Vérène Wolff discusses why horse riding isn’t a clearcut issue and how we can find better ways to enjoy these beautiful animals
HOT TOPIC
Horse riding is a controversial subject for vegans. If we look at the ideology behind veganism, then we could perhaps all agree that riding a horse is exploiting the animal and therefore not acceptable at all as a pastime for vegans.
Personally, I believe it all depends on the way the animal is ridden and kept. Firstly, because horses are herd animals, they should never be kept alone. Secondly, in the horse world, the use of metal shoes, metal bits, whips and stables is the norm — something many vegans quite rightly disagree with and see as an animal welfare issue. Most people in the horse world will tell you that it is totally OK to kick a horse in order to make it walk, trot or canter and that if you don’t do that the horse won’t move. They will also tell you that if you don’t apply pressure via your feet or reigns, the horse would not understand what is being asked of it. This is called negative reinforcement, which is the biggest misinformation issue.
COMMUNICATION MATTERS
I believe in practising positive reinforcement, such as clicker training — a method of training used to praise everything that the horse does well instead of rewarding the animal for giving in to pressure. For instance, the first thing I taught my two rescued horses was to say ‘no’ — and believe me they have learned to use it. Everything I do with my horses they have a choice in — if they choose to stand still while I bring the saddle up next to them it means ‘yes’, but if I see their ears going back or they start moving away, it means ‘no’ and we do something else instead.
ACTING AS EQUALS
Riding doesn’t have to be exploitative if the pleasure is a shared experience. Horses are herd animals and by becoming not their leader but their equal, we can enjoy a long hack outside, as they love leaving their
