Abused South African horses – continued
Mar 01 2012
I don’t usually post on Thursdays and have been trying to keep the two blogs separate; however, I posted this on Snarky Rider yesterday and got quite the response, so I wanted to post it to FHOTD and see what you all had to say. Since first publishing this post, there has been an update which you can check out here.
This photo comes from a Hackney Stud in South Africa where their grasp of the concept of training has clearly been confused with that of torture.
Apparently the genius’s that thought this one up feel this “method” will help build those attractive neck muscles that we all love so much – you know, the ones that are typically the byproduct of proper training and self-carriage.
These people were investigated by the Highveld Horse Care Unit (HHCU) where the inspectors found out from employees that the horses stand tied up like this for two hours at a time, repeated throughout the day. Unfortunately the article posted on HHCU’s website was pretty scint on details so we have no idea if anything is going to happen to this Stud, or if the horses are going to be saved or what have you. There are a number of discussions taking place on different forums about this, however, so if you want to hear what others have to say, check out Horse Grooming Supplies Forum and/or Horse Forum. Or, if you feel so inclined, there’s an online petition to the South African government to stop this assholery.
Even body builders will tell you that you don’t hold a pose for two hours! Come on people! Anyone who’s ever been to a gym or done a workout in their lifetime knows that you do reps, not just grab and hold. The repetition is what contributes to building muscle. The kind of muscle that torturous methods such as this build are bracing and of no practical use. This is done for aesthetics, pure and simple. These horses are going to break down at a younger age than those with proper training and muscling. It’s a sad statement on the way the horse industry is, worldwide, that it’s more important to have a “pretty pony” than a working horse that will last you a long time. Do these people, the buyers of these abused horses, not consider the fact that they’ll get more bang for their buck from a horse that will perform for 10 years, as opposed to 2. And make no mistake, this is abuse.
This also raises another issue, are horses so indispensable that people will buy them, use them for 2 years and then throw them away? Oh wait, we already know the answer to that one, don’t we? The racing and futurities industries are prime examples. You know, they say that different cultures have different values and it can be hard to understand their points of view, traditions, way of thinking, etc. And yet, apparently the devaluing of animal life is ubiquitous. Hooray, we all have something in common. Wanna hug it out?
For anyone daring to question the harshness of these abominable “methods”, just taking a look at the photo. You can practically see the veins pulsating from the horse’s shoulder. For anyone who’s ever watched an episode of House, Grey’s Anatomy, Doogie Houser – even Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman knew that this was indicative of an elevated heart rate. Since we know the horse didn’t just run a freaking marathon, I think we can safely conclude that the horse’s heart rate is elevated due to pain – possibly from the unforgiving twine forcing so much pressure on the poor horse’s jaw it looks like it might snap off at any second. Can you imagine how much damage that can, and likely is, doing to the horse’s musculoskeletal structure? For anyone who’s ever had a chiropractor (or any medical professional along those lines) out for their horse, you know that one of the first things they check is the temporomandibular joint. If there’s something out of alignment in this joint, it can cause pain issues exacerbated by flexion at the poll – hmmm and how exactly were these Hackney’s supposed to be traveling? Could it be: flexed at the poll?! How willing (able) do you think they’ll be to trot out in the proper headset, featuring those neck muscles those jackasses tortured them to get?
Anyone else recall one of the issues surrounding rollkur? The fact that the extreme overbent position compromised the horse’s ability to inhale sufficient air? (Check out Sustainable Dressage’s article for more info on why/how this affects the horse’s ability to, umm, breathe.)
Look familiar?
Once again, horse abuse proves to be completely senseless. Good job humanity, you really know how to make a girl proud to be a part of the species. Bra-fucking-vo.
50 comments to “Abused South African horses – continued”
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Just heartbreaking, there’s no punishment harsh enough for the abuse of animals and especially, kids.
I am sure there would be a lot less abuse if we did to the abuser what they do to there victims.
“Do to no one what you yourself dislike.”
—Tobit 4:15
I don’t often comment, but when I saw that first photo, I felt physically ill. I’ve seen a lot of things; that doesn’t happen often.
Not a religious person, and I’m normally not a fan of eye-for-an-eye, but if there is a hell, I hope it has a special room just for the people who did this. Lord knows they’ll never get a proper comeuppance on Earth.
I felt the same way when I saw that first photo. Fucking sick bastards!!
