I’ve never seen a horse more in need of being rescued
Oct 31 2007
(This has been in the comments before, but I just rewatched it and it really does need the spotlight of the main page.)
I know lots of horses are starving. But this one is going to get his neck broken or these redneck idiots are going to get pissed and shoot him or something. Probably stuff his head and hang it on the wall with a beer can between his ears after that!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdkamNguH7M
Their “friend” updated since posting with the following explanation:
“Well, we found out why this horse is going over backwards when we took him too the vet to get shots. The trainer there felt him and said he’s still too young to have a lot of weight on him, he’s tinder in some spots around his back legs. So, no more riding until he’s a little older. I guess 2 1/2 isn’t old enough. Let me say for the record: I don’t know anything about horses, nor do I have any desire to learn more….they are dangerous as far as I’m concerned. I can’t say anything about what happened here, because I don’t know what was done wrong. I can say slapping him on the ass to get him to go over the fence looked pretty damned stupid though. This isn’t the first time this horse has done this. He’s not a bad horse and he isn’t abused. None of the horses are abused. This horse has already had 3 different owners. That’s something to be said. I guess no one has the patience for him. I think he will be ok. He isn’t going to be ridden for a long time yet… “
1. Tinder? Is that like TIMBER! He’s going over again!?
2. The vet has a trainer there? Well for god’s sake hire them and stop it with the abusive DIY training. I bitch about silly Parelli stuff but even that would be better than what you are doing to this poor little colt.
3. “he isn’t abused” – um, you admitted you know nothing about horses. This statement is proof. He IS abused. He’s being BADLY abused. HEINOUSLY abused. The horse is going to BREAK HIS NECK OR HIS BACK if this continues. Your friends are NOT capable of training him and they need to give him up.
Good God, thanks to this video, about 12,000 youtube viewers are willing to give him a better home. I know we all have different opinions about training and various ideas of what is or is not excessive, but I’m going to guess there is absolutely not one person reading this who agrees that this isn’t abuse.
245 comments to “I’ve never seen a horse more in need of being rescued”
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More mini abuse, this time with two teenaged girls who should know better… at the same time… /sigh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abQ2wkwp-vM
Lauren, I totally agree. Some of the most dangerous situations I have come into contact were from big fancy show horse that wasn’t yet finished and young ignorant kid who doesn’t know what they are doing. I had a broke horse my entire horse show career. I rode greenies that I was capable of riding on the side to gain some abilities, but for shows at the level that I was doing them, a green horse wouldn’t have gotten me where I needed to go and I would have become a far worse rider.
And no, I don’t think that all disciplines require the same bit. I show western pleasure. I need a curb. I have an unjointed, mild cutter curb. My mare loves it more than anything in the world, but I am riding on a HUGE drape and the slightest touch is all you need for cues. However, for a hunter and the like, you would be better off not having a curb bit and I think people get too excited by how bits “look”.
I have problems with hunter who ride in Pelhams for no reason other than “that is what my trainer said is in style”. I think they are useless bits, personallly. And in polo or barrel racing when you go from 0-60 in 15, you need a different bit that allows you lengthen and shorten your reins for a “woah” effect.
However, I was simply disputing the choice of bit and the severity and I have a BIG problem with “bitting up”.
(regardless of what you call it..it is NOT a severe bit. A bike chain on an O/D-ring would be a severe bit…so be careful what you call severe…not all O/D-rings are mild. I also need to make a note that I have used shanked bits on horses (whether they are solid mouth pieces or broken) for years and have been given PROPER instruction on HOW to use them.)
Hmmm… you say you aren’t defending them, but yet you say they ARE NOT severe. Please explain.
I agree with you. I just was educating. A lot of western riders are thoroughly confused on proper terminology. I was once one, so I know. It took some lessons on bitting and I by no means know everything. However, referring to one as that, it hints to the fact that you were oblivious that a TT wasn’t a snaffle. It’s okay, but I wanted to correct it. This annoys me as much as people referring to mechanical hacks as “hackamores”.
I vote for the french link and I like the Billy Allen also. I have used both time and time again for retraining TT horses. For all of the ones I have worked with(either personally or just helping the owners) most ex TT horses end up in a French link or billy allen. Some might have to go bitless for a few years but few have had to stay bitless.
Far to many people do not learn enough about bits. I think that every rider should learn at least the basics and then about the bits they use. Not everyone has to be a bit nut like myself but to use a bridle to it’s fullest the rider needs to understand how and why it works the way it does.
Okay, also want to jump in on the mini issue. A girl who I went to elementary school with had a mini. She was a “bigger” girl – not tiny by even MacDonald’s standards. She was also obnoxious and her parents were clearly hillbillies that knew nothing about horses.
