Just quickly today because Cynical Horse must go to work.......
Okay....if you don't know it's breeding, it's a PINTO not a PAINT!! Same deal for ponies - PINTO.
Ponies are also Palouse, not Appaloosa.
Palomino and buckskin are colours, not breeds. Appaloosa and Paint Horse are breeds. Palouse is a breed.
Crazy colours do not make your horse better.
And the big one...... if you can't GIVE your horses away, and have no feed in your paddocks....DON'T GET MORE. (And maybe you should look at WHY nobody wants them!) No brainer right? Seems not......
Get these simple things right, and people in the horse world might take you more seriously.
Thursday, January 30, 2014
Sunday, January 26, 2014
Parenting....and horses.
There are many of us who understand the joys of growing up with horses. There is no doubt that they have a lot to teach us. But when you constantly see pictures of young children riding without helmets or appropriate footwear, it begs the question - do these parents really value their children's lives? The tack is usually old, ill-fitting, incorrectly put on, and completely unsuitable. The horse is often stuck in a small backyard, with dreadful fencing and rubbish everywhere. The horse generally looks unhealthy, with wormy belly and bad feet. These are probably the same people who constantly advertise for a super quiet, kid safe, beginner's pony under 10yo for $500 or less, preferably with gear. Or better yet, they want a free lease (with all gear) so that they can ruin someone else's horse, then blame it for any problems and give it back busted.
In this example, there is no concept of safety, or education about horses. Yet when experienced people try to guide them in the right direction, they suddenly know "everything" and will go out of their way to tell them - rudely. It's sad, because ultimately it is the horse who suffers the most with these type of parents. These parents are sucked in to unscrupulous horse dealers offering nice cheap horses which are absolutely bombproof, fit and healthy, and because they don't bother to educate themselves before buying, they think it's the best horse ever, because it might be a pretty colour. It may even have nuts and therefore they can make money out of their new purchase. But when it all goes wrong, who cops the blame? Yep - the horse. Not the poorly educated idiots who went in blind and believed all the sunshine and rainbows crap they were fed by a horse trader! You don't try brain surgery if you aren't educated, so why should horses be any different? Nobody will mind if you don't know, unless you choose not to learn!
Then at the other end of the spectrum we have the child with the $10,000 horse, all the spiffy, shiny, sparkly, trendy gear, the matching rug and boot sets and big flash float or truck. And a big fat scowl on their face because they only came second. They've had the fancy lessons, the horse is "boarded" at a stable (and therefore looked after by someone who does know what they are doing) but there is no bond there. There is no real understanding of horses, just a big show of how much more money you have than everyone else. This is Mummy and Daddy buying a blue ribbon to fulfil their own needs, not the child's.
And then there's the competitions.......nasty, snickering parents setting a wonderful (not) example to their children about sportsmanship. Bitch and moan and carry on because your $10,000 horse was beaten by the cheap pony clubber down the road. Turn your nose up and snob all the friendly parents who help each other's kids out and congratulate them if they win this time. Don't get me wrong, they are just as competitive as you, but they get that sometimes it's not your day (especially with horses!) and "well done" should always be appropriately applied to the kid who won. They'll get 'em next time..... :-D It is not worth the ridiculous comments such as "if you don't win, you will NEVER ride again" or "we will sell the horse if it doesn't win." If you have to threaten your child to get them to a show, then you're in the wrong sport!
I've only scraped the surface on horses and parenting....so comment on what irks you!!
In this example, there is no concept of safety, or education about horses. Yet when experienced people try to guide them in the right direction, they suddenly know "everything" and will go out of their way to tell them - rudely. It's sad, because ultimately it is the horse who suffers the most with these type of parents. These parents are sucked in to unscrupulous horse dealers offering nice cheap horses which are absolutely bombproof, fit and healthy, and because they don't bother to educate themselves before buying, they think it's the best horse ever, because it might be a pretty colour. It may even have nuts and therefore they can make money out of their new purchase. But when it all goes wrong, who cops the blame? Yep - the horse. Not the poorly educated idiots who went in blind and believed all the sunshine and rainbows crap they were fed by a horse trader! You don't try brain surgery if you aren't educated, so why should horses be any different? Nobody will mind if you don't know, unless you choose not to learn!
