American "Walking" horses; warning, may be upsetting

A while back I saw the original HS vid against this trainer and was absolutely gobsmacked. I mean, I'd heard of Tennessee walking horses and just thought they had a unique gait. And then I saw this trainer saying that the 'big lick' could only be achieved by artificial and horrific training methods, no Tennessee walking horse would ever move like this naturally (or any horse), he was quite specific. Not surprising really as I've never seen a horse move, ever in this way. The HS vid is very upsetting because not only do they make them lame but they beat them about the head and body repeatedly. Why? Apparently, the TWH has a superb temperament and is very amenable. Mind you, after watching Linda Parelli smacking a partially blind horse in the face it makes you wonder what people will do for money.
 
I just can't believe that anyone in sound mind can do that to a horse, those awful platform shoes, the soring, the whacking around the head. I hope the people involved in that we're banned from keeping animals for life.
 
The stacked shoes should be banned for a start. What's with the whacking over the head? Not that any reason would justify it, I'm just wondering what they are trying to achieve?

They are stunning horses. I'd love to see them in their natural state
 
They are remarkably pretty, aren't they. I've never really noticed before because I've not seen beyond that silly gait. That says a lot :(
 
From what I can gather, the head hitting is to punish the horse for flinching when his sore, painful legs are touched, thus hiding the fact he's been sored. This is how they check for soring before a horse enters the showring, but of course trainers are wise to this and train the horse not to react to pain.
 
The head hitting is like previous poster said to disguise flinching, also they really smack them if ever they put their ears back (even just listening) same with certain arabian halter circles, because ears forward is more attractive. Also they do something called tail setting, which in some cases they cut the ligament of the dock, so their tail is always raised.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tail_(horse)#Setting

So horrific :(
 
For those who would like to see a natural TWH, go to youtube and look for the dun stallion 'Champagne Watchout' and his owner Nathanial Jackson who refuses to treat his horse with abuse and campaigns to show him with his natural gait.
 
Bobbly said:
For those who would like to see a natural TWH, go to youtube and look for the dun stallion 'Champagne Watchout' and his owner Nathanial Jackson who refuses to treat his horse with abuse and campaigns to show him with his natural gait.
Click to expand...

Just seen a video of him - such a stunning horse! and seeing the "big lick" horses going round next to him really emphasises just how uncomfortable they look... Theres a long way to go for this industry but every horse saved is an achievement IMHO
 
Bobbly said:
For those who would like to see a natural TWH, go to youtube and look for the dun stallion 'Champagne Watchout' and his owner Nathanial Jackson who refuses to treat his horse with abuse and campaigns to show him with his natural gait.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. After watching depressing videos of scrawny 2yo's being ridden by massive men doing the big lick, this was refreshing to watch. And a rider that can actually sit up straight!
I'm just after reading a blog which said they needed a police escort back to their trailer due to the public outrage that the horse didn't conform to the cruel standards at the show. And yes seeing the other horses hobble past only highlights how unnatural they look

If the stacked shoes and chains were banned then would it be easier to eradicate the cruelty? No evidence of soring would be required to take action
 
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