What is Compromise
April 11th 2008 00:55
I was recently asked if I had been in a situation where I felt my integrity had been compromised. Being one to ponder, this question sat with me after the discussion and one incident I find challenging time and time again with horses is the use of calming herbs.
You can read through the various rule books for all levels of competition and the use of calming agents in competition is a grey area. Moreso as many of the herbs are not necessarily going to show up in expensive ‘prohibited substance’ tests. However both the racing industry and recreational competition do frown upon the use of any product with your horse that may be seen to or believed to (even if it doesn’t) to cover up for a lack of horsemanship.
Often leading up to a Royal or major competition I will get phone calls asking me if this or that herb will swab. Sometimes I am diplomatic, other times I tend to be a bit blunt and explain that once you get a horse supposedly to this level of competition, you should not need to be using herbs to calm your horse.
Easier said than done on some occasions. It is important to remember that when you are competing, that it is your sportmanlike attitude as well as you horsemanship that is being assessed. You can use herbs to help a young horse on their first few outings at a lower level, in the same way you may use a novice dressage test to see how your horse will go on a day out. They are to help you get over ‘bumps’ in your training and this is the way I prefer to work with herbs. But to base a career on a horse who you feel you cannot ride unless he has had a cup of chamomile tea before he starts his day, defeats the purpose of competing.
There are genuine reasons why a horse may ‘play up’. Either poor training or pain in his body, sometimes a glitch in the energy balance of a gland; but when you work through these issues, the need for calming herbs may not or should not be necessary.
I think this also denies what you need to address in yourself. If your horse only gets uptight when he goes to a competition, Why? 95% of the time it is not his issue, but yours.
You may think you are not nervous or uptight, but you can be sure your horse senses your change in the way you hold your body when riding him or your body language when you are getting the float loaded.
One simple solution is to address your own nerves. It may be way more effective for you to take the calming herbs and a simple way to do this is to invest in a $2.90 herbal tea from most supermarkets by Natureland called Night Cup. As you find you relax more and more at competitions so will your horse, and eventually you won’t be having your cup of tea either. Then you can both enjoy how you develop your style of horsemanship, free from the concern of whether what you are using is prohibited or not.
So yes, use your calming herbs to help you get to know your horse better and build your own confidence, but if your aspirations are to compete, then check with your own sense of integrity and work towards testing out your own horsemanship.
You can read through the various rule books for all levels of competition and the use of calming agents in competition is a grey area. Moreso as many of the herbs are not necessarily going to show up in expensive ‘prohibited substance’ tests. However both the racing industry and recreational competition do frown upon the use of any product with your horse that may be seen to or believed to (even if it doesn’t) to cover up for a lack of horsemanship.
Often leading up to a Royal or major competition I will get phone calls asking me if this or that herb will swab. Sometimes I am diplomatic, other times I tend to be a bit blunt and explain that once you get a horse supposedly to this level of competition, you should not need to be using herbs to calm your horse.
Easier said than done on some occasions. It is important to remember that when you are competing, that it is your sportmanlike attitude as well as you horsemanship that is being assessed. You can use herbs to help a young horse on their first few outings at a lower level, in the same way you may use a novice dressage test to see how your horse will go on a day out. They are to help you get over ‘bumps’ in your training and this is the way I prefer to work with herbs. But to base a career on a horse who you feel you cannot ride unless he has had a cup of chamomile tea before he starts his day, defeats the purpose of competing.
There are genuine reasons why a horse may ‘play up’. Either poor training or pain in his body, sometimes a glitch in the energy balance of a gland; but when you work through these issues, the need for calming herbs may not or should not be necessary.
I think this also denies what you need to address in yourself. If your horse only gets uptight when he goes to a competition, Why? 95% of the time it is not his issue, but yours.
You may think you are not nervous or uptight, but you can be sure your horse senses your change in the way you hold your body when riding him or your body language when you are getting the float loaded.
One simple solution is to address your own nerves. It may be way more effective for you to take the calming herbs and a simple way to do this is to invest in a $2.90 herbal tea from most supermarkets by Natureland called Night Cup. As you find you relax more and more at competitions so will your horse, and eventually you won’t be having your cup of tea either. Then you can both enjoy how you develop your style of horsemanship, free from the concern of whether what you are using is prohibited or not.
So yes, use your calming herbs to help you get to know your horse better and build your own confidence, but if your aspirations are to compete, then check with your own sense of integrity and work towards testing out your own horsemanship.
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