|
needlesandpins -> RE: Wtf were they thinking. (7/16/2013 8:59:34 AM)
|
quote:
ORIGINAL: jlf1961
Needles insists that horse shows using the high stepping gate is perfectly okay. She says she trains horses to do that without abuse.
She cannot say that is true of every trainer and breeder in the industry. Competing horses make money, the quicker a horse is trained to compete, the better the investment. There is no way in hell that anyone can say that some if not many trainers resort to the most expedient training possible.
Yes I know the barriers for jumps are designed to fall at the smallest impact, still they do bruise the animal.
That high stepping gate so preferred in many equestrian sports is not natural the animal has to be trained to do that, horses walk the way they do in nature because that is how nature designed them to walk.
Arabians are the most inbred of all horse species, inbreeding is not good for any animal.
Considering that the PRCA PBR and the SPCA have been working together to minimize the trauma to the animals used in the sport and knowing that rough stock operations have to meet certain standards, Professional rodeos routinely have SPCA people on site, who have the power to shut them down. Riders who violate the rules concerning the treatment of the stock are disqualified or banned outright should mean something.
All that being said, not all rodeos are PRCA or PBR sanctioned events. I cant speak for the county fair rodeo that is thrown together for one annual event, and admittedly there are probably thousands of these each year. Rodeos where Joe Clodhopper is just dumb enough to climb on an animal and ride the hell out of it. None of those riders have been trained to get the maximum performance with the absolute minimum of stimulation.
Finally, I have seen rough stock transported in trailers that are either air conditioned or well ventilated and so loosely loaded that the animals are not forced to stay in one spot over the entire period they are in the trailer.
By the same token, PRCA riders that are not in the top of their standings are transporting horses in old style trailers that the absolute minimum standard for transporting the animal.
The only people that make money on rodeos are the promoters. Most of the time the cash prizes are a few thousand or less, a belt buckle and/or a saddle.
These facts bring up the question, why compete?
For ropers, it is to prove they have the skills to do what people expect cowboys to do.
For rough stock riders, it is the simple contest man against brute force. Teenagers get into the sport because of the buckle bunnies, they go pro because of the buckle bunnies and the challenge. Admittedly you have to be insane to some degree to straddle a bull or a bronc. The rush is no different than free climbing a rock face, base jumping, the only difference there is a adversary involved. Some are satisfied by getting on a mechanical bull for 8 seconds.
You could say the same thing about people that hunt Grizzly with a single shot pistol.
I rode for the adrenalin rush, I would bet that is why most ride. You sure as hell are not going to get rich, unless you are one of the top riders and have sponsors like tony llama, or other boot brands, or smokeless tobacco makers, any of the various industries associated with the Western Lifestyle.
When I worked ranches, my primary job was horse trainer, if there were no horses, I drove bull haulers, worked fences or went with the boss on buying trips to inspect horses. I probably know as much about Quarter Horses, Appaloosas, and other American breeds as she does about Arabians. I can tell after a few minutes what animals will be good as a range horse, a competition horse for roping or cutting events, and a horse that would be good for rough country trail rides, and the horses for children.
I work with a local horse rescue that is affiliated with the SPCA dealing with mistreated animals. If you think that rodeo is bad for the animals, you should see what "respectable" people do to them. Some parent buys a horse because baby tommy wants one, and then when baby tommy is no longer interested, the animal is neglected or worse. Andy City Slicker buys a place in the country, buys a few horses and cows, and then expect that he just has to do the bare minimum for the animals. Texas just recently passed laws that make jail sentences possible for animal neglect. I suggest you watch animal cops houston or any of the western cities and see how many horses are rescued.
Yes, rodeo is anything but civilized. The sport stems from a culture that is still glorified in the United States. That of the old west, Cowboys and Indians, John Wayne, Audie Murphy, and a dozen other movie stars helped create the cowboy mystique. And people pay big money to go watch "Cowboys" compete. Sure, criticize those of us who compete or did compete. I can honestly say that if people werent paying to see it, nobody would be riding horses and bulls that could very easily injure them bad enough to cripple or kill. Personally I think that is the very reason people go to rodeos, to see someone get hurt.
I know people who go to NASCAR and other races just to see the crashes. Google the prices for pieces of the car that Dale Earnhardt Sr. died in.
I was in Cheyenne when Lane Frost was killed. U saw the reaction of the people in the stands, and in my opinion, it seemed that people relished the fact that they saw a man die, or get hurt, than anything else. I compared it to the drivers who slow down and look at an accident on the highway. The fascination of the possibility that someone died drives the actions of rubber neckers.
Hate it as much as you want, but until there is no spectators to watch these men and women ride these animals, it is going to continue. And that means that adrenalin junkies like myself are going to ride.
The US is a young nation, one that was built on the idea that Americans can do anything. We tamed the west at the cost of destroying cultures, hunting animals to the brink of extinction, and turning wild country into farms and ranches. The only people that claim to be civilized are the old money types back east who attend the Opera, have parties for the coming of age of wealthy daughters, ride horses with an English saddle while wearing tight pants, a jacket and a funky looking helmet.
The rest of us are the barbarian uncivilized rednecks, goat ropers, coal miners, and what not that did all the dirty work that the rest of country and a large chunk of the world need done to eat. To be honest, 99% of the people who eat meat dont want to think about where it came from, how it was raised, or anything more than the price in the grocery, its availability and what it looks like.
Compared to the UK, the US is an infant. The UK has what, 1700 years of civilization to look back on? People of Britannia so loved the roman lifestyle that they did there best to keep it after the Romans left.
The only ancient civilizations the Americas had never had a chance to get past the use of stone tools, Europeans showed up looking for riches, and the expedient thing to do was conquer.
I'm going to out and out call you a liar. I never said any damn thing!
I bred and showed Purebred Arabians not high stepping horses. I've never been anywhere near a high stepping horse, which for your information Arabians are not high stepping. A true moving Arabians is a daisy cutter. Nor did I say that I have used any such methods, or that they are ok. In fact I said the very opposite.
Get your damn facts right before you start putting words in people's mouths. Seriously you need to reread everything in this thread.
Again, all the wrongs in the world do not make you right. The abuse that goes on anywhere with animals is wrong, but that happens because people are shit and only think of the money. For your information I owned my stallion from being 18 months old until I had to have him pts at 19 due to a health problem that could not be resolved. That horse was trained without whips, spurs, ropes, hobbles, chains, and any of the other crap people use on horses. he had a simple bridle and saddle. My horses are not tied to walls or posts to be swung. Everything is done slowly to build trust. They never fight, buck, rear or anything else when I get on for the first time or any other. I don't chase them in round pens until they beg you to stop, but my horses still follow me anywhere when loose. My stallion was well known for showing in liberty classes where he was free to do what the hell he wanted, but chose to trot at my side, stop when I stop, back up, turn around me.....whatever I wanted, and all without a damn thing on him. He was worth over £15,000 at his peak, never unplaced beating horses that had had hundreds of thousands paid for them, internationally qualified, as well as qualifying for the horse of the year show. it was an accident that we had that made me decide to retire him because his mouth wasn't worth a judge ruining just for a title. All my youngsters went to specially selected homes at a fraction of what they were worth because the home was more important to me than the money. My stallion's last son was sold for 10% of what I was offered for him on the show circuit, but he is still in that home being just a horse. I haven't regretted turning down the huge price for one single moment. My horses were sold due to my ill health, and the rest due to my relationship break up. All my original stock stayed with me until it was their time to be pts.
Get your facts straight Jeff you are doing yourself no favours in this thread at all
needles
|
|
|
|
