Conference noted::equitation

    It is not terrible to give a horse medication to make it comfortable 
    enough to enjoy life, not at all. Does a horse needs to be
    ridden to enjoy life? I'd bet the vast majority of them really dont
    care whether they are ridden or not, and would enjoy life just as much
    hanging around the field, or as broodmares (in the case of females
    obviously), or possibly driving a light cart. If giving it bute makes
    it so the horse can hang around a field comfortably when it otherwise
    could not, by all means there is nothing wrong with medicating it. But 
    whose best interest is it in for the horse to be in the condition of
    being able to painlessly carry weight? The horses'? I'd take a guess
    that the only reason a horse gets ridden at all is for the pleasure
    of it's owner. My opinion of this whole situation is, of course, based
    on the understanding that being ridden is the only situation that
    the particular horse requires the bute for. If he requires it to
    SURVIVE painlessly, I'm all for it.                

I hate joining in these back and forth discussions but....

I am the owner of an older horse (20+).  This horse is ridden (almost) daily, 
competed at low levels, does extensive trail riding and generally is worked.  He
was not being worked when I got him.  According to everyone who sees him 
(including his vet) he is a much happier animal being worked.  He is brighter,
more alert, fitter, in general - happier.  If he had continued in his routine
of being turned out and not doing anything, there is a general consensus that he
would no longer be on this earth.

So, even understanding that this may be a unique case, I am very much of the
opinion that horses are happier being worked.

    I too think horses are happier when being worked. Ours have been off
    for a couple months(due to lack of daylight). I took the saddle down to
    the house last week and Charity went CRAZY when she saw it! I took her
    out a few weeks ago on a weekend and her attitude was all "Come, John!
    Let's go! What are we waiting for?"
    
    She LOVES to work and she doesn't care whether it's trails for
    conditioning, schooling dressage, cavaletti work or jumping. I'd say
    her favorite work though is galloping cross-country with the odd log to
    jump.

    
    We have horses out here that evidently ENJOY going for a ride. 
    
    For example, last Saturday we hooked up 2 trailers and started loading
    horses.  The horses were banging on gates, hollering, and carrying on
    because they saw us get the trailers out.  The ones who got to go drug
    us into the trailers.  And the ones that were left continued to cause
    a fuss.  
    
    Actually, this scenario happens 95% of the time when we get the trailers 
    out.  One of the horses that fusses the most does need Bute occasionally.
    (In fact, she was going to be destroyed because she needed Bute.  It
    would have been too bad to have destroyed her when she enjoys going for
    rides so much.)
    

           The last few replies beat me to the punch.  I know that
    our TB loves for my wife to work him.  His whole attitude seems
    to change.  He is eager and very willing when she is on him.  I
    mean, it is hard to explain, but you can tell that he is enjoying
    it.  I guess to me it seems like the use of bute gets blown way
    out of proportion by many people, IMHO.
            I'm talking about pleasure riding here and not competition,
    like say, on the race track.  That's another story......there is 
    stuff that goes on there that many people would not believe.

	I couldn't resist!  I've encountered horses who'd rather be left
   alone all the time... they just are not interested in being handled, worked,
   or shown (perhaps they find it traumatic).  I've also encountered horses
   who love to be handled and ridden, and who love to show off.  It really
   depends on the critter...  

					-Caroline

P.S.  Wish my guy would drag me into the trailer!  (instead of it being
	the other-way-around!  He'd rather hack to an outing than take a
	trailer ride...)


   

    Il'l throw all my thoughts regarding the "meaning of life" notes
    (1594, 1595) in one place.

1.  Bad training is bad training is bad training.

2.  That is why I entered note 471.19.  Your all just kidding yourselves
    if you think the same things don't happen with any other kind
    of professional horse training.  Read previous point #1 again.

3.  Enough of you already brought up arthritis in humans so I don't
    have to.

4.  As the intro pointed out this note will only become a place
    for some people to blow off steam.  Its pointless to take
    any stand regarding bute/no bute - work/no work.  I don't think
    any position re: an animals right to retirement can truely be defended
    in any way except that persons emotional attachment to a given
    horse or horses in general.

5.  I'm bored with this already.

Think about how equines have evolved. They are meant to run, eat, and socialize.
Some horses can run, eat, and socialize out to pasture with others. Other
horses, those not out to pasture in some sense, run, eat, and socilaize by
excercising under saddle, eating (a couple meals a day), hanging out with
horses and people in the cross-ties being groomed & played with.

I think as long as they have an outlet to do what nature intended, in some form,
then they are probably happy. 


	JoAnne_the_amateur_horse_psychologist_;-)