I understand that most equestrian disciplines contain a certain degree of slippery-slope-ness. When you are dealing with elite athletes, from human gymnasts to cutting horses, the balance between protecting the well-being of the athlete and maximizing the athlete’s performance is delicate to say the least. I get that. I understand complexity; I get how easy it is to nudge the balance a little too far toward performance. But there are some practices in certain performance circles that I just don’t get