What practices in the Equine world have shocked you?

My god, I feel sick to the stomach after reading some of these posts. It just beggars belief that people can treat these amazing animals so badly, I don't know the words that are good enough to describe how angry and desperately sad it makes me feel. The problem is also that it is everywhere - horses seem to be treated badly the world over, in practically every situation possible.

This thread made me think of that poem - the one that always brings a lump to my throat .....

Ode to a horse

Where in this wide world can man find nobility without pride,
friendship without envy, or beauty without vanity?
Here where grace is laced with muscle and strength by gentleness confined.

He serves without servility; he has fought without enmity.
There is nothing so powerful, nothing less violent;
there is nothing so quick, nothing more patient.

England's past has been borne on his back.
All our history is in his industry.
We are his heirs;
He is our inheritance

What a shame that all these abusers can't see the horse for beautiful creature it really is. I feel so sad!
 
Any people from the USA care to comment on what on earth is being done to stop this horrendous treatment of these poor horses?? Your comments would be appreciated...
 
amandap said:
Here's a video of a flat shod TWH that made it to the Celebration after years of fighting. It gives a stark, horrifying contrast between the Big Lick and other TWH horses.
http://www.walkinonranch.com/celebrationrides.html
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She didnt even get placed and her horse looked the most cared for out of the lot. her horse was thee most sound out of all them and these judges did not even place her. theres something up there :L i think the judges are as fake as the people on there back. people who would stress a horse in any of these ways from backing, rodeo, mating, TWH. ect ect. THERE IS NO PLACE IN HEAVEN FOR YOU AND THERE NEVER WILL BE. YOUR PLACE IS TEN FT UNDER WITH CHEMICALS IN YOUR EYE WITH YOUR HAND TYED TO YOUR LEGS. sorry guys but it does not surprise me in the world we live in. :mad:
 
Gingerwitch said:
It happens in racing and in hunting but is done in Ireland - not in the UK - it is illegal here
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The ban was lifted. As far as I know, it's still legal practise in the UK. Had an interesting conversation about it with my vet the other day, that and other methods of 'counter-irritation therapy'. Thankfully becoming outdated and about time too!
 
Oberon said:
Nope.

They get away with it, win money from the showing classes and continue to find justifications for their practices :(.

Baby steps though - the internet has shone a light on this hidden world.

As a result of the scandal from the undercover video this year - a man has been prosecuted and Pepsi pulled their sponsorship of one of the major TWH shows.
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They might find themselves on a sticky wicket if theres an afterlife/heaven and the road to it is lined with horses theyve tortured, they might just think theyve gotten away with it :mad:
 
Doris68 said:
Any people from the USA care to comment on what on earth is being done to stop this horrendous treatment of these poor horses?? Your comments would be appreciated...
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Please DONT lumber everyone in the USA in one bundle. I am not American but even I can see thats grossly unfair. There are americans who fight the whole TWH and are actively opposing it. I do not hold myself in any way entirely responsible for how all english people keep their horses. Apologies if that is not what you meant in your post but that is how it comes across!
 
Luci07 said:
Please DONT lumber everyone in the USA in one bundle. I am not American but even I can see thats grossly unfair. There are americans who fight the whole TWH and are actively opposing it. I do not hold myself in any way entirely responsible for how all english people keep their horses. Apologies if that is not what you meant in your post but that is how it comes across!
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This is a good and important point. Many Americans don't like rodeo either (although it is recognized as having a particular cultural status).
 
I don't like barrel racing, but it doesn't shock me! Flap flap flap, kick kick kick, bounce bounce bounce!! Good grief.

I don't think anything shocks me any more, though things do sadden me more than I can describe.
 
Doris68 said:
Any people from the USA care to comment on what on earth is being done to stop this horrendous treatment of these poor horses?? Your comments would be appreciated...
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I'm an American who has been living in the UK for 18 years. The tone of your question is not unlike a headmaster demanding to know what some youngsters were up to in the locker room. I have commented on soring in previous posts. Do you have any idea of the vastness of the US? Soring is an aberration perpetrated by crooked lowlifes mainly in the southern state of Tennessee. The United States Department of Agriculture regulates the breed to prevent soring, under the Horse Protection Act passed by Congress in 1970. The problems of policing illegal practices on state, county, and local levels are prodigious. One of the problems is the involvement of law enforcement individuals within this seamy practice. In 2006, at the TWH National Celebration in Shelbyville, 50 miles southeast of Nashville, inspectors disqualified every horse except 3 which were eligible for the championship, which organizers then cancelled due to violent protests. When you ask, in your very rude and accusatory manner, what people in the US are doing to stop these practices, the fact is that most people in the US don't even know about soring. I do, because I'm involved with horses and support welfare causes. Until the USDA can have an objective presence at EVERY TWH event, training session, sale, show, these practices will continue as they have for many generations.
 
I wish I could say that there are things that shock me, but I feel very cynical now, and having never heard of a few things on this thread, I am saddened and angry at them, but unfortunately no longer shocked at the extent to which people will go to.
 
One of my liveries had his withers shaved when he was younger when he grew out of his showing bracket.

The biggest problem it's caused since then is that in the summer, when he's turned out naked, rain water collects in the dip, and causes severe sores and rain scald.

Poor pony.
 
Before we all rip the americans to shreds - we have to remember our showing lot over hear - some of our practices are shocking too :-

Ponies (11hh to 13hh) ridden by large adults
Ponies so fat that they are in danger of laminitus
Ponies stood in stables for hours "tied"in
Ponies that are not turned out EVER
Ponies that have wiskers shaved and left in the dark for hours
Eye hairs cut off
Coronet bands filled down
Horses deprived of water and hooves trimed to they bleed to make the class height
Substances put under horses tails to make them raise them higher
Do i need to carry on??
so we need to get our own house in order too !
 
