Personally, I don't think it's the
sport which is hard on horses, I think it's people. They either take a
horse into a discipline for which that horse is not suited (because of
conformation problems, for instance) or they simply don't take care of the
animal whilst it is competing.
Tracy,
I think you are absolutely right. However, there are some sports that are
just plain hard on the joints, bones and muscles no matter what. Take jumping
for example. I went to a jumper barn once to do some massage. Not one horse did
I work on have clean legs. Not one. This was a well know barn with a highly
regarded trainer. I believe these horses got the best of care as the trainer was
the one to hire me to massage these athletes. I found this to be true in quite a
few other hunter jumper barns as well. Muscle wise, they were in pretty good
shape. But major joint areas were swollen, splinted, injected every 6 weeks or
scarred from some surgery or another. (I am not picking on any discipline. this
one just stands out in my little mind)
I think people who breed without really taking into consideration how
important confirmation is to the discipline of the horse do not help the horse
at all. Confirmation doesn't have to be absolutely perfect, but as close to
perfect as it can be to have an all around athlete that will hold up to any hard
work.
When I bred my mare, (who I believe is quite exquisite ) I looked for the
best stallion that fit everything I was looking for. It was expensive, but worth
it. Our Mucho Dinero is beautiful, and very well put together. He should be able
to do anything, and very well at that. The costs involved in maintaining an
athlete can empty a check book in a hurry. I think some owners won't or can't
spend the money to keep their horses healthy or to fix an injury. That can be
hard on horses, too.
It has been my observation that when I go to shows (rarely) and look at
other people's tack areas, I see special "gadgets" to make the horse do what
needs to be done. Lots of polish and grooming supplies. Granted, I don't see the
home care. But, when I am at endurance rides, I see the best hay, electrolytes,
special feeds, and for the most part horses just being pampered.
So while endurance riding is hard on all of us, I think endurance horses
get the best maintenance care.I also think endurance riders as a whole, are way
more knowledgeable about horse care, nutrition and the overall condition of
their horses at any given time. That makes it much easier on our equine
partners. It does set us apart from other disaplines;) Lisa Salas, The Odd
FArm