One for the Americans

[sidesaddlelady1]

I was reading my childhood "Observers' Book Of Horses and Ponies" the other day and was moved to enquire about Tennessee or Plantation Walking Horses - both names given for the same horse - and Saddle(bred) Horses which were described as having their docks knicked and splinted to produce the unusual tail carriage. The book was published in the 1950s and I wondered if this practice was still followed?

[KarinUS]

That's awful. Seems like Walkers have endured an awful lot of horrible things. From what I read soring is still done (although not 'allowed'). I don't know about the tail thing.

[galadriel]

Yes, they still damage the tail to produce the funky tail carriage.

In the QH world they may inject something numbing or deading into the tail to keep them from swishing.

The Arabs may have something like ginger stuffed up their anus to make them carry their tail high and swish it.

Breed showing has some rotten stuff for the sake of appearances.

[ShariN]

One reason I do not go to breed shows any more. I do not like what some people will do to horses just to win.
Will stop there before I get on my soap box.

Well OK,,,sometimes I go to the Icelandic or Fjord horse shows.
But at this point they do not do the things many of the other breed shows do.

[sidesaddlelady1]

Yes, they still damage the tail to produce the funky tail carriage.

In the QH world they may inject something numbing or deading into the tail to keep them from swishing.

The Arabs may have something like ginger stuffed up their anus to make them carry their tail high and swish it.

Breed showing has some rotten stuff for the sake of appearances.

Crikey - I haven't heard of "gingering" for decades. It used to be used by the more dubious sort of horse dealer to make a horse look showy-er. I was always considered to be cruelty by the better sort of horsemen.

Karin, what is "soring"?

[Wally]

Yeah, bathing an Icelandic for a show comes as such a shock to them! Same with Fjords, they just can't take the shock! ;) ;) ;) ;)

[Keket]

In the QH world they may inject something numbing or deading into the tail to keep them from swishing.

I had heard stories of people years ago having a vet snip the muscles to keep the tail down. It's an illegal practice now, and if a horse at an AQHA show is displaying an unusual lack of tail movement, they will examine the horse and if something is found to be wrong, the owner will be banned from showing.

[galadriel]

was always considered to be cruelty by the better sort of horsemen.

Sure, and it's considered cruelty now by most riders here too. It's just that it seems to produce results in the ring, and it only takes a couple of unscrupulous trainers winning a few classes to keep up a nasty practice.

Soring involves damaging the backs of the forelegs to make the horses lift their legs higher in that prancy Walker step (actually you may see it in any breed that competes in Saddleseat classes, with the high-stepping forelegs). Soring is not only still done in Walkers, it nearly got the TWH Nationals shut down this year when federal inspectors showed up to test the competitors' horses. Not just still done, but prevalent enough that the inspectors triggered a riot! Hopefully people will have better sense than to bring sored Walkers to the Nationals next year...maybe next year they'll actually *have* A Nationals Grand Champion (they didn't this year!)

[Shadowlark]

is is a sad sad state.. Arabs are still whiped into a frenzy before going into the ring.. same people who ginger.. Soaring often involves not only weighted crazy shoes, but painting a liquid on the legs that burns..all of it not allowed of course..

then again.. we still crop dogs ears and dock thier tails...

Cause North America is the Land of the "free" We are an advanced civilization..

[Slewgal]

Sometimes docking a dogs tail is nessesary.

We had a German Shorthair with an undocked tail, they can't feel anything in it, and she was constantly wagging it so hard against objects that it was always bleeding.

[HorseyBabe2]

Sometimes docking a dogs tail is nessesary..
Can't imagine why it would ever be necessary to dock a dogs tail unless it had been injured in some way :confused:

We had a German Shorthair with an undocked tail, they can't feel anything in it, .

What makes you say that:confused: Why can't they feel anything? Never heard anything like that before. I think you are mistaken


and she was constantly wagging it so hard against objects that it was always bleeding.

:confused: :eek:

[Zer0]

I don't know but it probably is :(

At the morgan show barn I used to go to, they did a lot of horrible practices for show....including tightening chains around their legs so they would lift their feet higher, putting a really weird martingale on them (not even sure what kind it was because it was neither running or standing. it was sort of like a breastplate and the reins went back though rings and then into the rider's hands) with tight reins, and then when they were lunged before a show, they were chased around with a plastic back at the end of the lunge whip to make them look showy :mad:

I've heard worse though: horses having ginger and cinnamon put up their bums and blowing drugs into a horse's nostril to make them look showy :(

I think the showing world really needs to be reshaped.

[galadriel]

she was constantly wagging it so hard against objects that it was always bleeding.

Dogs'll do that. I've known a number of dogs who had perfectly normal sensation in their tails, but wagged their tails into injury anyway. Wagging's not exactly something they have full control over.

No reason to cut the tail off, though.

[DailyNhtly]

Dogs'll do that. I've known a number of dogs who had perfectly normal sensation in their tails, but wagged their tails into injury anyway. Wagging's not exactly something they have full control over.

No reason to cut the tail off, though.

It's called 'Happy Tail'... As long as there is a definite and logical reason for having it done, the dog is in no pain during or after the procedure, and it does not negatively affect their every day life, I do not have a problem with it. Much like the once (and somehat still) popular docking of certain hunting dogs to prevent hang ups on the brush.

My only personal experience with it was a certain hound mix who would constantly wag out of nervousness (the boy really needs a psychiatrist) and bloodied himself on a daily basis. His mom would come home every day to a bloodied dog and a scene right out of CSI in the rest of her house. Blood across the walls, splattered over the carpet, the wood floor, on shelves, etc etc.

[LMS]

Yep, docking, nerve blocking, adding weights to the tail, shoving a finger full of ginger up the anus is still practiced here in Ontario!

14 yrs ago I was introduced to the saddlebred world & learned all about these tricks from the woman I boarded my horse at. I saw her ginger her horse once at the royal winter fair in Ottawa, and she even admitted that it wasn't such a bright idea.

She also pointed out all the people that still did illegal practices. I asked her how come they still did it, her reply was: "Because they haven't been caught yet". I the asked why she didn't report them? Again the reply were along the lines that one does not rat on another unless they are ready to endure to consequences & be shunned or ousted.

I guess it's almost like the equine mafia! What a shame.