08/14/2026
THIS
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1L7ap4kisk/
*** WHY WE MUST STOP THINKING WE CAN “WASTE” A HORSE ***
No horse is born knowing they are going to be a top competition horse. No horse is born with any lifetime dreams and ambitions, beyond surviving from one day to the next. It is HUMANS that want horses to compete. That is absolutely not to say that 99% of horses don’t love competing, but it is us that asks and trains them to do that. Before anyone who doesn’t know me, gets the wrong idea, I absolutely love all horse sport, and think most horses love being out competing.
As horse owners and riders, we really must get away from the “guilt” that by not realising a horse’s full potential, we are “wasting” that horse. I can assure you that a horse with the breeding and talent to go 5*, would be just as happy competing at BE90. Or even just as happy at Riding Club shows, AS LONG AS ALL OF THEIR WELFARE REQUIREMENTS ARE MET.
As long as a horse is afforded the correct care and management, and ridden sympathetically, he or she will honestly not be sat there, wishing they had a better rider, and were aiming for Badminton.
When I had my nasty injury back in 2023, I had many comments on my posts, asking if I’d be getting someone else to compete Johnnie, whilst I was injured. To be honest, the thought didn’t even cross my mind, until such comments started appearing. The simple answer was, no! No horse NEEDS to be out competing. No horse knows they are missing part of the season. As long as that horse remains well cared for, and (pony patter alert) loved, he honestly won’t care that he’s having a little break.
Why would I have needed an established horse to go out Eventing? My outstanding trainer, when I was much younger, Marion Begley, taught me that a horse has a finite number of runs (Events) in them, especially at the highest levels. That is something that stuck with me from the age of 15 or 16, and one of the reasons my horses run so infrequently.
All of my horses are family to me. Again, that sounds a bit naff, but they are. I spend hours with them, and know them inside out. Johnnie and I just clicked, to the point I could pop round a 4* track on him knowing that we’d be safe, and have a great time. He most definitely didn’t need the runs, or experience, so there was absolutely no way I would risk any injury to him for the sake of getting him out Eventing, if it wasn’t me in the saddle.
If I ever got the stage that I couldn’t ride again, but could still look after my horses both physically and financially, then most of them would simply retire. They wouldn’t think or know that they were being wasted. I may get a rider in to ride a couple of them under my scrutiny, but they wouldn’t be sent anywhere.
I personally wouldn’t put any of my horses in with a busy professional, for several reasons. One is that I don’t like the thought of them standing on a lorry from 6am until 6pm, maybe longer, at a show/event. I 100% appreciate why this happens, and I know these horses are absolutely fine with it, but my lot are pampered pets, and that wouldn’t be for me. Maybe my young horses would be better behaved for me if I treated them more like professional horses, but I don’t! They are spoilt brats. I like them to arrive, compete, and head straight home again to relax and recover. There are then the logistical challenges that pro riders face regarding shear numbers of horses to be ridden every day, and in some cases, the lack of turn out. I must reiterate that these horses receive the very best care, are perfectly prepared, and never want for anything, but my lot aren’t used to being one of many.
This has turned into a bit of a dissertation, but I think they are all important points. My main point to get across, is that no horse is wasted if they aren’t out competing, or aren’t full fulfilling their potential. No horse is born with ambition to be a top competition horse, so as long as you’re not wobbling about (5 stone too heavy for the horse), causing him back pain; as long as you’re not socking him in the mouth over every fence; as long as you are providing him with correct and sufficient food, water, and veterinary care, then you’re not wasting your horse. There are absolutely competition horses that don’t enjoy complete retirement, but there is no horse out there who thinks he is being wasted doing a different job, or competing at a low level.
Feel free to share, but not to copy my words.
