And the Winner Is....

I do not despise every form of equine competition, only that which pits horse against horse. Such competition ultimately leads to only one question--what am I willing to do to win the ribbon, trophy, cash or fame? The unfortunate answer to that question by the established horse world is "just about anything." Competition results in the throw away young horses who "just do not have what it takes." Competition creates a wall between horse and rider. It reduces a horse to an object who only has value if he has "what it takes" to win. It begets a system of values so warped that it tells a 12 year old girl that she must sell her best friend and buy another horse in order to compete at a "higher level".

The only form of competition that benefits the horse and improves the character of the rider is that which pits horse and rider against the status quo. Such competition does not result in ribbons, trophies or fame. Instead it results in a relationship that the seekers of ribbons, trophies, and fame cannot envision.

When the rider competes against the status quo by deciding to improve the lightness in which the horse responds to cues, rider and horse win. When the rider decides to compete against the staus quo by making additional time just to spend with the horse, horse and rider win. When the rider decides to compete against the status quo by putting the time and energy into conditioning the horse to its fullest capacity, horse and rider win.

Most of all, when the rider decides to compete against the status quo by utterly rejecting what passes for the truth in the established horse world, horse and rider win.

(Wendy, who is pictured above riding a former wild Corolla mare and who has recently joined the effort to prevent the extinction of the Corollas by raising pure Corolla foals, understands more about winning with a horse than do any of those who seek ribbons, money or fame.)