themselves from time to time.  As is the case within any industry, some areas within the equine world are cruel and violate the ethical code. There are instances where owners treat their horses no better than machines.  But for every abuse, or neglect, there are hundreds of us who are passionate about our horses. The question still remains, however: are there still ethical issues?

Horse Racing

If you’re on this website and reading this article, you’ve probably tuned in for the Kentucky Derby.  Maybe had to grab the box of Kleenex when you watched the movie Secretariat.  The horse racing industry seems on the surface to elevate what is so magnetic about the horse: its strength, speed, and might.  But many are not aware of what happens to race horses when they are no longer profitable, or even what they may be subjected to while they are viable and winning.

The industry is driven by one thing: money.  Horses may be given joint injections, illegal medications, and risky “fixes” if it gets them back on the track and earning money as soon as possible.  I want to make it clear, however, that not all owners engage in these tactics.  There are honorable racehorse owners who truly care about the well-being of their animals and follow the rules of the organizations in which they participate.

Retirees and Horse Meat

Unfortunately, after the industry took off, people found ways to cheat the system.  Racing committees and organizations took action in defense of the sport they loved and the animals who were its heartbeat.  Now, most horses must pass a drug test in order to be cleared for competition, and certified equine veterinarians are found at nearly all racing events.  These are just two examples of many regulations that have been put in place to protect racehorses today.

What about when it comes time to retire a racehorse?  Many people don’t know this happens when the horse still typically has twenty or more years of life left.  However, to the racehorse owner it doesn’t make sense to pay for an animal that is no longer profitable.  For this reason, most retired racehorses are sent to the slaughterhouse.  After a few years of hard service, racehorses who fail to be profitable can become entrees in French restaurants.

A Horse as a Machine

We’ll move a step up and look at those who ride and take proper care of their horses, but see them as machines.  They provide much for their animals: chiropractic work, costly supplements, regular shoeing — and they expect a lot in return.  Horses come and go; there is no emotional connection.  Their focus is on their sport and they see the horse as a means to that end.  I’ve seen this a fair amount in the world of competition.  Buyers spend thousands of dollars on horses who perform better than average, while those who have less to offer are sold as quickly as possible.  Owners pay trainers high dollar for producing well-oiled push-button machines.  Something that once started out as a passion has turned into a paycheck.

Again, I would like to remind our readers that not all instances are like this.  I have met incredibly passionate trainers who fight for their horses and change their riding style depending on the personality the horse.  Some of those top-dollar, highly trained horses were dreams in the making, with precise bloodlines choreographed and years of patient riding put in to produce a champion.

Let’s examine the question again: is horseback riding ethical here?  When horses have no room to develop a personality but physically provided for?  When incredible equine champions rise through the ranks to eventually leave a legacy but don’t get to experience the love of a doting young girl?

A Horse as Family

Those on the outside looking in can’t quite understand what it’s like to have this kind of blood running through your veins.  The kind that gets you out of bed at two in the morning because you have to bottle-feed a foal whose mother died.  Or the kind where you find yourself crying into the mane of a horse who carried you and your dreams for the last twenty years.  The kind that leaves you with broken bones.  Blistered hands.

The kind that leaves you fulfilled.

The love in your veins that brings rejoicing when your horse finally picks up the right lead. Nails their haunch turn. Drives from their hindquarters. The kind that gets excited when you finally release pressure at the right time. Or find your center as you ride. Or learn to engage the front end.

I would say that the critics on the outside don’t understand the dedication that horseback riding takes.  This is what makes it ethical.  You could say that it’s this focus on dedication that weeds out the people who would abuse this great privilege.  The people who would take it and use it in unethical ways.

So, Is Horseback Riding Ethical?

The art of riding must first be to all, an expression of the heart.  If all that a horseman does stems from this, then I would argue that riding is ethical.  This requires the least discussion, for I believe the answer is clear.

When a person wants to be a better rider for the sake of the horse and puts every ounce she has into her horsemanship, riding is ethical.  When a person is aware of his horse’s emotional state, changes his technique to best fit the horse, and is sensitive to his horse’s needs, riding is ethical.  Riding is also ethical when the owner’s greatest priority is her horse, she takes that horse to its fullest potential.

When a horse gives his all for his rider, he has answered: riding is ethical.