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"One animal is good – many animals are very good". That principle has been the guiding light of veterinarian, breeder, and rider Michael Sinding his entire life. You can sense it in everything he does. He is driven by an indomitable sense of justice – and thus also love – for the animals, something anyone who works with horses should be born with.
In addition to observing the animals from top to bottom, and even from the inside in his daily work, he also advocates for the horses when he serves as an expert witness in lawsuits related to injuries to the musculoskeletal system. But even though horse welfare is a priority in everything he does, it has certainly not always been this way. He has – thankfully – become wiser over the years, he says, and he hopes that he can help others do the same. Here, you get the story of a man who, in all respects, fights for the cause of horses and to whom we should remember to listen.
"I started with aquarium fish, zebra finches, budgies, rabbits, and even hatched a duckling on a radiator". So, Michael shares somewhat humorously when we ask him about where his love for animals began. The conclusion is that it just subtly crept into his childhood. When he, at the age of 13, was pulled along to the local riding school with his sister, the horses also captured his attention. It developed into a fascination for these large animals, working with them, and the sport as a whole, he explains. Therefore, he first got his own pony, which he rode in countless show jumping and dressage competitions, and later he started riding horses.
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"My body was worn out, I had a backache, and I was actually fed up with horses. I changed tracks and chose to study veterinary medicine.”
When it came to choosing an education, his love for animals again prevailed. "I had long said that I either wanted to be a veterinarian or a horse trainer, and I chose the latter. I did the first four years, but then stopped. My body was worn out, I had a backache, and I was actually fed up with horses. I changed tracks and chose to study veterinary medicine”, he shares.
Over time, the title of veterinarian led to many more initiatives for the benefit of horse people and not least the horses themselves. Michael's background from his time in the horse world is nothing short of impressive. As a veterinarian, he works for Højelse Horse Clinic and is continually further educated, including in horse diseases. As mentioned, he was a horse training student and is a certified trainer.
In addition, he was part of building Stutteri Atterupgaard from the ground up, where he is responsible for reproduction work. And he is a horse consultant for Top Denmark and TRYG, while also being active as an expert witness. Simply put, doing less would not suffice – and we are many who are grateful for this!
Michael himself shares about all his roles that they are of course good from an economic perspective, but that the basic driving force is completely different. "I see it as a great advantage to have a finger on the pulse within many aspects of the profession. My jobs as an insurance consultant give me a large network, keep me sharp professionally and give me the opportunity to help and advise colleagues to a common understanding of the requirements and expectations for the treatment of our horses. Further education is important for professional development, motivation, and to keep the enthusiasm up", he emphasises. In other words, Michael is an updated man who is familiar with the latest research and, not least, knows what can be expected of modern horse welfare.
"I'm driven by my sense of justice. I have several times been out to oversee animal welfare cases for, among others, Hestens Værn (Horse Protection). This job is important so that all horses can have a good life."
Overall, the desire for good horse welfare permeates everything that Michael does – and sometimes it just costs what it may. Particularly his work as a judge is indeed hard work, he explains, and therefore the desire is absolutely crucial. It is a desire, which mostly is about wanting the best for the horses, because they deserve more than just one chance in life. Here, Michael notes that it's a very special feeling behind it:
"I'm driven by my sense of justice. I have several times been out to oversee animal welfare cases for, among others, Hestens Værn. This job is important so that all horses can have a good life."
"The surrogate mares have always had a special place in my heart, as they are often 'discarded' mares that are no longer suitable as riding horses. Seeing how they can get 'a second chance in life' makes a lot of sense and genuinely makes me happy."
This relentless urge to create justice in the horse world also comes into play in his work at the stud farm. Here, the majority of the foals are produced using embryo transfer, to a surrogate mare.
And he has a particularly special relationship with these mares. "The surrogate mares have always had a special place in my heart, as they are often 'discarded' mares that are no longer suitable as riding horses. Seeing how they can get 'a second chance in life' makes a lot of sense and genuinely makes me happy."
Reproduction is without a doubt a passion for Michael, and in addition to the joy of being able to give the mares a new chance, he is also greatly fascinated by the creation of life. As he himself puts it, the process is just as fascinating, whether the offspring are from a high-performing mare or stallion or just a 'regular' foal from a beloved mare that is someone's very best friend. Every foal and every horse life has its justification. Our task is to take good care of it. Horse welfare is a key term for veterinarian and rider Michael Sinding.
In addition to being driven by justice, the desire to help the horses and their owners towards good teamwork is also a major motivating factor for Michael. "In my work as a veterinarian, I primarily work on two fronts; lame horses and performance reduction. A job that is driven by my desire for the detective work it takes to find out why the horse cannot function and through this to help horse and rider," he explains.
