What then is the difference you ask, between being a rider and being a horseman? To put it simply, riders ride horses, while horsemen not only ride, but are well-rounded and accomplished managers of horses in respect to training, health care, nutrition, farrier science, conditioning, raising and starting young horses and many more horse management skills – all of them essential to the health, safety and happiness of the equine athlete. As you might imagine, developing horsemen is quite labor intensive and time consuming, while learning to post and sit the trot doesn’t require lengthy sessions with any books at all. European countries, with centuries-old riding traditions like Germany, Portugal and France, all have well established and respected national riding institutions that treat both the training and testing of young horsemen and preserving their classical riding heritage as important national treasures. The United States does not, and therefore, the development of American horsemen is less structured and more likely, hit or miss. Will our recent lack of international equestrian medals serve as a wake-up call to the USEA to re-examine and address the current rider/horseman development program, or lack thereof? Only time will tell, but we can raise awareness, write letters and hope the USEA considers the benefits found in making horsemen, and not just riders.
- Susan Moody, IEO President