Lisa wrote:
>>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.
Er.....would it be wise at this point to mention that showjumping and
endurance are my disciplines of choice >g<
Yes, it IS possible to get a horse with clean joints if you look after
him properly. You do this by:
1. Not starting him over fences too young. I won't start a
horse over fences until he is at least five, sometimes older, depending on
the breed of the horse (WBs develop more slowly than TBs).
2. Not over-jumping the horse. It isn't necessary to jump a
horse every day. Mine get jumped once a week, or sometimes once a
fortnight. Once your horse has been properly schooled, and exposed to
various fences, it shouldn't be necessary to practice and practice and
practice over the same fences. Far better for the horse (both from a
protection-of-joints perspective and from a schooling perspective, and so as
not to make the horse stale) to do flatwork.
3. Doing roadwork, so as to toughen up tendons and
ligaments. I know that it's frowned upon in the States (and here, too,
in South Africa) to work a horse on hard roads, but in the UK, it's de
rigeur in showjumping yards to trot the horses out, on tar, once a week, in
order to get them fit and to toughen up the legs. Mine get roadwork
very much as they do in the States, and my vet is constantly amazed at my
horses' soundness.
So, yes, whilst I agree that what you found in the yard in which you
worked is probably the norm, my point is that it needn't be.
Unfortunately, my experience with showjumpers, despite the fact that I count
many of them amongst my closest friends, is that they are lazy, and prefer
to jump and jump and jump, neglecting the important aspects, like roadwork
and flatwork.
Also, I am constantly amazed that these horses are worked CONSISTENTLY
in tendon and brushing boots, or, worse, sports medicine boots. Some
of these horses aren't even walked around the block without some kind of leg
protection. Moreover, here and in Europe, at the top jumping yards,
horses go out for perhaps an hour a day, no more than that. So, nine
times out of ten, if you ask, you will find that the horse did its injury in
the paddock, because it went out without the usual protection, on which it
had come to rely, and it went ballistic.
>>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.
Absolutely. You do find the rare horse who gives lie to his
conformation faults (we have one here who jumped international A
grade. He was a tiny little TB, who stood 16 hh if he stood on
absolute tippy toes. He had the most incredible jump. He
literally threw boh his legs out sideways. One of the veterinary
hospitals has asked his owner if, when the horse is put down, they can
autopsy the body. They're convinced his spinal column is elastic!) but
it is still madness to breed with such an animal, if you are looking to
breed a sports horse.
>>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.
Agreed. OTOH, there are other owners (and here I must confess
that many of them are in the jumping community) who are far more prepared to
spend money on injections into joints, etc, than they are to spend time :
time to allow the animal to develop before putting it into work (some WBs
are jumping as young as 3), and time to allow the animal to recover from
injury before putting it back into work. Very often, all it takes is
some rest and some TLC.
>>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.
Hmmm....this is a tough one. Are you talking about
"gadgets" as training tools, or "gadgets" to make the
horse look pretty. I'm pretty much a snaffle and cavesson person, but
I'm not stupid enough to think that every horse can go in one. Bear in
mind that the demands of the sport are different. In endurance, you
aren't doing "precision riding" of the sort that you will see on a
showjumping course. When your horse has to do a related distance
between two 1.8 metre fences, it may not be such a bad thing to have
something more than a snaffle in his mouth, if needs be. It certainly
isn't a reflection on the rider or the horse (although I think it is when
the fences are three feet high!)
>>So while endurance riding is hard on all of us, I think
endurance horses get the best maintenance care.
Ooooooh........not sure I agree. I think horses get the best care
when they belong to knowledgeable, educated people, who are prepared to put
the time into producing an athlete who is fit and competent enough to do the
job at hand. At the moment, my Toc is no more than a happy hack, but
he still receives electrolytes when necessary, the best hay money can buy,
supplements as needed, is groomed twice a day, is schooled four days a week,
gets road work twice a week (to keep him fit - not sure for what!) and is
hacked out once a week. He is shod by a farrier, with whom I discuss
his feet at every shoeing, and he has his teeth done every four
months. I do this because, at the end of the day, whether I ask him to
do no more than what he is currently doing, or whether I ask him to, one
day, do a 25 miler, I want to know that he is fit, fat and happy.
In all likelihood, he'll never compete again. But that doesn't
mean that I'll stint on his care.
And I've never done a distance ride in my life!
>>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.
I'll have to agree with you on this one, although there are exceptions
in the other disciplines.
Tracey