Every year for fair, she would arrive, pony in the back of the truck. He would jump down and they would tie him in a tie stall with a regular knot. My parents offered to show them proper tying and they said they didn’t care and that he wouldn’t be stupid enough to get in trouble.
They would saddle the mini up all wrong and the girl would mount on the WRONG side.
They would show the heck out of it.
And for that, another local club kicked them out of showing. It was obviously in PAIN. A year later, I saw her arrive to a clinic at horse camp with a new pony.
The pony was a medium size and by now she was well over 200 pounds, which was far too big for this pony who was about 700 pounds at best I would guess.
It was an improvement, but not safe.
I asked her where her mini was. She said he had to be put down because of a broken back.
Why? Seriously? Why?
I’ve seen some really sly ponies just lay down or roll over when they are burdened with a rider that’s too heavy. Too bad that little mini didn’t do that. Actually… maybe the punishment would have been worse with those people, so maybe it was smart to try to just deal with it. Who knows. Stories like that are so sad.
Lauren- It is wonderful. I am getting her and myself back into shape- we haven’t shown in over a year- and she is wonderful. Her stops are fantastic, I do not have to pull on her to get a stop, it just happens. My riding is improving too because I don’t have to worry about her being freaky, so I can work on ME, which in turn helps out HER.
The raciness issue is also gone. She goes forward willingly and relaxed and if I do have to cue her with the reins, she knows I am not going to rip her face off or bang her mouth up.
I have the same situation. When I was exercising this one mare, people would actually gather on the rail to watch because they didn’t think it was the same horse. The difference is all in the rider, not the horse. It’s how the bit is handled and the rider’s seat (and attitude, really!). Getting that harmony is such an accomplishment.
Colorisnt- I used to exercise a pony for a family sort of similar to what you described.
Thunder was a holiday gift for the whole family- all 6 kids. He was around 10 hands, very sturdy build, round and bouncy with spots. He was a cute pony and tried hard to please.
They would all show up to ride. yanking and kicking away, one kid after the next, for about 3-4 hours. The oldest kid was about 10 at the time and weighed close to 150 if not more. They went down in age, but every one of them was a bit over the weight they should have been.
If by chance the pony tired of the antics and dumped a child, DAD (weighing around 250lbs) would get on the pony and proceed to beat the wholy crap out of him. If the pony dumped dear ol’ Dad, he really caught hell. He took it though with his head held high, as if telling them they w/could not break him or his spirit.
Eventually they stopped coming out- to the relief of everyone at the farm. I was asked to keep him in shape, (which worked out so he wasn’t a weekend warrior and it gave me something to ride) and eventually they stoppped coming out at all. They told the farm owner they wouldn’t be back, the pony was hers and to do with him as she pleased. Meaning- sell him to pay off the board bill.
I wish I had been able to buy him as he was a wonderful pony, given half a chance.
Both the mini and the medium were lovely ponies. They should have both dumped her. However, they were too nice and not fed well enough to put up a fight. Both would have made great animals for someone else.
It makes me sad when people do that to ponies and then blame the pony. Some do have a Napoleon Complex and very few are idea for great riders (it takes a truly GREAT pony for that). However, the reason that this comes about is because people beat on them and make their lives a living hell. Thus, the pony becomes angry with any human it sees!
FUGLY said: The “anything that isn’t a plain snafle is abusive!” people drive me nuts because I’d like to see them safely play polo, for example, in a plain snaffle. Good luck with that. Call me and let me know you’re going to try that so I can come video.
Yeah, they drive me nuts, too. And it’s important what the horse likes. I have a TWH mare (abuse/neglect case) who absolutely HATES a snaffle, any kind of broken bit just sends her. I ride her with a low-port spade bit, she’s relaxed and happy to go. I always wanted to invite the (very critical) members of First Church of the Snaffle to do the same thing — just get on her with a snaffle and I’d video it. After they sign a zillion hold-harmless releases, that is.
Our OTTB does fine with a snaffle, but only a particular type. One of ours is comfortable with a mullen mouth, which the rest of them can’t stand. I’d rather listen than whisper to them
Lauren- sometimes it starts when people approach the stall. The horse will meet them at the door with a baditude, while others are nickered to, just for walking into the barn- long before even reaching the stall.
The crazy gelding I owned as a teenager, would whinny when my tires hit the dirt at the end of the driveway, about a half mile away from his stall. How he knew it was me, I’ll never know. He was mental when you rode him, but on the ground he was sweet as could be. He knew he would be getting out, turnout, riding or just to be groomed and longed, he was getting out.