Life’s A Beach
http://www.36andsingle.blogspot.com/
Your rolkur comparison was exactly what I was thinking. I don’t know how the horse was able to stay conscious if tied like that for long periods of time. That is so horrible. Just sick, sick people.
I think I just threw up in mouth. Ack. I don’t even know what to say to that, other than WHY, WHY, WHY??? I don’t think I would have been able to restrain myself long enough to take a picture if I had been one of the people sent to check out these horses, I would have been pulling out a knife to cut him free so fast. . . Absolutely disgusting. I don’t even know what kind of sick brain you have to have to THINK to do something like that . . . but oh wait, I guess it isn’t much different than the WP barns that tie horse’s heads up all night, or people who sore, or any of those sick practices. I DON’T FUCKING GET IT. Horses are beautiful just the way they are (and no, I’m not a sunshine and butterflies NH person, I swear!). But don’t all horse people just like to sit and watch their horses roam around in the pasture and play with their buddies once and a while? That’s when they are most beautiful, in my opinion. Everything we teach a horse under saddle–movement, carriage, everything–is manufactured, human-designed, and it can be aesthetically pleasing too (if done with utmost consideration for the horse’s health and happiness). But when I get to turn my mare out with her buddies on an early summer morning and she canters off to the apple tree to see if any new snacks fell overnight, well, that is the best sight ever. Little OT I guess, oops
Are you kidding? People that do this sort of thing don’t turn their horses out. Their horses never get to romp with friends in pasture or even dry lots. No trees, no apples, no companions. Because what these sick f*cks LIKE is the control, the power, their ability to cause pain and suffering. Sadistic bastards. They should all be tied up like this.
And to think I used to object to western trainers tying their horses’ heads to their tails, then turning them to the round pen to learn “flexing.”
To see what this sort of short-cut b.s. training method does to the horse, watch Dr. Gerd Heuschmann’s DVD, “If Horses Could Speak,” a companion piece to the book “Tug of War: Classical vs. Modern Dressage.” (Not absolutely certain on the title of the book, but “Tug of War” is the first part).
Anyway, the DVD has the most fantastic graphics of a horse trotting with a rider not interfering vs. a rider in rollkur mode. An eye-opener, for sure.
My jaw dropped when I saw this picture.
Ahh aren’t these people aware that the reason a bitting rig has elastic is so that there is some give!?! That give could mean the difference between a horse who learns to move forward or one that learns to flip over. Setting aside the obvious discomfort of the horse; this is an incredibly dangerous situation! And with their head forced into a position with twine that WILL NOT BREAK if he flips over… Well, how much does it cost to fix a broken jaw? Even in the event that he doesn’t break anything, that twine will also prevent him from getting back up because he can’t move how he needs to move and I’m sure he’ll skin himself raw when he flails to get back up. Just look at the wall behind him!
Bitting has it’s place and it’s place ALWAYS involves some elasticity. The horse needs to learn how to wear it’s head, not be forced into it and they need to be allowed to fight with it a little if they need to. Bitting should supplement training, not replace it.
I dont think what they are trying to achieve is teaching the horse to take the bit. They are trying to teach it to hold its head in a certain fashion that some (not myself *cough* Anky Van Grunsven *cough*) find attractive. They are trying to artificially achieve the muscle in the neck.
Right around where the poll is a horse will actually grow a bone that will keep it from moving its head into a normal position. Jump to about 1:20 on this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UwqyMCr_7c
Thank you!! That video is very concise and informative.
It also looks like the poor horse is standing in his own filth and waste. So not only is there abuse to his mouth, neck and jaw, which are now ruined, his feet are probably a mess and who knows what it smells like or how high the ammonia levels are. So sad for that horse, I wanted to reach through the screen and cut the twine. Hopefully these people are punished but I bet the laws are very stringent.
I keep having visions of scissors in hand cutting that eff’ing hay twine. I’m starting to really wonder if the animals are becoming more intelligent than their owners in cases like this. Aren’t we supposed to know better? Must not be the case if those assholes put that poor stud through such pain for sake of a ‘pretty neck’. Things like this really piss me off and raise my blood pressure into wanting to hunt down the idiots and give them a weenie-wrenching. No, I don’t know what that is but have a few ideas in mind. It hurts to look at that picture.
