If we ever host a Horse Behavior Summit, its key message will be finding balance between compassion and competition.

We would start by demonstrating two horses:

One, an extreme competitor, pushed to the top levels, yet reactive and unable to handle the pressure.

The other, a pasture ornament, content at home but frozen by the idea of stepping into the world.

Both extremes suffer. And both illustrate one deep truth:

Education is what we should stand for and Ignorance is what we should stand against.

There is a spectrum that runs through the horse world, from the deeply empathic people to the fiercely competitive. And on that spectrum, it is easy to lose balance.

The extreme empath is often so focused on avoiding today’s pain that they forget about tomorrow’s pain. They see competition as cruelty and seek to ban it. They want to remove horses from any immediate form of pressure. Their intentions are pure, and they have much to teach us, but their vision can be short-sighted. And this is why...

If competition died, so too would an entire generation of horses, horse breeders, horse handlers, horse products, and the spirit of humans who grow through those experiences. Useless horses hold little value in the eyes of many.

This is hard to imagine because it seems harmless to stop competition, ignorantly believing that horse activities would resume as normal, still promoting healthy horse/human interaction and a safe place for horses to thrive. It isn't harmless. Horses without purpose driving humans and their goals, go backward quickly. Only ignorance frees you from the cost.

The cost would be too high. (We've done the math, the total immediate and lasting cost is astronomically high, both for people and horses).

Horses today thrive under human care. Without the structure and purpose humans bring, they would revert to mere survival. Anyone who has studied the realities of wild herds knows they do not live in blissful harmony. They fight, starve, and struggle. Survival is not thriving.

On the other end of the spectrum, the extreme competitor pursues goals so blindly that they ignore the horse’s emotional well-being. They push through pain, fear, and resistance, all in the name of progress. But progress built on pain is not real progress. It is loss disguised as victory, celebrated by ignorance.

That is why education is the only true solution. Most people don't live at either extreme but somewhere up or down that scale. And everyone thinks their position on the spectrum is the most valid. But all positions are valid! Even the competitor looking for an edge. All positions can teach us something. Hence, education and communication must be highly valued to succeed and find balance.

We must teach the empath to understand the value of competition, how it fosters growth, resilience, and partnership. And we must teach the competitor to understand the value of empathy, how connection, trust, and emotional health amplify performance.

If the gold medal or blue ribbon really matters, then let us earn it through hearts and minds, not simple puppeteering. Let us learn how to keep the sharp edge of competition while protecting the heart and soul of the horse. Change the rules so horses win too.

In the end, our message would be simple for the Horse Behavior Summit...

Do not destroy competition. Redeem it. Balance it. Evolve it. And do not deny the empath, embrace it with intelligence and deep, meaningful logic.

Humans pursue horse activities for many reasons, connection, spirit, and heritage, among them, but above all, horses remind us of who we are. Take away competition, and you take away opportunity. Take away empathy, and you take away meaning.

The horse world does not need to choose between compassion and competition.

It needs both to thrive.

Thank you for listening. Share this message with someone, with everyone. Somewhere, you are on this spectrum. And your friends and colleges too. Let's move forward together.

​I'm Don Jessop and I'll see you soon.