"I generally miss that riders were a little more willing to compromise. (...) I think there are far too many riders who do not see the horse as an individual that requires tailor-made treatment and is constantly developing."
The most important thing for a healthy and well-functioning equestrian team is the feeling of harmony and balance. Unfortunately, it is seen far too often that the cooperation does not give enough weight to the horse's terms. "I generally miss that riders were a little more willing to compromise," Michael states.
"I think there are far too many riders who do not see the horse as an individual that requires tailor-made treatment and is constantly developing. In my eyes, the good rider is one who can ride many types of horses and adapts his riding and training amount to the individual horse - and at the same time accepts and respects that the horse is a living being with low intelligence, but with an incredibly good memory," he continues.
In addition, he would also like to see us riders focusing more on variety and, not least, recovery in the training of our horses: "I wholeheartedly believe that we can minimise the number of injuries if riders would more often 'hasten slowly'," he asserts. "How many of those who are reading this could themselves withstand an hour's run, perhaps interrupted by a few minutes' walk, five to six days a week? My assertion is that it would take quite a bit of acclimatisation to avoid people soon complaining of pain all over. The same goes for our horses, who are in no way designed for what we would like them to do."
To hasten slowly, as Michael points out, is about taking the time to build the horse up with everything its body needs in terms of variety and rest days. A training routine that does not take into account the horse's need for recovery will ultimately counteract its purpose. It will wear the horse down rather than build it up. By hastening slowly, however, you can be both patient and goal-oriented, and with that, you will ultimately achieve your goals much faster. Have you ever thought about that?
"I wholeheartedly believe that we can minimise the number of injuries if riders would more often 'hasten slowly'"
With all that said, Michael himself has found himself in a situation where expectations of the horse exceeded sensibility: "When I was young, I was often frustrated because I couldn't make things work. So I've been there, where a sharp kick in the sides was followed up by punishment with a whip, then followed by a senseless jerk in the horse's mouth – caused solely by frustration and my own inability," he shares, and continues: "Fortunately, as we age, we learn that senseless punishment leads nowhere, but instead just creates even more tension and mistrust.
"...I've been there, where a sharp kick in the sides was followed up by punishment with a whip, then followed by a senseless jerk in the horse's mouth – caused solely by frustration and my own inability."
He then talks about a time when he – albeit the hard way – came to realise the importance of good horsemanship. He says: "In my time as a riding apprentice, unfortunately in the beginning I found myself in an environment where I had to witness repeated episodes that were far beyond the limit of what I see as proper animal welfare. I was young, trusting in authority, and far too insecure to shout out and do something. That would never happen today."
He truly learned how one should not behave when dealing with living animals. Fortunately, he later moved to a place where horse welfare was paramount, and a lot of emphasis was placed on a healthy relationship between horse and rider.
Today, Michael rides in a way where the driving force is not to be holding a ribbon in hand or to show off at competitions. Instead, the motivation lies in the daily training, where the goal above all is a successful interaction where the horse has been listened to.
"I can fully enjoy a ride in the forest, without feeling that it is 'a waste of time'. This is a really important and pleasant development," he admits.
There is no doubt that Michael Sinding is a man who champions the cause of horses. Since childhood, animals – and especially horses – have been the focal point of his life, and he has taken this with him in everything he has touched ever since. Not only has this made him a huge horse friend, but it has also given him enormous knowledge in almost all specialities concerning horses, which can furthermore support and strengthen each other. For example, the great advantage of being a rider while working as a vet.
"I can understand and fully empathise with what riders mean when the horse, for example, does not 'carry itself as usual', 'pulls unevenly on the rein', and so forth," he explains. It is also an asset to be able to ride a client's horse and try to feel what the rider himself is struggling with.
"A good example of this was a horse where the rider complained that it could not canter to the left. I got on and noticed that the horse was not ridden correctly with the left shoulder. After ten minutes of basic work, I made 25 left canters in a row." In this way, Michael could conclude that it was certainly not the horse that was the issue.
All in all, Michael is a vet who is interested in what it is like to be a horse and owner. He knows what it's like to be a breeder, what it's like to be a top rider and what it's like to live life with neighs and wind in your hair at a fairly ordinary recreational level. Above all, he tries to understand what it's like to be a horse.
No doubt there are many more vets like Michael with the same wide expertise and high demands for good horse welfare – and we can only wish for even more of them. Michael is just an example of a man to whom we really need to listen. With more valid reasons than anyone else, he can rightfully say that we need to take very good care of our horses.
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