The attachment on the rollkur, overflexing problems was a great read. Thanks girls! I never considered a horse’s inability to swallow as a consequence of being ridden too deep. Makes perfect sense….and the whole head on a hinge gives me a new outlook on attachment. Something to think about when riding, even though I’m going for something different (western pleasure – the natural way) it will help find the perfect spot for their heads to be. Personally, I like them a tad in front of vertical. And out on the trails they hold their heads wherever they want. More of a longer-term stretch with occasional back-to-me reminders.
and what is that big divet under the poor guy’s chin???
Best case scenario, it’s a pressure indent because the twine was just moved. Unfortunately, I’d have to say it’s a scar from past uses of the twine or other tactics.
I read back to the original inspector blog, that is the picture they cut the twine on. It is indeed a pressure indent from how tight it was.
Thank something holy, that the inspector came armed to cut that twine!
Gross, Gross, GROSS!!!
I think what is really amazing about this stallion, is that he hasn’t SAVAGED some one or some thing, can’t say that I would blame him if he did….
When I saw the picture for the first time, my thought was “WTF are they doing to that poor horse?!” Never ONCE did I think, “Oh they are building up its neck muscles”. As a trainer, HOW THE FK do you get to that point in your training methods? It just makes me ill….
The head of that South African horse looks exactly like the horse of Selene in the British Museum, a two and a half thousand year old sculpture which depicts a horse in extreme distress – in myth, these horses drew the chariot which took the moon across the sky, a task which left them exhausted at the end of the night.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/costi-londra/801201496/in/photostream/
The first thing that came to my mind was the cutting and damage the twine was doing to the horse’s mouth and neck. How could you expect this horse to have a “soft” mouth after this treatment when I’m sure the inside of the mouth looks like hamburger!
Notice the stud is pretty scraped and banged up. Pretty sure the hay string isnt their only method of torturing this horse.
Abuse, plain & simple!
Here’s a solution:
Take the owner, put him in the stall, and run baling twine through his mouth and under his armpits. Tighten as hard as physically possible – with hands tied behind his back. Then leave him there.
Why stop at his armpits?
One other thing, you can clearly see in the second photo, an imprint in the skin that the twine had been wrapped around the horses jaw.
Maybe my solution is too lenient.
Photos like this might deserve a warning and a link to click if you choose to view. Seriously.
What else can really be said about this except it’s not that surprising. South Africa hasn’t got the greatest human rights record…
What really broke my heart about this picture is the way the poor horse is standing with his head against the wall – like he’s trying to get some relief, any relief from the unrelenting torture on his mouth and neck.
God, it makes me sick to my stomach.
This was what I saw as well.
I feel so incredibly upset, and I think my husband might be angry at you, Snugly & Snarkly, for making his wife cry.
But I grew up riding Hackneys at a local guy’s farm and I have such a soft spot for them. This just broke my heart and made me so furious. The photos of their living quarters are just horrible too.
Like Velvet Kitten, what really makes me want to buy a plane ticket is when I realized this horse is leaning his head against the wall, and relaxing his jaw, as a desperate and clearly well-practiced attempt to relieve the pain. The worst part is that these horses, like Dutch Harness Horses, are for the most part very natural in what they do. Yes, there is training involved, but overall the natural ability is there. Why torture them over something they would give you in a heartbeat if they understood?
Furthermore, if you really MUST torture your horse, build a damn bitting rig for it. Just seeing the use of that baling twine is enough to make me decide, without ANY doubt, to never buy from this place, never sell to this place, and never… EVER… support anything they do. The Hackney community is a pretty tight group– I wonder what they have to say about seeing their stock abused this way.
Seriously??!!! ok humans, it is time to stop being the complete idiots we manage to keep being. enough of the horse torture, dog torture, shark fining, etc that we as humans manage to keep doing with some ass hat justification. when are we going to reach some level of true compassion not only for our animals but for our humans counterparts as well. i just dont get it.
At first glance, I thought the photo showed a horse with deep lacerations. Good grief! I don’t understand how anyone could look at this and think that tying a horse’s face with twine was a good idea. The cruelty is so obvious. I hope that poor horse hasn’t lost his mind already.
http://www.itsbraintime.blogspot.com
http://www.horsecare.org.za/hackney-stud-inspection-n-cape/
Here’s an article on it. CAUTION: more graphic pictures…
Well… that made my blood boil.
Poor poor baby. I have never wanted a hackney nor have I ever considered having a stud, but honestly if someone wanted to finance a trip from SA to Texas via a ride on the gelding bus, I would love to see him rehabbed and into a successful career (if that’s a show career or just keeping someone happy by being a pasture pony). At this point I don’t really care about killing the owners, just that the horses NEVER have to be under their care again!
