OK, the headline is unusually harsh, even for me. A little sensational, you say? Yes, I agree. But, read on, if you can.
Sometimes things don’t have to have a point – they just have to make you smile. And these images of horses with hair extensions do just that.
Award winning advertising photographer Julian Wolkenstein was chatting with a fellow advertising friend when he hit upon the idea of experimenting with horses’ hair to make supermodels of the equine world.
The idea for these images came from a discussion with a friend who said, ‘Hey wouldn’t it be fun to shoot horses with big hair?
Julian worked with hair-stylist Acacio da Silva to whip the horses into shape.
Each horse took around four hours to groom, with hair extensions being added by Acacio, and then when they were presented in front of the camera’s and lights they would shake their heads, give a neigh and then ruffle up their hair,’ said Julian – with a somewhat forced grin.
It is said that the horses loved the grooming, but were less enthusiastic about the lights and camera.
This made me think of the procedures horse people put our horses through to make them “look nice” and to meet whatever standard we adhere to for our various equestrian endeavors. Many of us undertake these tasks without ever thinking whether or not they are necessary, or even harmful.
Of course, the first example that comes to mind is the soring and insanely damaging shoeing style of the Tennessee Walker, designed to enhance its distinctive walk, The Big Lick.
I’m not going into all the details of this procedure or the reasons TWH people think it’s necessary. They are not evil people intent on harming the horses they so obviously love. They really believe in what they are doing. This is often the case with how we manage our horses. Mindfulness is sometimes hard to come by when passion looms large. We believe what we do is necessary until we are forced to stop and think.
It’s a slippery slope, with just about everything we do for our horses falling somewhere on a continuum from allowing them to be as natural as possible given the barest constraints of domestication to living in box stalls 24/7, sporting slinkies and booties, eating only pelleted feed and supplements.
Please correct me if I’m wrong, or feel free to add to this idea in anyway. I’m wondering if the reasons we metaphorically curl our horses hair boil down to vanity, convenience and ignorance. Upon reading the remainder of this, some readers will write in with the reasons for which many of these procedures are done. But there are always reasons. I’m interested in pointing out the base human needs that create them. I believe they arise from a lack of mindfulness.
I confess that I know little of the historical origin of braiding manes. I do know that, during one of the most strenuous and dangerous horseback riding events in modern times, fox hunting, braiding the mane serves little purpose. Anyone who tells you braiding keeps the mane clear of brush and debirs is fooling either you or themselves. A few braids at the base of the mane serve well as a grip for jumps and rough terrain, but they serve the rider rather than the horse. You can argue safety all day long, but in the end, it’s an issue of the use of horses (some would say exploitation) as opposed to the coexistence with horses that it boils down to.
I know horses who stand quietly for the seemingly interminable task of braiding, heedless of the pulling. I also know horses who seem to hate every separation of the mane and banding or sewing.
Pulling manes has often been an issue for me, as I have always boarded at traditional barns where you are looked down upon if you don’t keep your horses “looking their best.” Who is to say what this really is? If I allow my horses’ manes to grow long during the summer to protect them from flies and sun, or long in the winter for added warmth, I hear a lot of oblique criticism from those who would never allow such a thing. (I have to agree with them that it’s more maintenance and if you don’t comb it out every day your horse ends up looking like a wild orphan of the range.) No one can tell me that horses do not feel their hair being yanked out of their necks. All you need is a basic anatomy class to show you that there ARE nerves in the crest. Mane pulling is done for the vanity of owners. For uniformity in the hunt field. To look pretty in the show ring. I completely understand pride of presentation and professionalism. There are ways of achieving this pride and presentation with a natural horse. Take a look at the manes of Western Pleasure horses. No one has tortured them in the name of neatness (at least, not their manes).
Everyone has seen the legion teenage girls who bathe and groom their horses obsessively. The horses seem to like all the attention. I just wonder if their skin and coats like all the detergent. Mother nature did not send the horse into the world with a lifetime supply of Super Sparkle Mane and Tail. Is it strictly necessary to use it weekly? Wild horses seem to do just fine without shampoo.
[I always dreamed of running a facility for the natural good of all the horses. Water would be on the ground around the low water troughs , to nourish and soften hooves, outdoor shelters would be cooled by breezes (and fans if necessary), and horses who aren’t ill or injured would live outdoors, 24/7. Grass would comprise the bulk of the diet, weather permitting. Forage in winter. Hooves would be trimmed, not shod. I’d love it if readers would chime in on what features would complete this fantasy natural barn. Like fantasy baseball, I do fantasy stabling.]
