There’s a quiet shift in horse circles. More and more people are asking for scientific proof to support what works – from supplements to bit use to conditioning – good science is helping supply answers to our questions.
Just like radar and computer models have helped us predict weather, equine research will enable best horse practices.
It’s a wonderful advancement. The entire horse world is slowly learning that (among other things):
• relaxed horses perform best.
• brute force does more harm than good.
• stalling a horse is unhealthy.
Fifty years from now, our kids and grandkids will likely laugh at our primitive ways.
Our present horse care and training, steeped in tradition and largely unverified by science, will seem a bit like how folks consulted the Farmers’ Almanac for the weather for the upcoming season.
The silver lining?
Some old fashioned methods will pass the test:
“Red Sky at Night, Sailor’s Delight?”