Tennessee Walking Horses

Bay_Beasty

Bay_Beasty

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This post was inspired by the post about the Morgan horse earlier and then I followed a link Spyda posted to you tube. here is is again for those who want to see

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuqN9n4RF4Y&NR=1

Is it just me or are these horses, when they do that walk, incredbily ugly and in fact look so unlike a real horse, they could almost be a different speices. They must get real problems with the backs and hocks as the men riding them in that video are in a very odd position. They remind me of the Kennel CLub (whole seperate rant) German Shepard breeding standard dogs, that are so badly shaped in their pelvis's they can't stand up.

Is this common practice in the Show ring in this country or is it just am American thing. I have never seen them over here and I personally would boycott any show that had them in. Personal preference though. Can anyone explain any more to me about it as I am midly interested.
 
Just looked on wikipedia - check it out especially the section on soring and the use of chains and pads. All sounds pretty unsavoury to me. Judging by what I read the horses gait is not only a result of breeding but is exaggerated significantly by these practices.
 
Yeah, that soreing stuff is horrid. The breed does have high action but not like that, it just look painful. Also read about all the injuries they get. Not good.
 
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That is ciminal.

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It actually is in America, but according to one thing I read they do not have the funds to police it. That is such a shame, and a lame excuse.
 
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Look up "Soreing" of walking horses, then you'll be disgusted....

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Yep, disgusted!!!
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WTF is with people that do that.
They look so perculiar in that youtube link, IME they don't look 'right' moving like that.
 
There are a couple of vids on you tube showing the horses actual "natural" gait, ie. without pads, heavy shoes and everything. Its not that bad. Goes to show americans have always been into pointless flashyness and "improving" the breeds.
 
Does anyone have a link showing what these horses should look like?
Au natural without soring and racks?It would be interesting to see how much human mutation has gone on over the years.
I can only imagine that the 2-3yr olds are crippled by the time they are 4-5yr olds(if not sooner
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Here's a vid of "natural" gaited walking horses - not sure about the way some of them are ridden (still a lot of crouching!) but the horses look far better...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPPT2u21iI8

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These definately look better than the other link. Does that show then that the horses in the earlyer link could've been subject to soring? Or is it just the fact that they are 2 different videos? The second link looks more natural than the horses in the first link.
Hope that makes sense
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That is an american thing. I imagine it would be illegal in the UK, nor can I think of any horse owner allowing anything like that to be done to their horses.

There was a big scandal a year or two ago as all the horses were going to be inspected for illegal things, and the show was cancelled as no-one turned up.

There is a group of Tennesse Walking Horse owners who show them in ordinary shoes or barefoot and they were originally bred for comfort over long distances.

As for the "men in macks" - this is from the 18th/19th century riding clothes that were worn for riding by gentlemen as boots and breeches were considered servants' clothes, hence all the saddlebreds, morgans, etc. are ridden in a "saddle suit" in those classes.
 
Not sure - the first link they had those padded shoes on with chains I think, hard to say if that alone would be enough to make them walk like that (I guess it's the equine equivalent of wearing a huge platform shoe on one foot - it's bound to change your gait).
 
Just go to a search engine - in the boots they not only have chains but use various substances including some acids and oils that burn into the legs/hooves and they use different weights of chains and it would seem that the boots help to cover up the damage that has been done - to revolted to read it and find out exactly what the point of it all was.
 
Gosh those links you posted with the natural gaits, now they look like real horses, not like deformed monsters. thankyou so much for opening my eyes
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. As to the mac comment I PMSL as it is so true they do. I think they must slouch to help keep the horse in that fast walk, and the horses muscle tone looks so much better than of those others, much less upside down with muscle over the back too.
 
Just can't understand why anyone would want to cause that sort of suffering - they can't think that horses have feelings. There's an 80s documentary on YouTube about soreing too, again, I couldn't watch the whole thing because it makes me so angry.
 
Yes this makes me angry, that horrid roping of steers and claves and bull riding makes me so so angry, but that again is a whole seperate debate and its too late now.
 
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