The horse world has a judging problem

We love to talk about being supportive, about “community over competition,” about lifting each other up right before we whisper about how someone else rides, trains, or spends their money.

We judge the ones with expensive horses for “buying their way in.”

We judge the ones with cheap horses for “not having the right tools.”

We judge the ones who show for being shallow and the ones who don’t show for being scared.

We roll our eyes at the ones who post too much,

We question the ones who don’t post enough.

We criticize someone’s tack fit in a blurry photo,

while riding around in a saddle that doesn’t even fit our own horse.

We say things like “I’d never let my horse do that” or “I’d never train that way” but the truth is, everyone’s figuring it out the same way: through trial, error, and a whole lot of humbling moments.

Some of the loudest critics haven’t actually put a consistent 30 days on a horse in years.

Some of the harshest trainers preach “horsemanship” but can’t take correction themselves.

And some of the kindest horsemen you’ll ever meet don’t say much because they’re too busy learning from their horses to argue with strangers.

It’s funny how we say “every horse is different,”

but act like there’s only one right way to work with them. We scream “don’t judge my journey” while picking apart everyone else’s.

The truth?

No one’s above anyone in this world.

Not the trainer with 30 clients.

Not the backyard rider with one good gelding and a dream.

Not the kid learning to lope circles in a round pen while her boots are still too big.

Because at the end of the day, the horse doesn’t care what discipline you ride, what saddle you use, or how much your tack costs.

They care about how you make them feel.

So maybe the horse world would be a little better if we spent less time judging each other and more time actually riding.