(“I don’t feel guilty if I turn the air conditioner on.”)

I figure I should live my life and mind my own business. But sometimes Mr. Snoopy can’t help himself and I lurk on those dressage bulletin boards, if for no other reason than to raise my blood pressure.

I always mean to cast my lot with the open–minded, free–thinking individuals who post there. Sorry to say, the boards seem to be thoroughly inhabited with axe-grinding critics of anything that they, themselves, hadn’t thought of first.

The offenders fall into several categories, and here I acknowledge my unrepentantly conventional achievement-oriented upbringing. When these guys get ranting about the PIDs that insensitive cretins like me (and probably you) use on our horses, I just roll my eyes. For those of you not in the know, a PID is a “pain inflicting device.” Depending on who is talking, that could be something as benign as a fat hollow mouth snaffle bit, or it could be conventional side reins, a flash or dropped noseband. For some, the list may even include a headstall or a saddle with a tree.

A second category includes some of the natural horsemanship crowd, some from the so–called “classical” tradition, and a rich vein of practitioners whose idea of how humans should relate to horses is completely different from mine. I am willing to grant them the right to disrespect my attitude and the way I treat horses– and other people for that matter. I also eat meat; I kill mosquitoes; and I don’t feel guilty if I turn the air conditioner on.

Along similar lines it does not trouble me to admit that I expect horses to obey. (And I’m willing to say the same thing regarding children.) Extreme horse sports and the damage they inflict on the horses does upset me.

Over time, the societal definition of what constitutes “extreme” changes. I’m sure I don’t need to list race, gender, age, class, or income issues to persuade you of that. And someone who has decided that it’s cruel to “make” a horse do a 20 meter circle, perform a canter pirouette, or to carry his rider down the road can always play the “Times have changed/our culture has outgrown that kind of barbarism” card.

Sorry, folks, as our Fellatolee in Chief would have said, “That dog don’t hunt for me.” When I read the posts that say we can only achieve true harmony with our horses by allowing them to do what they want or by playing a “game” with them, I just wonder what horses these people are riding or what Kool-Aid they’ve been drinking.

Let me say it in so many words– It is not evil for YOU to define your horse’s training goals. Harmony is desirable, but it’s okay to express it in the manner by which YOU create the relationship with your horse and your plans for him. I think I am far from the slash and burn end of the training spectrum, and I would certainly claim to have the horses’ welfare and best interests at heart, but horses are large creatures and at times can be willful and even dangerous. Quite simply, you can love your horse without worshiping him. You can even have romantic, mystical thoughts of your partnership when you’re sitting by the fireplace.

Ride your horse with kindness, but don’t let the sticky syrup get all over you. Bottom line—you’re allowed to make him behave. The gods will still smile upon your work.