The one about the Olympic Games 2024

It’s high time that whips were removed entirely from all horse related sports. The name kind of gives away what it is used for.
If you can’t get them to learn without punishment then don’t bother in my opinion. You can’t describe anything that is part of our leisure activities as completely necessary. There are other ways.

Do you speak horse?

Not really but I know the basics, however riders generally do. How else do you think a horse knows what to do?

Don’t watch much of the Olympics usually, just some of the cycling and the athletics. This year I’ll be looking forward to the para Olympics as my mates son is running in the 1500m. He’s the world champ, and a nice lad, so I’ve got my fingers crossed he smashes it..

How else do you think a horse knows what to do?

Well by hitting it with something apparently.

Just sneaked away from work to watch the rugby 7s.

My dog used to lift his paw in exchange for a biscuit. The other paw for another biscuit

It’s hardly rocket science

Yep, modern dog training is about positive reinforcement, not punishment.

Horse training apparently isn’t.

My dog used to lift his paw in exchange for a biscuit. The other paw for another biscuit

It’s a bit difficult to feed carrots to a horse whilst you are training it to dance.

Yep, modern dog training is about positive reinforcement, not punishment.

Most people use positive reinforcement but others use punishment.

Horse training apparently isn’t.

See above.

Genuine question…how do you train a horse to dance using positive reinforcement?

Genuine question…how do you train a horse to dance using positive reinforcement?

Perhaps the question should be:  Why would you train a horse to dance?

Well yes. That too.

Perhaps the question should be: Why would you train a horse to dance?

Totally. Just because you can, and just because it’s been done in the past doesn’t make it a worthwhile (or positive) thing to be doing today.  But it would be a long long list if I kept on down that path.

Disclaimer. I can ride and was relatively competent but it is not something I would be comfortable doing today so I’m undeniably biased.

And her error of judgement was being filmed. I do not believe this was a one off.

@twodogs

They respond surprisingly well to praise!  And being ridden kindly.  Of course treats work too.  Just not in the same way as you would with a dog.

Clicker training is a good way to use the treats thing to work on refinements once you have the basics.

For pretty dumb animals they can be pretty smart.  It might take a little longer with kinder methods but it can be done very effectively.

Trouble is many riders want immediate and obvious results from a lesson.  They pay £50.  They want to be riding better by the end of the hour.  So coaches use methods that satisfy they customer.

A good horse owner and a good coach will play the long game.

Thanks..gs…interesting

I’m confident that nobody gets into horse riding because they hate animals,

What Dujardin did is unacceptable and, as I understand it through my wife, largely condemned.

You can train a horse through positive reinforcement. Whips are ok but not in this way. As someone said above they are largely used for light touch, when you can’t reach. Horses can feel flies on their skin so you don’t need pain.

In general positive reinforcement takes time. Dressage is exaggerated natural movements in the same way that gymnastics or dancing is for humans. You ask for a movement and if you get something close you give positive reinforcement and build upon it. It takes years.

My wife follows this Lady and is using the approach to train her current horse. It shows a more gentle approach, more in line with how people would train dogs and other pets.

Competition dressage isn’t the best though – it follows outdated practices. There are rules around bits and bridals that are simply outdated. I understand you can’t compete bitless.

A Bit Much?

Many horse riders are wealthy, however, many are also poor and choose it as a lifestyle. It depends on where you ride. Access to horses is going to limit competition. As I understand it, the olympic eventing is actually made easier than many of the international competitions (4* not 5*) because otherwise it would be dominated by a few countries.

Its a difficult one. Certainly it needs to be challenged. The equestrian element got removed from modern pentathlon after Tokyo and rightly so.

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/nov/02/modern-pentathlon-votes-to-ditch-horse-riding-after-tokyo-olympic-turmoil

It’s either tactical, or someones just pissed off hearing how great she is

All leaks serve a purpose. Of course a video is more subtle than a baseball bat to the knees.

And on another note, there are still tickets available for the Velodrome finals… Hmmm. Tempted.

Whips are ok but not in this way. As someone said above they are largely used for light touch, when you can’t reach. Horses can feel flies on their skin so you don’t need pain.

Sorry, I’m being thick…how is using something to irritate a horse positive reinforcement?  You might as well use a small electric shock.  I’m genuinely not trolling, and maybe it’s not being explained well.

@martinhutch I stand corrected.

Two dogs – imagine it like being guided how to perfect a swim stroke or a bowling arm or running technique or a million other things. A horse can horse, but some guidance can make it perform more efficiently. Right or wrong I don’t know, but that’s what trainers are doing. (Obviously not the ones that are mistreating animals).

