Show Jumping - Behind closed doors?

cyberhorse said:
I was backing up your point really, and what you said is exactly the reasoning many very experienced SJ have on the point. Not that I believe they don't do some things just to annoy you, stealing hair clips and throwing them, pulling hoods on my jackets and tipping my barrow over - always only after I have been doing "tedious" flat work with him. If we have been jumping I get groomed and fed! I don't think he is a person but he knows which buttons to press...
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Hehe... gotcha. :)

On a more serious note though, I'd be concerned if unfair or inappropriate things were more likely to be done to horses due to (or their being done was partially justified on the basis of) the owner or trainer thinking the horse's behaviour is motivated by wilful disobedience or desire to do mischief towards them - like saying "it's ok to smack him because he knows he's doing wrong" when that really isn't why the horse is behaving that way at all! The smack (or rap) may be appropriate and effective. If so, better it's done for the right reasons, surely?

I'm not saying that was the case with Foxhunter49 - the "for fun" aspect might be entirely incidental. However, I do think that making training decisions with the assumption that horses do wrong or bad things "for fun" is rather dubious to say the least.

Apologies for going off-topic - this is a hobby horse of mine.
 
cyberhorse said:
Rollkur is leveled at the dressage riders and also discussions regarding how some have tongues that are halfway purple, plus alleged methods to produce piaffe. Dressage riders I feel have probably had more flak recently.
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Racing people also get it in the neck every year after the Grand National.
 
As a hard working beach donkey, I think horses have an awfully nice life.

Wish somebody'd rub my legs with some deep heat...

:D
 
I keep my horse at a show jumping yard - their attitude to the horses are appauling - they are professional riders who know how to beat horses into submission but have no horsemanship skills. Horses and ponies also come to the yard to be broken and reschooled by them - so far not one has been successful. The young horses are kicked in their stomache and beaten with hard sticks amd then they wonder why they fail to ride them. At the moment the most recent breaker is out in a bare paddock, he can not be caught as he is wise to the treatmet that awaits - they hate this horse with a vengence and are now starving it to see if that will help them to catch it, it's already a skinny thing - I suppose they'll catch it when it's dead!

Another pony arrived yesterday for reschooling, it resulted in an accident (nothing serious) but it was severely beaten and put on the horse walker for 4 hours. It was rescued by a yard helper - the trainer had said to leave it on there all night! it was already on it's last legs. This is the exact treatment that they give their own top show jumpers if they don't comply to every situation instantly.

That's not to mention all horses being confined to their stables for at least 23.5 hours a day, often with filthy beds and no outlook and gorse covered poles to ensure the horses hurt their legs if they hit a fence.

These people come from a top yard - a yard run by famous names, this is where they've learnt their 'trade' - as people I really like them - but they are not to touch my horse unless it's acase of life and death!

The yard hand who stepped in to help the pony said that this was nothing compared to other show juming yards she'd been working on where horses would be tied up and beaten ruthlessly until their spirit was broken!
 
What have the RSPCA said about this Sugaroo when you've reported this behaviour to them? And also Trading Standards??
 
Sugaroo - I have to wonder why you would keep your horse on a yard like this and why you haven't made sure to stop this abuse as that's what it is.
 
tallyho! said:
As a hard working beach donkey, I think horses have an awfully nice life.

Wish somebody'd rub my legs with some deep heat...

:D
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Hard working donkeys get it easy compared to some top show jumpers who don't see the light of day unless at a show or schooled for 30 mins in the day where they'll be beaten if they get anthing wrong - at leat those donkeys get the winter off - sorry I know it's meant to be a joke but really it's not, horses often get a very raw deal - and of couse they'll be washed up by the time they're 13 with leg injuries - then they'll just be shot!
 
catwithclaws said:
this, *big sigh* :rolleyes:
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I've only had my horse a few months and moved him here after the first yard was unsuitable. These people were not running the yard when I arrived and it has gradually been getting worse as more and more horses have been arriving. 5 months ago there were only 5 stabled horses, now there are22. It's only been this last 3 weeks that things have really gone too far and the incident with the pony only happened yesterday. The yard is split in to 2 halves the liveries and the professional horses. The yard is also really beautiful with great facilities so it's not that easy to just move away, there's very little else in the area.

I also realise that this is the way that professional yards operate, especially jumping yards, if those horses weren't mistreated here they would be on a similar yard being abused somewhere else.

