Blatent cruelty

kathantoinette

kathantoinette

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Travelling to one of my places of work this morning (a place I visit once a week, quite a way from where I live), just coming off the motorway onto the sliproad, noticed a field I've passed many times before, pony stood with his back to the fence (little skewbald), couldn't believe I noticed it wearing a roller with its head strapped to its headcollar, just stood in the field (not tethered), no-one with it.

I took the route and found the entrance to the paddock - huge paddock, couldn't see the horse. In a paddock next door to that one I spoke to a lady and told her what I'd seen. Oh yes, he does it all the time - was her response!! He breaks them to drive and often leaves them like that. She said sometimes people go into the paddock and cut the banding. I was mortified, still am - can't stop thinking about those horses. It was 7.30am when I saw the horse - it must have been like that all night. I know this kind of thing goes on, but not in a paddock with such blatency. I was so upset about the whole thing.

I did make the call to the RSPCA (for what good, I'm not sure) when I got to work. I'll ring them later to see if an officer investigated.
 
I saw this a year or so ago. Teathered horse in roller and bridle, I saw it in the evening and again first thing the next morning. I called WHW but they just said that by the time they got there it may be untacked. They tried to explain why it's done... I said I know why it's done, it doesnt make it right.
 
little_critter said:
I saw this a year or so ago. Teathered horse in roller and bridle, I saw it in the evening and again first thing the next morning. I called WHW but they just said that by the time they got there it may be untacked. They tried to explain why it's done... I said I know why it's done, it doesnt make it right.
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Yes I also know why it's done (don't agree with it) It's terrible. I'm not saying its right, but for a couple of hours ok, but it surely must have been like this all night - it was 7.30am, it wouldn't have been able to eat or drink :(
 
I used to know someone who did this to his horse to 'make it look nice when riding it'. All it did was make damn sore and very resentful. Horrendously cruel thing to do.
 
I don't really understand what you are meaning in the OP. This horse had a roller with side rein type ropes attached to it's headcollar? That's awful. Makes me think of the images where someone had tied baler twine through a horses mouth and round its neck to get it into an outline.

How can people do such things. Would never even cross my mind.
 
When I was a kid on a DIY yard there was someone there with a load of show ponies who used to stand in their stables for hours on end with side reins attached to the bit and roller. Fortunately I haven't seen it since.
 
Years ago when I was still in the US, I spent a summer working at a yard nearish to where an old school buddy of my father lived. Old school buddy's daughter, who was about 9 or 10 at the time, was horse crazy and her parents had bought her a pony. Parents were not remotely horsey but eager to learn and they were very happy my Dad put them in touch with me.

Pony was boarded at a hunter barn. Not a thing that exists in the UK -- it's a competition where horses and riders go round a course of showjumps, but instead of being judged on time and on not knocking fences down, they are judged on the horse's paces (the ideal gait is a slow but ground covering, daisycutting canter), the horse's jumping style, and rider's equitation. There is BIG money in this stuff. A small TB-looking pony that can lope around a course packing a kid, tuck its knees under its chin, and not require the rider to do anything other than look pretty is worth six figures, easily. Dad's friends weren't bigtime hunters and their pony wasn't worth stupid money -- it was a barn near their house and not knowing anything, it looked alright.

Don't get me wrong, while the amount of money being thrown around the hunter ring lends itself to humans behaving badly, there are kind and capable hunter riders and trainers out there. But they were not at this barn. My dad's friend and his wife told me about a riding lesson their daughter had on the pony. Pony kept running out to the right side of the fence, maybe like two or three times. The trainer got frustrated, pulled the kid off the pony, hauled the pony into his stable, then used baling twine to tie the bit ring to the girth billet straps. She left the poor pony standing in a hot stable (it was summer in Connecticut) with his head cranked around for more than an hour. Mom was uncomfortable with this and said that to the trainer, but trainer assured her it was needed to teach the horse a lesson.

When they told me about it, I went a little ballistic, explaining that horses can't understand delayed punishment and it's cruel and unusual. They moved the pony shortly thereafter, and a couple years later, I heard an AASPCA investigation had led to that barn shutting down.
 
kathantoinette said:
Travelling to one of my places of work this morning .....

I did make the call to the RSPCA (for what good, I'm not sure) when I got to work. I'll ring them later to see if an officer investigated.
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Why did you contact the RSPCA OP if you didn't think they'd do any good? You're obvious not a fan, so why not ring WHW instead? Either way I do hope this pony gets some help from its ignorant owner. Problem being, I can just imagine the owner saying the roller and reins have only been on a short time and unless someone watches 24 hours a day and can prove otherwise, they'll keep doing it. Barstewards that they are.
 
