Exhausted just watching 😀. You have got lovely hacking, and, yes, having a horse who will go at any pace in open fields is always a goal. I don’t ride now (perhaps will try again one day), so enjoy seeing life on a yard ❤
I think I noticed that you hold on to the neck strap when cantering in the field. Is that just for extra safety? Do you ride with a neck strap all the time?
@@MozeyDnTheTrail mostly yes, if out hacking. Exceptions to that rule are if the canter is particularly slow & short or if I feel a little unsafe and need a bit more security (such as on a spooky horse 😂)
Rhi, genuine question - do you think riders are mollycoddling themselves?? You (and other riders I follow) talk so much about safety, which is understandable given the size, weight and unpredictability of horses. I totally see the benefits of always riding in a body protector, no fixed peak when cantering, etc. But also when I hear this stuff I'm like "gee, how did I survive when I was riding?" I stopped riding because my horse died and I have other priorities now, but I didn't even own a body protector. I only had one hat (with a fixed peak) and no hi-viz. I think I cleaned my tack twice in two years. Does that make me a bad rider/horse owner? NO - but the modern mollycoddled rider would think so (and no doubt say so all over social media too). The one time I did have a horse accident was on the ground, lunging - and no I wasn't wearing a hat. Neither a hat nor body protector would've helped me at all because it was collarbone that broke. Maybe I have a different perspective because although I'm British I live in Australia and here the average horserider is just so much more relaxed than any UK or US riders I see... I guess riders here stick to the Australian saying, "she'll be right mate!" (meaning no need to do it properly cos it'll turn out alright anyway) Thoughts?? 🤔 (btw I had horses 5 years ago, not 25 years ago 😂)
An interesting question. I'm going to respond in three parts: 1) the equation of mollycoddling with safety, 2) your own experience with safety equipment and 3) why I think this conversation is symptomatic of something larger in the equestrian industry. So first, Google defines mollycoddling as to "treat (someone) in an indulgent or overprotective way". We consider it negative because an ACTION has a NEGATIVE effect or consequence. E.g. ACTION: overprotective mum doesn't let child play with friends for fear of them being kidnapped. NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE: that child grows up with stunted social skills. If we now apply 'mollycoddling' to the three safety examples you gave from my video: hi vis, body protector and no fixed peak. What is the negative consequence of a horse wearing hi vis? I put it on so that we can be seen better by cars and if we are separated and he runs into a road, he has less of a chance of getting into an accident. I don't consider that to be indulgent or overprotective, that feels like common sense. The same applies for me when I don't wear a fixed peak and i wear a body protector: I consider both of those to be worn in situations where the risk is higher and therefore, I protect myself more adequately. Some people may argue that body protectors are uncomfortable and that might be considered a 'negative consequence' - I'd say that this simply means the one you have on doesn't fit. Wearing a body protector, hat or hi vis doesn't stop me doing all the things with my horse that I was going to do in the first place, I'm just safer, and so is my horse. RE your own experience of safety equipment, I'd say that it's a bit like saying "i got into a car accident, but it was my foot that broke, so I don't see why we should wear seatbelts." You are using safety equipment to reduce the risk of injury - we cannot eliminate it, but I don't think that means we should avoid safety equipment altogether. Finally, I find myself drawing parallels between the concept of body protectors and hi vis being 'indulgent' or 'mollycoddling' to be symptomatic of a wider theme of 'tough love' or 'tough appearances' in the equestrian industry. There has always been a stigma attached to wearing a body protector, seen as being worn by riders who are less skilled. Why? You wouldn't say that a rugby athlete who choses to wear a headguard is less skilled than his fellow athlete, or that a run who uses kinesiology tape is somehow mollycoddling themselves (or maybe you would - and it's not just our industry that has this problem if so). It's the same attitude that has riders boasting about getting on horses a week after breaking a bone: again - why? What are we trying to prove to others? Why would you risk a lifelong not-quite-healed injury if you didn't have to? It's the same attitude that had us saying things like "make [the horse] do it - she's taking the mick out of you!" - we know better than that now, and the tide is turning. Much of this is personal choice and preference, and no doubt influenced by regional culture, but for me it comes down to this: when you know better, you do better. If you knew that you had access to a great lock and security camera for your home, with your dog inside, would you take it, or would you avoid it because you wanted the neighbourhood to think you were above/too skilled for protection? That's how I think about and individuals will have different answers.
@@RidingWithRhi Hi Rhi, thanks for your nuanced answer. I don't think you quite understood what I was trying to say - I am the wimpiest rider I know, so I am certainly not insinuating that I am 'better than' or 'tougher' than anyone else just because I forwent safety equipment. That hadn't even crossed my mind. I appreciate your views, but from your answers I can see that this is more of a cultural issue than an equestrian issue - I invite you to come to Australia and see how horses here are kept! (and I don't mean in the cities, I mean in rural areas). It's certainly an interesting conversation and it's a shame that more people like me can't say pretty basic things without being accused of things we didn't even insinuate.
Loved this especially that lovely sunny hack.
Having fun is a seriously underestimated part of life and I consider fun to be essential. Harley is a sweet boy.
1000%! He's the best
The perfect Sunday 😊 really enjoyed watching. Big congratulations on your competition win! 😮
Absolutely! And thank you, Harley is such a babe
Exhausted just watching 😀. You have got lovely hacking, and, yes, having a horse who will go at any pace in open fields is always a goal. I don’t ride now (perhaps will try again one day), so enjoy seeing life on a yard ❤
Haha - I love to be a busy bee. And super lucky to have lovely Harley, glad you enjoyed the vlog
I love living vicariously through your vlogs. I also now really want to try latte powder, didn't know this existed!