Then at the other end of the spectrum we have the child with the $10,000 horse, all the spiffy, shiny, sparkly, trendy gear, the matching rug and boot sets and big flash float or truck. And a big fat scowl on their face because they only came second. They've had the fancy lessons, the horse is "boarded" at a stable (and therefore looked after by someone who does know what they are doing) but there is no bond there. There is no real understanding of horses, just a big show of how much more money you have than everyone else. This is Mummy and Daddy buying a blue ribbon to fulfil their own needs, not the child's.
And then there's the competitions.......nasty, snickering parents setting a wonderful (not) example to their children about sportsmanship. Bitch and moan and carry on because your $10,000 horse was beaten by the cheap pony clubber down the road. Turn your nose up and snob all the friendly parents who help each other's kids out and congratulate them if they win this time. Don't get me wrong, they are just as competitive as you, but they get that sometimes it's not your day (especially with horses!) and "well done" should always be appropriately applied to the kid who won. They'll get 'em next time..... :-D It is not worth the ridiculous comments such as "if you don't win, you will NEVER ride again" or "we will sell the horse if it doesn't win." If you have to threaten your child to get them to a show, then you're in the wrong sport!
I've only scraped the surface on horses and parenting....so comment on what irks you!!
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Nasty, nasty horse world....
Cynical Horse DOES NOT condone bullying of any kind. If you want to have a bitch and moan, do it privately, where you can't hurt anyone. One small, flippant comment can cause an awful lot of hurt, and often leads to more and more nastiness. Please note that this post is heavily sarcastic and contains many naughty words.
I recently saw a rant about people selling horses because they were pregnant or had a young baby. Several people were congratulating each other because they had kids and could manage several horses. Well fuck me, good for you! But how dare you judge another person for putting their children first! Would you rather have the horse languish somewhere, fading away because it's been forgotten? Or should the mother neglect her children to give her horse the optimum care that you, oh mighty judge, give yours? No? Well what the fuck should she do then? Everyone's life has different pressures and constraints - walk a mile in their shoes before you judge. She might be going back to work to support her family, she might have the horse far away on agistment, she might have a sick baby or one with a disability. Her horse may have special care needs. YOU DON'T KNOW. Heaven forbid that your nasty comments fell on the ears of a mother with postnatal depression......motherhood is difficult enough without fucktards publicly judging you because you sold your beloved horse. Selling the horse would be hard enough too! Heaven forbid that someone wants their family, and their horse, to have a better life. How selfish of them!
And another instance, where a photo of a junior rider had been put on a social media page, that had been specifically set up to shame people. There were many nasty comments on this, and other photos, about the horses and the riders. Every rider is guilty of backseat judging at times, but deliberately shaming someone is disgusting! It's bullying, plain and simple. I wonder how many championships the shamers have to their name? Or if they even compete at all! You can never raise yourself by putting someone else down. You just make yourself look like a nasty bitch. And I'd say that you probably are. This is unacceptable! The recreational horse industry is already in decline, and cannot afford this type of crap. Judgemental attitudes and bullying have no place, yet the industry is rife with it. Social media could be a wonderful tool, sadly it is a platform for the cyber bullies to run riot. How on earth are people supposed to be attracted to competitions, when this type of shit goes on? We should be encouraging and helping people! Never look down on someone, unless you are helping them up.
Now we come to the problem of know-it-alls. Nobody likes a know-it-all, right? Well, imagine this......somebody is struggling to look after their horse, for whatever reason, and have been desperately trying to find somebody to take it on, while slowly watching it decline, knowing that they cannot provide for it. They don't want any money for the horse, just a kind loving home to provide what they can't. Seems reasonable, right? So somebody comes along - hallelujah, they will take the horse! Awesome, seems like a great home. It's a done deal, horsey goes off to live with new person. But soon enough, new person starts the accusations. They "know" that this horse was neglected and abused because it's skinny, it hasn't been wormed in months or had it's feet done, and they "know" that they could have done SUCH a good job with it if it were theirs. They would NEVER have let this happen to THEIR horse. Now let's take a step back - if this person was able to provide optimum care, they would NOT have been giving their horse away in the first place, twit! Likewise if they were an abusive or neglectful owner, they would not care about finding a better home. You DO NOT know their situation, and have no place carrying on about it. No wonder people turn to knackeries, at least they don't ask questions or badmouth people.
