Dr Deb Bennett does give credit to the rise of mechanical devices to the loss of real horseman when the world mechanized. I thought it was very much an American thing to weight the foot for "effect." I know heads are often cranked in carriage and undersaddle for the same purpose. But do the weights of the shoes and height of pads get as out of hand across the pond as here??? And tell us more of the gaited horses there. The only ones that come to my mind are Iceys and the Standard Breds (I hear you have a few) What others are there. Oh and yes it is the gaited horse that suffers the atrocities the most. SPecially the gaited breeds that do not value the trot. ANd I think the trot is the only thing that spared the AMerican Saddlebred a worse fate in horsemanship.
Here are a couple of very interesting reads on the TWH matter from a reporter in Tennessee: http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/5/...k-Needs-Stewarding.aspx#.T7l2i6uzTwY.facebook http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/5/24/226819/Roy-Exum-Guess-Who-Judges-Horses.aspx
Hmmm...as far as I understand, the most mechanical devices in horsemanship were employed in academic, "pleasure" riding around the 16th century. I do not think anyone can beat Frederico Grisone in cruel inventions and methods to subdue a horse. You really don't want to know. Later on with Pluvinel and around 1700 with Gueriniere, academic riding took a more horsefriendly turn and shortly thereafter the horse and its arts were gradually abandoned. Gaited horses in those times were not enjoying the treatment of "pleasure" riding indoors so they were largely saved from many a chain, a sharp spike and a beating for pleasure. As for the weight of shoes and height of pads, it is not extreme around Europe and as far as I know never was. Mainly because gaited horses are very much about their speed at a gait around here, awkward packages would not work very well.
As for the local gaited horses, there are a few gaited ponies in Greece, I'd say four different types, which I wouldn't call breeds because of lack of studbooks or any methodology in their reproduction. People into gaited horses here like to talk about 5 or 6 or more different breeds, but I think this is silly. Despite their ridiculously small size they are very hardy and can easily carry an adult on a steep rocky mountain all day long, and the two lighter types are very fast, 30 mph at a smooth gait not being uncommon. This is the type from Creta View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eaWZ_r0jM8 This is the type from Peloponese View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYwFgoM29XE&feature=related And this is from Thessaly View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4mRSqGTLLTM
Some time ago I was bitching at these guys for using their horses like motorcycles to have fun around the village and race them in local shows. I was trying to explain to them that they need to improve their seat and their horsemanship and define and develop those gaits in judged pleasure classes. Everytime I was telling them the pictures of big licks came to mind. I am not telling them nothing anymore. I let them horses and people have their underdeveloped but pure fun.
Those were great to watch! . Neat to know amblers are everywhere. ANd people ride them pretty much the same everywhere. Those clips could have come from here for sure. Oh! I particularly loved the slower horse bringing up the rear in the first video. That is more my speed. Have you seen any of the single footers from here? There are many - but I will share one. Homer. RIder sits him crooked in this clip - but the speed of those 4 beating feet are incredible. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM0VtEB8MK4 Thanks for sharing those! Rack On!
Reading content in context, you made a statement of your opinion in a Farrier's forum. If you think this is a bit rough, you'd have been raked around a bit more if you were actually a Farrier and had made a statement like that.
The ole salt wipes his furrowed brow and squints his glaring eye to scan the horizon as he dips his cup in the smelly bloody broth. Aye, Aye Yes bring on the saw toothed heartless beast of the deep...
********************************************************************************************* Bill Adams said: ↑ I've noticed that too Gary, but I guess we're both wrong as a non-Farrier horse owner here , who doesn't enter Farrier discussions, says they're high strung.Karen said:No, I am most likely the one that's wrong because my thoughts are second hand, not hands-on experience like you and Gary have. Kf Bill this is a general discussion basically about animal cruelty. I don't think that animal cruelty and why -is a subject anyone should be barred from.kf ***********************************************************************************************Karen said: Raked around about what? I did agree that Gary and your own experience was first hand and mine was not. A TWH barn owner who has been involved in the walking horse world long ago talked once about how they got the horses excited before they went into the ring. But, again, it's 2nd hand information. Bill, if you have a problem with members posting in a thread about something cruel and why, can you move your comments about such to a new thread? This is off topic and I don't want to take away from the seriousness of this subject.
You could be four years old and know this is wrong. As to where he chose to speak he truth, that's like telling someone they're "not catholic enough" to know how to treat alter boys.