Gingerwitch said:
Before we all rip the americans to shreds - we have to remember our showing lot over hear - some of our practices are shocking too :-

Ponies (11hh to 13hh) ridden by large adults
Ponies so fat that they are in danger of laminitus
Ponies stood in stables for hours "tied"in
Ponies that are not turned out EVER
Ponies that have wiskers shaved and left in the dark for hours
Eye hairs cut off
Coronet bands filled down
Horses deprived of water and hooves trimed to they bleed to make the class height
Substances put under horses tails to make them raise them higher
Do i need to carry on??
so we need to get our own house in order too !
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Sorry i did not mean to infur that removing the lashes and wiskers off show ponies is anywhere near to the crutley dished out to the poor TWH - but when they bump and bang their heads because their wiskers have just been cut off is still cruel - we would go mental if someone did this to the family cat or dog - so why is it acceptable to do horses?
 
To clarify, the cruelty delivered to Big Lick TWHs is by a very small fraction of the US in a hidden world that most US citizens know nothing about.

Certainly not meant to tarnish all of the US with the same brush and I meant no inference that UK cruelty is pale in comparison.....(if anyone wants me to crack on about 'remedial shoeing' then I will do
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) but the question was what practices in the equine world shocks me.....and the treatment of Big Lick TWH really does :(
 
Gingerwitch said:
Obie - why is it called the Big Lick - i dont understand ?
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I've no idea :o.

Just wanted to differentiate between 'normal' TWH showing and Big Lick - which is where they use the shoes and pads.

Hackneys in this country can suffer too.

This is a cadaver hoof of a Hackney horse whose hooves were trimmed and shod in such a way that they 'tin canned' to accentuate a high stepping gait :(

Hackneydissection.jpg


hackney-pony-cpt.jpg
 
Where is there such a desire to "accentuate" a horses natural movements? I put the word in quote marks because it's not really that is it?

"Artificially Modify" would probably be more appropriate.

Why can't it be that they are judged on the merit of their natural ability? Why don't the profession look for that? I think it is the fault of JUDGES in particular. It is really they who have the power to change things yet they continue to reward monstrous acts of violence and cruelty.

Infuriating.
 
Gingerwitch said:
No - its supposed to be illegal in the uk - you have two choices Pin Fire or Chemical Fire - not quite sure which is the worst.

pin fire - hot irons are placed either side of the horses cannon bone and pressed on causing a trauma - hopefully the horse will have been sedated and be adminstered pain killers - the tendons will thicken up and horse will hopefully remain or become sound.....

Chemical firiing is the same trauma caused by putting caustic materials on to the cannon bone of poor animal - causing significant trauma and blistering - again hopefully horse will have pain relief

its BARBARIC and if this is going on in the UK i am reporting it !!!!!!
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Pin firing is not used on the tendons, you are referring to ordinary firing, they would wrap hot bands of iron on and around the tendons to strengthen them after injury, thankfully now outlawed in this country. Pin firing is used on bony injuries and as the name suggests, hot pins are applied to the joint, it was used as a remedy for bone spavins for instance as it apparently encourages the bone to fuse more quickly, this was not banned when they banned ordinary firing, not entirely sure but I think it is still legal.

My old mare was pin fired at 2yrs (BEFORE I got her) and I must admit to feeling rather sick on her behalf.
 
Many Americans, professionals and welfare organizations have been fighting soring for decades. The USDA (US Dept Ag) is responsible for inspections at shows and gatherings but Federal funding is very limited and there is little will to increase it despite recent high profile cases. The kudos and rewards are just too great and it is peoples lives and incomes as well as social standing.
If you google there is tons of info, petitions, campaigns and organizations lobbying.
Here's some stuff on USDA website. http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda...EARCH&Go_button.x=21&Go_button.y=11&site=usda
 
Something less extreme but still disturbing to me is the routine teaching of children in this country to use whips on ponies. Go to any local show and somewhere there'll be a pony mum yelling "stick!" and a 10 year old beating the living daylights out of a pony that's confused, scared, or just had enough.

It doesn't have to be this way...:(
 
Gingerwitch said:
Before we all rip the americans to shreds - we have to remember our showing lot over hear - some of our practices are shocking too :-

Ponies (11hh to 13hh) ridden by large adults
Ponies so fat that they are in danger of laminitus
Ponies stood in stables for hours "tied"in
Ponies that are not turned out EVER
Ponies that have wiskers shaved and left in the dark for hours
Eye hairs cut off
Coronet bands filled down
Horses deprived of water and hooves trimed to they bleed to make the class height
Substances put under horses tails to make them raise them higher
Do i need to carry on??
so we need to get our own house in order too !
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The large majority of the "Showing lot" succeed without such practices, and certainly do not condone them.
 
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ArtyLinz said:
The large majority of the "Showing lot" succeed without such practices, and certainly do not condone them.
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I posted this to give some temperance to the discussion, as i think many Americans think that we think they all treat their horses the same as the TWH - yes i know there are a lot of genuine showing people in the UK who have the intrests of the horse at heart - but look at sections of classes in high level showing and you will see the pressure on the exhibiters to have fat horses is being encouraged by the judges. Ponies that look in an outline but are clearly not in a correct working outline.

So i was just trying to say - there are elements in most areas of horses that are distasteful to others - the same as i am sure 99% of Americans are or would be disgusted at the treatment of these poor TWH's - but hopefully through the internet these practices will come to the forefront of animal lovers that are in the country - and can pressure their goverments to do something about it.
 
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