It’s possible to take this unthinking mindset to the other extreme and go too far in the direction of “respecting the horse’s natural condition.” The Strasser trim comes immediately to mind. Not necessarily the trim itself, but for the way it is often immediately implemented, leaving a previously shod horse painfully lame, to grow sole, bars and wall over the course of months.
Sticking to any horse care doctrine/regime without really thinking about where it came from, why it may or may not work, and how it applies to our personal horses can get us into trouble. Sometimes we don’t even realize it. Holding fast to the middle of a continuum of care, and remaining aware of the reasons for and implications of our choices, should be a goal for all horse people. I realize that many do as they’re taught. But sooner or later, we have to start thinking, and seeing the horse as an animal rather than as an extension of our own egos or as a tool for accomplishment.
I can’t help thinking that the glitter girls, tail extension people and braiding addicts might enjoy the company of their horses more if they saw them for who and what they really are instead of trying to alter them to meet some arcane, arbitrary breed or performance standard. You can’t really love someone until you know who they are. You can’t love someone if you’re constantly trying to change them, adapt them, use them.
Horses are naturally hairy and often dirty. They roll in the mud, often immediately after a bath, and they seem to like getting unicorn horns of brambles in their forelocks. That’s who horses are. While it’s fun and amusing to dream of them wearing braids and beads, it’s even better to know them as they are, brambles, mud and all.
Edited on June 30, 2009 to add this link: A blogpost on USDA Horse Inspection and to remove a photo of a TWH which may have caused confusion about the shoeing of that particular horse.
[…] few weeks back about this article, and I didn’t even write it. What I did write was a post on The Mindlessness of Equestrian Vanity, which included a photo which the TWH folks objected to and bullied me into removing from my blog. […]
[…] 6, 2009 by enlightenedhorsemanship In The Mindlessness of Equestrian Vanity, I explored the origins of all the things we do to make our horses look a certain way. This one […]
Hi, good post. I have been thinking about this topic,so thanks for writing. I will certainly be coming back to your site.
This is a fabulous article, and I am glad you wrote it! Always the balance is what you can accomplish with what you have at the time, and always striving for bettering the horse’s existence in an unnatural (human kept) environment.
Our horses are turned out 24/7 with graduated shelter; should they need it, they can go all of the way into stalls, or just use the run-in shed. They also have access to woods – where they de-barked over 20 saplings throughout the winter!
The wonderful curiosity that has infected the horse world, and spurred people to question everything will hopefully bring about a more equal relationship between horses and the people who love them.
Thanks again for a thoughtful post.
Wendy
Thank you very much. Let’s keep talking to spur on that wonderful curiosity.
What an excellent article and includes many of my “pet hates” – so-called ‘natural horsemanship’ trainers who not only shoe their horses, but also use metal bits in their horse’s mouths. How ‘natural’ can that be? But just because it’s traditional, and been accepted for generations doesn’t mean it’s right – like the soring of TWH. Amazingly it has been discovered that TWH are capable of the distinctive gait totally barefoot and bitless! (And I expect other gaited horses too). I know for a fact that several Icelandics who couldn’t / wouldn’t tolt can do so once the bit has been removed.
Personally, we use the term natural horsemanship because it means something to Joe Public (although we don’t particularly like the term) – and we qualify it by saying “natural horsemanship with natural horses” – all our horses are barefoot & bitless and kept out 24/7 unrugged & muddy (except for elderly or ill of course). They have a large field shelter which is cool in summer as well as offering refuge from winter storms for those who want it. They are kept on a track system and fed hay or haylage on the track – feeding as far from water as possible to encourage movement (a la Jaime Jackson’s Paddock Paradise).
We try not to use chemicals and use a herbal / homeopathic wormer, backed up by regular faecal egg counting. For anyone needing extra nutrition we feed only forage-based feeds with no molasses.
A couple of weeks’ ago we had an equine sacro-cranial osteopath to treat some of the horses and she commmented on how happy all of our horses were and what a good ‘feeling’ there was around the whole farm.
We give lessons to all from complete beginners to experienced riders and part of the lesson includes grooming and tacking up – I can’t believe how many people come here who have been riding for years and don’t even know which brushes to use, never mind how to use them!
