Scandal Andreas Helgstrand under fire after public training photos.

Hmmmm. . .



I’d question the Boucher bit used as a snaffle, because that looks rather like a 2X curb in action rather than one of both.

The action of the snaffle is rather nice.

Why get rid of it?

Don’t know, but I am sure they had their reasons–or that is what they had in the tack chest.  Its not a sin to try to problem-solve training by trying different equipment–and sometimes it is unusual. ( Talk with the western crowd in our area about this.)

Here’s the fluff.

Okay, its an ugly photo.  But that’s it, without further evidence, an ugly shot.

And I’m out of the loop, so take it for what it is worth–almost nothing–but I had a horse once that with the thinnest bits you could imagine whose tongue would turn blue the moment one was put in his mouth.  He had a fat tongue.  We tried and tried to get bits that would not do this.  Get a horse that pulls even a little with a tongue like that and well, you get a blue tongue.

Dressage rules state that you cannot ride in a bosal.


Bits do happen.

Animal cruelty also happens.

Lets get it in perspective:

Look for a photo of the companion animal meat trade in China.

(Actually, don’t do this, it will make you cry.)

Google dog fighting.

(Don’t do this either.)

Look at the life of the average turkey.

Most upper level horse love their work and have superb riders.

Not all.

Having a good rider is key to being happy.

If a horse is not happy to some basic and real level they will not work for you. Dressage riders know that–and good ones are in the business of making their horses both happy and working.

Idling is not happy.

The horses to worry about are generally with people who know nothing and think they do:

Example: This is Wilson, my most recent purchase:

IMG_0306 IMG_0306

I went to look at him because he had interesting breeding and was advertized at 16 hands–a nice size for a young dressage horse.

In the end I had to send a student to buy him because the obese and frightened teenagers showing him resented my adjustment of his halter and pointing out his real size.

(It was not my most tactful moment, but reality is reality.  Get a tape measure, remember a hand is four inches and the measurement is done at the withers, not the poll.  And loosen the darned halter or take it off because it should not grow into his face.)

They told my student who rescued him–and is a perfect whiz at loading a horse–“I’m so glad you got him, we had a really stupid woman out here last week.”


(I notice this every day and was grateful that the teenagers were so adept.)

(One inevitably makes mistakes when training a horse.  Humility is a good thing.)

By the way, Wilson is safe now–got on a worming program, can be caught at will, no tight halter and now has a chance to make something of himself.

We’ll keep you updated.

Lots of things can look bad with enough spin.

One thought on “Scandal Andreas Helgstrand under fire after public training photos.

  1. I’d like to correct the misunderstanding that a baucher is not a snaffle – IS a snaffle, not a curb or straight bit. It is not a leverage bit. The straight “upper arm” part simple helps keep the snaffle bit more quiet in the horse’s mouth and some horses appreciate that. Check out this picture of a baucher (similar to one I use on one of my horses) and you will see that the above bit, while being used with rather a lot of curb in your picture, was not illegal nor was the snaffle bit harsh. Baucher snaffle: In the end, bits are usually not the problem, it is HANDS.

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