Moving on.....before I get too agro! What about those poor owners who ask for advice or assistance with something, and then get torn to shreds for even daring to ask? HOW DARE THEY NOT KNOW!! THEY ARE CRUEL!! What a load of rot. As an experienced horse person, the idea is to educate, not denigrate! This person you are belittling is probably trying their best. Think back to when you first began to learn about horses - you made mistakes, until somebody showed you another way. You didn't know everything. You NEVER know everything. Don't forget - there is always more than one right way to do things, and just because it's different does not make it wrong. We are here to help people, not judge them. And the big rule - NEVER, EVER touch someone else's horse unless they ask you to. Especially if they aren't there. I don't care what you think they have done, or want to do to you, you DO NOT touch their horse. I've seen horses deliberately injured, tails cut off, manes cut off, feed stolen, gear defaced, damaged and/or stolen, you name it. All in the name of bullying. Often for a blue ribbon. I've even had my horse MOVED TO ANOTHER PADDOCK when I wasn't there, because certain people felt that their horse deserved the grass instead of mine. I was working 2 jobs at the time, and they felt that because I couldn't always be there to bring her in at night, she would eat all "their" grass - after the owner of the property assured me that any paddock was fine. Very glad I no longer agist - some of those places are the worst for bullying.
Then there's the "sportist" types. "You are beneath me because you do XXXX sport with your horse." I've heard of a place where certain groups were not allowed to use the indoor arena because their sport would "ruin the surface" - what a load of rubbish! It's simply because they took up a bit of room in your precious riding arena, and you happened to have the ear of the farm owner. Snobbery, combined with bullying. Even better!!
I don't know why the horse world is so nasty. It just seems to attract fuckwits. I have been part of some wonderful groups, where everyone will bend over backwards to help you, without a second thought. But I have also been to some horrendous places, where everyone is out to get you. I do wish I knew how to stop it.....
I recently saw a rant about people selling horses because they were pregnant or had a young baby. Several people were congratulating each other because they had kids and could manage several horses. Well fuck me, good for you! But how dare you judge another person for putting their children first! Would you rather have the horse languish somewhere, fading away because it's been forgotten? Or should the mother neglect her children to give her horse the optimum care that you, oh mighty judge, give yours? No? Well what the fuck should she do then? Everyone's life has different pressures and constraints - walk a mile in their shoes before you judge. She might be going back to work to support her family, she might have the horse far away on agistment, she might have a sick baby or one with a disability. Her horse may have special care needs. YOU DON'T KNOW. Heaven forbid that your nasty comments fell on the ears of a mother with postnatal depression......motherhood is difficult enough without fucktards publicly judging you because you sold your beloved horse. Selling the horse would be hard enough too! Heaven forbid that someone wants their family, and their horse, to have a better life. How selfish of them!
And another instance, where a photo of a junior rider had been put on a social media page, that had been specifically set up to shame people. There were many nasty comments on this, and other photos, about the horses and the riders. Every rider is guilty of backseat judging at times, but deliberately shaming someone is disgusting! It's bullying, plain and simple. I wonder how many championships the shamers have to their name? Or if they even compete at all! You can never raise yourself by putting someone else down. You just make yourself look like a nasty bitch. And I'd say that you probably are. This is unacceptable! The recreational horse industry is already in decline, and cannot afford this type of crap. Judgemental attitudes and bullying have no place, yet the industry is rife with it. Social media could be a wonderful tool, sadly it is a platform for the cyber bullies to run riot. How on earth are people supposed to be attracted to competitions, when this type of shit goes on? We should be encouraging and helping people! Never look down on someone, unless you are helping them up.
