My friend is Irish and she despairs...

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moneypit1

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My good friend is Irish through and through and lives in Cork. She despairs with her fellow kinsmen over the care of their horses. She tells me that they look at their horses as "doing s job" and they are workhorses. There is little sentiment involved. I have known her for over 30 years and she is a good horsewomen and yet despairs at her kinsmen over the treatment of the horse. So come on, you Irishmen tell me she is wrong and that you are sentimenatilists afterall. x
 
On a different note, happy birthday MP
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Oh god, sorry, I agree. Its just she was so blase about it all. Not wishing to slate all Irish people at all. Sorry for any offence, just thought it was interesting reading what she thought!
 
Think maybe moneypits' post could be related/due to the news about pony being drowned in canal in Dublin?(or maybe I am totally wrong....?). Must admit that when I read the news story I was really worried about the fact that even the DSPCA seemed to feel things were desparate and they were not totally surprised at the incident
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Yes, a little sweeping but don't think it was meant to offend.
 
Depends on the person and job that the horse is doing...long term home short term etc.

Im Irish im definately never going to be accused of being fluffy particuarly compared to ye British
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But i do get attached to my pets and if horse goes in pet box the im attached..if horse goes in working horse box.....not so much.That way will just break your heart when they get sold on.
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and in my experience thats often what happens over here most horses are for sale at the right price..

We do seem to be more enclinded to treat them as animals that are workers not pets though.

At the same time if the horse is well treated and not abused what's the harm?its just a different way of doing things and we produce some damn good horses!

Bit like dogs though..over here its more unusual to hear of dogs living inside than outside..(in rural areas anyway) though that is beginning to change to.

I think its just a cultural differece personally...as one of my friend like's to point out the vast majority of Irish people are just one generation off Farmers..and to farmers while the animals are important people come first
 
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Think maybe moneypits' post could be related/due to the news about pony being drowned in canal in Dublin?(or maybe I am totally wrong....?). Must admit that when I read the news story I was really worried about the fact that even the DSPCA seemed to feel things were desparate and they were not totally surprised at the incident
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Yes, a little sweeping but don't think it was meant to offend.

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Gosh, sorry, haven't heared of this post. So sorry, do not mean to offend but my friend and I were having this discussion today and it was just that she said herself that horses are looked at a bit differently 'at home'.
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Happy birthday Moneypit but agree, that is a really sweeping statement.

I am reading more and more hokum written here (not by you
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) about 'practises' in Ireland (bitting them in a metal container so they bang their heads off the roof and keep their heads down - WHAT???!!!)

Having said that I see nothing wrong with the view that horses, like other animals, should and can have a job to do?
 
I'm Irish and I do think that the Irish tend to treat a horse more as a "working" animal. If you offer us the right price, we sell and get some thing else to ride. That attitude has good and bad points, although we all have our special ones we won;t part with, same as the brits. The incident in the canal in Dublin is just wanton cruelty and the little bar stewards should be hung up and have the soles of their feet beaten. Cruelty, alas, is everywhere.
 
I think that you are quite right actually. Horses are too big and too expensive to have as pets (unless you are pretty well off). It's just that I am a super softie and would be a useless dealer. I tend to go all puppy eyed and loved up when I see a horse (or any other animal really). Pretty weird considering I raise my own pork for the table. Work that one out!
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Saying that, a lot of good, well trained, calm, sensible horses come out of Ireland so they must be doing something right. I know what OP means, there is a certain unsentimentality to horses over there but I wonder whether the horses actually mind as long as they are fed and treated consistently? I have seen some well meaning novice owners round here and whats noticeable is how much flapping about they do with their hands near their horse's heads, smacking and pushing at the slightest thing in horse's faces, and they would never dream of considering themselves cruel. But if I were a horse, that sort of treatment would drive me mad!
 
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The incident in the canal in Dublin is just wanton cruelty and the little bar stewards should be hung up and have the soles of their feet beaten. Cruelty, alas, is everywhere.

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Agree completely there is a hugh difference between treating a horse as a "working animal". and cruelty!
 
