Cruelty in the horse world

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eahotson

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Its endemic. What Amy Tyron did was the tip of the ice berg.A friend of mine worked a few years ago for a then well know show jumping team.NOT the Whitakers.They used to sat up a combination of jumps that were physically impossible for the horse to jump. When it stopped they beat it until it wet itself so that it learned it must never stop under any circumstances.Think about that next time you see a horse stop in a top show jumping competition and then panic (and they do).In the meantime we have O.K celeberity interviews withthese so called STARS. Have you ever read anything even vaguely critical written about any of them in any of the mags. Even when there are complaints that they won't wear a hard hat for photos (for which they are getting paid a good sum not to mention the publicity) they are fiercly defended and we are told that some of them don't have one!!!! We like our cruelty behind closed doors then we don't have to acknowledge it or think about it.
 
Agree with you, had a horse via a friend that had asthma... due to a top eventer working it into the ground cos it wouldn't do as the rider wanted, she worked it so hard in one session she ended up damaging his wind (vet thought stress contributed to it as well) and wouldn't pay for treatment which is why she loaned him to my friend.. my friend kept the horse for 5 years costing her £60 a month for ventopulmin and sputolosin, she kept him in a dust free envirioment and the horse went on to do well doing hunters/working hunters and was perfectly happy.. then owner turned up with no warning said she was short of money and taking horse back... she loaded him up, he was dead a week later from a massive asthma attack fom being kept in a stable on dry food ...
 
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O.K my spelling. Amy Tryon (is that right?)

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No sorry I wasn't being funny. I don't know who she is no matter which way it's spelt lol!

I've just not heard of her?
 
Zigzag how awful and tragic. I had a horse with broken wind once which I always thought was due to stress. I bought him though and so long as he was shavings and with soaked hay he was fine. tye-bo sorry but look at postings in the news section.
 
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Zigzag how awful and tragic. I had a horse with broken wind once which I always thought was due to stress. I bought him though and so long as he was shavings and with soaked hay he was fine. tye-bo sorry but look at postings in the news section.

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Will do thanks
 
I agree, there is cruelty in the horse world in many different forms. Some people don't even realise they are being cruel e.g. massively over-feeding, over-rugging to name a couple.
 
I don’t see how you can claim that cruelty is “endemic”. You give three examples – Amy Tryon, hearsay about a “well known showjumper”, and that they don’t always wear hard hats for photoshoots (?).

Amy Tryon was, in my opinion, a shocking case of a rider’s culpable stupidity, for which she deserves to be punished. However, I don’t see how anyone can extrapolate anything from this case. Tryon had nothing to gain from not pulling up, she was stupid and wasn’t attuned to her horse the way a professional should be, and her bad judgement cost the life of a horse. There has been international outrage at her behaviour, and even those who defend her don’t say she was right not to pull up. If cruelty were “endemic” as you say, this episode wouldn’t even merit a murmur.

I am not naïve and I do know that things go on behind closed doors in some (few) yards – I’ve seen rapping, brillo pads on poles, spur sores etc. However, I think most competitors would agree that tactics like these don’t actually produce horses that last and go to the top. Most professionally produced horses are treated as athletes should be. They are pushed hard and they are not mollycoddled, but they are not beaten or abused for the simple reason that a terrorised horse will not show the brilliance needed to dig itself out of a hole in a 1.50 grand prix, for example. Similarly, most professionals will have the wits to acknowledge when a horse has reached the peak of its ability. If it can’t do the job it will be sold on, usually to an amateur and for plenty of money.

As for your point about hard hats in photoshoots – I’m sorry but I fail to understand what this has to do with cruelty in the horse world? Adults are free to choose what they wear on their heads, and if they choose to wear a ProTector helmet or a beagler so be it. Until there is a law that everyone on a horse must wear protective helmets (do you really want this???), people can wear what they choose.

For what it’s worth, I agree about the OK style interviews in some of our magazines. A mag like H&H should be more journalistic, and leave the HELLO stuff to the monthlies. But that has nothing to do with cruelty in the horse world.
 
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madmare....

Glad you typed all that as i can now be a sheep and just say I totally agree!

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me too!

There have been accusations bandied about for decades about riders abusing horses when training them in order to make them perform better in the ring - all sorts of crap on jump poles to hurt the horse to make him pick his feet up, the rider whipping/spurring the horse, plus helpers on the ground with lunge whips or some other sort of whip to beat the horse on... AFAIK no one has ever been photographed or filmed doing any of these things and I'm not aware of any prosecutions being brought about (anyone got a cite?!) Most people are aware that these techniques don't work in the long run because as soon as the horse realises he's not going to get hurt if he touches a fence in the ring, nor is anyone chasing him with whips etc he starts kicking fences down and refusing (that doesn't stop the horse getting a walloping back home - which is a pointless waste of time since the horse wouldn't know what it was being smacked for).
 
I couldn't write down EVERY instance of cruelty I HAVE WITNESSED. I haven't the time.Nor have you proably to read it. My point about the hats? Well people like Amy Tyron think they can do as they like as no one dares critisize them for ANYTHING. No wonder they think they are gods.
 
Would you describe hitting a horse with hosepipe cruel. Witnessed that. Witnessed a child nearly knocked off her feet by darling daddy for making a mistake in the ring. Not photographed or filmed! OOPS sorry forgot! THATS only a child.
 
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