Gypsiy Weddings

ladyt25 said:
Soooo, IF racing these poor bloody horses on the roads is ILLEGAL then how come, when they now have televised evidence of them doing it they can't have them arrested for it??? Makes me really rather angry!!!!

They'll be showing them robbing someone next as part of the 'gypsy way'......

I really shouldn't watch this programme should I!

And bugger - HOW did i make a spelling error on my post title? See, that's how mad I am I reckon! :)
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Me too, I saw it was on and never watched it before, I had to turn it over after the lad threw the dog in the river ! and that cart crashing sick
 
I'm the only one who gets a thrill from watching them race then?
FWIW the concussion isn't nearly so bad without a rider on board.

Can I counter this by saying that my aunt used to chase tinkers off her land with a bull whip?

(thought not:o)
 
We have lots of gypsy/traveller families around us and they all live above the law.Recently our borough council pleaded with the general population to give up land for the travellers to settle on,but the same council refuse genuine applications for homes from the law abiding,tax paying public.We have problems with the travellers racing their horses and they refuse to slow down when we are riding out which spooks our horses.Got a mouthful of abuse from one recently when they spooked our horses into a ditch.I would also love to know where they get their money from,but guess i probably know the answer.They all drive around in big,brand new 4x4's and other luxury cars,and seem to have huge families who themselves have many children.Not really racist but it just makes me angry when i see what they have,and they never seem to work,or contribute to society.I have assessed many travellers in my line of work and am astounded by the degree of illiteracy among them.
 
Fellewell said:
I'm the only one who gets a thrill from watching them race then?
FWIW the concussion isn't nearly so bad without a rider on board.

Can I counter this by saying that my aunt used to chase tinkers off her land with a bull whip?

(thought not:o)
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Erm yes I think you can say that !
 
MeganLindsx said:
Because they don't pay tax :rolleyes:
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On last week's show, there was a wedding party (consisting of the night before (pineapple/palm tree) and actual wedding day). Anyone who watched that - what's a rough guess of how much money was spent on dresses? £50k?? more?? I think this every time I watch it.
 
3Beasties said:
Because the police are ***** scared of them.........:cool:

There is the 'law' and then there is the 'gypsy Law' where anything goes!

Can't see what writing to channel 4 will do, it won't stop it happening, it will just mean that it is not in the public eye and therefore there would be no evidence if the police did decide to act!
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I second that! :rolleyes::mad:
 
lea840 said:
What I don't get is the Police harp on about not having enough evidence to support a case in court.... yet CH4 have everything filmed.
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Last year I asked a local Policewoman why they don't attempt prosecute the travellers in the area when they know full well it is they who break into tack rooms, steal horses and trailers etc... they know this because locals who have had their things stolen (inc. my last YO) have caught them in the act, followed them whilst they have their things in the cars to the local (illegal) camp and called the Police... who invariably tell people not to go in the camp and don't go themselves. I was told "ahh, it's quite difficult, they know how to get around the law". No, they have been caught stealing, they are in possession of stolen property and the Police do nothing.

Makes my blood boil. I don't often get angry but travellers being apparently above the law drives me crazy. There are a load of them near to where I live, the camp moves around. You can see from the road that not a single one of the vans or cars has a tax disc on and they're trespassing on private property yet the Police don't pull them over... but they'll pull my little sister over because her insurance company c**ked up the details for her car and it looked like her insurance was out of date (it wasn't).
 
