>>>> Look at showjumpers and eventers who are ridden every weekend jumping >>>> in mud or on grass with studs in. Is that any different, other than the >>>> fact that of course showjumpers and eventers spend a whole lot more >>>> time doing it???
Just because other disciplines have sins of their own is no reason to overlook the sins within our own breed...and there's certainly no joy for me in finding "degrees of bad." I think this list is about finding the optimal ways to do things, not to be satisfied with being best than the very worst examples. BTW, we took hunter lessons for several years, with my daughter showing in hunter classes. If the weather was iffy - with mud or wet grass - we simply didn't jump. Our horses were barefoot even back then, so studs weren't an option - nor did we need them. We worked on other things when the conditions weren't ideal - flat work, groundwork, desensitizing activities, leisurely trail rides, cleaned tack, whatever. We also elected for her not to show in one particular arena once simply because we felt the footing was way too deep. There's room for sensible horsemanship practices in virtually every discipline or sport, if people choose to look for ways. Karen Thomas, NC
