Live ponies for carousel rides-cruel?

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undergroundoli

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I saw this petition calling on the Spanish govt to ban carousels with ponies harnessed to the cross bars, walking around in circles with kids on them. The link has a picture that probably gives a better idea, but its a bit like a horse walker. They say its cruel.

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/823/525/068/ban-the-use-of-live-ponies-for-carousel-rides/

Now I can see how the ponies could easily be mistreated, but is it innately any worse than riding schools? The petition says 'Ponies are denied basic rights to eat, drink, urinate and defecate freely,' but ridden horses all go without food and water temporarily, and I cant see how the ponies could be stopped from pooing. Does being no worse than riding schools (if you agree it is) make it OK?

My thoughts are that Spain has got more pressing problems, both socially and in regards to animal rights.

What do you all think?
 
Well it's a very tight circle for them to be walking round on, and how many hours are they harnessed to it for? No, I don't like it.
 
I don't like it either, it might not be the most pressing animal cruelty issue in the country but it still doesn't make it ok.

I've seen pictures of this previously and it had quite large tourists on quite small ponies, supposedly they stay on the carousel all day with no food and water but who knows if that's true.

It could be ok, ie limited to a couple of hours per day, well fitting tack, suitably sized riders with food and water intervals but sadly I don't think that's the case for many..
 
Trust me it's hideous, I saw it first hand last year and they were all also entire and clearly not getting on with their buddies.

They go round and round it's noisy and bright and I felt suck seeing how down trodden and sooo very young they looked. I was told that they use it to break them, not sure how true that is. Poor little things.

Signed!
 
Last edited:
catroo said:
It could be ok, ie limited to a couple of hours per day, well fitting tack, suitably sized riders with food and water intervals but sadly I don't think that's the case for many..
Click to expand...

I think this is kind of where I'm coming from, it could be fine from a welfare perspective, but I can absolutely believe Polly when she says the reality isn't. The line about the ponies not being able to urinate or defecate made me question the people who'd written the petitions judgement, so its good to get an informed perspective.
 
I saw something very similar in Prague. The ponies weren't tied to anything but had tight side reins on. I searched for ages for some carrots for them but owner told me "they'd have them later". I didn't like it and refused to let my small daughter ride on them.
 
I've seen it quite a lot in Spain and some coastal areas in France and Italy as well. Ponies were in good condition and were just standing dozing or eating hay or from nosebags when not in use, didn't find it any different to carriage ponies or donkey rides on an English beach, vile would not be the word I would use at all, there's much worse to get upset about.
That is just my own experience and what I have seen with my own eyes, I am not disputing that it is open to abuse elsewhere.
 
I don't like it, but as a country where it seems every other yard has a horse walker I'm not sure we can be too judgemental. I don't like horse walkers at all, but if I started a petition against those I doubt it would be popular! Stride for stride the circle is probably the same size as having a 16.2 on a walker.
 
There used to be a horse/pony carousel in the zoo of my city - luckily, the thing has been shut down for years. I personally know a horse who used to work there. He's now a 17h-something senior with numerous joint and tendon problems. I link them closely to the times when, since age 2, he was strapped to the carousel for a whole day, going in a tight circle in one direction... Those carousels are horrible and really should be banned wherever horse welfare isn't in mind of their owners.
 
I can't see that it's vile, but just an old fashioned practice that has really been superceeded by mechanics theses days, so there are better alternatives. There used to be one in the outside lobby of a shop in Croydon in the fifties. There were two artificial ponies, and two real ones. I loved it and always had a go on it. It was only for small children though, the ponies must have been 10 - 11 hands. However, I also remember riding an elephant and a dromedary (sp?) at London zoo, which would be considered shocking today. Times change, but some countries have a long long way to go in their treatment of animals.
 
Hideous. How can you compare to riding schools? How are folks meant to learn without riding schools? This forum at times appears to be against professional yards. All experts sitting at their computers.....
 
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