when 'freestyle' is taken a bit too literally!

Wow the boat is pretty OTT!

At first I didn't like it and thought how ridiculous (especially as the horses often look to be about 2yo), but then I read what the point of the event is and thought well heck, what sweet little horses.
 
Found some of the video uncomfortable to watch :( When you watch dog agility they usually look excited, their tales wag and handlers struggle to keep up with some of them. IMO some of the horses looked unhappy, no life in their eyes and a few looked a little hesitant and nervous.

I'm sure it's harmless but it's not for me.
 
Angelbones said:
Golly there is so much about that which I really don't like and doesn't sit comfortably with me, sorry. :eek:
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don't apologise, I'm not convinced about it all at all hence posting but didn't want to influence the responses :). I was expecting more 'working yearlings :eek:' and no safety gear responses tbh!
 
At the end of the day though, it's nice to see kids so enthusiastic and putting all that work into something. The horses are clearly well cared for and loved, which I personally think counts for a lot!

I did have an eeeeeeek moment with the girl with no shoes on running next to pony! That made me cringe :o
 
Tiffany said:
Found some of the video uncomfortable to watch :( When you watch dog agility they usually look excited, their tales wag and handlers struggle to keep up with some of them. IMO some of the horses looked unhappy, no life in their eyes and a few looked a little hesitant and nervous.

I'm sure it's harmless but it's not for me.
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Oops - should say their tails wag
 
Tiffany said:
Found some of the video uncomfortable to watch :( When you watch dog agility they usually look excited, their tales wag and handlers struggle to keep up with some of them. IMO some of the horses looked unhappy, no life in their eyes and a few looked a little hesitant and nervous.

I'm sure it's harmless but it's not for me.
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^^^^this, definitely.
 
What I don't understand about it is that it isn't really a judge of skill on the horse or riders behalf, it just seems to be about showcasing how much crap your horse can and will tolerate.

I don't think that it should be a competition as I fail to see any horse handling or managing skills present, like I said it just seems to be about how much ridiculous stuff you can do with or to your horse which to me, isn't impressive.
 
Angelbones said:
Golly there is so much about that which I really don't like and doesn't sit comfortably with me, sorry. :eek:
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I didn't like most of it. I found it a bit degrading to the horses, personally. I'd rather see a horse being worked properly and sensitively towards being ridden at that age, than made to get on seesaws and little trucks. Ugly, that was.
 
Elsiecat said:
At the end of the day though, it's nice to see kids so enthusiastic and putting all that work into something. The horses are clearly well cared for and loved, which I personally think counts for a lot!

I did have an eeeeeeek moment with the girl with no shoes on running next to pony! That made me cringe :o
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Yes I agree with all of that. At the end of the day it demonstrates what is possible with these mustangs.
 
There aren't many things that wind me up (ok, that's a lie, but I don't usually post on them) but it really bothers me when people think that getting your horse to jump in hand, or stand on podiums, or pick things up is any more degrading than dressage or showjumping. It's all asking the horse to do something we want it to do (admittedly I have seen my horse do a fine passage in the field, but I have also seen him climb on his podium out there too). What that video says to me is those miss have spent a huge amount of time and patience on those horses, something many horses sadly miss out on. I find it far more degrading that many (not saying all or even most) people run up to the yard, throw tack on their horse and go straight to riding it in circles without a thought of its mental stimulation, then throw it back in the stable.
 
I think some people are missing the point of this event -

They are mustang yearlings born wild and taken off the range just three months before the competition.

The majority of mustangs rounded up go for slaughter, much like our hill ponies, and the aim of this organisation is to put across to the public just how trainable these horses can be, in the hope that they will end up in good homes and not a dog food tin.

If that means pairing them up with a keen kid and trotting them over a teeter totter then good on them, the alternative is far worse.
 
KatPT said:
There aren't many things that wind me up (ok, that's a lie, but I don't usually post on them) but it really bothers me when people think that getting your horse to jump in hand, or stand on podiums, or pick things up is any more degrading than dressage or showjumping. It's all asking the horse to do something we want it to do (admittedly I have seen my horse do a fine passage in the field, but I have also seen him climb on his podium out there too). What that video says to me is those miss have spent a huge amount of time and patience on those horses, something many horses sadly miss out on. I find it far more degrading that many (not saying all or even most) people run up to the yard, throw tack on their horse and go straight to riding it in circles without a thought of its mental stimulation, then throw it back in the stable.
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I totally agree with this!! It is desensitizing the young horses to things that would make many sporthorses freak out!! Do you expect young people to have Olympic standards in horsemanship? I would be surprised if many of you would be able to ask your horses to do what these young ponies are doing!! One other thing I would have desensitized my pony to would have been plastic bags!!
 
I really didn't think the horses look happy, when my guys Showjump they have there ears pricked and in dressage they are pricked or flitting back and forward to listen but in this the horses look 'dead behind the eyes' but they look the same when doing the Pirelli (sp) stuff too so maybe it's normal when training your horse to do bizarre things. It's still amazing what they do with the horses on the vid tho wow :)
 
neep said:
I really didn't think the horses look happy, when my guys Showjump they have there ears pricked and in dressage they are pricked or flitting back and forward to listen but in this the horses look 'dead behind the eyes' but they look the same when doing the Pirelli (sp) stuff too so maybe it's normal when training your horse to do bizarre things. It's still amazing what they do with the horses on the vid tho wow :)
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My mare is a sensitive type and has expressive ears. Does that mean I should leave her in the field with her ears (mostly) forward? She is also so chilled out she may look dead behind the eyes but actually she is just chilled out and happy. A much happier horse when when I bought her.

I think when the alternative is being dog food, there is nothing wrong with this caper. I thought mostly it showed a lovely bond with their horses. I agree with Kat, its no more "degrading" than anything else horses do.
 
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