It’s funny how quickly they can size us up individually. LOL!
Horses are amazingly intuitive. I know it never ceases to astound me.
I am so glad that I am not the only person who likes the Fren Links. I can’t find anyone in my area that even knows what they are so I was always second guessing myself on whether or not to get them.
The other thing that, I forgot to mention, that I have done with all of my horses is to message the corners of their mouths when I am done riding or working them. I would start them enjoying that before they even had a bit in their mouths.
I had several “hard” mouthed horses that I worked with using that same message method and they loved it. I took them all the way back to the bosal and would start all over with them. Then work back up to what ever worked, nothing more severe than a low port curb.
Colorisn’t- and this is why so many ponies get a bad rap. Stupid folks buy them, plop Tommy or Lil’ Susy on them tell them to kick to make him go, pull back to stop and off they go, into the sunset, just like the cowboys on TV. Yeah!
When the pony dumps them, the parents blame the pony and never bother to address the real issue(s). The pony is labeled ‘bad’ and passed off from one owner to the next, until hopefully they are lucky enough to land in a place where they are loved on, get a little proper training and half a chance.
AWABH- we check their legs and backs as well as their mouth’s. Before and after each ride. Amazing how many folks don’t. It’s simple and takes only a few moments, and makes all the difference in the world, to them and us.
CutNJump,
I would do as much grooming after a ride as before one. It is just common sense to do that. Even the slightest nick on a leg, or even something that they may have picked up on the trail could cause problems if not picked up on.
Of course it never failed that once they were all groomed and dried out after a ride that they would go and roll, LOL. My HA gelding would go out in the pasture and roll in the water then in the dirt after every work out. He was our Moose, he would eat the grass that was under water when we would flood irrigate. I always called him my HA Goofaloosa!
There you go FHOTD, do a blog on the trend of the Pintaloosas.
Does anyone have the video downloaded or could repost it on YouTube? I didn’t get to see it. Thanks!
AWABH- I used to untack my gelding, lead him into the arena for his ‘roll’ then go brush him off. He got to roll and I had a clean horse to put away. We both won. BTW he was a full Arab- all 16 hands and wide as a truck, bit of him.
Cutnjump,
I didn’t really care if they went and rolled. Where we were at, Idaho Falls ID, we had tons and tons of nasty bugs and the mud and dirt helped them out.
I would spend a fortune on fly spray but they never seemed to work right and Khatcher, my HA, was allergic to most of the sprays except for the home made one that I made.
I wish that I could find a purebred Arab as big as your guy! I am 5′ 11″ and that is why I have stuck mainly to the HA. BUT, I love them all!
this vid has been floating around the forum for a while, I believe that they’ve deleted comments several times but left them open until now. Still now idea why the morons leave the video up there. Yeesh. People.
Lou,
Further up the page, Viatecio said…”Just FYI, I downloaded the video before it was taken down. Should anyone who missed it want to see what’s going on, let me know. Heck, if you all want me to, I can repost it on YouTube with an appropriate warning. It’s an .flv file which requires Media Player Classic to play should anyone want it sent to them.”
This made me laugh:
members of First Church of the Snaffle
Seriously made my day!
AWABH- I bought him from friends of friends as a 5 y/o greenbroke, project horse. He was mostly Polish breeding, and they tend to be on the larger side, from what I have seen. There are freaks in every breed though. My mare is 14.1, and that’s a stretch for her- before a trim. Her full brother is supposed to be around 15.2, so where does that make sense?
I was into team roping at the time so his size was a bonus since I wanted to head, not heel. I figured he could pull just about any steer, but he was horrofied of cows. Couldn’t get him near the damn things. He freaked.
I tried hazing steers on him one night. He blew past them before they cleared the chute most times. I got him to settle down some and followed the heel horse out of the box. He bolted down the arena like a shot. After about 5 or 6 runs like this he was drenched in sweat, lathered in some areas, and just about snorting fire. I had to walk him for about an hour to cool him out. That was our last cow chasing experience. It wasn’t worth risking the sure to happen accident in the near future, had I continued.
CutnJump,
Hope you don’t mind my jumping in on your conversation (but I love to talk horse). I was planning on doing team penning with my Arabian, he was going to “take over” for my QH mare (who was being bred). He did really well on cows at home (no fear, since he shared pastures with them on and off for years. He actually liked to chase around the young ones “at liberty”), but unfortunately, he never made it to the actual competition (EPM). Arabians can certainly cow, it’s just not so much the “accepted” thing. My guy was 15.2 hands, not stocky, but substantial – he was full Egyptian (his dam was imported).
