Re: [RC] 'pound dog' mentality for horses? - Dyane Smith
What happens to a lot of smallish Arabs that
have the misfortune to be at the feedlots in So. Cal., are leased to the
Chareadas to be tripped. So, they get to suffer one way, and then, go out
and suffer another, and then come back to suffer again at the lots.
One thing for people to know who sell their
horses at auction: horses that have been trained to be ridden are culled
by some of the feedlot owners and are put aside while he tries to sell
them. Bottom line, if you send your young, untrained horses and your
untrained broodmares to auction, you are very often sending them to French
dinner plates.
Sandy, I had thought they had made tripping
illegal a few years ago. Guess not.
Subject: Re: [RC] 'pound dog' mentality
for horses?
As an addendum to this topic, I was horrified this morning to see on the
front page of the Times an article praising the burgeoning charro
activity here in Lo Cal - specifically mentioning the rope tricks -
"lassoing the front legs of a galloping mare; Points are scored for elegance
and creativity." Having inadvertently seen this particular activity years ago,
and also understanding that the huge and preferred number of these mares are
smallish Arabians, (easy to trip, I understand, thus making these cowboys feel
successful), one wonders just how many of these end up at auctions when their
"career" is over. I imagine that being yanked off fo one's feet regularly soon
does some permanent damage both to the body and the mind. While I do know some
of these poor mares end up in rescue homes, it would seem logical that a great
many more do not. Aside from the obvious indignity and cruelty of this
"sport", I cannot imagine they would make great candidates for endurance,
though not of their own doing. TO me, that is a risk. As Heidi said, rescue a
horse and enjoy that, just like rescuing a dog at the shelter; but to
rescue them with the goal to compete in the very rugged sport of
endurance....ouch! S