I didn't watch the programme last night, but have read most of your posts so get the idea what it was like ( and have seen the TV adverts for the programme).
I am in no way agreeing with the behaviour of the racers, but feel that all equestrian sports put stress and risk on the animals legs.
I know of a lady who trains point-to-point horses and will regularly trot her horses (fast) for 3 hours on the road to "harden their legs" - how can that be good for them?
We are surrounded by hunts in this area and they often think nothing of hammering down the roads for miles, and jumping hedges out on to tarmac lanes. We also have Stag Hounds who hunt on the hills behind our farm and I have seen them cantering their horses down rock hard, stony paths, that I would only ever lead or walk very slowly down (and I have a very surefooted sturdy cob, not a spindly legged TB). Those poor horses must sustain injuries :(. Team chases; cross country with solid walls and fences - we have all seen fatal accidents at these events - so why do we continue to support those riders who put their horses at risk?
Now, the issue I have is that if the hunt people were charging around on coloured cobs ridden by teenagers in hoodies there would be an outcry. But as they are respectable locals (often farmers) in their smart hunting jackets it is all seen as OK. Their is an image problem here, and all travelers are being tarred with the same brush. There will be cases of animal neglect and cruelty caused by travelers, but there will be just as many by so called animal lovers who often think they are doing the right thing but are too ignorant and stupid to see the distress they are causing their animals.
I think we all have to look very hard at how we are treating the animals in our care (and not just horses), before we can be so judgmental to people from a different community and culture.
 
I must reiterate, although I don't like what they were doing racing their horses on a road like that. That is not what angers me, what I get annoyed about is that they know it's illegal, CH4 know it's illegal yet it is being filmed and they seem to be getting away with doing it. Why if it is illegal???

Also, that man who stated how horses were on the road before cars - yeah, they were but you were also driving your cars like a bunch of hooligans and not showing an ounce of respect for any one else on the road! Wonder what they would have done had you, me or any other horse rider been hacking along that road eh? Bet we wouldn't have got any respect either - I imagine they'd have carried on going at the same pace and wouldn't have given a ***** about what accidents they could cause. I did think at first that was an unused road and I though "fair enough" but it wasn't. IF I decided to just race my friends, our cars three abreast across the road I would expect to have police on my tail, that's without having 2 horses racing side by side across the road as well!

As far as the lorry driver beeping his horn goes - ok not the best idea but then maybe he gets p*ssed off with seeing them on a regular basis and the fact is the horses were not keeping to one side of the road as they should have been AND going at high speed.

I just wish the travelling community had to abide by the same rules as the rest of us or suffer the consequences. It just doesn't seem to be the case for some unknown reason!!! Police are perfectly happy to bash down some drug dealer's door to get a few thousand pounds worth of illegal drugs etc but they don't seem as keen to enter a travellers site even when it is evident there are stolen goods there!

As for not paying tax and insurance on their vehicles - don't get me started on that one!!!!
 
I can vouch 100% that these horses are well looked after.... They are gambling a lot of money and they will want to make sure they do not lose. You might see them pacing or trotting for miles but this is important fittening work before they have a 2 mile match. It's no different to training a racehorse. We will canter them for much longer distances than what they will race over. As for them being pounded on the roads.... The French and Australian folk on here who've been to 'The Trots' will know that the racing takes place on a hard surface. They move differently to a normal horse so I do not think you can make a comparison to your horses. Picking the dog up by the scruff - we do this with the terriers and with puppies and the spaniel if the back door of the pick up is closed. Someone mentioned about the cruelty abroad - I'd just like to add that a lot of this is due to economic crisis and not the people intentionally wanting to harm their horses. It is also down to a basic understanding of animal welfare as they haven't had any education. We see how we do things to be correct and I am sure they feel how they do things is correct. If I get out to Cairo next month, I will be able to tell you how I get on with educating and trying to change a culture into 'our' way of thinking. The other thing to also remember is they will have had good results with how they do things and as far as they are concerned why should they change. I am hoping that I can show them that with good welfare, tack and husbandry they can get a longer life, more work and more money from their animals.....
 
There's the rub, the police will drive past 15 untaxed uninsured illegally parked flytipping toxic bonfired non horse passported group of travellers, yet pull "you" over for a dodgy tail light, but of course we should just let them get on with it and leave them alone while we pay, of course if you object to all this we are all prejudist nazi's.
 