Well done on a superb article!
Sheila
You allude to an excellent point. The traits we so value in our horses (their unusual gaits in this care) occur naturally. We don’t need to fiddle endlessly with them or interfere in any way to improve on Mother Nature. Yet that is the hubris in human nature, to think that we can improve on her gifts. So we do these things. We pour zillions of dollars into science to better learn how to gild the lily, and in doing so only hurt our horses.
Thank you for commenting here, and welcome! I hope to see you again.
[…] The Mindlessness of Equestrian Vanity at Enlightened Horsemanship Through Touch […]
btw- here is the link to more info about the new rules and regulations in the TWH world:
http://www.thehorse.com/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=7989
Nice article–anyone skimming these responses should take a look.
Thanks Sarah!
I have a friend who is a high up trainer in the Tennessee Walker Horse world. It’s big business over in Tennessee and she’s a big part of that. Apparently there have been a few laws passed and some major changes are the horizon. She is terrified- what she has known, practiced and trained with is now being forced to change. I am delighted. We don’t discuss horses very much because I don’t think I could keep my mouth shut about the soring and our view on animals is so different but I am SO SO SO happy about the changes. I challenged her to be a pioneer in the new healthy direction that I pray their industry will take. Who knows what will happen- but at least they are being pushed into something new. I don’t have any doubt that she loves the horses, but I do think that what you said, ‘vanity, convenience and ignorance.’ and MONEY play a big part in it.
Mindfulness should be applied to all areas of our lives- and if it had with the Walkers, maybe things would be different sooner. Maybe they finally can be different. At least the horses have a chance to win in this situation.
Sarah
So glad there is legislation. I have heard of inspectors arriving at shows and lots of people sneaking their horses and trailers out the back. I hope that attitudes change along with them.
It must be hard to have a friend with whom you disagree so much about something so important.
literaryhorse
I was not trying to call you out! I too have done things involving feathers in the mane and native American (I am one) paint motifs.
I would dearly love to see what you did with hula hoops!
The polo idea is a great one, and makes me think of Pony Club games, which aren’t evil in and of themselves. They can be great for improving communication between horse and rider. Depends on whether your horse likes them!
I agree with you on the regret of blindly following a trainer’s advice. I would go back and change a lot. But I didn’t know enough to have my own opinion at the time.
“The best amends I can come up with is to stay aware as much as possible now.” It IS good enough, because you are aware enough. That is all you can do.
This song comes to mind:
“On The Turning Away” Pink Floyd
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand
“Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of others’ suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away”
It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it’s shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we’re all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?
I laughed myself silly at the “Big Hair” pics, and then sobered up over the underlying concepts you are (rightfully) questioning. Soring is ghastly, as are a number of horse sport ills I won’t go into, thinking the average horse owner is NOT going to do harmful things on purpose.
I think most of us with or around horses come to the point “where is my line in the sand?”for ourselves regarding how we care for/keep our horses.
For me, this is anything that causes harm, or doesn’t add ‘positive’, in some form, into the experience for horse and rider. My bottom line is it has to be mutually beneficial. The details may change from horse to horse, but the underlying idea of ‘what is the highest form of good I can do here’ has to be my pillar.
For some horses, this might be barefoot, on others it might be bar shoes. Same for food or turnout. I think part of the problem is rooted in how easy it is to lie to ourselves about the little stuff. (Since I don’t think anyone here is going to deliberately put their horse in harms way) “My horse needs X, Y or Z to be kept tip top.”
I don’t pull manes, it’s not medically necessary and it’s painful. I can get a very nice scissor trim that sits fine and braids well, if need be. But if I do trim, I’d better darn make sure I have excellent and consistent fly spray/control, since I’ve taken away a natural fly relief.
My belief: Because our ancestors domesticated them, and we continue to do so, we are responsible for a level of care that supersedes what a horse in the wild would get.
I so agree on the “natural” not necessarily being better comments above.
It’s nice to see the idea of what “well kept” means being questioned!
literaryhorse
Have you ever been tempted to do something silly with your horse on one of those days when the weather is bad and you get kind of punchy in the barn? I have.
I like your metaphor of drawing aline in the sand, and how you stress that it’s different for individual horses. Many of us get caught up in our doctrines and hold to dogma, regardless of the cost/benefit ratio for the horse. That’s as bad as not thinking at all about what we do to our animals or how we “use” them.
