To Help or Not To Help

I have a truck. I drive it from A to B. I love my truck and try to care for it properly. However, I do not know much about care beyond putting in gas, checking oil and tire pressure, and which noises mean get it to the mechanic ASAP. I'd say my knowledge of cars is about the average horse owner's knowledge of horses. In general, they can accomplish basic care, but on occasion, they may miss something very big and important. When someone tells me something about my truck, I am always receptive and grateful. After all, I love my truck, and I can't afford a new one. Why then, are so many horse owners less than receptive to advice regarding their big furry pets?

A friend of mine relayed a story that illustrates my point. She was out at the barn on a windy, chilly day. Walking past one of the saddling areas, she noticed a horse secured in the crossties by the bit. She felt obligated to let the owner know the potential damage that could be done to her horse, and, rather than being thanked, was given a less than polite response to the effect of, "mind your own business".

This owner may or may not have known the risks she was taking. Should her horse move and feel the pressure from the crossties on his bit, he could flip over, break his bridle or jaw, or even sever his tongue. Maybe these risks to her horse were worth it, but did she think of the risk to others? What if he did break the crossties and go bolting across the property? What if he spooked a young horse in the nearby arena? What if his panic caused another horse to run through a fence and get injured?

In my training to be a riding instructor, we discussed liability issues at length. In Washington state, horseback riding is considered an inherent risk activity. By engaging in activities on or around horses, you are acknowledging the fact that horses are big dangerous animals and that you could be hurt by one through no fault of anyone. However, if someone is negligent, they are no longer protected by inherent risk.  The gal teaching the class explained negligent behavior  like this, if you can foresee a problem and you choose to continue the same course of action, you have accepted liability for your actions. So, the question is, was my friend out of line to say something? In my opinion, she would have been negligent not to. Even though it was not well received, she did the right thing.

Around the barn, we often receive unsolicited advice. Some is helpful, but most of it is somebody's personal opinion and may or may not even apply to the situation at hand. So, when to help and when not? I try not to butt in with my two cents unless it would be negligent not to. This means many times, I leave the area cringing and biting my tongue. Sometimes, I'll ask the person if they'd like a tip from my experience. Coming from this angle lets the person decide whether or not they have to hear my opinion, and, oftentimes, it makes it easier for them to receive what I have to say. Seriously, nobody wants to feel like they have been doing the wrong thing with their horse. Just like a parent doesn't want unsolicited advice on how to raise their child.

On the flip side, I always say yes when somebody asks if they can give me a tip. After all, their experience is different than mine. What if they hold the key to the problem I have been struggling with? Yes, it's hard for my ego; I don't like to feel as if I don't know everything, but it's ridiculous to act as though I do. Also yes, often the advice is completely useless to me; either I've already tried it, it doesn't actually apply to my problem, or I've chosen not to employ that method for any number of reasons, but this knowledge is still useful to have. I'll put it in my toolbox for a different situation, thank the person, and move on. Next time you feel your defenses coming up, remember, we're all just fumbling along in this pursuit together.

It's about time...

Before we get started, just wanted to say "Hey There" to all eight of my followers! Thanks for sticking with me through my sporadic spells of inspiration. I'll hit my rhythm one of  these days ;)

Recently, the TWH world has been in the spotlight. If you read my blog because you like me and not horses (Hi, Mom?), the short version is that there's a very popular type of show horse called the "Big Lick" Tennessee Walker , and the only way to get them to do what they do is by torturing and eventually crippling them.  See the ABC video and article for more info.

Here is A LOT of footage of the Big Lick walkers in action. Don't they kinda look like aliens? Two of the reasons people are outraged by the practices of Big Lick trainers are action devices and soring. Because of all the "civilian" attention this case is getting, I think it's about time we revisit a discipline that has been called out for completely unhealthy fads in the show ring, but has still not cleaned up its act. Western Pleasure has allowed ridiculous training and fads to win in the show ring, and while the style may change, the ribbons still encourage others to follow whatever is the winning style. Why would anyone going for a ride out in the pastures want their horse cantering with such a hook in his body that it's more of a crabwalk? Or is showing such a popular activity now that people breed show horses that need not even resemble what would actually be put to use in the real world? So, we are going to look at the similarities between Big Lick and Western Pleasure. Maybe people will get mad about this too!

