Horse abuse in America

[Twisterdog]

I know very little about horses, so this is coming from a strictly amateur viewpoint.

I have never seen a horse race. I wouldn't. I do, however, have a bit of knowledge of dog racing. I used to foster greyhounds rescued from a dog track. It was a horrific sport, the "winners" treated just good enough to keep them winning and the losers simply disposed of. Of course, every "winner" becomes a "loser" eventually, and then the same fate awaited them. It is an unnatural life at best. If horse racing is dramatically different from that, I will be surprised.

I have always felt terribly sorry for many horses. Abuse and neglect is certainly rampant. I have seen many terrible cases working with humane societies ... and I'm sure what was reported to us was the tip of the iceberg, since most people associate those organizations with dogs and cats only. A common problem seem to be people underestimating the cost of keeping a horse. We saw a lot of starving horses, and the owners either got tired of paying the food bill or simply couldn't anymore. We also saw a lot of ignorance ... people who had no idea how to care for a horse. A lot of people assume if the had a dog or a cat, they could have a horse. Just give it some water and throw in some hay. We saw a lot of tooth and hoof problems, because the owners had NO idea.

It seems a lot of people have more of a functional attitude towards horses, instead of a pet relationship. They seem almost entirely interested in what the horse can or cannot accomplish, do for them, etc. And a lot of horse owners have no qualms whatsoever getting rid of their horse, without a second thought as to who buys it, and getting a new one that might better suit their needs. My friends have bought eleven horses at auctions, to keep them from going to a slaughterhouse. There was nothing "wrong" with any of these horses, they were just "trade-ins". Seems to me more like what you might do a a car ... not an animal.

[K9soul]

A common problem seem to be people underestimating the cost of keeping a horse. We saw a lot of starving horses, and the owners either got tired of paying the food bill or simply couldn't anymore. We also saw a lot of ignorance ... people who had no idea how to care for a horse. A lot of people assume if the had a dog or a cat, they could have a horse. Just give it some water and throw in some hay. We saw a lot of tooth and hoof problems, because the owners had NO idea.

It seems a lot of people have more of a functional attitude towards horses, instead of a pet relationship. They seem almost entirely interested in what the horse can or cannot accomplish, do for them, etc.

What you have said here is very much the crux of the situation for horses in general. That is why I mentioned that the horses with "jobs" to do are often the best kept too. Proper feeding, hoof care, teeth care, grooming, etc., are vital for a horse's health. A horse with poor foot and teeth care can, understandably, develop behavior problems due to discomfort, pain, lameness, etc. People get a horse and do not take care of their feet, their horse becomes lame, they find them unable to ride, and they dump them off and replace them with the next. It is not like keeping a dog's nails trimmed, hoof care is essentially life and death for a horse in the long run. Same with teeth care, if not properly done then they eventually lose the ability to eat and stay nourished.

Pictures and videos of neglected horses are not hard to find. You can find them all over on horse ads for sale even. One might think it is just the worst of the worst, but it is shockingly common.