Horse abuse in America

[K9soul]

Vela can probably answer more knowledgeably, but I do not think any horse naturally gaits that way (the big lick gait). From what I understand, weights and chains are usually used to train them to walk that way but not everyone uses soring. A great many do though, and find ways to hide it from inspections. Their natural gait is just nothing like the "big lick" gaiting.

Here is a little clip of a walker foal gaiting from birth. It seems natural with them the way retrieving is often innate in retrievers from birth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HSkwF586ro

Racking I think is another type of gait a little different from flat-shod walkers but again that's not an area I'm as well educated in as Vela is.

[Alysser]

The thing that bothers me most is people who know NOTHING about something and say it's abuse, it's horrible, etc. It seems many people still listen to stupid organizations like PETA. Vela, I agree 100% with what you are saying and I always have. Like I've said in a different thread horses, or animals in general, can't be FORCED to do something they don't want to. I am sure there are types of cruel horseracing such as one in Texas or some other state where they run down a hill as fast as possible and topple over one another, and underground racing to. How can anybody compare dog fighting to horse-racing? Horses aren't forced to kill each other, they aren't treated poorly, there is NO comparison at all, not matter what anybody tells me. There were times when I would use the crop on my horse during horse back riding lessons. You are telling me lightly tapping a horse is abuse? It's a signal, it's not abuse.

[Twisterdog]

horses, or animals in general, can't be FORCED to do something they don't want to.

How can anybody compare dog fighting to horse-racing? Horses aren't forced to kill each other, they aren't treated poorly, there is NO comparison at all, not matter what anybody tells me.

Of course animals can be forced to do things they don't want to. So can people. Do you think the horses in those video clips want to trot around a ring with terribly sore hooves? Do you think the cart horses in cities in the past wanted to pull heavy loads every day of their lives on pavement until they literally dropped dead of exhaustion in harness? Do my dogs want to heel on a walk? No, they want to run amok and pee on everything. I force them to walk beside me. Do you think animals who are abused want to do unnatural, painful things? Do children who are sexually abused want to participate?

If you are referring to my post about dog fighting (and I don't know if you were or not), I said people who sore their horses are no better than dog fighters. I did not say horse racing is no better than dog fighting. It is ... but I said I doubted it was any better than dog racing - something I do know personally about.

[lizbud]

Of course animals can be forced to do things they don't want to. So can people. Do you think the horses in those video clips want to trot around a ring with terribly sore hooves? Do you think the cart horses in cities in the past wanted to pull heavy loads every day of their lives on pavement until they literally dropped dead of exhaustion in harness? Do my dogs want to heel on a walk? No, they want to run amok and pee on everything. I force them to walk beside me. Do you think animals who are abused want

Thank you for this intellegent post Twisterdog. I was about to post a
similar thought. Saying an animal can't be forced is not true. It's done
all the time.