4&HOLDING- we may try cutting on the filly. She could do it, but that gelding wanted nothing to do with those furry, smelly, horse-o-saurous rex, demonic beasts. They could have eaten him ya know! He was protecting himself from that fate… LOL!
I’d LOVE to try cutting, but I think I’d need a trainer, since neither the horses or I know what to do. Plus, I don’t really have any horses right now who will lock on a cow, and I don’t really know how to teach them that. I’ve penned on two of my current horses, and we can cut out a cow – it’s everything that comes after that would be a problem.
OOOPS! I almost forgot to add- even the most well bred ‘cow horses’ may not take to cows. As with any discipline- the horse may have the breeding to do it, and the conformation to go along with that, but they may have other things in mind. To force the issue is a waste of time. They may do it to please you, but if their heart isn’t in it, it will show.
4&holding- We are in AZ, but I think you said you were in OH? If you were nearby, you could come give it a shot om our bay mare. She’s 20 y/o but still hell on a cow and a blast to ride.
It’s 5pm & I’m outta here ’til tomorrow…
Night All!
May we all sleep under a stary sky.
CutnJump
Actually, I’m in the SE, but still far from AZ. If I’m ever over that way, I’d love to take you up on your offer!
Have a lovely night!
4Horses&Holding & CutnJump,
Do either of you get the Modern Arabian mag? October/November is about the Working Cow Arabs and of course the Endurance rides.
The HA that I had went to a trainer that has a huge ranch not too far away. He is now helping Jim to train the younger horses, work cattle and go out on long trail rides. Jim was impressed with him cuz he was so level headed and never got hot. He didn’t realize that Khatcher was HA till I told him.
I will have to did up some pics of him from before and after. He was a rescue, came to me as a 14.1 hand skin, bones, half dead worm ridden, death warmed over 2 yr old. When I gave him to Jim he was 15.3 and a lil over 1000 lbs. He had his grandsire’s, Khemosabi, laid back attitude and his dam’s stubbornness. But I couldn’t have asked for a better gelding.
Wait there is a pic of him at 6 months old on http://www.goldensignaturefarm.com for sale page. Look for Khatching Rainbows. He was repoed by Desi because the ppl that were buying him never paid for him and they starved him and three other horses.
AWABH,
He’s very pretty. I can’t wait to see a “now” picture. The only Arabian blood I have on the place right now is 1/4 Arabian & 3/4 stock horse, luckily he got a lot of the Arabian personality. I’ve never met an Arabian or HA who I didn’t have strong feelings about (it seems you either love or hate the individual horse, you can’t really be apathetic about those Arabs).
I had to laugh at the Golden Signature sold page, right above your horse is a pair of horses sold named “Alpo & Kal Kan” (which people were saying were good names for fuglies on a post very recently).
Sorry, late reply, but gotta jump in.
I had a breeding stock paint horse who absolutely adored his snaffle bit. With horse show rules though when they turn 5 you cannot show them in a snaffle anymore. He responded well in a snaffle, and a halter and lead, and a hackemore as well as a bosal but none of those of course are allowed in the show ring.
I put a mild jointed leverage in his mouth as a transition bit, Cowboy was fine with it until one day for whatever reason the bit fell apart in his mouth. He almost flipped on top of me when it happened.
From then on I couldn’t put him in any sort of leverage bit without him rearing up and flipping over. The place I board at is HUGE into natural horsemanship and I had the advice of two different trainers with very gentle ways.
In the end we finally found a LEGAL bit that worked, a TOM THUMB. The horse LOVED it! He was very responsive and was back to his old self, he loved that bit as much as he loved his snaffle. It had copper in the middle so that helped too.
One day I was riding him on a trail ride by myself bareback with a two ear piece bridle on him, I couldn’t figure out why he was chomping the bit so much, turns out the ear pieces slid over his ears and he was sucking on the bit to keep in his mouth!
I am totally for the Tom Thumb Bit and do not see it as harsh or anything. I’ve used severe bits on my old mare at the advice of my old trainer and it almost got me killed. I’ve learned alot when it comes to bits and yeah, the Tom Thumb really is nothing.
comments were disabled the day or two after i left mine. lets just say i wasnt exactly giving them any good feed back.
this is what makes the PETA people hate horseback riders. morons like this who dont have two brain cells to rub together between the lot of them. i saw this video with my boyfriend, and hes no horse person at all, and he said it was one of the most scaring things he had ever seen. i cried.
4Horses&Holding,
Didn’t you notice the names of the ppl that bought Alpo and KalKan?? The same person that bought Khatcher, LOL. Me!
