whats the worst thing you've seen done to a horse?

[mrsdoyal]

I witnessed a psychotic yard manager who knew jack-s***t attempt to break her friends horse for £. Afraid to actually get around to backing the youngster, she lunged it for months (racking up a +£700 bill for that alone!). To cut a long story short, it ended after she spent a whole day (7 hrs), in shifts with her equally nasty friend, lunging the poor horse to "knacker it" so it wouldn't spook when she got on it. Needless to say, poor beast ended up dog lame with tendon problems (vet was puzzled as to why bcos they didnt confess), was classed as a nutter and disappeared.

This did not take place a century ago: it was 2002/3.

Did i rescue the horse? Not having a ludicrous amount of £ to buy him, I couldnt

Problem horses: this is how they're made.

 

[Mithras]

Witnessing a reluctant child and pony being made to practice endlessly over a large practice jump AFTER all the pony jumping classes at a small show once. Eventually the pony did what it had been promising to do and hit the back bar and pecked badly, nearly falling. I, who had been attempting to get a practice jump in on my horse before my class, circled instead of coming to the jump, and the father, saw me and accused me of sneering at them and being pleased at what I saw. At this I could remain silent no longer and told him the pony was exhausted and was far too thin anyway. He retorted that he would decide that and anyway it was "a thoroughbred pony". I rode away rather than make a scene, but someone else watching said she wished she had said that.

 

[Starbucks]

urrg, stupid man!!! It really annoys me when people are pissing around with the practice fence when there not even in the class never mind the poor pony!

 

[Nickijem]

There is a 'traveller's site' a few miles away from our village. The 'travellers' (I put them in quotation marks cos really they're just a band of criminals) ride into the village on these poor thin ponies which they are far too big for. They whip them along the road with no shoes on often pulling a cart laden with too many people. The police and RSPCA say that the horses are not mistreated as they are fed and watered!

 

[kimky]

i was at a local show and in the ring where pairs were happening a heavy coloured cob was been rode around the ring, half asleep (looked a bit sad) and the young girl had spurs on (which i agree with in some ways, i wear them) and a whip and welting the horse at every fence screaming at it, The poor pony came out the ring even more sader and loss of hair on its sides

i could of screamed at her. At all her friend andm mother who shud of known best were 'egging' her on :S what is wrong with the equestrian world ....?

 

[_OC_]

A farrier take a rasp and hit a horse hard on it's neck and quarters,this is while staying at a hotel with a riding school in the New Forest on a weeks holiday.......he was unaware that my friend and I had witness his disgusting behaviour towards the riding school horse he was shoeing! When we did come into his view with glareing looks he started patting the animal and talking calmly to it.........and all because the horse moved while he picked up some clenches from the back of his van! All I can say is thank god he was not my farrier!

 

[JadeWisc]

In person I have to say it was the cruel "kill pen" at a yearly horse sale I used to go to with my family as a child.

My mother never allowed me to go back there but I would sneak out of curiosity when she was not watching me.


It was horrific. People would bring horses intended for slaughter in various states of illness , neglect and attitude

They would all be thrown in together awaiting the "low end" part of the sales


Stallions would be fighting and horses would be limping...swaybacks....blind...what have you

The most striking thing I remember is the curled around hooves of some. I would cry so badly when I would see them.



That sale no longer happens and it was so long ago that I think it would be hard to see that on a mass scale with todays laws and regulations.

I know it still exists...just behing closed doors and not so much in the public eye

 

[Foxford]

Not horrific abuse, but there was a horse on my old yard who was ridden and jumped every day in side reins

I think they must have been fashionable at the time.

 

[mat]

[ QUOTE ]
A farrier take a rasp and hit a horse hard on it's neck and quarters,this is while staying at a hotel with a riding school in the New Forest on a weeks holiday.......he was unaware that my friend and I had witness his disgusting behaviour towards the riding school horse he was shoeing! When we did come into his view with glareing looks he started patting the animal and talking calmly to it.........and all because the horse moved while he picked up some clenches from the back of his van! All I can say is thank god he was not my farrier!

[/ QUOTE ]

My farrier.. or should I say ex farrier did this to my horse a few years back. I tiold him to leave, and didnt ask him back... he actually took a chunk out of my mares neck with the rasp he hit her so hard!