Okay, so there have been numerous posts on this blog about, especially ads and confirmation, and starvation cases. and asking a non-horse person to look for what was wrong. I asked a non-horsey friend to look at only that first picture. No text involved, only the picture. “What’s wrong with this picture?” I asked. The answer was one simple word that honestly sums up just about everything I thought reading this post.
“Everything.”
So disturbing. I have trouble believing that anyone who knows a thing about horses could think this would achieve a positive outcome. When was the last time that poor horse got a drink? I’ve NEVER seen a horse so dehydrated before! How atrocious. I REALLY hope that these people have all their animals taken away. They shouldn’t even be allowed to own a goldfish!
You hit the nail right on the head with your comment about repetition! My mother is a two time kickboxing champion and I practised Martial Arts when I was younger and I sure as hell never saw her (or anyone else from her gym for that matter) holding the same pose for hours on end trying to build up muscle! All that would do would cause pain, both in your joints AND your muscles, making you stiff (like this poor horse undoubtedly is).
I’m also wondering what is going on with the foam all over the horse’s mouth in the second photo? I’ve had trouble believing that foam is a sign of comfort for some time now (and as I recall, a few people on this site have also questioned it) and this very uncomfortable horse is foaming at the mouth, which seems to support the theory that just because a horse is foaming, it doesn’t mean the horse is supple/comfortable ect. Speaking of that picture, am I the only one who can see two lines on his chin? One severe line and then one beneath it which looks comparatively shallow? I would like to see a picture of its neck, it looks like there might be a nasty indent there as well.
Does anyone think that the poor horse looks like it’s banging it’s head against the wall as if to say “OH MY GOD. You people are IDIOTS!”
http://www.operationhorserescue.blogspot.com
OK, first of all, your family sounds totally BADASS. So cool.
Second of all, I’m thinking that foaming mouths are pretty much a result of not being able to swallow saliva. AKA, drooling. And certain metals in bits can stimulate more saliva. I never thought about it as being bad – conventional wisdom among horsemen says that it’s a positive sign of some sort or other, and never really questioned it. But think about how many horses in full bridles, high port bits, racehorses with creative metal setups, etc. are all foamy-mouthed….
Now, I’m thinking of BDSM ball gags, and do I really WANT that for my horse? Whew. A lot to think about now.
BDSM ballgags…yup first thing I thought of…and picking up a few more deranged implements to use on the owners!!! Poor wee fellow…that is so not right
Ahh – I just didn’t get here quickly enough –
I’m a farrier. I’ve seen thousands of horses. They were relaxed. Not one of them, NOT ONE, has ever been foaming at the mouth. I call absolute BS on that theory. My own theory is that they’re foaming because they can’t swallow often enough.
I’ve been a Dressage fan all my life, but I’ve never been able to make the logical leap that they’re foaming around their mouths because they’re relaxed. It just pegs a 10 on my BS meter.
Does anyone agree? Is there any irrefutable proof that foam==relaxed??
I was taught by more than one equine professional that a foamy mouth was a sign of a soft mouth, and that the saliva would keep the mouth softer and more responsive, and the horse happier.
Hence all the copper and sweet iron bits promoted as spit makers.
It’s supposed to be a little, itty BIT of foam. Just a hint of it. And not with every horse, either. Excessive foam or froth is a sign of distress and red foam is STOP NOW. (Not always caused by abuse…I remember seeing it after some kid used a cheap nickel bit on her new horse. She didn’t realize the cheap bit was nickel and had no clue the poor pony was allergic).
A relaxed horse will play with the bit a little with his/her tongue. This can generate extra saliva and a little bit of foam, depending on the horse. That’s where foam = relaxed comes from, but a lot of horses don’t produce any foam and are perfectly relaxed. It’s not something I pay attention to myself.
I am also really glad people are beginning to question the drool thing. It’s never made sense to me, as it seems to have come out of nowhere, is pretty much limited to a certain type of riding, and as you say, it sure doesn’t look right or comfortable.
This pisses me off on so many levels! This is intentional cruelty for stupid reasons.
I’m feeling guilty over pain that my horse had that we had no idea about until Tuesday. I bought her at the very end of July. She would be sound for a month, then slightly lame then sound, lame then sound. And by lame I am talking about just a tiny bit off – not head bobbing, 3 legged OMG lame. I had the vet out, figured out the problem & are fixing it now. She should be 100% sound in short order (HUGE relief!!) but I feel such guilt that she was uncomfortable and we couldn’t figure it out. And that wasn’t intentional like what is being done to these horses!
