This looks cruel to me

I am the only one who feels bad the donkey has been made to wear that stupid hat?
But seriously if the owner said yes why would the girl think it was cruel? She probably posed for a few seconds and has no idea about the weight it can carry. That's the owner's job. Rightly or wrongly they clearly weren't concerned.
 
Tiddlypom said:
Hmm, new poster starts thread ridiculing a readily identifiable person.

OP, you could have easily blurred out this girl's face. What's your beef with her?

Also, I would not expect a totally non horsey person to know what weight a donkey should carry.
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if OP did intended to cause embaressment to the girl in the photo then its backfired as the only thing everyone is in agreement with is that she has a good figure and enviable sized bust! lol :D
 
I'm fed up of animal welfare being compromised for fear of maybe hurting someone's feelings or potentially offending someone. People SHOULD be saddened if they hurt an animal, intentionally or not.
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=704459#FP3Gc4IxI7iiBFzu.99
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There is a big difference between educating someone about animal welfare and shaming them on social media.

Maybe it should be brought to the attention of the girl in question that donkeys are not able to comfortably carry someone of her size. The country she was in probably had welfare standards that differ from our own, if the owner said it was ok why would she have thought to question it? Yes she was too big but when compared to the amount of fat riders of today humping around, out of balance on the backs of their horses, in an attempt to jump or something she has hardly been cruel.
 
muckypony said:
No and I don't claim to, nor do I ride them!
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Many people don't have your if I don't know I don't try attitude when there's an authority figure telling them it's ok. Fortunately enough for these developing countries which get a not insignificant income from it!
 
wildhorses said:
There is a big difference between educating someone about animal welfare and shaming them on social media.

Maybe it should be brought to the attention of the girl in question that donkeys are not able to comfortably carry someone of her size. if the owner said it was ok why would she have thought to question it? Yes she was too big but when compared to the amount of fat riders of today humping around, out of balance on the backs of their horses, in an attempt to jump or something she has hardly been cruel.
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If someone said to me I could put my small child on their Great Dane and the Dane would be absolutely fine, would I question it? Erm, yes. I have absolutely no idea how much weight one could carry, nor have I ever owned one, but that doesn't mean I'd chuck my common sense down the gutter and take the owner's word as gospel.
 
Yes the girl is too big for the donkey, but to put a photo of someone on a forum like this is awful. OP if you know her, I suggest an apology is in order. I very much doubt she agreed for her photo to be taken from social media to be put onto another forum to be torn apart.
 
Oh, for heaven's sake. You do realise that these are the kinds of images people are accustomed to seeing:

http://modernfarmer.com/2014/12/11-photos-donkeys-carrying-heavy-loads/

Yes, the animals clearly seem overloaded to anyone who knows anything about equines, but that's the baseline for your average non-horsey person, and it's extremely unfair to demand that some random girl should know better when clearly even the owner of the donkey either didn't know or didn't care enough to not overload their animal.

You can also count me among those who do not approve of you posting an identifiable picture of someone without their consent.
 
To be fair to the las,s probably all most people know about donkeys is that they are capable of carrying heavily pregnant women to Bethlehem & a 30+ year old man into Jerusalem. I imagine that she would justifiably think herself a lighter burden than both of those.
 
Holly Hocks said:
Yes the girl is too big for the donkey, but to put a photo of someone on a forum like this is awful. OP if you know her, I suggest an apology is in order. I very much doubt she agreed for her photo to be taken from social media to be put onto another forum to be torn apart.
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I agree. The OP could have educated this young lady discreetly regarding the weight carrying abilities of a donkey & not post her photo on an open forum. Ulterior motives me thinks.
 
totally out of order stealing a picture from someone's fb and leaving their face totally identifiable which is the main no, no for me. i hope someone has reported this. As for donkey. I agree with both sides. there is a lot of social conditioning way back to Blackpool donkey rides in the 50's to make people think it is ok. The girl doesnt look that large to me and ive seen a whole lot worse even in the uk.

You would though, expect and hope people use their own judgement but you cant rely on it.

Please edit the pic, OP.
 
lula said:
totally out of order stealing a picture from someone's fb and leaving their face totally identifiable which is the main no, no for me. i hope someone has reported this. As for donkey. I agree with both sides. there is a lot of social conditioning way back to Blackpool donkey rides in the 50's to make people think it is ok. The girl doesnt look that large to me and ive seen a whole lot worse even in the uk.

You would though, expect and hope people use their own judgement but you cant rely on it.

Please edit the pic, OP.
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I totally agree it's just not on putting pictures of people on a public forum without them knowing, one reason I don't Facebook, as you just never know who is looking at you.
 
SpringArising said:
If someone said to me I could put my small child on their Great Dane and the Dane would be absolutely fine, would I question it? Erm, yes. I have absolutely no idea how much weight one could carry, nor have I ever owned one, but that doesn't mean I'd chuck my common sense down the gutter and take the owner's word as gospel.
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Most people are aware that dogs are generally not 'ridden' and are not used to bear loads whereas horses/donkeys are, so not the best analogy really.
It is fairly understandable that a holidaymaker with no equine knowledge would pose for such a pic with no idea of any implications for the animal so I do find this post a little unfair. As someone has already said there are plenty of vastly overweight riders sossing around on their horse's backs cantering, galloping and jumping - that to me is far more cause for concern!
 
I can't see the image as it has been removed. However, it's a major campaigning point for many horse/donkey charities that donkeys (and ponies mind you) carry holidaymakers around who are far, far too big for them. The people who are riding don't know that there's a problem with what they are doing (most campaigns are aimed at educating the public for exactly this reason) and the owners are often fairly poor people trying to make a living off the local breeds. It's a huge problem in Greece for instance, where regard for animal welfare is pretty sparse and people don't trust charitable/authoritative advice over the local established tradition/word of mouth (much like anywhere else in the world mind you). So while the outcome is most definitely horrific, the person riding is not to blame. It would not hurt, however, for those who know her and know better to perhaps gently make the point for future reference...
 
Tiddlypom said:
Hmm, new poster starts thread ridiculing a readily identifiable person.

OP, you could have easily blurred out this girl's face. What's your beef with her?

Also, I would not expect a totally non horsey person to know what weight a donkey should carry.
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Would you find it acceptable then that an adult sits on a small dog's back? I think it's common sense really.
 
Moomin1 said:
Would you find it acceptable then that an adult sits on a small dog's back? I think it's common sense really.
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Hardly the same.
To the majority of the population Horses, ponies and donkeys are predominantly generalised as riding animals. I can't remember the last time I saw someone sitting on a dog.

I've seen hundreds of photos like the one OP posted - some so much worse. It's a problem yes, but I strongly disagree with humiliation on a public forum. The time and energy spent on this post would be better spent researching charities/organisations or getting involved in fundraising that help the welfare of the donkeys and educated owners.
The posters that were first to jump on the slating bandwagon are equally as bad and distasteful as the OP.
This girl probably had absolutely no idea, and would most likely feel upset and mortified at this thread. I feel for her and the poor donkey.
 
Moomin1 said:
Would you find it acceptable then that an adult sits on a small dog's back? I think it's common sense really.
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Of course not. Not comparable at all.

Unfortunately, donkeys are often pictured carrying huge loads, and whilst you and I know that is wrong, I would not expect a holidaymaker to necessarily know differently if the animal's minder encourages them on board.

The girl was hardly huge, either. Too heavy for the donkey, yes, but I bet that poor animal has to heft far heavier people than her.
 
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