StopThat Horse is absolutely committed to helping people enjoy equestrianism in all its forms.
If someone has a horse as a pet then their pleasure in that activity should be complete. If someone has a competition horse and their participation in the equine field is for professional purposes then their endeavours should be supported to their utmost.
However horses are individuals and their behaviour and personalities can be diverse and extreme. Their experiences of people may have influenced traits that are undesirable and unsafe. This can mean the difference between success and failure, where success can be measured by a happy human/horse interaction and failure in extreme circumstances is a bullet.
Throughout the history of equestrianism horsemen and women have developed various means of control. The current established norm for riding consists of a saddle and bridle with variations on this theme dictated by need, fashion and expenditure.
However what is accepted as the norm by one generation may be less so with the next and what may be fashionable to one set of equestriennes may be abhorrent to another.
A horse wearing a flash noseband would not raise an eyebrow to most equestrian professionals, yet the action of a flash noseband in keeping the horses mouth shut is a severe restriction on what a horse does naturally. That is not to say that flash nosebands are cruel or unnecessary but in their place they are a useful piece of equipment, as are various bits, martingales, reins………….etc etc. All of which could have been classed as gadgets at some point.
Every horse person will meet their nemesis, the horse or pony that they cannot work with. If the use of equipment saves that horse from injuring itself, or a person or saves someone from spending months trying to achieve something that can with the correct implement be achieved in five minutes then who can possibly say the use of that equipment is wrong. In addition every horse will suffer the rider or trainer who cannot communicate their wishes. This can lead to a very miserable, confused, ill trained animal. If the use of equipment means the horse immediately understands what the trainer is asking, how can that be wrong?
In all circumstances Stopthathorse advise that their equipment is used by or under the guidance or advice of professional horse people so that no product is used unsafely, incorrectly or to excess.