Now we come to the problem of know-it-alls. Nobody likes a know-it-all, right? Well, imagine this......somebody is struggling to look after their horse, for whatever reason, and have been desperately trying to find somebody to take it on, while slowly watching it decline, knowing that they cannot provide for it. They don't want any money for the horse, just a kind loving home to provide what they can't. Seems reasonable, right? So somebody comes along - hallelujah, they will take the horse! Awesome, seems like a great home. It's a done deal, horsey goes off to live with new person. But soon enough, new person starts the accusations. They "know" that this horse was neglected and abused because it's skinny, it hasn't been wormed in months or had it's feet done, and they "know" that they could have done SUCH a good job with it if it were theirs. They would NEVER have let this happen to THEIR horse. Now let's take a step back - if this person was able to provide optimum care, they would NOT have been giving their horse away in the first place, twit! Likewise if they were an abusive or neglectful owner, they would not care about finding a better home. You DO NOT know their situation, and have no place carrying on about it. No wonder people turn to knackeries, at least they don't ask questions or badmouth people.
Moving on.....before I get too agro! What about those poor owners who ask for advice or assistance with something, and then get torn to shreds for even daring to ask? HOW DARE THEY NOT KNOW!! THEY ARE CRUEL!! What a load of rot. As an experienced horse person, the idea is to educate, not denigrate! This person you are belittling is probably trying their best. Think back to when you first began to learn about horses - you made mistakes, until somebody showed you another way. You didn't know everything. You NEVER know everything. Don't forget - there is always more than one right way to do things, and just because it's different does not make it wrong. We are here to help people, not judge them. And the big rule - NEVER, EVER touch someone else's horse unless they ask you to. Especially if they aren't there. I don't care what you think they have done, or want to do to you, you DO NOT touch their horse. I've seen horses deliberately injured, tails cut off, manes cut off, feed stolen, gear defaced, damaged and/or stolen, you name it. All in the name of bullying. Often for a blue ribbon. I've even had my horse MOVED TO ANOTHER PADDOCK when I wasn't there, because certain people felt that their horse deserved the grass instead of mine. I was working 2 jobs at the time, and they felt that because I couldn't always be there to bring her in at night, she would eat all "their" grass - after the owner of the property assured me that any paddock was fine. Very glad I no longer agist - some of those places are the worst for bullying.
Then there's the "sportist" types. "You are beneath me because you do XXXX sport with your horse." I've heard of a place where certain groups were not allowed to use the indoor arena because their sport would "ruin the surface" - what a load of rubbish! It's simply because they took up a bit of room in your precious riding arena, and you happened to have the ear of the farm owner. Snobbery, combined with bullying. Even better!!
I don't know why the horse world is so nasty. It just seems to attract fuckwits. I have been part of some wonderful groups, where everyone will bend over backwards to help you, without a second thought. But I have also been to some horrendous places, where everyone is out to get you. I do wish I knew how to stop it.....
Monday, January 6, 2014
I saved him! - Now what?
Following on from my "save it at all costs" post......
Over the past few months, several "rescues" have promoted buying horses from sales and dogger yards. Lots of people fell in love with the fairytale idea of saving a life, and bought them, because they had a bit of land and lots of love to give. But then what? Many of these people have limited, or zero, horse knowledge in the first place, let alone have any idea about the specialised requirements of these types of horses. Given that it is extremely unlikely that any of the horse's history would be known, any problems will not be known until they manifest themselves.
So now what do we have? Classified websites and facebook pages flooded with advertisements along the lines of "I saved this horse but now I've run out of grass and it's losing weight. Please give it a forever home!" Well, derrrrr! You don't just stick it in a paddock to look pretty, you nincompoop. The horse will need feeding! They don't survive on love alone. Especially the ones who were compromised to begin with. The ones who really irritate me are the ones who've had the horse for a few weeks and decide it costs too much to feed. Well, what did you expect? It weighs half a ton, it eats A LOT!
