Bedouins

["Kathy Mayeda" <Kathy_Mayeda@atce.com>]

Title: Bedouins

We have to be careful and not impose our cultural biases when determining if a horse was neglected or abused or not. 

My horse certainly looks neglected right now because he’s a total pig pen of a muddy horse living out in a muddy pasture.  I trailered him to a vet’s facilty and passed a lot of clipped and blanketed WBs and TBs.  I’m sure am glad that the vet facility is tucked in a corner where I could bring my pig pen out without them staring at him….  Meanwhile, I was there for a lameness exam and a hoof crack check.  The vet said that there was very mild hock stiffness.  She recommended consistent exercise (which since he’s an endurance horse – he’d be getting it anyway.  He had been unexcercised for a couple of weeks due to my schedule).  She said that we could inject stuff, but it would be just a “quick fix” but not a total solution.  She also said the “quick fix” is used by many of her clients which are the blanketed, clipped arena horses at the facilities.  So who’s taking better care of their horses?  I don’t know….  My horse DOES get a few ticks in the pasture.

I was at the barn where a couple of women were giving their horse a bath so they could ride.  Apparently they give this horse a full soap bath EVERYDAY that they ride.  I have taken lessons on muddy endurance horses, and we are just told to make sure that the saddle and girth areas are brushed clean.  (Although I’m sure more care is given before a high mileage race!)  Are they being neglected?

I’ve seen some very unhappy halter horses living their lives in solitary confinement.  I’ve seen a lot of breeders that don’t give their halter prospects proper hoof and dental care and horses are fed an all alfalfa diet and so what if they had to pay for three enterolith surgeries.  

Oh well.

K.