dancing horses but humans not on/at the ball

Ive seen on the television today dressarge at the olimpics, this is where a rider and owner makes its horse dance to music played over a sound system. What difference is there between this, dancing bears and circus animals? while the animal is probably feed well and looked after isnt it amazing how people will not be shocked at the sight of a dancing horse for humans pleasure because of the well dressed owner and rich wealthy olympic setting, in yet be discusted at a man in poverty in a run down city making a bear dance.


child from the bottom of the garden and stars

 

Horses who work at Dressage truly enjoy their work, Child.

As a friend to two horses at the present time, and four of them in the past... not to mention other people's horses I've worked with... let me tell you that you can't make a horse do anything it doesn't want to do. Well, one can beat them or lay them down to take their minds away... but you won't see the love and cooperation that takes place between rider and horse in Dressage Movement.

Dressage Horses are very, very intelligent animals. Their riders are really one with the horse as they execute the various manuevers. The dressage horses whom I've riden Love to do this kind of work. When one retires a dressage to a pasture without this kind of work they usually go nuts with boredom.

Dressage movements are a dance, yes. They are a dance of cooperation and love between horse and man. We have lived with and on horses for thousands of years... and over the years, I have come to find that working with animals is a sharing of love... but that's just me I suppose. I would rather spend the rest of my time here on earth living and working with animals, than with human beings who form opinions with very little knowledge of the subject they're bashing to back them up.

 

Interesting thought. I recently happened to run across a page on this very subject.... http://www.vegetarianbaby.com/articles/equestrian.shtml Olympic horse events do tend to seem a little out-of-place in an icon of human endurance and will. I think it's safe to say that the horses that make it to the Olympics are well looked-after, but you have to wonder about those horses who enter the program but turn out to be subpar.
Anyway, I do see it safe to agree that it is possible to force any animal (or human) to do something they do not want to do. I am sure, for instance, if given the choice horses would rather not march into the slaughterhouse. Yet the US and other countries manage to slaughter thousands.
The unlawful practice of "soring" Tennessee Walkers is an extreme example of a horse being coerced into a specific behavior for show purposes.
The show horse circuit probably involves fewer questionable and abusive practices than racing or rodeo, and many participants are young girls who have a strong attachment to thier horses. However, when all is said and done, I'm willing to bet some of those horses crowded onto slaughter trucks are broken-down and auctioned-off show jumpers whose little girls lost interest, moved away, or got a better-performing animal.

 

You would wrong then. I rode horses and even co-owned a couple for 12 years. I did everything from 3-day eventing to hunter/jumper to barral racing. I wanted to do dressage but the training costs are really high.


The average cost of a horse that is used in dressage(Mainly Dutch Warmbloods) is about $10,000 and that's just the purchase fee...it costs about $400 a month to board and other $300-$500 a month for training fees. By the the time a horse reaches the Olympic Level...the owner has already sunk atleast $100,000 into that horse...not to mention that over those years, that horse has become a valued family member.

The average age of an Olympic Dressage horse is 15 years old and those horses have been training since they were old enough to be ridden. people that are this devoted to both horses and the sport are not going to ship the animal of to ALPO. As a matter of fact.....most horsemeat dogfood comes from mustangs...that were rounded up and disposed of.

As for a rider outgrowing their horse, this rarely happens but when it does, those horses are sold to new people or to riding schools. They arent loaded onto trucks for dogfood and glue.

I suggest you learn about horses and the horsemanship world before assuming that all horses are abused,unwanted, and ultimately dogfood.

and BTW...rodeo horses are some of the most loved and spoiled creatures on this planet. Many cowboys and cowgirls love their horses more then they love most people. So quite trying to soil the name of the industry.


If you are worried about the plight of horses, I suggest looking towards the atrocities committed against our wild mustangs.

They are the only horses in the US that are in any real danger or threat.

 

Just as feral cats aren't the only felines facing problems in our country, there are a variety of issues associated with horses, both in the wild and domestic situations. Some issues are more pressing than others, some may not warrant serious concern, and others may be problematic in only the worst situations (ie., neglect of pets). I'm not going to penalize someone for bringing up concerns about an animal-related activity that is typically not delved into. If anything, I do try to be as charitable as I can, such as the link which actually supported horse ownership and riding sports.
America slaughters several thousand horses per year, and this is a viable concern. Also worthy of concern are entertainment ventures that involve activities such as roping running calves and wrestling animals into submission. The presence of pet animals used in pagentry and barrel racing does not let an entire industry off the hook.
Anyway, I don't want to veer too far off the subject, nor to I want to turn one person's personal thoughts on Olympic events into a fight (this isn't really the place anyway).