It is so irresponsible to promote the purchase of these horses, without also providing support and education in regards to their ongoing care. It's also irresponsible for a welfare/rescue organisation to promote these horses to the first person who coughs up the money, regadless of their horse experience. An ethical, sensible organisation would screen prospective buyers, and decline those who live in fantasy world, or who just want the warm and fuzzies, without the knowledge to back it up. True rescue is hard, physically, mentally and emotionally. These horses have suffered enough, and this type of so-called "rescue" serves only to prolong that suffering. Just because the horse is not dead, does not mean it has been saved. It is, in my view, a form of cruelty also. Many of those horses are at the doggers for very good reasons - incurable illness or injury, extreme old age, dangerous behaviour etc. Not every horse owner can have their horse PTS at home, and doggers provide this service, unpalatable as it may be to some. And lets face it, there just aren't enough homes for the sound, trained, rideable horses as it is! Horses don't think like people, they don't fear death as we do. Rehab facilities are bursting at the seams already, so unless you stumble across somebody who actually has a clue about equine rehabilitation, the horse has little option but to return to the roundabout and try its luck again.
And then there's the idiots abusing doggers for doing their job. I have yet to meet one who actually enjoys killing things - they aren't Ivan Milat you know! It is a necessary part of the horse industry. Just look at the USA where horse slaughter was banned. Horses now have to endure horrifically long truck journeys to either Mexico or Canada......cruelty in itself! We don't want that here. Knackeries are already few and far between, thanks to misguided individuals protesting their very existence. Think of the knackery people as the garbage men of the industry - cleaning up after our throw away society. Most of us are diligent and do the right thing.....but some leave their recycling in with the trash, and sadly, it is treated accordingly.
Most of these ads then go on to say that the horse is a companion only for whatever reason - most often injury or arthritis from poor leg conformation. Well, hello! Very few people want this type of horse. Who wants to feed a horse bucketloads when it has no practical use? Many of the horses also have minimal handling and/or behavioural problems. I am absolutely shocked at the prices these horses are now fetching, due to the "save at all costs" mentality. They are more popular than the ridden horses! Do people not realise that they are condemning many healthy horses by consistently buying the wrecks? Horse traders are not silly. They want the horses who will give them meat money. The skinny ones are a poor investment, so selling them to the bleeding hearts mean they will make a profit. So who fills the quota then.....the fat ones. Derrrrrr.
The owner also wants a "forever home" - I find this expectation extremely hypocritical. If you really want a forever home, keep it yourself! You apparently saved the horse, but once you realise what you have taken on, you want someone else to take over? It's gotten too hard, so pass it on to the next person? So typical of society today, and once again, the animal suffers. Just like all the animals given as Christmas presents, who flood shelters a few months later because it was all too hard. Fairytale does not equal reality.
And what happens when the paddock is full of grass again? The person gets another horse, feels all warm and fuzzy because they "saved" it, and the cycle starts again. The only ones to suffer are the horses. You also see the odd ad stating that the horse must go, so the owner can "save" more. People with this mindset obviously have no understanding of equine mental health. Shuffling them from pillar to post does them no good, and will likely exacerbate any existing problems. It is not possible to properly assess, rehabilitate, and put some training into a horse, so that it's ready for rehoming, in less than 6 months. At least a year would be realistic.
This trend will ruin the horse industry for those who have spent their lives carefully selecting and promoting their sound, handled, well performed and correctly fed stock. The bottom has fallen out of the market for these small, family operations, while the dealers and agents are laughing all the way to the bank. People are buying all their problem horses to "save" them - halving their workload and doubling their profits. I think I'm in the wrong game!
True rescue and rehab does not involve buying a horse at the sales and passing it on to make yourself feel good. If you do this, you have saved NOTHING. You've given the horse a more uncertain future than it had before, possibly even condemned it to return to the very life you pretended to save it from. This fad is dangerous, to both the horses and their well intentioned but naive buyers.
When will common sense return to the horse industry?
Over the past few months, several "rescues" have promoted buying horses from sales and dogger yards. Lots of people fell in love with the fairytale idea of saving a life, and bought them, because they had a bit of land and lots of love to give. But then what? Many of these people have limited, or zero, horse knowledge in the first place, let alone have any idea about the specialised requirements of these types of horses. Given that it is extremely unlikely that any of the horse's history would be known, any problems will not be known until they manifest themselves.
So now what do we have? Classified websites and facebook pages flooded with advertisements along the lines of "I saved this horse but now I've run out of grass and it's losing weight. Please give it a forever home!" Well, derrrrr! You don't just stick it in a paddock to look pretty, you nincompoop. The horse will need feeding! They don't survive on love alone. Especially the ones who were compromised to begin with. The ones who really irritate me are the ones who've had the horse for a few weeks and decide it costs too much to feed. Well, what did you expect? It weighs half a ton, it eats A LOT!
