Anna Ross: We must educate, not alienate *H&H Plus*

I fully support the sentiments of Carl Hester and Laura Tomlinson in their recent columns regarding online bullying. Real horse welfare concerns should be reported to British Dressage, but it should be remembered that some people feel simply riding a horse is abuse, some adamantly argue that the use of bits is cruel, while to others, riding a horse 1cm behind the vertical is tantamount to assault. There are many viewpoints.

Riders and trainers can best prevent unintentional horse abuse via education. Alienating riders by “naming and shaming” leaves the impression that this tactic is used to emphasise a person’s own virtue, rather than trusting their own performance to highlight the effectiveness of their training philosophy.