10/01/2025
Horse Sense or Nonsense
“Challenging the status quo — no fluff, no filter, no free pass.”
Since the dawn of time, man has been fascinated with the horse. Representing beauty, power, speed and freedom, the horse is one of the most sought after creatures on the planet. No longer just a beast of burden and work, the modern horse seems to be owned by two different types of owners: those who love horses and those who make money off of them.
Welcome to the Horse Sense or Nonsense Podcast and your hostess, DJ Gundlock. Since getting my first horse at the age of three, I have spent nearly sixty years living and breathing horses. It is an addiction that does not fade with time but seems to morph into a variety of types of horse activities over the years. From 4H clubs, to open horse shows, cutting and cattle events, to coaching and then open horse show judging, to being a clinician and now a podcaster, my interest in horses has never diminished. If anything, it has intensified with a desire to share a lifetime of knowledge and save others from making mistakes along their journey.
The most mind boggling part of this journey is to realize that the heroes, the idols and the gurus that I admired for a lifetime are no longer the best or even “good enough”. It takes a real horseman to analyze a situation and ask themselves “What if my horse guru is wrong? What if I am wrong?”
So, here we are at Podcast Number One of Horse Sense or Nonsense, titled “Horses: For Love or Money?”
What is your answer to that question? On a spectrum with a choice on either end, most people likely end up somewhere in the middle. One one end, there are the people that love horses so deeply that they would never ride them, spending all their time learning to communicate with them at the highest level. In the middle, we have riders that enjoy their horses for a variety of recreational pursuits, followed by those who compete, those who are commercial breeders and then professional trainers and brokers. Horse prices are at all time highs and there is big money to be made.
Cue the moral dilemma and the division into two camps: should horses be owned by those that love and cherish them or are they simply a commodity that can be bought, sold and traded without concern for the horse?
Let's take a deep dive and explore some of the deeper issues here.
Horses have been romanticized in literature and theater, with the “saving” of an abused or neglected horse frequently being the theme. From Black Beauty as a cart horse, to Seabiscuit as a second string race horse, to Secretariat as the greatest race horse of all time: Whatever their story, it all seems to boil down to whether they were loved by their owners and grooms or only merited attention because of their value and worth.
For love or for money.
On one end of the spectrum, we have the diligent horse owners who literally spend every cent of spare cash on their horses health, security and happiness. They may ride and train for the sheer joy of it, immersed in the experience and loving every minute of it. They spoil their horses and frequently have a bond that most people would be jealous and envious of. A lot of these relationships are also very small young people on very large old horses, forging deep friendships that they remember for a lifetime.
Then we have the recreational riders – trail riders, back yard horse owners, riding lesson students. Their life is made complete by the daily smell of leather and sweaty horses. From riding down ditches, to mountain trails, riding circles in the back yard or around a sand arena, horses are the best part of their day.
Next up are the horses that work for a living, whether as carriage horses, lesson horses, ranch and feedlot cow horses, dude string trail horses or mountain pack horses. Their lives are usually not as cushy or comfortable, but they get the job done.
Finally, we look at the horses that are bred, born and raised solely for profit. These are the broodmares raising foals, the stallions standing at stud, the foals born specifically for a sale market to perform in competitions in a variety of disciplines. This includes race horses, Olympic quality dressage, hunters and jumpers, reining and cutting futurity prospects and rodeo horses for speed and timed event. With big money on the line for youngsters in these disciplines, horses are bought and sold with regularity in search of the winning entry in high payout competitions.
Unfortunately, when there is cash up for grabs, horsemanship and care can take a back seat to the almighty dollar. It is a numbers came, where a large number of prospects may be trained and those that under perform or become injured fall by the wayside.
The words of the local meat buyer have always stuck with me: “it doesn't matter how well bred they are, how much they won or how much they produced, I eventually end up with them all.” True to that statement, we could hang on the fence as he rattle off the genetics of a variety of horses in the kill pen awaiting shipment. It wasn't that he didn't like horses but pragmatically knew that the unwanted one had to go somewhere and that was his business.
So, what kind of horseman or woman are you? Are you in it for the love or the money? Are your actions with your horses in the best interest of your horses or are they simply a means to meet your end goal in competition or income? Does it even matter?
Further to that, let's dive down another rabbit hole and ask: “Why do you compete?”
