Horse Gossip Thread

[vmdanielsen]

Yes they look tacky..but I have a halflinger......no tail additions whatsoever!!

 

[BobwhiteQuailLover]

I LOVE Halflingers!!! But I got a Curly!!

 

[vmdanielsen]

Halflingers are great little horses. Smart, sassy, willing and very brave. I think she lives on air. If my mare decided she wasn't going to go somewhere, I probably shouldn't go there! She'll try anything, but as she is built more like a sumo wrestler than a ballerina, there are things she has to work harder at.

 

[vmdanielsen]

Quote:
Curlys are cute too! though I don't know a thing about them.

 

[Celtic Hill]

ohhh I love horse gossip!

 

[EweSheep]

Tail expanders.....ugh!

Even those curb shanks on TN walkers are getting ridiculous, the LONGER the better they like them! My uncle said it is like a nutcracker effect on them! I hate those riders looking like strung out jockeys riding on the lower back of the horse, acting like he is grabbing them with the legs or hanging on to his dear life. UGLY if you ask me! The Saddlebred riders look so much better than the TN Walkers in the show ring. Mind you I am not talking about the "natural" TWH but the ones with the "big lick".

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
The Saddlebred association has cracked down on a lot of practices. They're no longer allowed to be sored, have a shank limit and only certain mouthpieces are approved.

That being said, a lot of TWH shows in the South still allow all these things. TWHBEA and the State of TN tried to crack down but the Big Lick trainers refused to patronize shows which is a big source of income for the state of TN. So soring, ginger and all sorts of other things go on. The Midwest TWH shows frown on this and luckily only allow horses to be shown naturally. Big lick with built up shoes, bike chain bits with 9 inch shanks, blister on the lower legs, ginger in the rectum are not allowed. TWH Horses in Michigan even go through a "vet check" similar to endurance horses.

My grandfather went to a TWH show back in the 1950s as Big Lick was coming into vogue. Though he is not a horseman, he was disgusted by it and refused to ever attend another horse show in his life (including my schooling shows as a kid!).

So long as the big prize money is offered for Big Lick and those people keep winning, it will continue. And obviously trainers are getting clients who WANT them to do these things to horses. Just sad.

 

[EweSheep]

Not only that but soooooo much wear and tear on the horses themselves. I've seen heavy chain links on the pasterns like bracelet and some even go as far as "decorative" items...like red, white and blue "beads" or noise makers.

I used to remember seeing Saddlebreds, park horses and TWH with harnesses with heavy rubber tubes attached to their pasterns to get this "big lick" or "high stepping" methods. UGH! Even some Arab owners were doing that briefly but not sure if they still do it today.

 

[michickenwrangler]

The stable I used to ride at used ankle weights but they weren't the heavy chains. They never used rubber tubes though. Arab show rules limit toe length and shoe weight although I've noticed that hunter horses are now being shod like saddleseat horses.

 

[EweSheep]

Oh you got to be kidding me...hunters wearing like show horse???!!!!!!! Oh like an accident waiting to happen!