JUNE 2006 • VOLUME 10 • ©HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine

This was arguably the absolute toughest edition to date. Not because of the time or the energy or the work that it took to get this issue out, even though this turned into a double issue with double the articles and so in effect was like getting out two month's worth of articles in one!

But editing pictures of those poor horses. Looking into their eyes.. hurt. It really hurt. It hurt so bad that the first time I went to edit these pictures and bring you the close up views that we have, I couldn't do it... I had to quit. I just couldnt look at one more picture.

Three months later we are giving it another go.. somehow its easier this time. But not by much. It's something I know has to be done. Something I want to do. For the horses.

To be honest.. I really wonder when I look at these pictures.. that if we can't stop this training practice that maybe, just maybe, we should remove dressage entirely from competition. If this is what we do with it. Maybe there should just be no more dressage. You may think that is harsh or an over-reaction, but truly if we were to do this to a human being or any other animal we would hear violent reactions from those all over the world.

There are no words to express my emotions when I look at these pictures. Those poor creatures, treated as we would never want to be treated ourselves. Tied up with cavessons, shut up with rollkur, blind to where they are going, slaves in the worst way. We truly should as a species be ashamed of ourselves.

I hope this issue touches you, makes you spill a tear, for what these poor horses are going through. And then I hope you get mad, that you get angry and you decided to speak for the horses.

Not to do something makes all of us just as guilty.

And as I write this, I know I will be making some very powerful people angry. People have been sued, magazines like St Georg have been accused of being inflammatory, internet sites shut down, all because they don't want you to see this.

Isnt that the saddest part? They are not mad because we are making up stories or because we are gossiping. They are mad becasue they don't want you to see what they actually do. They will take your accolades and they will take the medals, but they don't want you to look at the method.

Look hard, look long.

One quiet voice cannot perhaps do much, but, together, we can do anything.

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