 

[snurse]

Don't know if it was worst thing, but very upsetting as in yard where I keep my horses. Owner of elderly horse, whom she undoubtedly loved, would not see that the time had come to let her go. Horse used to lie down in field, be unable to get up again. Only way was to get a tractor and lift her. No real pain, I think (I hope), but no dignity left. Made us all feel horrible, but the owner couldn't see it. This happened many times before the day the tractor wasn't there and the vet was called. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but we never saw the owner again.

 

[baleofhay]

My farrier drew his hammer right back and hit my horse full on in the side with it. Was so hard it made hole in her rug. Too shocked to say any thing at time but never called him again.

 

[carthorse]

You should have reported him to the farrier council.

 

[The Original Kao]

i've seen some pretty shocking things. 1 that really sticks out was a stud manager i worked with was trying to teach a stubborn TB 3 year old mare to lunge. she wasn't willing to go forward, he wasn't willing to try the slow, nice approach so basically started laying into her with the lunge whip.
i was also getting smacked in the process due to him going mad with it. i told him to calm down, let me take over, i got balled at and ordered to leave.
about 40 mins later he comes back with the mare dripping in sweat, shaking from head to toe, covered in cuts and welts, her right eye was closed shut due to being hit there and her tail where it meets the spine of the back was snapped, you could clearly see the break. she had gone right up in a rear and over, landing badly. (she was paralysed in her tail after that.)
i was handed the mare and told to walk her round to cool her off. she wouldn't let me touch her without jumping sideways 1st. i spent ages talking softly to her and then patching her up. i didn't work there for much longer after that. still sickens me now thinking about it. specially when our boss didn't seem to care how his animals were being treated.

 

[PapaFrita]

I witnessed someone at my old yard who was backing a youngster for someone else tie the horse's head sideways to its hind leg, then beat it again so it was spinning round in circles. This was because horse in question wouldn't bend in that direction.
I saw the same person throw the horse to the ground. Horse banged its eye badly and the next day the whole eye was blue. Still hasn't healed completely.
I didn't say anything on the first occasion or tell the owner of the horse what had happened on the second occasion. This isn't just because the owner of the horse happens to be a turd. That's not the horse's fault

 

[Seahorse]

I saw someone once tie a horses front leg up and lunge it for ages to 'teach it a lesson' because it had stopped showjumping earlier that day.

 

[lozxox]

at my old riding school i saw the owner of the yard a suposed showjumper, whos kind too his horses beat up one of the best horses on the yard, with a whip because he wouldnt lunge properly.
he just wouldnt stop then he let go nd the horse didnt lunge still so he hit it again ive stopped riding there now as i couldnt stand the abuse!

 

[Taboo1968]

I think the worst thing I ever saw was an old YM from years ago trying to load his youngstock onto a lorry in the field and one particular youngster was terrified of going on the lorry..... He laid into it, whipping it, kicking it etc etc, to the point that the poor thing was so exhausted it actually collapsed on the ramp - I thought he had killed it.... It loaded in the end by being reversed up the ramp.....

I hasten to add he was reported to the RSPCA for this as there were many other witnesses!

 

[yeeharider]

standing on the hill rolex 2007 watching Amy Tyrone riding Le Samurai there were 4 of us screaming for her to pull him up as he went lame turning the corner before the final fence we all watched in disgust as she rode him lame and jumped the final fence

 

[Tia]

I thought I'd seen awful things done to horses when I lived in England.....I was wrong......I moved to Canada......

Nothing you can ever imagine is worse in England so thank your lucky stars please.

 

[Tia]

[ QUOTE ]
My farrier drew his hammer right back and hit my horse full on in the side with it. Was so hard it made hole in her rug. Too shocked to say any thing at time but never called him again.

[/ QUOTE ]

I never do understand that mentality; very sorry but what is wrong with you people? Jesus christ there is absolutely no way in hell that I would allow someone to treat my horses like that ...... and no way would I watch quietly and say nothing. Blooming heck what chance have horses if their blooming owners haven't the guts to tell someone to stop abusing their own horses.....I do despair...perhaps I was wrong about British owners after all.

