It really hasn't been too long since I took a step back from everything that seemed like it was moving too fast in ever decreasing circles. Not just horses, everything. Long enough to make me realise I really am the minority - and that where I was, things are moving even faster. In regards to the topic of this blog, it is now common to have a photo of a horse with it's mouth tied shut, foam everywhere, looking miserable, with a beaming rider and the accolades of all their peers. People really do not seem to see the problems with a forced frame. It is revered. It exhausts me. It exhausts me whether I try to argue against it, and it exhausts me holding my tongue.It would be easier to step away. But I am developing a stronger and stronger urge to prove something. Even though a champion ribbon won't make me happier than my day to day life - I hope that I can break through to SOMEONE. For too many people, winning is everything, and the tricks of the trade have become too easy and too fast. Relative novices can feed their ego in a sport/art that once took an age to achieve advancement. Having said that, I need to temper myself. If I want to be listened to, I can't make myself be unpleasant to listen to. I want people to be interested in the links and quotes and articles from learned people that I admire. For the horses sake, I want people who need shallow authority, to look to those teachings. These days - the shallow authority is in a Frame, with the Right Coloured Ribbon.