Professional Horse Trainers Halt Video/Photo Recording

 

 

There is a new movement afoot in professional horse training circles to restrict videography and photography - to contain the message or conversation of the horse trainer's private process and progress working with horses. Folks may ask what are they hiding?

Training horses means taking full responsibility for their well-being. Exuberant behavior in the horse should be expected and his joyful attitude celebrated not subdued but it must for safety's sake sometimes be curtailed or contained.

 

 

There will be misunderstandings on both sides of the partnership. Both horse and rider will make mistakes. How much should you push your horse and when? Some horses will help you decide by giving an emphatic 'No' to your requests. But others are more vulnerable. It is essential as a trainer to protect those horses that can't or don't say, " No!"

When out and about giving clinics, hubbie Paul and I often see riders that are simply trying to hard to make things happen. The horse will (in most cases) simply shut down. I don't believe that horses are unwilling to work unless they lack understanding of the task or don't have the physical or mental wherewithal to complete the ask. And it should be an ask, not a threat or a punishment. But there are also those very special horses that will give their all and not stop giving even if it costs them physically or mentally.

 

As a trainer of horses you must be disciplined. And not just by following a schedule and turning up for work, but also by not allowing emotion to cloud your judgement. Just as temper and impatience has no place in training a horse, neither does over-zealous activity born of an emotional high that makes us keep asking for more and more effort from our 4-legged partner. 

If we are training our horses correctly the majority of the process will go smoothly. But there will be bumps in the road. Moments when 1500 lbs of horseflesh put us in danger. Moments when we must be proactive in how we react and read a situation. A preemptive strike or rather action.

This new pattern emerging among professional horse trainers to not allow video or photography at their stables or training clinics is gaining hoof hold. 

I have long held the belief that video and photography should be limited to the rider's use and not held for publication online. Moments of training taken out of context can easily be misread and there are an increasing number of armchair critics that frankly have no clue what they are talking about. 

Also trainers wish to protect their knowledge to some degree. It is a profession and they earn a living charging for their services. Why should they share it for free unless they wish to do so?

What do you think about a trainer who won't let you record what you see on recording devices and allow you to share openly online?