I knew someone who tied her horse outside the stable for hours like this. Be hard she was in has recently had a cruelty case and a ban from leaving a horse in a stable to die so I think it's the thin edge of the wedge.
 
chillipup said:
Why did you contact the RSPCA OP if you didn't think they'd do any good? You're obvious not a fan, so why not ring WHW instead?
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I meant the reason for not doing any good as you state - roller and reins removed = no proof. It's not that I'm not a 'fan'. I've never had any dealings with the RSPCA up to now.
 
I think I'd leave an anonymous note for the owner stating how cruel it is what he does and that you will report him every time you see the horse like this. That you'll be monitoring the horse and reins will be cut should he continue to do so. You'd think he'd get bored of having to replace the reins all the time. Awful disgusting thing to do. I would never generally approach someone else's horse or cause damage but this is proper cruelty.
 
chillipup said:
Why did you contact the RSPCA OP if you didn't think they'd do any good? You're obvious not a fan, so why not ring WHW instead? Either way I do hope this pony gets some help from its ignorant owner. Problem being, I can just imagine the owner saying the roller and reins have only been on a short time and unless someone watches 24 hours a day and can prove otherwise, they'll keep doing it. Barstewards that they are.
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I called WHW with my case and they didn't do anything either.
 
This brought back a memory of some years ago. I was sent details of a yearling with roller, bridle with bit and side reins tied to a barbed wire fence for endless hours. Some type of rescue organisation were sneaking in taking photo's and doing various things to try and raise awareness. I don't remember how it turned out but there were quite a few people involved with trying to get some help, it was seemingly a well known man who owned the place hence why they were sneaking in and not just knocking on his door
 
Walking down the horse box lines at a some of the larger shows you will find ponies tied to the side of lorries, bridled, side reins with their heads fixed so they can not move and left, for go knows how long. God knows what they do at home.
Unfortunately this practice has gone on for years, the obsession with the pretty front end and 'on the bit', with lack of knowledge has not died out.
Anna Sewell wrote Black Beauty to highlight the plight of carriage horses and the use of the bearing rein. I think we all need to make the practice of strapping horses heads in, for ever long unacceptable. It should be banned at shows, where there is some control over competitors.
 
MagicMelon said:
I think I'd leave an anonymous note for the owner stating how cruel it is what he does and that you will report him every time you see the horse like this. That you'll be monitoring the horse and reins will be cut should he continue to do so. You'd think he'd get bored of having to replace the reins all the time. Awful disgusting thing to do. I would never generally approach someone else's horse or cause damage but this is proper cruelty.
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You would be probably prosecuted for criminal damage, I have been tempted to get out the scissors.
 
It reminds me of these cases of soring where they apply caustic chemical to the legs of the Tennessee trotting horses to 'encourage them to lift their legs higher'. Poor animals must suffer horrendous pain to 'perform' and 'look pretty'. And rapping where they used to raise a metal bar onto a horses legs whilst it was in the air over a fence. These terrible crimes committed against horses by man in the name of 'sport' sends a shudder down my spine.
 
Are you sure it didnt have a bit in its mouth? I have often seen horses being left in fields in the past, now mainly in arenas now theyr more common, with roller, bit (usually mouthing) crupper and side reins on, to get them used to the bit before they start getting long reined. Sometimes people leave them in a stable like it. Ive never known it hurt them. Just because it was 7.30am doesnt mean it had to have been there all night, I used to start at 6.30 when I worked with horses.
 
stormox said:
Are you sure it didnt have a bit in its mouth? I have often seen horses being left in fields in the past, now mainly in arenas now theyr more common, with roller, bit (usually mouthing) crupper and side reins on, to get them used to the bit before they start getting long reined. Sometimes people leave them in a stable like it. Ive never known it hurt them. Just because it was 7.30am doesnt mean it had to have been there all night, I used to start at 6.30 when I worked with horses.
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Words fail me !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
stormox said:
Are you sure it didnt have a bit in its mouth? I have often seen horses being left in fields in the past, now mainly in arenas now theyr more common..
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Really?? I've never seen this in my life. The horse only had a headcollar on, no bit. I've heard of standing them in stables (still don't get that) but left in a field, not being able to eat or drink or move freely if needed. Of course there's no proof it was left all night..but it was cetainly unattended. :(
 
MagicMelon said:
I think I'd leave an anonymous note for the owner stating how cruel it is what he does and that you will report him every time you see the horse like this. That you'll be monitoring the horse and reins will be cut should he continue to do so. You'd think he'd get bored of having to replace the reins all the time.
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It was tied with bale band/twine, I think they'd have an endless supply :(
 
I am old enough to have seen most of the old ways done when I was about twelve, at twelve I knew it made no sense at all. Its abuse pure and simple and no way to train a horse.
You do not need an arena to train a horse, you do not need to 'swing it', tie it in for hours or even 15minutes. Just because people do this we should not accept it. I would also say I have seen far worse, most I have tried to forget, and they call the horse an animal.
 
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