[RC] [RC] Deb Bennett's Article in Jan EN - Sherman
Well, which competitive equine sports ARE in the
best interest of the horse? At any age? If breeders and owners all had to wait
until a horse was 6 or 8 to compete, there probably wouldn't be a horse industry
in the United States. We just need to be reasonable with what we ask our horses
to do and not ask more than they are capable of, but even then, they can
still get injured or lame just hanging out in the pasture waiting to grow up.
Nature doesn't wait until the horses are mature before putting stress on
them. Think about how young wild or feral horses start reproducing. Certainly
they are not yet mature. Hopefully, we all take good care of our horses and not
put so much early stress on them that they have problems from it.
