Show Horses - PTS/Retired

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burge

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Would be interesting to know how many top class show horses are PTS or have their careers cut short due to laminitis/weight related problems. Still seeing too many pictures in publications of horses looking far too well to be considered fit and healthy and as for youngstock! Sorry just needed to get it off my chest ;-)
 
interesting thought!

I was out competing on a friends horse on Saturday and was disgusted by the weights of some of the horses :( I had a very sharp reminder about weight as my mare came down with laminitis for the first time in May so she has been on a strict diet. She's now lost 20kg. She was by no means massively obese to begin with but was cresty and had fat deposits. Looking much much better now and received the most wonderful comment from a top judge a few weekends ago so very pleased. Will be interesting to see how she stands up to 'fatter' horses in the ring.
 
I imagine lots.

My Haflinger is a perfect weight and I get told at every local show I got to that he needs more condition. I smile politely most of the time, but at the last show I told the judge (very politely) that I'd rather have a healthy horse than a rosette.

I cant justify fattening up my pride and joy for a red rosette, its just cruel on the pony.

Showing again this weekend so we will see if we get the same remarks!
 
HaffiesRock said:
I imagine lots.

My Haflinger is a perfect weight and I get told at every local show I got to that he needs more condition. I smile politely most of the time, but at the last show I told the judge (very politely) that I'd rather have a healthy horse than a rosette.

I cant justify fattening up my pride and joy for a red rosette, its just cruel on the pony.

Showing again this weekend so we will see if we get the same remarks!
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What a perfect reply, love it ...... why should we be bullied by judges on this, they don't have to deal with the related health problems our horses incur by being consistently too fat!
 
HaffiesRock said:
I imagine lots.

My Haflinger is a perfect weight and I get told at every local show I got to that he needs more condition. I smile politely most of the time, but at the last show I told the judge (very politely) that I'd rather have a healthy horse than a rosette.

I cant justify fattening up my pride and joy for a red rosette, its just cruel on the pony.

Showing again this weekend so we will see if we get the same remarks!
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Good for you! I was also often told this, like you I just smile sweetly!
 
Goingforgold said:
Would you like a wooden spoon with that stirring, or some antihistamine for the hornets nest you are about to disturb?
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Don't need a wooden spoon to stir the 'Tattinger' that Horse and Hound rewarded me with last year after they published my letter to them re fat horses in the show ring. Shame I'm not a fan of Champagne ;-)
 
Funny I get the same comments about my Labrador!! He is too skinny blah blah blah. I just smile politely and reply I'd rather he could still fit through the agility tunnels ;) (p.s. you can't see a single rib but he does have a waist, just not the size of your average pet lab)
 
I agree that plenty of show horses are overweight but more and more judges are not rewarding that now so do think things are heading in the right direction

Perhaps I am naive but surely a show pony who has had Laminitis would show signs of it in his hooves? I attend quite a few shows as a spectator and have never seen a show pony with the characteristic hoof ridges. Also lots of these ponies spend time stabled so I am guessing their diet isnt necessarily a lami causing one, I dont think lami is solely down to weight is it? feel free to shoot me down

A pony on box rest isnt a pony that is winning and most of these owners love their ponies in the same way we do so I am guessing owners will try to prevent it if they can - I'd be astonished if it is accepted as an occupational hazard with horses having 'down time' on a regular basis
 
Farriers can rasp the hooves to get rid of any event lines.

WelshD said:
Perhaps I am naive but surely a show pony who has had Laminitis would show signs of it in his hooves? I attend quite a few shows as a spectator and have never seen a show pony with the characteristic hoof ridges. is
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Funnily enough, some 10 or more years ago I wondered to someone about exactly that and said do you remember x and y, they just disappeared and she said that even then they were disappearing on a permanent basis due laminitis aka show condition.
 
Don't know anything at all about the whole showing thing but friend has an ex show horse. A Section D aged 14. He's had Cushings for the past few years. She thinks it was due to his previous occupation. Such a shame as he's a really nice horse.
 
TrasaM said:
Don't know anything at all about the whole showing thing but friend has an ex show horse. A Section D aged 14. He's had Cushings for the past few years. She thinks it was due to his previous occupation. Such a shame as he's a really nice horse.
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Cushings is caused by a tumour on the Pituitary Gland and is not to do with whether the horse is kept in an overweight state. Equine Metabolic Syndrome may be weight related similar to type II diabetes.
 
WelshD -

Event lines are not just caused by laminitis, also by differing amounts of growth each season etc, but after my farrier has been, all hooves are smooth ;)

Lami isn't just caused by being fat, but being fat changes how the body reacts to sugars. This was a really good lecture: http://www.bi-learn.co.uk/categories/equine

Those animals are often fed diets that are highly likely to cause laminitis - mixes etc. The animals are also stabled frequently so that they retain the right, err, ring presence... this also prevents them from getting that little bit of grass that could tip them over the edge (imo). I personally know many people like this who would rather stable animals, fatten up and get rossettes than have healthy, happy animals living normal lives with turnout. I don't follow showing enough though to be able to track comings and going, so that is an interesting question OP!

P.S. sorry if that sounds a bit harsh, it isn't supposed to, just a subject that really annoys me :(
 
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