Let's do a little comparison between these two and see what we can see

Big Lick has Soring. Trainers cover the lower leg with caustic chemicals, like deisel, and then they wrap the legs with saran wrap to make sure the chemicals get the skin good and tender. Then they put chains on the tenderized skin, which will repeatedly smack them as they move and, therefore, "encourage" their flashy gait. They also use huge platform shoes called stacks. These are extremely heavy and can warp the foot. Check out this post from a farrier about stacks on FuglyBlog if you'd like more information.

This video shows a few of the Western Pleasure problems that compare to soring. One is the "yank incessantly on the mouth while spurring" training method. This video got nearly unbearable at the two and a half minute mark. My goodness! While she's not necessarily pulling hard, it's almost incessant. That type of continuous nagging with the bit can do permanent damage to the tongue, not to mention make the whole mouth very sore. This gal seems to be fairly quiet with her spurs, but she's trying to get you to buy her how-to video. Maybe she's saving some of the really good tips for people who will shell out the cash? Some other methods to encourage the WP gaits are huge bits, draw reins, martingales, and hock hobbles. While these methods seem a little more humane than the TWH folks, many of these methods cause lasting damage to the horse and most do not remain sound.  

Hmm.. both disciplines drastically change their horse's gait in a way that actually causes harm??

Moving on...

This is a winning TWH Tail

This high tail set is sometimes achieved by "nicking" the tail, which is the nice name for slicing a tendon on the underside of the tail so that it can be held higher and look better(?!) in the show ring. They also strap them into these tail set contraptions to help the tail look more awesome. 

Sidenote: I have no experience with the above horse, and have no idea if that tail was nicked.. or set... or won anything for that matter.

Doesn't that look comfy for them to curl up in their stall with? 

This is a winning WP tail

Because stock horses have big ol' booties, fake tails have become very popular to hide the fact that many stock horses grow pathetically thin tails, and thus they balance the appearance of the horse. Why this matters, who knows? Fashion is an unruly beast! But the next tail shocker is the fact that it is fairly common for pleasure horses to have their tails blocked. The tail is injected with a chemical to temporarily "partially" paralyze it.  I've heard one reason for doing this was to stop the horse from carrying their tail away from their body. Apparently using their whole spine to move is out of fashion this year. Another added bonus is that these horses lose their ability to swish their tail when they are spurred by their rider.  This fad is not without censequence, if the injection site gets infected or the horse has a bad reaction for any number of reasons, they could die. More commonly, the effects may not wear off, the horse may lose hair at the head of the tail, or it may develop a kink in the dock.  Here is a photo of the aftermath of tail blocking gone wrong. 

I bet that cost more than it was worth....

Looks like both of these disciplines are willing to go to extreme measures to "improve" their horses' appearance. 

Here is a video of a class of 4 year olds at the Celebration last year. I think the canter is the most awkward one, but they all look like a strain on the horse.  The structures of the leg were not designed for the additional work of squatting down behind and carrying bricks on their feet in front like these horses are. 

Here is a video from a class at the 2011 AQHYA World Show. In my opinion, these horses don't look much more comfortable than the walkers. The main horse in this video looks like her booty hurts to me. 

As we've just seen, both of these disciplines promote gaits that are unnatural and affect the horses' long term soundness. 

While I know there is always a range of people involved in every discipline, nobody can deny that Big Lick and Western Pleasure have earned every bit of their terrible reputations. There is a major difference between these two disciplines that I should mention. While I feel there are people who actually care about horses in the WP industry, no horse loving person could ever do what the Big Lick weirdos do to theirs. Let's raise awareness people! Education is power and all that. 

Somebody, please explain...

... why in the heck you need would ever need to put this on a horse's head?!

This device is called a Horsewyse Hackamore. The patent for this contraption is held by Patrick Wyse. Although, it is not mentioned or pictured anywhere on his website. It's actually pretty difficult to find anything further about. I wonder if they maybe.. I dunno... caused horses to flip over and kill people? The combination of extreme leverage from the hackamore and a tie down spells T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Pet Peeve: Mouthy Horses

It's time for another installment of pet peeves! On the agenda to discuss today is mouthy horses. Horses are curious critters, and, lacking hands, they use their prehensile lips for checking things out. Youngsters usually learn not to put their mouth on things during "work time" in the course of their early trianing, as it can lead to a lot of trouble in the future. Horses who grow accustomed to putting their mouth on things (including chewing, lipping, touching, etc) can grab the shank of a bit and flip themself over, pull down something and spook themself, damage other people's equipment and the list goes on and on.

