Money, and a $.99 ribbon. Winning is the name of the game. Funny tho, there's the people who do the soring, then there's the people who know who does soring and do nothing.
WOW! Niave are we probie? Money makes the world go round. Boarding, training, shows and sales... Really! Average commission on sale is 15%.... calculate that on $150K. Also don't forget about the BLUES!
Cruelty exists everywhere in the horse world. All disciplines/all breeds. It's human nature at it's most base level. Early on in a new farrier's career, the need for any and all income will cause a "looking the other way" concerning the less than ethical behavior that abounds in our industry. After one becomes more secure financially then it's much easier to be more ethical. Back in the '70s, I shod more than a few "big lick" horse that were shown at the Celebration, no world champions though. I did no pressure shoeing and no intentional infliction of pain but I did see evidence of scaulding by chemical agents. With a wife and 2 small boys to support, I was trapped in an unpleasant situation. There was an epiphany moment when I decided my conscience was more important than my livelyhood. I no longer work for any assholes who treat horses in a cruel fashion in any breed.
There are two farriers in the start of that video. Someone must know who those two scum bags are. They should be Named & shamed with in the horse & farrier industry . There is no place in the horse & farrier industry for cruel inhuman dog $hit like them.
The farrier was busted. It is in the Jurga blog quoted. Mr Perry - I think Karen was right. The people funding the whole horse mess are not the boarding, training and show people. It is the owners and they are not making a livng from doing it. Lordy the whole world knows they do it for bragging rights of all "da blues" and the loyal swarming suck ups that pursue the contents of their pants.
Most show owners are hands OFF. Most trainers are somewhat hands own. As a statement of reality: "horses are commodities".
WHat is needed is to acknowledge that it is only the gaited horse that works with a high front leg action when the front legs are sored. ANd that gawd awful crawl only comes from stacking a horse as if it was on a never ending climb up a hill or soring their front legs to force them to squat in their hind legs. Both of these are cruel. I think the only solution to this soring mess is to ban ALL "action" devices on the gaited horse. WIthout these devices, there is not a horse alive that will squat like that unless it is sored. And specially not a 2 or 3 year old just under saddle. No need to ban action devices on trotting horses - cause a horse will not trot higher when the fronts are sored.
Rant to ur congressman or woman. Shoeing of Walking horses is federally regulated. So each persons in the video should have federal charges brought against them......
Federal shmederal, I don't think it's a priority with the feds. Is all soring actually noticeable by farriers or drs. that are looking for it? What if a show horse got permanently banned from the asso. and showing if caught sored. Wouldn't the owners have a shit fit and crack down on it? I mean there's no bragging rights when you can't show your horse-ever again. I think it would be an alternative way of shutting down a trainer if he was getting owner's expensive horses banned due to soring. Maybe much better than trainers pleading guilty to a lesser charge. This alternative would surely hit their pocket fast.
Aside from the barbaric cruelty, I really don't understand why it's even considered to be an attractive or desired look. It looks absolutely bloody awful ! Its obvious to a blind man that to force such an unnatural gait that something VERY unnatural has happened. The shoeing protocol with weighting alone is in my opinion a sickening abomination!
George, Yes, I'm talking about the plantation owner with slaves needing to breed a horse with comfy gaits to ride all day . It is a part of American and gaited horse history. Not to be taken pride in. It is what it is, shamefully so. This is not the gaits that you see at the shows with the pads and cruelty. A walking horse gait is a natural ability that gives a very smooth ride. That's what people like. It was never bred for that grotesque thing you see at padded shows. Padding and hitting a lick is just a sick -man made- disgusting way of competing that is funded by money money money, and winning at any cost. Nothing prideful in what it's become and what the roots were.
Karen so was handing out blankets infected with small pox to native Americans. Do you celebrate that part of your history?Do you have infected blanket handing out shows. Of course you don't. So why is an exception being made in this case to glorify sickening cruel inhumane practises. Why?; simply because that took place in American history. I don't Know who I'm more disgusted by. The scum inflicting it or the Americans choosing not to out law such cruel sick inhumane practices .
George, I was trying to explain why gaited horses were created. Not taking pride in landowners owning slaves. Yes, slaves are part of our history, not to be forgotten, and certainly NOT to be proud of . I don't recall saying that I was proud of it. Please show me where I said I was proud of the fact that we had slaves way back when. Jack, Cruelty to Native Americans is NOT celebrated by me or anyone else. But it is history and not forgotten. I am in no way glorifying sickening cruel inhumane practices. There is NO exception made. This crab crawling leg flapping ugly thing those walkers do was NOT created way back in history-a natural gait was. It's disgusting what people do -making a beautiful natural gait into a grotesque inhumane sickening crab walk, and have people brain washed into thinking that Tennessee Walkers do THAT because they are born that way. I am proud that gaited horses were created in America -a breed created using Standardbred pacers, and trotting horses. But that "big lick" thing is an unnaturally created thing that really should not even be associated with the true naturally gaited horse. Here's what a Tennessee walking horse really does: View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R202krkCxz0
Actually, the practice of soring is, under federal law and some state's law, illegal. Enforcing the law OTOH, has been problematic. http://www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_welfare/hp/index.shtml http://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_welfare/content/printable_version/faq_rev_horsep.pdf http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/tenn_walking_horses/facts/horse_protection_act.html
I may be wrong, but I think the purpose of this thread is to get farriers and their associations involved in doing something about this. I am sure there is not a farrier association around that would condone the stacks of pads and chains used in the clip. So why do they not throw their hat in the ring and petition the TWH breeders and trainers associations to stop this abuse????? You and I both know the stacks and the chemicals produce the same horrendous gait and the so called association could not differentiate between the product of McConnell's horrendous practices and the others so called "sound" training practives. This guy and his horses were all recent GRAND CHAMPIONS. Disgusting!
You beat me to it my sentiments exactly & throw the farrier schools in for good measure. And here is the first to be listed. J. A Low life & sadistic Scum bag. I got a $5,000 fine once . It cost me over $8,000 in legal fees to be represented. I was band from entering any race track or land owned by a race club in Australia or Aust territory for 36 months & would be imprisoned for 2 years if I step on one . My plating licence cancelled with a restriction of 36 months placed on it before I could apply again, with no guarantee it would be re issued & I was told by the racing club board I got of light. All Just for punching a steward & causing the race to be delayed & that F-in a$$ started it by flicking my ear with his fields guide. Don't tell me this nasty $hit can't be cleaned up by your farriers associations if you really wanted it to be.
