For months now, I have been digging through animal welfare scandals in equestrian sports, both nationally and internationally. I have waded through studies that prove what officials and professional riders cannot or will not see; I celebrate new insights and feel a deep sense of frustration when they are ignored.
A system that is already on its knees is desperately trying to stay alive, despite an ever-increasing loss of its Social License to Operate. Because the system is not being rebuilt from the ground up—but is merely having bandages applied here and there—hardly a week goes by without a new scandal coming to light.
It doesn’t matter which scandal we look at. Each one is difficult to endure once you have acquired the knowledge to understand the physical pain and psychological suffering that every instance of misconduct inflicts upon the horse.
This work is not exactly easy; at times, it is truly burdensome. Those are the moments when I use my artistic work as an outlet, giving the horses a voice that is entirely different from the voice of rationality.
And so, paintings are created—ranging from expressionistic to abstract—that sometimes land like a punch to the gut and at other times touch the heart deeply. They dive into the inner life of the horse, capturing its reaction on a unique level, and are theoretically supported within the book.
The impact of my "multi-pillar" approach—decades of practice as a rider and instructor, my studies as an equine behavioral therapist, a lifelong passion for writing, and artistic expression through my paintings—forms a particularly powerful toolkit for the urgently needed education about the system of violence against horses, but also for the development and pursuit of a new path toward a non-violent future with the horse.
Best regards,
Regina Rheinwald
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Übersetzung: KI Gemini