Some gypsies exercise their horses up a dual carriageway near me. The horses always seem to be well looked after, which is more than what can be said for their cobs tethered by the roadside. :( This is just their alternative to normal racing.

The dangerous element is usually the convoy following the horse. As I say, they ride up the dual carriageway so no oncoming traffic (luckily) - but if you try to overtake in the fast lane, the gypsies sometimes swerve in front of you and brake hard so that you dont get near the horse. They have no respect for other road users and have been known to cause accidents up that stretch of road.
 
cambrica said:
Didn't watch it pleased to say. To be honest I see so much of it on a daily basis that its the last thing I want to see in my own home !!
Horses being raced past our property, constant break-ins, threats to my mum, our neighbours not to mention the ever present police helicopter. Dogs stolen, dogs abandoned, horses abandoned, oh and the human slave trade 2 miles from me. My son being spat at in the face at school and punched in the ribs, my daughter being called things she doesn't even understand. Phew I could write a book.
Turn back time 10 yrs or more and life was peaceful, low crime rate, pleasant place to dwell. The local MP is great but man from the council says "we have to help these people they are so poor ???? Yep the slave trade lot had a brand new Ferrari.
How times change and France seems like a great place to live.
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Cambrica, that's so sad to read.... as a teenager I used to get shipped over to my cousins in Leighton Buzzard for the holidays. OK I admit this was a loooong time ago, but it was a lovely town, friendly people, great hacking, and for a girl from Africa the solitary winter walks were a particular joy! There were plenty of well cared for horses and ponies in fields all around, and I don't think I ever heard of a crime in the area. I'd thought of going back for a visit, though my cousins have all emigrated years ago.... but maybe not! Sad, sad, sad.....
 
some of the attitudes here are really off, none of you actully have a clue yet think its ok to go OMG they hammered thoose horses so hard.

do you actully have any idea of the training the horses get? no of course you dont,

where the horses being beaten no of course not.

were they hammered at speed for the entire 2 miles nope.

further more was ONE horse seen ove the hour in bad conditon in any shape or form? NO.

maybe when your ponies get lami you want to have a think, its because most people let said pony get fat and cause the suffering that goes with lami that to me is worse than 2 miles at a trot occasionaly, where the horses are prepped for it in a way none of you would hav e a clue about.
 
I can explain why the police do not like entering traveller camps and this is because they are not made welcome and unless there are sufficient police officers a riot will ensue.
For the police to raid a travellers camp they need serious manpower and the mathematics work like this.
For each and every traveller on the camp they will need at least 6 police officers. One for each limb and two to handcuff and charge them.
This is an enourmous amount of manpower and will only rarely be sanctioned when things are getting out of control on a specific camp such as firearms on the site.
The best run traveller camps are those with no more than 12 units on them at any time and one 44/7 on-site warden with plenty of cctv running 24/7.
I am sure that there are many well behaved and law abiding travellers but there is a large minority that sadly cause nothing but problems.
 
It was dreadful to see. So dangerous for the horses especially with the cars following so stupidly close. Great way to ruin their legs too. I'm so glad we don't have many gypsies up here, never seen any with horses yet up in these parts.

Jhoward - In response to your comment saying we let our horses get too fat and get laminitis, this shows quite some degree of ignorance. Laminitis can also be caused by concussion on hard ground...!!!
 
MagicMelon said:
It was dreadful to see. So dangerous for the horses especially with the cars following so stupidly close. Great way to ruin their legs too. I'm so glad we don't have many gypsies up here, never seen any with horses yet up in these parts.

Jhoward - In response to your comment saying we let our horses get too fat and get laminitis, this shows quite some degree of ignorance. Laminitis can also be caused by concussion on hard ground...!!!
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i of course know this but was making a point.

im not spouting rubbish, ive worked with trotters so have a fair idea of what really happens.
 