You said it all here:
My belief: Because our ancestors domesticated them, and we continue to do so, we are responsible for a level of care that supersedes what a horse in the wild would get.”
Hear hear!
Oh yes, I have done slap happy things in the barn aisle on a rainy day for sure! Um…involving ribbons, fake flowers, and GLITTER. Luckily, it was a horse who adores being fussed over, so I didn’t torture a poor soul who loves to be left alone. There might be a hula hoop or two in there also. Possibly a game of “polo” using brooms and soccer balls?
I didn’t mean to sound on my high horse up there. I don’t think I’m right or have The Answer. I’ve done things that in retrospect makes me feel deserved shame. Some things I did on my own, and some by blindly following a trainer’s advice.
If I could go back and undo, I would give years of my life for the opportunity. Since I can’t, I’m committed to not playing down the results of my mistakes. I wish I had known. And when I did know what was right, in my heart of hearts, I wish I had listened instead of turning away. The best amends I can come up with is to stay aware as much as possible now. Not good enough, but there it is. *sigh*
Nor do I know how to braid a mane! In fact I haven’t even learnt to jump, since making a horse carry a human across jumps seems to me distinctly unnatural. (More unnatural than simply climbing onto his back and staying there, anyway!) However I do have a very happy and well adjusted horse who is a pleasure to ride.
I watch the other boarders at the barn rugging their horses in all seasons largely because it keeps them clean. Any horse that dares to become dirty is washed with a hose. It seems quite unnatural. Obviously saddle and girth areas need to be cleaned before the horse is tacked up, however the horse might like to roll in the dust between rides.
It’s odd how selectively “natural” has been absorbed. A few of us have our horses barefoot, and that works well provided that a good trimmer is employed. A handful of farriers use so-called Natural Balance techniques, indeed I did before taking my horse barefoot. There are those who believe that tree-less saddles are “more natural”. (I have serious reservations about this.) A plethora of “natural horsemanship” trainers have appeared, some of them very good. However, how many adherents of the most popular “natural horsemanship” guru are willing to take their horse barefoot? Almost none, because “join-up” (the UK favourite) is supposed to be a quick and easy (indeed almost magical) cure for problems whilst (like credulous medieval peasants) we also trust the “magic” of the man who can form red-hot iron.
I quite agree with you that we need to stand back and review our relationship with the horse. Historically we used our horses (emphasis on “used”) for war, agriculture and commerce. Now we “use” them all too often to bring us fulfilment, rosettes and winnings. Isn’t it time to stand in partnership and cease to “use” horses?
whp,
wow. I would have thought that would be a skill an Englishman was born knowing. In the DNA, so to speak!
I agree with you about jumping, though I didn’t always. Coming from the background I do, it seemed a natural thing. I know horses who seem to love the challenge. Then again, we all know horses (and especially ponies) who detest the process.
It seems that a mindful horseperson would try to keep his equestrian activities as close to natural as possible, and jumping in the arena is just not a natural thing. Natural obstacles in the field? Yes. Or ,er, maybe.
You crack me up with the magic! Quick and easy “magic” is what everyone expects nowadays, and if you slap a NATURAL label on it, that makes it all the more desirable.
The selective acceptance of what is deemed natural is a concept worthy exploration, for sure.
This would dovetail (pardon the pun) naturally with the emphasis on partnership and mutual enjoyment rather than use or exploitation for ego-driven fulfillment. I’d love to see what you might write about this. Would you consider writing something about this here? As a guest blogger?
We have the red clay dust everywhere in our house too!
The worst part on the pony is the bottom third of his tail. But we can do a bucket wash on that for shows and/or off-farm activities and it looks fine.
The tangerine dream color does indeed go away – I have no idea how – we have often said there are pony fairies who come clean him during the night!
We wouldn’t take him anywhere with horrible stains – but otoh, I don’t go nuts scrubbing him down, either. Just doing my little part to insert reality into the pristine horsey world… LOL.
But I don’t get embarrassed or stressed about stuff like that, so it’s not really a big challenge for me. Guess who probably wouldn’t get invited to join the Hunt Club?!
The only time I get worried about it is hunting….and I’m not doing that anymore so I guess I wouldn’t worry. And the benefits of having Maira, who is black, always amazed and delighted me. My first non-white horse since the very beginning! It felt like the pony fairies had visited me every day because I could just brush her off and even the most caked-on and deep-down red mud would just fall off, leaving a gleaming black, silky coat. Felt like a miracle every time.
