My Experience: Oregon Horse Center's Mothers Day Classic

To gain a personal experience and learn more about human-horse relationships I decided to attend the Oregon Horse Center’s Mothers Day Classic horse show on May 8^th 2013.  It was quite apparent when I arrived that it is a female dominant sport, very few male riders.  Perhaps this was due to the horse show being a English style hunter/jumper event rather than a western/cowboy style.  I observed the intricate care and attention the horses are given by their riders. Some horses even have their own personal groom that polish their hooves, shines their coats, braids manes and tails and carefully tacks up the horses for the rider.  Overall, their seemed to be an outpouring of affection for these show horses as seen by the gentle pat on the neck and the soft words of encouragement from the rider directed to the horse.  You could sense the contentment of many of the horses as they performed the task of jumping over various obstacles- by their forward perched ears and seemingly relaxed manner while galloping the course. Watching these graceful and powerful animals seemingly become one with the rider, was very impressive. Though I was not behind the reins I still feel I have gained an experience that will spark my overall research involving  the relationships between horses and humans in the media with in regards to the cruel and unethical treatment of these animals in both the film and the entertainment industry.