Conference noted::equitation

    This topic file is probably going to become hot and heavy in the
    future, but it's a good note to air some concerns and find out what
    other people would do in a situation, and what might be considered
    right/wrong.
    
    The colt I listed in the for sale section is an absolute gorgeous
    2 yr old standardbred. I myself and not a standardbred fancier,
    but one look at him, I fell in love. Unfortunately I am not in the
    position to take on another horse right now, but If I have to I
    will take him until I can find a permanent home. The owner
    uses his animals for harness racing. If they can't run he won't
    leave them hanging around. Unfortunately he won't be bothered trying
    to find a buyer, instead his method is sending  a perfectly sound
    beautiful animal to the rendering plant. He thinks I am totally
    soft and out to save the world. I told him I'm not out to save the
    WORLD, but, no way on earth I'd let him take something like that
    to be destroyed.  I don't fly off the handle or think he is the
    most cruel person in the world, we are good friends, but I did tell
    him I lost a great deal of respect for him. I think he is heartless.
    What would others do in this situation. Would it be possible for
    you to turn and walk away?  I know that sometimes there is a need
    to destroy an animal, but this one??
    
    -Marianne-
    

    Marianne,
    
        To bad about what that guy does to those horses that don't run
        or aren't fast enough to make it.  Did he ever think of even
        trying to give them away.  It's better than having to destroy
        them.  A friend of mines boyfriend trains harness horses, and
        she told me thats what they try to do instead of destroying
        them.            
    
        Just thought I'd ask

    
    .3 He feels he can recoop a couple hundred dollars for his
    losses, I guess it just doesn't bother him, he doesn't really
    realize or care what he is doing.  I will be taking him myself
    if I cannot find a home for him by Friday. I'll just hold onto
    him until I can place him.
    
    -M-
    

I know it's tacky to reply to your own note but the current issue of EQUUS
has a story that breaks my heart and concerns abuse. 

There was a competative trail ride in (I think) Tennessee (sp) where the
sponser decided not to have vet checks on the 15 and 25 mile rides. The
trail ride assc. pulled their sponsership but the promoter went ahead
anyway. It was an exteremely hot day and they offered cash jackpots for the
winners. The long and short of it is that some 13 horses died that day, most
of them belonging to kids. 

The part that really got to me - the winner of the 25 miler was a young
teenage girl who's parents and family cheered and urged her on to gallop to
the finish line even though the closest 2nd was way behind. Her horse died
after the race. As you might expect in this situation everybody is now sueing
everybody else. The promoter is even trying to sue the trail ride assc. for
pulling their sponsership!!!! I hope they hang him. liesl

    I know there are varying degrees of abuse, but wouldn't something
    like this constitute a mild form of it?:
    
    I know someone who has 2 horses that she events.  One was bought
    last year specifically for doing training & prelim, the other one
    is a 6yo that in now doing training level.  The owner decided as
    of last year that the 6yo should stay in his stall all day so that
    he doesn't get hurt in the paddock, or tire himself out before she
    rides him.  The only time he is out is if she comes up to ride (and
    that is not always every day). The other one now stays in 1/2 days
    for no apparant reason and is ridden even less.
    
    The 6 yo is sometimes a little timid about jumping (I think he was 
    overfaced as a youngster) and always gets a little 'assistance' in 
    the form of spurs and whip when he so much as cocks an ear backward 
    when approaching a jump.  The owner has started riding with a 'top' 
    trainer who tells her that she should beat the s--- out of the horse 
    if he hesitates or seems to not want to jump.  (instead of going
    back to small fences and ground poles to help the horse build up
    confidence before moving on to the bigger ones).
    
    He was even so kind as to demonstrate what he wanted her to do (on 
    her horse).  Now when she schools the horse, for example, the other
    night, she rode for about 45 min. on flat work and set up a small 
    cross rail and proceeded to jump the horse over it back and forth no 
    less than 30 - 35 times.
    
    The horse was plainly tired & bored, and started to get lazy with
    the front feet (tapped the poles) so of course he got punished for
    that.  Then, when the owner finished riding, the horse was walked
    around for a couple of minutes, a sheet was put on him and he was
    put back in his stall.  When you see things like that it makes
    you feel sorry for the horse, at 6 yrs old, he's got a lot more years to
    face the same routine.

    This is inresponse to .6
    Someone should train her the same way and if she doesn't respond
    to those comands than she should have the S*** beat out of her.
    The same goes for the instructor.

    RE:.6
    
    Yes. I believe it is abuse. As usual, abuse occurs due to ignorance
    or insensitivity to the needs of the horse.
    
    I do not believe  for a minute that horses "just love" to show,
    event, go for 25/50/100 mile endurance rides, or whatever. The fact
    is they would prefer to just be horses and romp in the fields with
    their fellow horses. We humans have ensleved them for our purposes.
    In previous centuries our excuse was that we needed them for
    transportation, survival, food , etc. Now that we use them mainly
    for pleaure and sport we  owe to treat them with dignity and let
    them be horses as much as possible. To me that means providing an
    environment that as as natural as possible, and to show appreciation
    of what they do for us. 
    
    keeping a horse in a stall for hours on end with a one to two hour
    turnout is not my idea of natural and human treatment of a horse.
    Boring a horse with repetitive schooling and beating up on a horse
    is also to my mind not very horsemanlike.  Horses are not machines.
    
    Enough said. Had to get it out.
    
    bobk
     

    A definite sign of abuse.  Maybe we should have a file in here for
    "Bad Riding Instructors/Trainers" similar to "Bad Veterinarians"
    in one of the other note files?  It might save someone from getting
    themself or their horse in the wrong hands for lessons if warned
    in time.
    
    

	A followup on my note in .5 - the jackpot endurance ride in Tulsa.

	Bill McAnally, the organizer, and several competitors are being
	charged with cruelty to animals which is a felony in Oklahoma.
	This is a possible 5 year prison sentence. There are also several
	persons connected to the ride that are being charged with illegal
	gambling for organizing a 'Calcutta' (I don't know what that is)
	on the race. 

	In retrun McAnally has charged the editor of EQUUS with defamation
	and the AERC with breach of contract for pulling their sanction of
	the race. Seven horses died during the ride and several more died
	later. liesl

	I don't know which file has info on "bad vets", but do you
	really think that's a good idea? I have some reservations
	about really going into detail here. Even if they're the
	worst instructor (or vet) in the world, maybe we should
	ask for recommendations, instead, then get in touch with
	whomever said "I don't recommend that person" to find out
	details.

	I'm not sure that really going after someone in a notes file
	is the best way to do things. It seems that if the person
	"maligned", whether the info is true or not, were to find
	out, DEC could get into a great deal of trouble and so could
	the person who wrote down the information for all to see.

	Anyone know more about this? Moderators?

	-julie