[Script Info]
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Format: Layer, Start, End, Style, Name, MarginL, MarginR, MarginV, Effect, Text
Dialogue: 0,0:00:00.12,0:00:04.02,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,What is the vegan stance on horseback riding?\NIs riding horses cruel?
Dialogue: 0,0:00:04.08,0:00:07.06,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Well, get ready to get controversial!
Dialogue: 0,0:00:10.14,0:00:14.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Hi it’s Emily from Bite Size Vegan and welcome\Nto another vegan nugget. Today’s topic is
Dialogue: 0,0:00:14.43,0:00:17.94,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,something that I’ve been asked to cover\Nby may of you out there, especially recently,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:17.94,0:00:22.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,so I’ve been doing my research. I want to\Nfirst give thanks to Fair Horsemanship for
Dialogue: 0,0:00:22.29,0:00:25.38,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,all of her assistance and I’ll tell you\Nhow to get connected with her later in the
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.38,0:00:25.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,video.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:25.80,0:00:29.80,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’m first going to address the question\Nof whether or not riding horses is vegan and
Dialogue: 0,0:00:29.80,0:00:34.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,then I’ll move onto whether it’s cruel.\NAs I said in my video about wool, veganism,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:34.16,0:00:39.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in general, is about opposing the use of animals\Nfor our own personal gains in any form whatsoever.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:39.61,0:00:43.76,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,If we look at horseback riding, it’s evident\Nthat horses do not need to be ridden. Horseback
Dialogue: 0,0:00:43.76,0:00:48.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,riding solely benefits the rider and so it\Nis a form of using animals for our entertainment,
Dialogue: 0,0:00:48.53,0:00:50.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which is explicitly not vegan.
Dialogue: 0,0:00:50.40,0:00:55.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now this is not a popular stance and there\Nare several arguments as to how riding benefits
Dialogue: 0,0:00:55.37,0:01:00.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the horse. One of these is that domesticated\Nhorses need exercise. The most simple response
Dialogue: 0,0:01:00.01,0:01:04.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to this is that domesticated dogs also need\Nexercise, yet owners are able to provide this
Dialogue: 0,0:01:04.42,0:01:09.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,without having to mount them. A second argument\Nis that riding provides a horse with an enriched
Dialogue: 0,0:01:09.28,0:01:13.40,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,environment. Again, this can be as easily\Nbe achieved without someone atop them by walking
Dialogue: 0,0:01:13.40,0:01:17.62,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the horse from the ground. A third argument\Nis one that comes in many forms but always
Dialogue: 0,0:01:17.62,0:01:22.39,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,starts with “By my horse loves…” and\Nends with: being ridden, going to shows, wearing
Dialogue: 0,0:01:22.39,0:01:26.86,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a bridle, having a bit, running the barrels,\Nor what have you. And perhaps there is some
Dialogue: 0,0:01:26.86,0:01:31.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,horse out there who actually likes to be ridden.\NBut let’s take a look at what riding does
Dialogue: 0,0:01:31.46,0:01:35.97,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to a horse's body physically. What I’m going\Nto cover is just a cursory look into the impact
Dialogue: 0,0:01:35.97,0:01:40.05,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of horseback riding on horses. I have links\Nto additional resources in the blog post for
Dialogue: 0,0:01:40.05,0:01:44.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,this video, which is linked in the video description\Nand I urge you to reference those studies
Dialogue: 0,0:01:44.16,0:01:47.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,if you want to delve deeper into his topic.\NLet’s start with skeletal structure. There
Dialogue: 0,0:01:47.61,0:01:51.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,is a saying that a horse is ready to ride\Nwhen their “knees close.” This refers
Dialogue: 0,0:01:51.85,0:01:55.90,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to waiting until the growth plates just above\Ntheir knees convert from cartilage to bone.
Dialogue: 0,0:01:55.90,0:02:00.49,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Dr. Den Bennet in her article Timing And Rate\NOf Skeletal Maturation In Horses, states that
Dialogue: 0,0:02:00.49,0:02:03.92,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,“what people often don’t realize is that\Nthere is a “growth plate” on either end
Dialogue: 0,0:02:03.92,0:02:08.58,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,of every bone behind the skull, and in the\Ncase of some bones (like the pelvis or vertebrae,
Dialogue: 0,0:02:08.58,0:02:12.19,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,which have many ‘corners’) there are multiple\Ngrowth plates.” She goes on to detail the
Dialogue: 0,0:02:12.19,0:02:16.17,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,exact schedule of growth plate conversion\Nto bone in horses. While many people start
Dialogue: 0,0:02:16.17,0:02:20.48,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,riding their horses around the age of 2, Dr.\NBennet’s schedule shows that the last plates
Dialogue: 0,0:02:20.48,0:02:24.18,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,to fuse are in the vertebral column- and this\Ndoes not occur until the horse is at least
Dialogue: 0,0:02:24.18,0:02:28.45,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,five and a half years old, with taller horses\Nand males taking even longer. According to
Dialogue: 0,0:02:28.45,0:02:32.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the text Practical Anatomy and Propaedeutic\Nof the Horse, the length of time for complete
Dialogue: 0,0:02:32.10,0:02:36.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,growth of the epiphyseal plates, or cartilage,\Nis not until they are (on average) between
Dialogue: 0,0:02:36.77,0:02:38.25,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,6 and 9 years old!