So, what's the deal with owners who let their horses put their mouth on anything and everything they encounter? Often times, when asked about their horse's behavior, the owner will make excuses like, "Oh, fluffy just has to check everything out to make sure it's ok." or "I just want to let him be a horse." Listen here folks, your horse has all day and night when you're not working him to check things out and be a horse. When I have my horse out, I want him paying attention to me. Not searching for things he can "check out". In my opinion, there's a big difference between letting your horse check out something and letting them look for things to play with. When I expect my horse to interact with something, they are allowed to touch it with their nose as part of their safety check, but they are never ever under any circumstances to put any object in their mouth. It's a safety hazard, and, in my opinion, shows an overall lack of discipline. When I have my horses out, they should be paying attention to what I am doing so that they don't miss a cue. If their attention is split between me and their search for entertainment, we are not going to have very good communication with one another.

Ultimately, like most of my pet peeves, it comes down to a safety issue. A horse who is constantly putting items in his mouth is eventually going to cause trouble. Should the unthinkable happen and Fluffy ends up for sale, how will prospective buyers feel about a horse with an oral fixation? Are you setting your horse up for long term success? Or avoiding a training issue?

Pet Peeve Day!

Today, I’d like to write about one of my personal pet peeves. We all know a rider like this- it’s most common with ladies who got horses as adults and they want everything to be special and perfect, but this also happens with kids and other folks who aren’t sure what the rules of engagement are. They love their horse a lot, so much so that they never want to do anything to make sweet, little Fluffy uncomfortable in any way. Even though they are doing what they think is best, it gives me heart palpitations watching this person handle their horse.

As they’re walking in from the paddock, Fluffy reaches down and starts to graze.

“No, Fluffy. Quit!” followed by a tug on the lead rope.

 Fluffy continues stuffing her face.

“Come on!” Big pull on the lead rope and Fluffy begrudgingly follows along munching on a large mouthful of grass. This whole sequence may repeat again if it’s an especially long walk to the tie rail or if Fluffy is a world champion speed eater.

Approximately 4 years later, Fluffy is tacked up and headed down to the arena. The grooming and saddling process has been lengthy and Fluffy is in a bit of a mood. Nice lady parks Fluffy at the mounting block and steps up on the top step to get on. Fluffy swings her hindquarters away from the block. Nice lady hops down, resituates the horse, and gets back up on the block. Fluffy takes two steps back.

“Step up.” Owner politely asks.

Fluffy says, “No”

“Step up!” Owner musters a little more enthusiasm this time.

Fluffy falls asleep.

“Come on, Fluffy, STEP UP!” and Fluffy obliges by walking straight past the mounting block, and now nice owner lady has to lead Fluffy in a circle to get her back to the mounting block again. I’m not sure how nice lady eventually gets on Fluffy because usually by this time I have left the arena in an attempt to let my blood pressure return to a normal and acceptable level.

But the fun doesn’t end here! Nice owner lady now proceeds to ride Fluffy. I use the term “ride” here loosely because Fluffy spends most of the ride wandering around the arena at a walk while owner lady fusses about this or that. When she tries to pick up the trot, Fluffy pins her ears and sucks back against her leg. Maybe owner lady’s instructor or trainer makes her ride with a crop. Maybe she gives Fluffy a few half-hearted taps on the shoulder, or maybe nice owner lady just kick-kick-kicks at Fluffy’s dead sides, but definitely there is lots of clucking, a few come on’s, and a plethora of trot!’s. After a lap or two, Fluffy picks up a half-hearted jog which she maintains for approximately five strides before breaking back to the walk. This happens over and over again.  Eventually owner lady ends the ride, and now it’s time to go up to get untacked and eat treats. This is Fluffy’s favorite part of the session.

If you ask this kind owner she will tell you how she is working on Fluffy’s “issues” and how they have such a strong bond and so on and so forth. If you ask Fluffy, she’ll give you the scoop, “I’ve got my owner so well trained. I can make her do all sorts of tricks instead of working me!”

This is an issue many newcomers to the horse world fight with, where is the line between being strict with a horse and beating them up? We’ll talk more about that later, but in the meantime, what are your barn pet peeves??