What passes for horsemen over here would make their forebears puke. It's just a big spending/popularity contest anymore. Hardly anyone gives a shit about he horse. They spend all their money on flash, then claim to be broke when it's time to shoe, worm, or vaccinate. Sent from my SGH-T679 using Tapatalk 2
More from Roy Exum, opinion writer for a Tennessee paper: http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/5/23/226751/Roy-Exum-Two-Horse-Owners-Write.aspx Are you all sick of it yet???
A lady on CHronicle Of the Horse message board posted this email from Ford Motor COmpany - their Tennessee dealers were sponsoring the TWH - folks were campaigning to get Ford to stop as Pepsi did - and after a mountain of mail - Ford put them kabash on the sponsorship of this mess - here is the letter she got: I finally received a reply from Ford as follows: Good Morning Mrs. Freese, My name is Terry-Lynn and I’m with the Ford Customer Relationship Center and your request has been forwarded for my review and handling and I would like to thank-you for writing to Ford regarding the Tennessee Horse National Celebration. Ford Motor Company is not a sponsor of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration. One of our dealer groups provided local support in the past, but neither Ford nor our dealers are sponsoring the 2012 event. I hope this helps and have a great day! Sincerely, Terry-Lynn Ford E-mail Escalation Specialist Customer Relationship Center Ford Motor CompanyAll I got to say is Um boom ba bay!!! Pressure works! View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWdLt3Afjrg
All horses have 4 gaits: walk, trot, canter and gallop. Some breeds have an additional 5th gait - often known as a running walk, fox trot, amble, tolt, or rack. Sometimes this gait is instead of a trot. Breeds that are known as "gaited breeds" include Paso Fino, Icelandic, Tennessee Walking, Missouri Fox Trotter, racking horse. I'm sure if you google some of the breeds I've posted about you will find information on their particular "gait" and the footfall sequence and description of the gait. The icelandic horse is really the only one I know much about and they have 2 additional gaits known as the tolt and the pace. The tolt is a 4 beat lateral gait with the footfall the same as walk but there's always at least 1 foot on the ground - in walk there's always 3 on the ground. The pace is a 2 beat lateral racing gait, and the horse moves its legs in pairs so the near hind and the near fore hit the ground together and with a moment of suspension so its also known as a "flying pace". I've not seen them with weird weighted shoeing or excessively long toes though.... ever!
I another breed event, I saw a judge award Grand Champion to a contender that she was already in contract to purchase as a stud. Blatent, but it went uncontested (not a good thing to get a judge mad). Just another reason to look the other way.
http://www.chattanoogan.com/2012/5/27/227077/Roy-Exum-And-Now-The-Real-Big-Lick.aspx This gets to the heart of the problem and the source of the cure. THE problem is this: Other than soring the TWH, using stacks of pads and chains is the ONLY way for these creeps to get the crawl the so love their horses to do. THE bigger problem is COngress back forty years ago, in an effort to stop this chemical and mechanical soring of the horses mad it LEGAL to stack em high and put chains on their feet. They felt they had to give into something for these people to get their way or they would continue to chemically and mechanically sore them to get the crawl. So, till it is made illegal, yes ILLEGAL to stack a horse high with pads and slap on a chain and ride them in an arena - it will continue. Therefore there can be no compromise IF we want to stop this crap. ANd since it is only by farriery that this crawl legally happens - well who the heck do you think is the profession that needs to speak up about it????????? People (lay people and professionals as well as the HSUS) are pushing for changes in law. ANd if you do not get inthe conversation - the resulting law may affect you in your work in a way it was not intended. You will ave no one to blame but yourselves for not addressing this issue as any other profession would. I am just amazed that no farrier assiciation is stepping up - well except the down south creep's school who shows people how to do this crap.
Travis,you have to be a catholic to know how to treat an alterboy,or they are treated just like any boy~
I just love the fact that the horse is on turn out for 3 1/2 months then with no conditioning, brought in, shod up and put to work. Couple that with no leg protection, a straight shank bit with shanks probably 7" long and you call it, "Training". And lets not even factor in the frame he goes in or the obscene way he is forced to use his hind end. Did I mention those pad stacks which cause him to have a broken HPA, or the slug of lead in the middle of the bottom of the pad stack. Not to mention the addition of a six ounce 'action device' aka "chain" that will bounce up and down on and against the pastern and coronary band? And for what? Money , ribbons and an ego boost, that 'for what'.
