Meet Pearl, New Horse

[seedcorn]

The things people do to animals makes my blood boil. Why I HATE horse pulling events. Should be outlawed. Oh yes, stick the hot rod up the owners a@@ as well......

 

[Nyboy]

i don't understand cropping and docking. Why cut off a dogs tail. What is really sad is the AKC stand on this, if someone chooses not to mutilate their dog they can not be shown

 

[Ridgerunner]

Alex, I'd assume it has something to do with their original function, like dubbing a rooster. In cockfighting they cut off a roosters comb, wattles, and ears so the other rooster in the fight doesn't have something they can grab hold of and rip, causing a lot of bleeding. A rooster with a comb is at a big disadvantage in a cockfight. So the standards for showing Game roosters require dubbing although cockfighting is illegal. I wish they'd change that so you could tell if Game cocks are being bred for fighting or for show but it is tradition. If they are not used for fighting there is no benefit but it is such an ingrained requirement that even many Game breeders that breed for show instead of fighting don't want to change.

As we touched on in Bay's thread about Pearl, there are some things in animal husbandry that appear to be cruel and inhumane to people not familiar with them and their purpose but really are not. They benefit the animals and sometimes are what allows them to be kept together in the first place. I don't know enough about cropping or docking to know if there is a real benefit to that breed if they are used for the purpose they were first intended or not, usually hunting, so I don't have an informed opinion on those practices.

 

[digitS']

Tradition.

tradition.

Heritage.

.. just what heritage are we acknowledging? Celebrating?? Somethings, we just have to move beyooonndd ..!

Steve

 

[seedcorn]

On Brittany spaniels, it was the standard but pulling briars out of their tail would be mission impossible. Why I hated to hunt with dad’s English setter. Good dog but getting his tail clean......

 

[bobm]

These beautiful, gentle horses have been abused to make them lift their hooves up high. It is illegal now, but it is still done.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soring Look at the picture of the X-ray which shows mails in the thick pad for more weight. Think maybe it might be uncomfortable for the horse to wear those?

This is a good article and has lots of pictures that show what is done to the horses for the show ring.
https://www.avma.org/KB/Resources/Reference/AnimalWelfare/Documents/Soring-Bookiet-March-2014.pdf

I love Tennessee Walkers and have never had one that picked up their feet in such an exaggerated manner. The smooth gait is natural to the breed, the tucked down rump and super high step is not. Pretty to look at? Yes, until you know the real truth behind it.

Not just any horse is gaited, nor can you take a horse that is not gaited and teach them to be gaited. There are several breeds that are gaited, Tennessee Walkers, Missouri Foxtrotter, Rocky Mountain, Paso Fino, Saddle Horse and several others.

Years ago I owned a 15h purebred Arabian mare imported from Russia that had a natural Park gait ( not quite as high as "trained" horses but almost as high front end steping )
. She would Park while romping out in the pasture with her foal. A pure joy to just watch her.

 

[bobm]

When I used to raise hundreds of sheep... I owned McNab sheep dogs . One day , a car crashed through my pasture fence , then about 50 sheep ran out onto the road. I called my dog to get into the pick up and when he sat down while I spammed the door ... my dog let out a blood curling cry ... his tail got caught between the door and frame. He had to have it amputated. Also, while working sheep in corrals and chutes, the dog's tail often gets slammed in chute doors and gates. So later litters or purchases ... sans tails. Much better for the dogs as well as saving one's pocketbook on unexpected and unneeded Vet bills.

 

[baymule]

This evening when I fed Pearl, she really tried to get to her feed. I put up "talk to the hand" and she whammed her head on the ceiling again. She danced around, wanting to EAT and I put up my hand. When she finally stood for a brief moment, I gently pushed her chest, telling her Back, Back. She backed a few steps and for a mere moment, she stood still. I stepped aside and let her have her feed. I scratched her neck and shoulder.

I am teaching her to wait while I feed her. By making her back up, I am teaching her that I am in control. Even though it is for brief moments now, as she learns, the time will lengthen until she is calm and knows that she will get fed.

 

[henless]

Pearls going to make a nice looking horse Bay. Love her head! Some TWH's have such a looong face. Her's is pretty.

I like how you're teaching her to back up & wait for her feed. That is one thing I trained all my horses to do. Specially the one's that were/had been starved at one time. Some of them can get to be a real pain at feeding time. You can't blame them. In their mind, they never know when their next meal will show up, so they need to eat as much/as fast as they can. It's really sad.

Do you know if she's been broke to ride? She will sure make a pretty picture going down the trail next spring.

 

[baymule]

The man at the kill lot said she'd been rode a lot and not fed. Her coggins test was made out to a livestock auction in Missouri. So how he knew she had been ridden a lot....? Who knows? Sometimes there is very little information on a horse from a kill site. Sometimes there are registration papers and once in a while is a hand written letter, telling about the horse (and those are heart breaking because their horse is in a kill pen) and sometimes there are braided tails and manes with ribbons tied in them that speaks of a little girl somewhere that had to say goodbye.

I'm going to let her gain some weight before I saddle her up and ride her. I will take my time on that and not rush her.