 

[MizElz]

my dad was a farrier - i say 'was' because as far as i know, he has jacked in everything now, including his family.....

but i can remember going on his rounds with him, and being sickened by what he would do to a 'naughty' horse. iv witnessed him twitching them with the lead rope, backing them into a corner and then kicking them with his steel toe caps, i've also seen him hit them in the stomach with his hammer. When i was about 8, my 30 year old pony (who was perfect in every way except she never liked her ears being touched at all) was refusing to have her head clipped out; my mum was going to leave her be, but no, my dad grabbed hold of her and punched her in the mouth, dislodging one tooth and making her bleed. perfect way to cure a headshy pony, im sure. there are many things i will never forgive him for, and all i can say is that even if he was still around, there's no way on earth he would be shoeing my horse, even if it did mean free shoes!

 

[Gonetofrance]

Other than the riding abuse, of which I have witnessed an unpleasant amount over the years, this picture below was one of the most apalling things I have seen. A temporary farrier decided this horse had feet in a poor condition, and shod him with this shoe.

It was later discovered that the ''farrier'' was not qualified, but had only a done an EP course. Which means it is illegal for him to nail a shoe to a horse's foot.

The pony was crippled after a day, getting steadily worse, the farrier wouldn't return to take the shoe off, so the pony suffered for over a week until another (legitimate and qualified) farrier could come out. Needless to say, the second farrier was horrified. The nails were through the sole.
Unfortunately, as this was in France, and the first farrier lived offshore, he could not be prosecuted under the WCF rules.
I think this is the worst thing I have seen done, because it was intentional, and not a reaction from fear, or frustration. It is a blatant disregard for a horse's welfare whilst pandering to his blinkered beliefs.
Phew......sorry, but I feel so strongly that less knowledgeable people are talked into such butchery.

Here's the photo.........

 

[suzyseymour]

We used to have little fun shows our the yard next door. There were only ever max of about 20 horses, usually a lot less. There was a man who used to ride his small chestnut tb mare. She was quite highly strug and he had a temp at the best of times. On one occassion he lost he temper with the horse as he finished his round and started battering her. As he got out the ring he carried on. Outside the ring was concreat and as he hit the mare she hit the floor, while she was on the floor he carried on hitting her. He was dragged off the horse and someone took the horse off him.

No sign of him at the next show, but the one after that the horse was back, with a new rider. Evidently he had the horse on loan and the owner was told and took the mare off him and gave her to a teenage girl. They were having a great time together and she obviously loved the mare.

 

[PapaFrita]

What can I say but shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!!

 

[MagicMelon]

Tia - I think us British owners are right up there with the most caring horse owners in the world. So dont tar us with a brush thinking we're not just because one of us didnt speak up at the time.

 

[MizElz]

there's a guy who lives locally who is ALWAYS advertising his services, for breaking, schooling, jumping, competing, training etc. (must be great if he has to resort to constant ads to boost his custom). someone i know used to have lessons with him, she has the sweetest, kindest most genuine little section D mare, who will jump pretty much anything, but who refused a great big piece of blue tarp that Gitface was using as a water jump. he got on her and whipped her: she refused again. so then he got some electric spurs (!) and jabbed her so hard that she reared straight up and went over backwards.
what gets me is that she was there on her own (as she was doing yard work for him at the time), and at only 13, was probably not old enough to put her foot down and tell him to F off and leave her horse alone....

 

[Vicki_Krystal]

ive seen a pony that reared deliberatly pulled over with lunge lines then beaten while it lay on the floor. it then got pulled up again beaten round the school some more then pulled over again. one of the staff then went and kicked it repeatedly in the head while it was laying tangled up in its lunge lines.
i was staff at the time and I was the one that got sacked!!
i got sacked because i reported it to the yard owner, who then decided that as this other member of staff had worked there for years i was lying!! as if.
little does this yo know what really happens to the horses left in this persons care

 

[Tryphena]

Many farriers like to uphold thier MANLY skills..P'haps they think it impresses the girls??..NOT!

 

[Puppy]

[ QUOTE ]
Many farriers like to uphold thier MANLY skills..P'haps they think it impresses the girls??..NOT!

[/ QUOTE ]

Mine certainly doesn't. He always treats my horses with respect. In fact, I would say he is the only person other than me and my mother who would be able to catch my grumpy mare - she loves him

I am very saddened by some of the stories in this thread. Why on earth do people like this keep horses....

 

[baleofhay]

The act was over and i had been friends with this man for many years there was nothing to be gained by a blazing row. I just saw to it he never went near my horse again. Thanks for taking the moral high ground !!!! Ever been in shock yourself!!!!