British Horse Society Fellow, international dressage trainer and rider Pammy Hutton shares her views on strong words and actions, plus rider weight guidelines
When it comes to keeping horse sport in the public’s good books, I have to agree with Carl Hester (opinion, 17 November), when he said that my plea to “fight back” was too strongly worded. I use the term “fight” loosely; I call getting up in the morning a fight. The word was my father’s when he wanted to rally his troops with discipline.
Undoubtedly, we need a unified plan and then to stick to it. But what is the plan? And who will coordinate and finalise our blueprint to preserve equestrianism’s precious social licence to operate? Once again, it’s that British conundrum of getting all our governing bodies to pull together on behalf of the horse.
I’m part of the admin team on a noisy online group that discusses horses in sport, for the most part with negative comments. And that’s people supposedly on our side. Convincing the uninitiated is even harder. These are people who want horses kept only as pets and seem to want others to care – and pay – for them. So many aspects must now change beyond bits, spurs, whips, racing two-year-old horses and jumping into Badminton’s lake. Important though they are, this is bigger than all of them put together.
I was recently attacked on social media after posting this picture of my mare Ebony with a white, foamy mouth. Among more than 300 comments were those that expressed how stressed she was, how I should ride without a bridle, that I needed a vet and why I should stop riding her.
This image of Pammy Hutton’s mare Ebony, posted on social media, resulted in an avalanche of 300 comments including accusations of cruelty.
Then there’s the totally illogical reasoning that affiliated competition is cruel but unaffiliated is fine. Or that horses love hacking, but hate going to shows. Do these people know how cut-throat the unaffiliated scene can be, or that affiliated competitions offer checks for well-fitting tack, for example, which horses used solely for hacking do not benefit from?
It’s time to focus on what we can do for the horses’ benefit, and how they love to learn, work and have fun with us; time to be proactive rather than reactive. Yes, I use strong words, but this is urgent.
A weighty issue
With the festive season upon us, we need to consider a heavy issue. A local riding school has taken to weighing riders (with their clothes on!) and won’t take clients tipping the scales at more than 13st 7lb. A saddle adds another stone.
Here at Talland, we’ve not yet taken to weighing. However, at a recent assessment day, there was a person who I really didn’t want on any of our horses because of their weight. Luckily, the assessors found a tactful way to deal with the problem.
I teach several people who ride at inter I who are 15 stone and more, and they are good riders. Some heavy riders sit lightly and some average-sized riders sit as if they were 22 stone. What is an equine “weight carrier” and at what point is a light-boned horse not up to weight? How do we “weigh this up”?
The Riding for the Disabled Association – which adds a stone to riders’ weights as some can sit heavier, like many novice riders – has a helpful calculator on its website. Showing has weight rules, too.
British Dressage’s (BD) new general guideline of horses carrying no more than a total load of 20% of their bodyweight is to be welcomed – as is the word “general” because breed and type need careful consideration.
Now other sporting disciplines need to act on this, please.
Last, but not least
Finally, I’m wishing you, dear reader, a merry Christmas and a happy New Year.
● What do you think about BD’s new rider weight guidelines? Let us know at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, local town and county for the chance to have your views published in a future edition of Horse & Hound magazine
- This exclusive column will also be available to read in Horse & Hound magazine, on sale Thursday 22 December, 2022
You may also be interested in…
British Dressage brings in rider weight guidance for horse welfare
Carl Hester: ‘We must step out of our bubble and see how dressage looks from outside’
Laura Tomlinson: ‘The equestrian community is on trial and we must convince the jury’
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