Dialogue: 0,0:02:38.25,0:02:42.42,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,The basic takeaway of all of that is that\Nit's incredibly easy to damage a horse's back
Dialogue: 0,0:02:42.42,0:02:46.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and displace his or her vertebral growth plates,\Ncausing pain and lasting injury.
Dialogue: 0,0:02:46.85,0:02:51.28,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Aside from the issue of growth plate fusion,\Nriding a horse at any age causes skeletal
Dialogue: 0,0:02:51.28,0:02:56.35,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,damage as well as muscle and tissue. Expert\Nhorseman, Alexander Nevzorov states “A horse’s
Dialogue: 0,0:02:56.35,0:03:00.15,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,back is not a seat, not a place for a human\Nbutt, not a piece of “meat”, not some
Dialogue: 0,0:03:00.15,0:03:04.46,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,sort of “terra fir- ma”. It is a very\Ncomplex and tender anatomical structure with
Dialogue: 0,0:03:04.46,0:03:08.78,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,extraordinary functions. Besides the obvious\Nbiomechanical function, the back has another
Dialogue: 0,0:03:08.78,0:03:12.81,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,very important function. The spinal cord’s\Nwork is to guarantee that the responses from
Dialogue: 0,0:03:12.81,0:03:17.24,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the entire nervous system can communicate\Nthe senses of taste, smell, vision, hearing,
Dialogue: 0,0:03:17.24,0:03:21.57,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and vestibular function to the brain, not\Nto get lost in too much detail. On this especially
Dialogue: 0,0:03:21.57,0:03:27.14,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,vulnerable, sensitive organ, onto the medulla\Nspinalis, the brain of the back, sits a rider.”
Dialogue: 0,0:03:27.14,0:03:32.77,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In a 2007 study out of the 295 horses who\Nwere considered physically sound upon initial
Dialogue: 0,0:03:32.77,0:03:38.29,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,examination, 91.5% were diagnosed with some\Nkind of alteration on the spinal processes
Dialogue: 0,0:03:38.29,0:03:43.16,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,after X-ray. Almost always the spinal processes\Nof the caudal saddle position were affected.
Dialogue: 0,0:03:43.16,0:03:48.11,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,In horseback riding, the spinal damage caused\Nby weight alone is compounded by the use of
Dialogue: 0,0:03:48.11,0:03:52.79,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,saddles, harnesses, bits, and whips. Saddles\Nrestrict blood flow to the arterial capillary
Dialogue: 0,0:03:52.79,0:03:57.09,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,bed causing tissue damage, as well as general\Nwear and chafing. But nothing is quite as
Dialogue: 0,0:03:57.09,0:04:01.31,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,cruel as the use of bits and whips- which\NI’m only going to give a cursory nod to
Dialogue: 0,0:04:01.31,0:04:02.20,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,in this video.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:02.20,0:04:06.60,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Bits cause pain and damage to a horse’s\Ncomplex cranial nerves as well as their teeth,
Dialogue: 0,0:04:06.60,0:04:11.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,tongue and palate. Facial nerves are extremely\Nclose to the skin and thus extremely sensitive.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:11.67,0:04:16.50,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,It is essential to understand that there is\Nabsolutely no way to use a bit without a horse
Dialogue: 0,0:04:16.50,0:04:17.37,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,feeling pain.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:17.37,0:04:22.01,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,And since I’m running short on time here,\NI’ll just say this about using a whip: it’s
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.01,0:04:22.82,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,a whip!
Dialogue: 0,0:04:22.82,0:04:27.36,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Now all of this is just barely scraping the\Nsurface of the horse issue. I haven’t even
Dialogue: 0,0:04:27.36,0:04:32.53,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,addressed the practice of breaking horses,\Nhorse racing, the rodeo and other topics and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:32.53,0:04:37.67,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I'll cover those in future videos. For great\Ninformation on horse-friendly activities from
Dialogue: 0,0:04:37.67,0:04:41.30,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,the ground and with positive reinforcement,\Nplease head over to Fair Horsemanship’s
Dialogue: 0,0:04:41.30,0:04:45.47,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,channel as well as check out her website.\NShe's a great resource on this topic.
Dialogue: 0,0:04:45.47,0:04:48.85,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,Give the video a thumbs up if you likes it\Nand please share it around with your friends
Dialogue: 0,0:04:48.85,0:04:52.61,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,and family. And if you’re new to the channel,\NI’d love to have you subscribe- here at
Dialogue: 0,0:04:52.61,0:04:58.10,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,BSV I address all aspect of veganism and aways\Nin 5 minutes or less. Now go live vegan and
Dialogue: 0,0:04:58.10,0:04:58.87,Default,,0000,0000,0000,,I’ll see you soon!