Here’s what I posted over on snarky rider:
I keep this on one of my computer “stickies”:
“A horse ‘held in shape’ by his rider is only posturing in a seemingly correct form, usually for the benefit of inexperienced observers.”
~Charles de Kunffy
RIGHT THERE is the whole damn crux of the matter, whether we’re talking rolkur, Western Pleasure (Arab, saddlebred or stock breed), saddleseat, charro “dancing horses,” TWH soring….
People are not interested in educating themselves or their horses. They are interested in a quick buck and imagined glory.
There was a lovely photo essay in the June 2009 Practical Horseman of George Morris riding a beautiful gray horse. There’s one breathtaking photo in particular of “self carriage,” with George’s take on it. I also like what he had to say about overly-supple, rubber-necked horses. I see that a lot with Western riders. They mean well, but instead of wrapping the horse around their legs, they just succeed in interesting acrobatics with their horses’ necks…
He also talked about actual, correct flexion at the poll which SHOULD be desirable as the building block in ALL disciplines.
I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to buy one of Charles De Knuffy’s dressage books. I’m a western rider, but I think that the basic principles of classical dressage help riders and horses regardless of discipline, so I figured I should probably learn more about it. That quote tells me Charles De Knuffy is not someone who does dressage to impress people, but to improve upon himself and the horses he rides without taking shortcuts, which is exactly the way it should be.
Thanks for putting that up!
http://www.operationhorserescue.blogspot.com
For some happy Friday viewing, here is the result of beautiful natural self carriage + trained true collection when a thoughtful master and his talented horse are a true team:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBq5rJM4XvI&feature=endscreen
Although Ahlerich is indeed very collected, you don’t need to know German to see how happy and relaxed he is. Dr. Klimke is not worried that his horse is opening and closing his mouth in a playful manner over the (snaffle) bit, either.
The dropped noseband isn’t interfering with the horse’s mouth in any way. Everything is very beautiful, and though you can actually SEE the energy being gathered within the horse’s body, he’s not the least bit stressed, and he is SO soft, SO elastic. Look at the elevation in his front end, and the engagement behind.
The neck isn’t arched just to be “pretty” or in some horrid parody of “submission,” either. No, the head is nearly vertical and the neck is arched because the normally “forward” energy of the horse is being gathered in and channeled upward. And then? There is “release”!
And that, right there, is the whole purpose of “dressage,” whether you pursue it as a discipline in itself or as a series of training methods modified to suit the ideals of another discipline: communicative channeling of your horse’s natural forward energy.
I mean, look look LOOK at Ahlerich’s cute expression and floppy ears. He’s really enjoying this. There’s NOTHING ring sour about that horse, although he maintained a rigorous enough training and competition schedule to be… um… the best in the world, pretty much…
(Also note that he was not built like the ginormous brick shithouse Warmbloods so popular in Dressage today.)
Compared to the bailing twine torture, I’d actually opt for Rollkur every time…
Is it bad that there’s something going on that can make Rollkur look *good*?!!
http://www.kshai1715.wordpress.com
Life in 2012
This pic turned my stomach, Horse and Hounds has an article that Hackney’s are on the Critical list of being in danger of becoming a lost breed. Too few breeding mares, same with the Cleveland Bay.
I want to hug him and squeeze him and kiss his boo boo’s.
Thank you so much for posting the link to Sustainable Dressage. I spent all of last evening reading through and sorting out the excellent illustrations. I love biomechanics, and I’ve thought for some time competitive dressage has gone off the rails. (And I love Hackney horses…and to see any animal abused this way is unconscionable.)
i hate this picture. the thing i hate the most? those horrible empty hopeless eyes. i want to jump through the screen and save that horse.
This.
Makes.
Me.
Vomit.
I have seen more than one Quarter horse trainer wire or tie a horses head to it’s ass for days. Next time you go where they are calf roping etc just watch the horses. Some of them are so fearful it makes me ill.It doesn’t take an expert to see the difference in a horse that was forced with fear to learn things from the ones that were trained with understanding and respect. We have many so called trainers here that are just as abusive.
These “trainers” fall under the same category as the dog trainer who feels they must be the alpha dog to control their dog. I don’t know about others but my dogs are smart enough to know I am not a dog, let alone an alpha dog.
Real trainers learn to communicate what they want without using fear.