It is so irresponsible to promote the purchase of these horses, without also providing support and education in regards to their ongoing care. It's also irresponsible for a welfare/rescue organisation to promote these horses to the first person who coughs up the money, regadless of their horse experience. An ethical, sensible organisation would screen prospective buyers, and decline those who live in fantasy world, or who just want the warm and fuzzies, without the knowledge to back it up. True rescue is hard, physically, mentally and emotionally. These horses have suffered enough, and this type of so-called "rescue" serves only to prolong that suffering. Just because the horse is not dead, does not mean it has been saved. It is, in my view, a form of cruelty also. Many of those horses are at the doggers for very good reasons - incurable illness or injury, extreme old age, dangerous behaviour etc. Not every horse owner can have their horse PTS at home, and doggers provide this service, unpalatable as it may be to some. And lets face it, there just aren't enough homes for the sound, trained, rideable horses as it is! Horses don't think like people, they don't fear death as we do. Rehab facilities are bursting at the seams already, so unless you stumble across somebody who actually has a clue about equine rehabilitation, the horse has little option but to return to the roundabout and try its luck again.
And then there's the idiots abusing doggers for doing their job. I have yet to meet one who actually enjoys killing things - they aren't Ivan Milat you know! It is a necessary part of the horse industry. Just look at the USA where horse slaughter was banned. Horses now have to endure horrifically long truck journeys to either Mexico or Canada......cruelty in itself! We don't want that here. Knackeries are already few and far between, thanks to misguided individuals protesting their very existence. Think of the knackery people as the garbage men of the industry - cleaning up after our throw away society. Most of us are diligent and do the right thing.....but some leave their recycling in with the trash, and sadly, it is treated accordingly.
Most of these ads then go on to say that the horse is a companion only for whatever reason - most often injury or arthritis from poor leg conformation. Well, hello! Very few people want this type of horse. Who wants to feed a horse bucketloads when it has no practical use? Many of the horses also have minimal handling and/or behavioural problems. I am absolutely shocked at the prices these horses are now fetching, due to the "save at all costs" mentality. They are more popular than the ridden horses! Do people not realise that they are condemning many healthy horses by consistently buying the wrecks? Horse traders are not silly. They want the horses who will give them meat money. The skinny ones are a poor investment, so selling them to the bleeding hearts mean they will make a profit. So who fills the quota then.....the fat ones. Derrrrrr.
The owner also wants a "forever home" - I find this expectation extremely hypocritical. If you really want a forever home, keep it yourself! You apparently saved the horse, but once you realise what you have taken on, you want someone else to take over? It's gotten too hard, so pass it on to the next person? So typical of society today, and once again, the animal suffers. Just like all the animals given as Christmas presents, who flood shelters a few months later because it was all too hard. Fairytale does not equal reality.
And what happens when the paddock is full of grass again? The person gets another horse, feels all warm and fuzzy because they "saved" it, and the cycle starts again. The only ones to suffer are the horses. You also see the odd ad stating that the horse must go, so the owner can "save" more. People with this mindset obviously have no understanding of equine mental health. Shuffling them from pillar to post does them no good, and will likely exacerbate any existing problems. It is not possible to properly assess, rehabilitate, and put some training into a horse, so that it's ready for rehoming, in less than 6 months. At least a year would be realistic.
This trend will ruin the horse industry for those who have spent their lives carefully selecting and promoting their sound, handled, well performed and correctly fed stock. The bottom has fallen out of the market for these small, family operations, while the dealers and agents are laughing all the way to the bank. People are buying all their problem horses to "save" them - halving their workload and doubling their profits. I think I'm in the wrong game!
True rescue and rehab does not involve buying a horse at the sales and passing it on to make yourself feel good. If you do this, you have saved NOTHING. You've given the horse a more uncertain future than it had before, possibly even condemned it to return to the very life you pretended to save it from. This fad is dangerous, to both the horses and their well intentioned but naive buyers.
When will common sense return to the horse industry?
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