If it’s not supposed to hurt then why not make them in such a way that you can’t cause pain? You could design something that if you swing it too hard it folds in half or something, so only light touches are possible. Those big whips that C Duj was using a clearly designed to hurt, so why do they even exist??

Two dogs – imagine it like being guided how to perfect a swim stroke or a bowling arm or running technique or a million other things. A horse can horse, but some guidance can make it perform more efficiently. Right or wrong I don’t know, but that’s what trainers are doing. (Obviously not the ones that are mistreating animals).

The difference being the swimmer being coached wants to get better at swimming. They have put themselves in the position to get coached. They understand the bigger picture and what they are trying to achieve. If they decide they don’t want coaching anymore or in fact want to give up swimming it is in their gift to make that choice.

It’s all about submission. Coerced by reward or fear. I think most right thinking people look at dolphins at Seaworld and don’t see it as right in 2024. I’m not sure it’s too many steps to this.

That’s very true, but that same claim could be made against using dogs to round sheep or any other use of animals for human benefit.

Football and rugby has already started, before the opening ceremony ?

Not proper Olympic sports though ?

Where’s my emojis?

Those big whips that C Duj was using a clearly designed to hurt, so why do they even exist??

they aren’t designed to hurt , they are designed to be used at a distance when exercising a horse using a lunge rope.

they aren’t designed to hurt

But they can be misused to hurt. The point Andy was making is that it would be possible to design out possible misuse…..if you wanted to.

Well yes, many things could be misused and hurt – I was simply trying to make it clear what my understanding of the primary purpose of a lunge whip is. Perhaps the term ‘whip’ makes the purpose a bit misunderstood?

Given that a very lay, yet I’d argue widely accepted definition of a whip would be ‘something you whack someone with in order to cause pain’, then yes, probably some confusion to be had. Pointless arguing these finer details though. It’s undisputable what you’re looking at in that video. It’s highly unlikely to be an isolated incident, either by her, or in the wider dressage community. IOC should be suspending all horse events pending a review post games as to their future inclusion.

So away from the sport for a minute, opening ceremony? What are we hoping for? I’m probably about to get flamed for racism or something, so this is all tongue in cheek….but I hope they saw the triumph of Danny Boyle 2012 (casual stereotyping aplenty – yokels playing cricket, Brunel destroying the planet, teenagers glued to their mobiles, fever dreams about ghostly spectres of George Osborne defunding the NHS, etc.) and just went ‘We want that – but the french version’

So we’ll have ladies in powdered wigs throwing cake at street urchins, maybe a guillotining or two, a dance piece where men in pastel draped sweaters shrug repeatedly at a bloke in a hat who is / isn’t small depending on your perspective. To a soundtrack of a reanimated Serge Gainsbourg singing filth to a girl half his age and 7 divisions above him in the punching league.

Meanwhile cyclists will endlessly circle the track with the one in French colours falling further behind each lap followed by an Intermarche strawberry throwing brightly coloured ‘sweets’ to the athletes.

Translation for the announcements, etc., will be provided by a waiter who knows exactly what you mean but will refuse to understand because the accent is about 0.2% off. And after the first couple of countries no further announcements will be made because he’s just wandered off to talk to his waiter colleagues and refuses to catch your eye.

And it’ll be in two halves, with the second bit starting who knows when, because we have to have a proper sit down lunch in between.

What have I missed?

Got to confess, I’ve not watched a single opening ceremony to a games or world cup etc apart from the highlights of 2012. I suspect I’ll not break the habit today. Do sports fans actually watch them in sizable numbers or is it another type of audience?

It’s gonna be Les Mis in lycra isn’t it?

Do sports fans actually watch them in sizable numbers or is it another type of audience?

No idea. I have absolutely zero interest in them.

using dogs to round sheep or any other use of animals for human benefit.

I’m not sure the “entertainment” value of dressage passes the “human benefit” test.

Anyway, enough of that.

Wonder if the opening ceremony will go full-on “Moulin Rouge”?

Paris France?

What have I missed?

The agricultural industry blockading a port

What have I missed?

Synchronized tractors spraying slurry up the council offices?

A whip as long as that one is going to – well – whip through at the end with minimal effort. I’d argue it’s going to be fairly tricky to avoid it hurting.
Maybe we need to parade a few bare legged horse riders around a ring and try ‘gently’ whipping the backs of their legs as a research experiment…