Many people here are unhappy with what they see but someone recently complained and she was given notice to leave - you must know that it's pretty tricky changing yards, it can be really unsettling and since I'm DIY I need somewhere reasonably close
 
sugaroo said:
Hard working donkeys get it easy compared to some top show jumpers who don't see the light of day unless at a show or schooled for 30 mins in the day where they'll be beaten if they get anthing wrong - at leat those donkeys get the winter off - sorry I know it's meant to be a joke but really it's not, horses often get a very raw deal - and of couse they'll be washed up by the time they're 13 with leg injuries - then they'll just be shot!
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So have you reported it then?
 
sugaroo said:
I've only had my horse a few months and moved him here after the first yard was unsuitable. These people were not running the yard when I arrived and it has gradually been getting worse as more and more horses have been arriving. 5 months ago there were only 5 stabled horses, now there are22. It's only been this last 3 weeks that things have really gone too far and the incident with the pony only happened yesterday. The yard is split in to 2 halves the liveries and the professional horses. The yard is also really beautiful with great facilities so it's not that easy to just move away, there's very little else in the area.

I also realise that this is the way that professional yards operate, especially jumping yards, if those horses weren't mistreated here they would be on a similar yard being abused somewhere else.

Many people here are unhappy with what they see but someone recently complained and she was given notice to leave - you must know that it's pretty tricky changing yards, it can be really unsettling and since I'm DIY I need somewhere reasonably close
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Not good enough reasons to turn a blind eye IMO and no most professional yards don't operate this way.
 
sugaroo said:
Many people here are unhappy with what they see but someone recently complained and she was given notice to leave - you must know that it's pretty tricky changing yards, it can be really unsettling and since I'm DIY I need somewhere reasonably close
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So, you've not reported anything?

Shame on you.
 
sugaroo said:
I've only had my horse a few months and moved him here after the first yard was unsuitable. These people were not running the yard when I arrived and it has gradually been getting worse as more and more horses have been arriving. 5 months ago there were only 5 stabled horses, now there are22. It's only been this last 3 weeks that things have really gone too far and the incident with the pony only happened yesterday. The yard is split in to 2 halves the liveries and the professional horses. The yard is also really beautiful with great facilities so it's not that easy to just move away, there's very little else in the area.

I also realise that this is the way that professional yards operate, especially jumping yards, if those horses weren't mistreated here they would be on a similar yard being abused somewhere else.

Many people here are unhappy with what they see but someone recently complained and she was given notice to leave - you must know that it's pretty tricky changing yards, it can be really unsettling and since I'm DIY I need somewhere reasonably close
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I totally understand your dilemma, but I personally couldn't just stand by while abuse was happening right in front of me. Plus, if it was an anonymous tip off, they couldn't trace it back to you surely?
 
I'm wondering if we have a Troll in our midst.

I don't know anyone who would honestly not intervene with such blatant regular abuse happening. :mad:
 
In my years of being on here I've never accused someone of being a Troll but this is so silly / awful it has to be.
 
Katikins said:
I totally understand your dilemma, but I personally couldn't just stand by while abuse was happening right in front of me. Plus, if it was an anonymous tip off, they couldn't trace it back to you surely?
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Thanks katkins for at least understanding my dilema and not being self righteous, life is often not black and white - the people running this yard are very young, they work extremely hard and are the victims of professional show jumpers who have shown them that this is the 'way' to success - If I was to report it and the RSPCA turned up they would see a yard of what look like well kept horses, they are fed and excercised, they don't have bruises and can't complain. You know how useless the RSPCA can be even in cases where abuse is obvious, here, unless you whitnessed it first hand you wouldn't think there was anything wrong.

The post was asking for peoples experience of show jumping yards and this is mine - I'm not looking for a witch hunt but if inapropriate behaviour continues to be a theme then I will do something about it - there have also been periods when everything appears ok, at least while I'm there it's mainly when they get a new young horse of their own or are reschooling/breaking a horse that these things happen
 
sugaroo said:
the people running this yard are very young, they work extremely hard and are the victims of professional show jumpers who have shown them that this is the 'way' to success - If I was to report it and the RSPCA turned up they would see a yard of what look like well kept horses, they are fed and excercised, they don't have bruises and can't complain. You know how useless the RSPCA can be even in cases where abuse is obvious, here, unless you whitnessed it first hand you wouldn't think there was anything wrong.
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Great excuse for doing ****** all.
 
sugaroo said:
Sounds like you lot aren't opposed to a bit of bullying here. If that's the response I get when I mention what I'm seeing on a forum what chance is there of stopping this treatment
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You got this response not because of what you mentioned you were seeing, but because you are not willing to do anything about it. On a forum of horse lovers, what do you expect? A pat on the back?
 
sugaroo said:
the people running this yard are very young, they work extremely hard and are the victims of professional show jumpers who have shown them that this is the 'way' to success -
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sugaroo said:
Well they can't have a brain cell between them then not to realise this isn't the way to treat animals. Still, the more people hear of it, and they will, the less clients they'll get and then hopefully they'll go bust.

I know it appears people are having a go but you can't come on a horse forum and expect tales of abuse not to be rallied against and your apparent lack of action is infuriating.

If these horses don't have you and your liveries sticking up for them who will ? Would you like your horse treated like this.
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