Is this cruel?

[Tia]

LOL!! Yes unfortunately they do have a habit of breaking - or blowing away! Mine used to make the sound like banging a plastic drainpipe; sort of hollow bumpy noise. My horses never liked them, so we went back to regular wooden poles.

I am not suggesting that jumping a metal pole is right, good practise or something anyone should be doing; I am just querying the fact that people are using such a strong word as "cruel" to describe this. I seriously feel that today's generation are undermining certain words - for me "cruelty" is wanton and destructive damage and causing great harm and suffering to a living creature.

It's like the word "rescue" such a misused word so now people forget that REAL cruelty and rescue-cases exist. These words are used so flippantly nowadays......I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about this sorry.

 

[eahotson]

I just don;t trust show jumpers. My experiemces of them are that they are not nice people and i am not the only one. Sorry.

 

[Rambo]

[ QUOTE ]
I just don;t trust show jumpers. My experiemces of them are that they are not nice people and i am not the only one. Sorry.

[/ QUOTE ]

I know plenty of nice SJ'ers thank you

 

[Tia]

[ QUOTE ]
I know plenty of nice SJ'ers thank you

[/ QUOTE ]

Me too.

I don't trust mamby-pamby inexperienced and useless owners but that doesn't mean to say they are all horrid.

 

[MissDeMeena]

Haven't read the whole thread...

First i will say.. is there much poing to putting in alot of effort to improve a horse of 16 that has already jumped up to fox. level.. the fact that it's knocking down fences of 3'3 tells me there is something phy. wrong with it.. not a need for better schooling!!!!

But to the question of "is it cruel" and to quote you.. "And if this is what the top SJ's do i suddenly dont have as much respect for them any more."

I have heard far worse stories than this.. along the lines of putting pins in the front of their boots.. and my personal fav. putting paraffin (sp?) into water jumps, (for horses who land in them) and setting light to them as they go over!!

(obviously have to add, i don't agree with any of this, have never taken part in anything like this, and never will)