After seeing multiple horses die in various competitions this week, we broach the topic of when competition becomes abuse, and can competing be done ethically? On one extreme of the debate, horses die from heat exhaustion, get arthritis before they are fully grown, are forced into rollkur, and have whip and spur marks on their bodies to get them to perform. On the other extreme of this debate, we have the idea that horses should never be put into stressful situations at all. In the middle, we find a place where we can stay partner-focused throughout competition, and make decisions based on the welfare of ourselves and our horses. 
Competition naturally brings out our desire to win, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as long as we take the right steps to get there. We need to make decisions that benefit us and our horse as a team – both physically and mentally. When winning overrides safety and ethics, we need to take a closer look inward and fix things within ourselves and within the organizations that we are a part of.
Competition can absolutely be a beneficial thing to help us and our horses challenge ourselves and enjoy the time we spend together. When we embrace progress over perfection, we can slow down when needed, take the disqualification, scratch our class, and do right by our horse.
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