It certainly isn't for the money, as the majority of horse owners likely have less that 5% of their expenses won back in earnings in any discipline. From stabling, feed, veterinary care, farriers, chiropractors, transportation costs for a truck and trailer, entry fees, hotels and show expenses, that $5 first place ribbon doesn't contribute a thing to expenses.
Breeders, on the other hand, may successfully raise and sell enough young stock each year to make a decent living. However, in order to stay competitive, they have to raise what the public is clamoring to buy and that often isn't the best genetics or stock: it is what is fashionable and will sell fast.
Trainers and horse brokers are the high end income earners, bringing the best horses of their own or clients along to have the best chance of competition success and associated exhorbitant stud fees of winning stallions. There are many in this game but few are really profitable. It is a labor intensive job, fraught with variables out of one's control that can dash hopes and dreams in an instant. So, are they really in it for the love or the money. Or simply the love of the money?
Finally, competition is not something that a horse aspires to do.
“Gee, I think after I have my oats and hay this morning, I am going to go over to that big arena and run around barrels all day” … said no horse ever.
It is riders competing for the glory of the win, the honor or the recognition and has nothing to do with the horse. Horse's goals in life don't move far past eat, sleep and reproduce. It is a simple life and doesn't involve a competition venue.
That said, let's drill down a little deeper still. Which owners, riders and trainers are the best and which are the worst? Are any of them better or worse than others? Is the amateur owner competing for fun a kinder, gentler and more humane horseman? Is the trainer riding down horses in the warm up ring, switching from one to another to another throughout the competition any less caring than that amateur?
Which one does the horse like better and which do they loathe or fear? Does anyone even consider the horse's position in all of this? What if that horse loses? What happens to them?
A few years ago, some halter horse babies that were entered in weanling and yearling futurities were found in an auction pen. Having not won at the futurity show, they were summarily dumped at a local auction to be scooped up by the meat buyer. Sold without papers to show their value. Sold without papers to not embarrass the stallion and mare owners who bred these non winning foals. This is where the ethics of competition starts sliding down the slippery slope. Should the breed associations who allowed this to happen have rules against dumping horses? Should there be a maximum number of foals out of any one stallion or mare per year?
Which brings us to the issue of genetics. When breeders follow breeding practices that utilize bloodline co-efficients and nicking practices to breed foals “most likely to be high money earners”, is that ethical treatment of the horses? If these animals are bred with known genetic diseases caused by a large degree of inbreeding of the same bloodlines, why is this condoned by both breeders and breed associations? It would seem that nobody cares about the horses as long as they are driving income.
In summary, where on this spectrum of love versus money is the happy median that allows for humane horse management practices versus the use of horses for profit and gain? Does a sweet spot even exist or are we to assume, as some hard core fundamentalists would argue, that anything we do with a horse is not to the benefit of the horse? Are different disciplines and uses of horses any better or worse than others? Should we even care?
A long time adherent to the writing and teachings of Dr Deb Bennett regarding horse conformation form to function, I often use one of her sage pieces of advice. It is with regard to analyzing horses conformation regarding potential use and deciding which horse to buy. Her answer was that we can use all the science in the world and we will end up buying the one that walks up to us and looks us in the eye. We melt in a puddle at that moment, gush over this special horse and an partnership begins. The love of horses is not a bad thing but I would propose that it is everything. From the time a small child gets to first pet a silky muzzle and feel the hot breath of a horse, we become intoxicated by horses. They feed a part of our soul that makes us happy. Some times we lose sight of that but we should always come back to that. Love your horse, give them a pat and a scratch and maybe a contraband treat or two.
So final question: are you in it for the love or the money? If so, why? Does it make you happy and does it make your horse happy?
Tune in to upcoming episodes, where we will do a deep dive on many areas of the horse business and decide if they represent horse sense or nonsense. From double bridles in dressage, to sliding plates on reiners, to training 3 year old futurity horses, c**t starting competitions to drug and supplement use in performance horses, we fill flip over some tables and scrutinize practices that nobody dares to question.
If you are so inclined, pop over to my personal website at http://www.theunbridledclass.com to view my personal passion project of coaching riders to compete unbridled in their respective disciplines. Making superior competitors, one rider at a time. Clinic bookings for clubs, barns and personal lessons available through the website.
Please feel to add your discussion, stories and comments below and tune in for the next installment.
Until then, this is DJ reminding you to choose horse sense over nonsense - no fluff, no filter, no free pass — just better horsemanship, one ride at a time
