Is horse riding cruel?
As long as the horse is not being ridden while it is injured, being treated cruelly and without sympathy, or is being ridden in very poorly fitting tack, horseback riding is humane. In fact, many horses enjoy being ridden and getting out. If your horse bucks a lot have him checked out by a vet to make sure he is not in any pain. Most horses that buck are either excited or are testing their riders. As for being hard labor, as long as you gradually build up a horse’s fitness to the required level for whatever you need them to do, they’ll be ok. However, horses that are doing very strenuous work (eg. racing, eventing, etc) may need more management, such as joint injections, to keep them sound and happily working.
