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What happens when a filly breaks here heel at the races??

Then you break out the super glue!

Chocoholic wrote:C, horse racing is as age old as anything. Those horses are better looked after than most human beings. And trust me, you can't force a horse to run or jump, it has to want to do it.

Surely you are joking.

Do you think horses like to have things nailed to their hoves?

Do you think horsesl like to have pieces of metal in their mouths so that they recoil when the rains are pulled?

Do you think horses like have a sadle tightly strapped on their bodies?

Do you think horses like to have 100 pounds on their backs?

Etc., Etc.

I say they would enjoy a free range without anyboy telling them what to do and without having to look at all those hats these women will wear. Oh, I forgot their peripheral vision is impaired so they can better race.

Speaking of horse racing being "as old as anything". So is slavery - I guess both are ok then.

C,

Do you think horses like to have things nailed to their hoves?

The 'shoes' are only nailed using studs into the outer area of the hoof, it's totally painless. There is only a problem if the farrier accidentally puts a nail into the soft area of the hoof. The outer area is no different to your finger nails, and is actually made up of compacted hair.

Do you think horsesl like to have pieces of metal in their mouths so that they recoil when the rains are pulled?

Not all bridals use bits. The hackamore bridal doesn't have a bit at all and uses pressure on the poll of the head instead. There are hundreds of different types of bits, some 'soft' others 'hard'. Bits are made especially to fit in the gap in the teeth of a horses mouth. And they don't recoil at all, a good rider will never yank the rains, but have soft hands and use tiny movements in the fingers for control. Actually most of the control of a horse comes from the 'seat' (your bum) and the legs.

Do you think horses like have a saddle tightly strapped on their bodies?

Actually it should never be very tight. You should always be able to fit 2 fingers between the girth and the horses body.

Do you think horses like to have 100 pounds on their backs?

Oh please! Horses come in all shapes and sizes, they are burden carrying animals.

And yes you cannot force a horse to run or jump. I bought a 3 year old Irish thoroughbred who didn't make the racing grade and turned her into an eventer instead. I taught her how to jump and if they enjoy it they can't get e nough of competiting. My second pony could never get in the horse box fast enough to go to an event, he loved it. Everything from dressage, show jumping and cross country.

Please, no offence, but don't talk about things you clearly have very little knowledge of.

As I have said before, a good rider will have a partnership with their horse. If a half tonne horse seriously didn't want to do something, do you seriously think you could force it? Heck no!

If a horse decided it wanted to bolt, it would put it's head down, clamp the bit hard in it's mouth and be off, and there would be absolutely nothing the rider could do about it. There has to be trust between the two. People who have never ridden or been extensively involved with horses just won't understand.

I could go and sit with my horses whilst they were lying down in the field or in the stable - that's trust, to let someone do that, when they're at their most vulnerable.

Chocoholic wrote:As I have said before, a good rider will have a partnership with their horse. If a half tonne horse seriously didn't want to do something, do you seriously think you could force it? Heck no!

If a horse decided it wanted to bolt, it would put it's head down, clamp the bit hard in it's mouth and be off, and there would be absolutely nothing the rider could do about it. There has to be trust between the two. People who have never ridden or been extensively involved with horses just won't understand.

I could go and sit with my horses whilst they were lying down in the field or in the stable - that's trust, to let someone do that, when they're at their most vulnerable.

Ok, ok, I get it that you are a "good" horse owner. I suppose there are some "good" slave owners. Heck they even let them come into the house sometimes!

Still there is no need for you (I think) to be riding horses. Perhaps in other places it may be of use to plow the land and get some food in their mouths. If you donate your horses I'll pay for their shipping.

The relationship between horse and man goes back thousands of years. They were beasts of burden, then transport, for herding, in armies etc. Many of these uses still continue today, many don't.

The horse is a natural athlete, all that has happened is that people have taken their previous uses and honed them into sporting ones instead. Some people just ride or hack for pleasure.

The same could be said of camels.

It doesn't hurt the horse, so why not.

Not only that, there are very very few places left on earth where wild horses run free. They have been domesticated over thousands of years and bred for specific purposes, without those purposes half the breeds wouldn't exist today.

Chocoholic wrote:The relationship between horse and man goes back thousands of years. They were beasts of burden, then transport, for herding, in armies etc. Many of these uses still continue today, many don't.

The horse is a natural athlete, all that has happened is that people have taken their previous uses and honed them into sporting ones instead. Some people just ride or hack for pleasure.

The same could be said of camels.

It doesn't hurt the horse, so why not.

Not only that, there are very very few places left on earth where wild horses run free. They have been domesticated over thousands of years and bred for specific purposes, without those purposes half the breeds wouldn't exist today.

Oh man, I wish your post was shorter as I am lazy to reply.

Anyway I would just say that all the above means diddly squat for the World Cup and the "spectacle" it is. No real purpose.

Would love to say more but I'm on my way to Nad Al Sheba on a "special tour" to handicap the race

Has anyone asked the animal how it feels?

I asked a Pony once how it felt... and do you know what it said?

"I am a little horse"

Chocoholic wrote:There are ways to mend a broken leg in horsews, but very often it's not worth the risk of damaging the healthy legs. You'd have to sling the horse. Because of their circulatory system, they require to distribute their weight evenly. If weight is distributed unevenly onto the healthy legs, they can end up with laminitis, which is incredibly painful and in most cases warrants the horse being put down anyway, as basically the hoof swells and crumbles from the inside out. Not only that, they could end up with splints (excess boney growth) on the other legs.

Slinging a horse for months on end would be horrendous on the animal.

Sadly in the majority of cases it boils down to cost. Is the cost of fixing the leg worth it if you can't use the horse afterwards?

If the animal is a champion stallion or brood mare, then maybe as you just put them to stud. But sadly in most cases it's not worth it.

shockin stuff.. from u. Just because humanbeings are superior in some ways to other animals, we take things for granted. Ask that horses's feelings.

Sadly it's a reality. Not necessarily my point of view, but I'm just saying it how it is in the majority of cases.