Thank you! And honestly it changed my life at the yard haha
I think I noticed that you hold on to the neck strap when cantering in the field. Is that just for extra safety? Do you ride with a neck strap all the time?
Yes, extra security and yes I ride with one all the time (even during a dressage test!)
What happened to wondy
th-cam.com/video/KyIEf8sjuoI/w-d-xo.htmlsi=Spm3fSOncNzQKhq3
Do you canter in half seat? Or does that depend on the speed?
@@MozeyDnTheTrail mostly yes, if out hacking. Exceptions to that rule are if the canter is particularly slow & short or if I feel a little unsafe and need a bit more security (such as on a spooky horse 😂)
@@RidingWithRhi Thank you! Lovely footage. Living the dream!
@ thank you! ☺️
Rhi, genuine question - do you think riders are mollycoddling themselves?? You (and other riders I follow) talk so much about safety, which is understandable given the size, weight and unpredictability of horses. I totally see the benefits of always riding in a body protector, no fixed peak when cantering, etc. But also when I hear this stuff I'm like "gee, how did I survive when I was riding?" I stopped riding because my horse died and I have other priorities now, but I didn't even own a body protector. I only had one hat (with a fixed peak) and no hi-viz. I think I cleaned my tack twice in two years. Does that make me a bad rider/horse owner? NO - but the modern mollycoddled rider would think so (and no doubt say so all over social media too).
The one time I did have a horse accident was on the ground, lunging - and no I wasn't wearing a hat. Neither a hat nor body protector would've helped me at all because it was collarbone that broke.
Maybe I have a different perspective because although I'm British I live in Australia and here the average horserider is just so much more relaxed than any UK or US riders I see... I guess riders here stick to the Australian saying, "she'll be right mate!" (meaning no need to do it properly cos it'll turn out alright anyway)
Thoughts?? 🤔 (btw I had horses 5 years ago, not 25 years ago 😂)
An interesting question. I'm going to respond in three parts: 1) the equation of mollycoddling with safety, 2) your own experience with safety equipment and 3) why I think this conversation is symptomatic of something larger in the equestrian industry.
So first, Google defines mollycoddling as to "treat (someone) in an indulgent or overprotective way". We consider it negative because an ACTION has a NEGATIVE effect or consequence. E.g. ACTION: overprotective mum doesn't let child play with friends for fear of them being kidnapped. NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCE: that child grows up with stunted social skills.
If we now apply 'mollycoddling' to the three safety examples you gave from my video: hi vis, body protector and no fixed peak.
What is the negative consequence of a horse wearing hi vis? I put it on so that we can be seen better by cars and if we are separated and he runs into a road, he has less of a chance of getting into an accident. I don't consider that to be indulgent or overprotective, that feels like common sense.
The same applies for me when I don't wear a fixed peak and i wear a body protector: I consider both of those to be worn in situations where the risk is higher and therefore, I protect myself more adequately. Some people may argue that body protectors are uncomfortable and that might be considered a 'negative consequence' - I'd say that this simply means the one you have on doesn't fit. Wearing a body protector, hat or hi vis doesn't stop me doing all the things with my horse that I was going to do in the first place, I'm just safer, and so is my horse.
RE your own experience of safety equipment, I'd say that it's a bit like saying "i got into a car accident, but it was my foot that broke, so I don't see why we should wear seatbelts." You are using safety equipment to reduce the risk of injury - we cannot eliminate it, but I don't think that means we should avoid safety equipment altogether.
Finally, I find myself drawing parallels between the concept of body protectors and hi vis being 'indulgent' or 'mollycoddling' to be symptomatic of a wider theme of 'tough love' or 'tough appearances' in the equestrian industry. There has always been a stigma attached to wearing a body protector, seen as being worn by riders who are less skilled. Why?
You wouldn't say that a rugby athlete who choses to wear a headguard is less skilled than his fellow athlete, or that a run who uses kinesiology tape is somehow mollycoddling themselves (or maybe you would - and it's not just our industry that has this problem if so). It's the same attitude that has riders boasting about getting on horses a week after breaking a bone: again - why? What are we trying to prove to others? Why would you risk a lifelong not-quite-healed injury if you didn't have to? It's the same attitude that had us saying things like "make [the horse] do it - she's taking the mick out of you!" - we know better than that now, and the tide is turning.
Much of this is personal choice and preference, and no doubt influenced by regional culture, but for me it comes down to this: when you know better, you do better. If you knew that you had access to a great lock and security camera for your home, with your dog inside, would you take it, or would you avoid it because you wanted the neighbourhood to think you were above/too skilled for protection? That's how I think about and individuals will have different answers.
@@RidingWithRhi Hi Rhi, thanks for your nuanced answer. I don't think you quite understood what I was trying to say - I am the wimpiest rider I know, so I am certainly not insinuating that I am 'better than' or 'tougher' than anyone else just because I forwent safety equipment. That hadn't even crossed my mind. I appreciate your views, but from your answers I can see that this is more of a cultural issue than an equestrian issue - I invite you to come to Australia and see how horses here are kept! (and I don't mean in the cities, I mean in rural areas). It's certainly an interesting conversation and it's a shame that more people like me can't say pretty basic things without being accused of things we didn't even insinuate.