No more torture for Millie and me: two warm baths, rinses with laundry blueing, etc. I would NEVER do that to a horse again.
You probably would get invited to the hunt club. It’s only the poor riders who are expected to be turned out perfectly–to make up for sad skills. Folks who have been members forever or who can ride the horns off the devil are exempt.
“A lot of what we think we need and in some cases “have to have” is unnecessary. Horses like to graze and have access to water and shade and shelter (sometimes). They like to be treated with kindness and respect.”
And a lot of what we think we have to do is unnecessary, too, as you have so well pointed out!
Great story!
When you spoke of clay-colored stains going away on white coats, I was stunned. I know that over the course of a few weeks, this would happen. But it has always been a source of great stress for me when I had to go hunting and (of course with Percherons, most are grey) VA red clay stains decorate my horse. Turnout is so important and you don’t dare show up with a filthy, stained horse. I was always so torn between a good scrub and wondering what the heck the point of scrubbing a horse really was.
Horses seem to love to hunt, but I don’t think they love the human-side preparation very much. I know I don’t!
Bodywork and good whole food sound just about right!
Such a thoughtful post that really mirrors my own thoughts on what we do to horses in the name of “it’s the best/right way” – often without defining the best/right way for WHO.
An example: when we first moved here, everyone recommended we put in a wash stall, and it was HIGH on my list for about a year.
As we lived here with the horses, I realized we did more hosing than bathing, and only during the heat of summer. When it gets really hot, they will line up for a shower, and then go roll. If we had a small wading pond I’m sure they’d use that instead.
Instead of a wash stall, we use what I call our “little barnyard” – in the shade of a huge oak tree. We generally do maybe two full baths a year for each horse – one when the temps first rise, and after they have mostly shed out, and another later in the season before fall kicks in.
Even for shows, with the painted pony, we just do spot cleaning, and he ends up looking fine.
We don’t clip ears, muzzles, or bodies, and the extent of mane/tail grooming is me with a pair of scissors doing a “sport cut” in the early spring and trimming the tails so they don’t drag the ground. I don’t even know how to braid. (horrors!)
I’ve noticed, and this is what took the wash stall completely off my wish list, that the horses themselves seem to get clean w/o any intervention. The pony can be crusted with mud and if we just brush the bulk of it off when he gets ridden, the rest of it just disappears on its own. Even clay-colored stains go away on his white coat!
I’m glad we didn’t have tons of money to blow when we bought this place – as it is, we’ve had to live with things awhile before making big changes, and I’ve watched my wish list shrink as each year passes, wrt the upgrades I thought I wanted “for the horses.” They’d rather have exactly what we have, which is comfortable and horse-centered, and I spend the money on bodywork and good whole food. 🙂
I’m always making a parallel between horsekeeping and child-rearing – and once again, think of all the “stuff” people buy for their babies – cribs and walkers and bouncy seats and automatic swings and elaborate strollers and playpens – when all they really want and need is to be held. A piece of fabric called a sling was the one thing I bought and used with my babies. My daughter still has hers and used it with our kittens!
A lot of what we think we need and in some cases “have to have” is unnecessary. Horses like to graze and have access to water and shade and shelter (sometimes). They like to be treated with kindness and respect.
You beat me to this one! I have had those photos on my back burner for awhile!
thehistorian421
I never beat anyone to anything here! I’m not a scooper. What a surprise! Hope I did the subject justice in your eyes.
I agree that many people take their vanity to the extreme with horses but I also think that in some cases it ruins the reputations of those of us who braid and bath for a purpose. I ride a quarter horse mare to break trails, do park maintence, and ranch work within the counties that are near me. During the time she is working I have learned to always braid her hair because even though it is only six inches long, in the deep unbroken woods of PA it will get caught to the point that I have had to cut her tail and mane off to free her from brush. I also bath her after every job with Equss Microteck shampoo to kill any fungus, bugs, or germs she might have picked up. This shampoo in particular is also good at removing any oil or scum from dirty water on her legs. When she is braided I always make sure she is protected from flys with bug spray, war paint, flybands, and when not saddled she has a fly sheet and wraps.
Punkle,
I don’t think that the grooming and maintenance required for working horses falls under the umbrella of vanity. I’m sure your horse appreciates the attention you give her.