I think a more realistic view would be that most (not all of course) are just not big softies.

I have been back & forth to Ireland since a baby & while we had our dogs indoors with their pet beds etc, my own relatives dogs were never allowed in the house, dogs are supposed to be outside etc. They were never fed like ours are, they got the dinner scraps and that was it but back then Ireland was very poor and it was enough to feed the family let alone pets and I believe that generation remember very well the hard times.

There was always a hell of lot of strays about and I can remember well there were dogs & cats & puppies & kittens everywhere so I think it was a case of the animal found the owner not the other way round.

I think the Irish are very good horse people but just because they may have a different view on how to live with them doesn't mean it's wrong, it's just different.

I was working over there on a farm about 10 years ago, the farm had 2 dogs, sort of guard dogs but not really, anyway, one barked the other didn't and the other had to go, it wasn't doing it's job, simple as. They weren't cruel to it or anything like that but in their eyes it wasn't doing was it was kept to do.

Times change & people change, my generation relatives now all have dogs and they are all "house dogs"
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and are as soft as me.
 
Oh its all totally true.

I broke my horse at the age of 13 months. Before this she was used as a broodmare. I take her hunting 3 days a week and we jump wire and ditches from a standstill. I keep her hunting fit by cantering her on roads, occasionally I race her in a cart, you know, to pass the winter evenings.

I ride in trainers, jeans and a baseball cap and a pint of guinness keeps her digestion good.

She's coloured so hopefully when she's knackered at the age of 4 I can sell her across the water as a bombproof hack. I reckon she'll go for about £4500.

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Oh its all totally true.

I broke my horse at the age of 13 months. Before this she was used as a broodmare. I take her hunting 3 days a week and we jump wire and ditches from a standstill. I keep her hunting fit by cantering her on roads, occasionally I race her in a cart, you know, to pass the winter evenings.

I ride in trainers, jeans and a baseball cap and a pint of guinness keeps her digestion good.

She's coloured so hopefully when she's knackered at the age of 4 I can sell her across the water as a bombproof hack. I reckon she'll go for about £4500.

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lol
Wanna buy a gate boss?
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I dont think the Irish are unsentimental towards their horse, they are just far more practical about them thn most british and dont treat them as they would their own children. thats not to say they dont get upset when they lose a horse or their horse gets injued - of course they do. the also dont put human "properties"(cant think of the right word for it) onto their animals - very few irish horses are wearing 3 rugs in this weather whereas very few British ones are wearing one rug - both sets of horses seem (in general) just as happy.

however, many keep horses for a reason - breeding/riding etc and if the horse i not suitable for the purpose for which they have bought it, then horses realy are too large and expensive to keep as pets unles you have unlimited land and cash. Irish people (well maybe until the last 3-4years) tended to be a bit smarter with their finances than British. for example, it is anything but uncommon for Britih people to get into serious debt caring for their animals - Irish people will eventually draw the line rather than force themselves into serious financial trouble. They will do this with utmost regret, but they have an inate sense of practicality.This does not of course go for all Irish 9or all british) however they are certainly the main cultural differences i have seen.
ETA - Every irish horseman will have a favourite horse, one that they wont sell for love nor money (and will keep ubtil itslast days - providing they have the means to keep it). In much the same way, any irish farmer who might have 4-5dogs living outside in stables etc will have a favourite who gets treated very differently (often sleeping in the farmers bedroom)!.
 
I cant really comment on the UK way of looking after horses but I was always told by my father that before I got my dinner,the horses had to be fed first.That still stands to this day with me.In saying that it does not mean that we went without because the horses had to be fed.
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Ours are well looked after and cared for but they are far from pampered.When thay are sick they recieve veterinary attention and when they are hungry they get fed.They are never left wanting for the most vital things.Food and medical care.
 
re: your comment about irish horses being sensible - I think a lot of that can be laid on the breeding of your traditionial ISH - by this I mean ID x TB not a WB x. While not all ISH are sensible a lot are bred with Captain sensible heads on!
 
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