On these programs a lot of the men hide their faces .. they don't have any obvious business, it would surprise me if they did not traffic illegal substances, there is a lot of cash to buy just one Porche, and I don't suppose they would get cheque books.
Re racing on roads, it is illegal and dangerous, write to your MP.
 
Wasn't going to reply as you will probably all codem me to Hell but I didn't think it was that bad, the race to me was exciting and the horses looked fit for the job. Yes the concusion element it there but there are issues for any horse that has a serious job to do whatever the discipline.

Just to add the thought of a novice or bad rider banging up and down on a horses back and pulling his mouth every time they jump, is for me much more unomfortable to watch.

This is in relation to the race shown and not any other traveler related issues.
 
VOM said:
Wasn't going to reply as you will probably all codem me to Hell but I didn't think it was that bad, the race to me was exciting and the horses looked fit for the job. Yes the concusion element it there but there are issues for any horse that has a serious job to do whatever the discipline.

Just to add the thought of a novice or bad rider banging up and down on a horses back and pulling his mouth every time they jump, is for me much more unomfortable to watch.

This is in relation to the race shown and not any other traveler related issues.
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I don't think its just the horses being raced on hard ground, its also that they had no respect for the danger to other road users. Also stating it was illegal yet they were blatantly allowed to get away with it. Oh and littering of course!
 
jhoward said:
i of course know this but was making a point.

im not spouting rubbish, ive worked with trotters so have a fair idea of what really happens.
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But it wasn't a valid point since this 'sport' can cause exactly the same thing (ie. laminitis)! We're not argueing about proper trotter racing, I cant imagine you race your horses down roads (at least I hope not!). What they're doing it illegal, extremely dangerous to other road users and the horses. The horses were followed far too closely by stupid beeping cars with a beer can thrown at one at one point - safe? I dont think so.
 
No matter what people's opinions on this type of racing and whether it's cruel or not to hammer youngsters on tarmac (I didn't like to see it) it is both illegal and dangerous! Would definately not like to meet them driving my car..and even less so I happened to be riding my horse nearby! Don't think this programme has done people's opinions of travellers any favours at all. They don't pax taxes, appear to be above the law, and brag about it infront of the cameras and the police don't seem to be doing much about it!
 
LIZ66 said:
I didn't watch the programme last night, but have read most of your posts so get the idea what it was like ( and have seen the TV adverts for the programme).
I am in no way agreeing with the behaviour of the racers, but feel that all equestrian sports put stress and risk on the animals legs.
I know of a lady who trains point-to-point horses and will regularly trot her horses (fast) for 3 hours on the road to "harden their legs" - how can that be good for them?
We are surrounded by hunts in this area and they often think nothing of hammering down the roads for miles, and jumping hedges out on to tarmac lanes. We also have Stag Hounds who hunt on the hills behind our farm and I have seen them cantering their horses down rock hard, stony paths, that I would only ever lead or walk very slowly down (and I have a very surefooted sturdy cob, not a spindly legged TB). Those poor horses must sustain injuries :(. Team chases; cross country with solid walls and fences - we have all seen fatal accidents at these events - so why do we continue to support those riders who put their horses at risk?
Now, the issue I have is that if the hunt people were charging around on coloured cobs ridden by teenagers in hoodies there would be an outcry. But as they are respectable locals (often farmers) in their smart hunting jackets it is all seen as OK. Their is an image problem here, and all travelers are being tarred with the same brush. There will be cases of animal neglect and cruelty caused by travelers, but there will be just as many by so called animal lovers who often think they are doing the right thing but are too ignorant and stupid to see the distress they are causing their animals.
I think we all have to look very hard at how we are treating the animals in our care (and not just horses), before we can be so judgmental to people from a different community and culture.
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Well said. Good balanced post:)
 
Well if I was to meet them on the road as I have done a number of times, I would just pull in or give them a wide birth I haven't had any issues. In certain parts of the country there are some very serious looking horses who defiantly aren't fecked out with no feed or rug. Yes they might be on the side of a road but so what.
 
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