Jesus, who taught these people to ride? One of the FIRST things I was ever told was that you NEVER hit a horse purely in anger or revenge. You do it only when necessary, as quickly as possible, and you stop doing it once the point of learning for the horse has ended. You don't keep thwapping them to make yourself feel better because you're frustrated - frustration is NEVER an excuse. Once the fault has been made, there is a limited window to actually instill education in the animal. Hitting him six times after the fact does NOTHING but let you vent on a living, breathing animal.
Every time I watch jumpers now, I get pissed. So many of them go nice and easy, then bam! Oh, *+$$, the jump is coming! So they slam on the gas while simultanously cranking on the animal's head as hard as possible to get them up for the jump, until the poor horse is flinging his head every which way in the air. Hardly ever see quiet jumpers anymore who are balanced the entire way through. I see it even in dressage. Lean back, push them forward, and crank the face like it's nobody's business - that'll get them truly collected! (I'm looking at you, Anky.) Hunters who jump ahead (i.e., all of them, anymore), dressage riders who have completely forgotten that the head is ideally at or slightly above the vertical - no, behind is not ok! - and jumpers who crank....I say George Morris needs to go out there with a switch and smack everyone who commits these faults, everyone!
Can you tell I'm in a cranky mood...? image