The mare ended up being in her very late 20s or early 30s, according to the vet. We had to have her put down for her own good.
Kal is in a forver home in UT with a huge family that needed another horse. He is very happy and healthy and loving life.
>>>
dlgilbert4- are you in Montara or HMB? I worked in the area for about a year, near Sea Horse Ranch but NOT actually there… they should rename it “See Horses die*out*from*under*you*on*trail*rides Ranch”.
Actually their website makes for some lovely snarking.
http://www.horserentals.com
/seahorse.html
(split to make sure it all shows)
Has this been on the blog yet? I haven’t seen it…
One unconfirmed story from the EHV-1 outbreak earlier this year- one of their horses was showing symptoms of neurological deficit, went out on an hourly ride anyway, seized and died on the beach. They didn’t submit any samples to UC Davis for testing (that is confirmed, I checked MANY times since my employer was scarily close to their property, and there was no way we were going to get our 6-figure horses sick) and the whole story was swept under the rug…
>>>
Hi Heather,
Did you work for Cheryl Maloney? I just started riding at Blue Moon in January and started boarding Dallas there in August. I think I’ve heard the name “Heather” tossed around a few times… small world?
That’s scary about the EHV-1. Sea Horse is a horrible place. It hasn’t been on FHOTD yet, but I’m sure it or some other place like it will. Cheryl is currently working with this sweet chestnut TB filly, Daisy, that was started over there – she has some big trust issues, but she’s working through them.
If you want to email me its danielle.[last name]@gmail.com. You can figure out my last name from my handle.
Danielle
Is this the same idiot as in Sonny’s video?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtcC35rC-iI
If so, it’s from this stable:
http://members.prtcnet.org/circlemfarm/
Play any of the videos, then sort along the bottom of the videos that appear as options for your next viewing, and you’ll find “Patty goes wild”.
And the women think this is such normal behavior that they stand idly by and have a toddler in the area. WTF? Gitmo is too good for these people.
I don’t have the sound on for that Patty video, but I sure as hell wouldn’t get in range of a horse pulling back, and I don’t blame them for waiting for the horse to figure it out first before going in and getting her loose.
Sometimes shit happens with horses, that’s the way they are. The only things I can fault them on, based on the blurry and shaky video, is that it looks like they tied her to the panel, and not the giant post, and that there were horses in those stalls that could have instigated the pulling.
Arcadia Horses; the American “Tom Thumb” bit is a curb,it has a jointed mouthpiece but has shanks, therefore has leverage; it is nothing like our Australian “Tom Thumb” which is a ring snaffle with bars [next to the rings] to stop the bit from sliding through the mouth.
On the topic of “starter” bits/bridles[sidepulls], I have always used a mullen-mouth rubber snaffle. It is a pure rubber, straight mouthpiece [no metal] with large rings [so it doesn't pull through the mouth], and the few I have started have always been “snaffle-mouthed” [ie if you achieve the same degree of response, engagement and collection with a snaffle as another with a "double' [bit and bradoon] or a curb bit, then the snaffle-mouthed horse is the better “mouth”. [IMO]
And I WILL NOT get on the back of a 2 year old, and oftentimes won’t until they are 4 years old, there is plenty to teach before burdening their bones !!
If you are in such a hurry to ride, get an older horse !!!
Also I believe that if you want to ride in a curb it should not have a jointed mouthpiece. The combination of the leverage of the shanks plus the nutcracker action of the single-jointed mouthpiece is too harsh. I prefer a snaffle bit, but it has to have the “French” mouth [double joint] or a “mullen” [straight bar] so it doesn’t have the “nutcracker” action. I will NEVER use a curb/pelham/kimblewick bit with a jointed mouthpiece that is just TOO nasty; and if you think you need one then it is time to re-mouth that poor horse !!
viatecio, please repost the video on youtube.
Those people really need to be Shot for what they have and might still be doing to that poor animal.somone needs to report then to animal control and the horse needs to be taken away and given a new home where he can enjoy being a horse.
Stupid rednecks
Went to look they have now removed video. WHats that say….. IDIOTS
Even Parelli would be better than this?!? Excuse me, but do you even know the first thing about Parelli? It’s about communicating with your horse through body language to establish and build a relationship. So we do stunts like standing on our horses, or riding tackless. You think we just hop on the first thing we see and go galloping off into the sunset? NO! The biggest problem most people have in understanding Parelli is that IT TAKES TIME. It’s not a quick fix. If you think Parelli is such a bad idea then you’re no better than these idiot redneck owners.
Like you so often tell your readers: “Shame on you!”