So, you think SORING is wrong???

Bless all your hearts for re-homing sored, or previously sored horses. I'm sure they appreciate their new lives.

please keep in mind that the usda has the right, at a horse show, to inspect your horses from the time you pull onto the grounds. they can stop and enter your trailer and walk thru the barns at a show to check for any signs of chemical use. this alone has gotten quite a few "big barns" to change the way they approach the training of the TWH.
as far as pads....check the study that auburn university did on the padded horse over the course of 8 years. they concluded that pads do not adversely affect the horses joints, legs, muscles, ect.
just the fact that there is discussion about people taking former padded horses and showing them in flat shod classes and/or trail riding is proof that the horse is not suffering any permanent damage from the pads.
now...for the chains.....as far as i know, i have never seen any horse with "bigger" chains on during training as opposed to at a show.
the trainers use a VERY strict procedure to insure that the chains (rollers) do not hurt the horses feet and hair. and they work with the horse to see what weight chain provides the best action for that horse.
putting 16oz of chain on a horse that only needs 4 is foolish and only increases the chances of rubbing the hair off and possibly causing a "scar"
one of my horses really comes alive as soon as you put a chain on him.
the funny part is that it could be something as simple as a plastic dime store kids bracelet weighing next to nothing but he knows its there and trys to pick his feet up and toss his feet out to throw it off.....its all a matter of giving the horse something to make him concentrate on his feet....take them off and he acts like a goofball again.....but in the ring or in training, he has never had any more than a 4oz chain on.
THE most important thing when looking for or training a TWH for the show ring right now is CLEAN FEET....no rubs, scars, cuts, abrasions.....nothing!!
because when that horse goes up to get inspected, every trainer knows that if they get a bad call, they could get suspended and fined. and that affects their ability to make a living.......its not a hobby for a LOT of these guys.....its a living. and a lot of them are scared.
are there still guys out there that try to push it....yup. but i did see quite a few horses at this years celebration that either requested to or were asked to be "excused" because their horse was presenting a "bad image".
the industry had gotten out of control with everyone trying to outdo everyone else but now with stricter inspection policies, things are really starting to get to where the horse has to naturally perform rather than "enhanced" performances.
there is something else i started to notice in the past 2 seasons.....the horses really seem to be a lot happier

The USDA has the right, but they obviously don't follow through on it. Did you watch the videos I posted?
Please do not tell me that soring doesn't happen - that is not true. The ones who do it are very careful to not get caught, or if they do, they know the right people to get out of trouble.

Yes, people still sore their horses, but some people have stopped because it is so hard to get them through. C47 is right, pads don't have bad affects on the horse if you don't sore the horse. the same goes for chains. And actually the USDA does follow through. I was at a show a couple months ago and there were three inspectors going into trailers checking the horses. Also, at the Celebration, all trailers coming in were stopped and inspectors got on and checked the horses legs and if the horses didn't pass an exam, the trainer was fined. Now they have heat detectors, XRay machines, etc that they use in inspections. Since they formed SHOW it is much harder to get away with soring.

Wow I never knew the tactics in detail that were so abusive, though I heard there were some practices that were obviously abusive. Most forms of abuse are lack of human intervention when a horses instinct can lead to its detriment. Race horses suffer when they go off, but they had every desire to run in the first place, no one forced them to gallop but their will to run is what gets abused, its up to the human to recognize a consequence that horses can't. This on the other hand seems an abuse where the horse has less choice and desire and more forceful practices used to make them do it. You will never see a jockey "force" a race horse to gallop, he would do it in a pasture free, but not stopping them when it is dangerous would be the right thing to do. On the other hand, making a horse step higher with the use of this would be like poling a horse over every jump while it had tacks in its boots. I can't say that jumper riders have never used this approach but a horse can refuse to jump eventually, you can't throw it over the fence, so it can escape or avoid the pain. The nails in those pads are unescapable though, it is disgusting! I for one have never been a fan of unnatural methods to make mediocre into show quality. I will use training gymnastics to sharpen my horses form, or maybe a tacky jump pole to discourage rubs, but at the end of the day if my horses form is only average well then that is the horse I have an love, and a ribbon wont change that. I think some of the TWH pictures and shows I have seen look awesome, and I admire the discipline in its purest form, but causing unavoidable pain in the name of winning is horrible, and I am competitive! Thank you for making me aware of this abuse, I don't run in gaited circles but knowing what to look for if I ever see it will make me alert someone who can stop it if at all possible.

I work for the USDA and trust me the deffinitly do it...but they cant catch everyone...

Law Enforcement has a job to get crack off the streets and there is still crack on the streets, does that mean they dont do their job?

just sayin...

Nate

My point exactly. People cannot say that it doesn't happen because the USDA is "on it" because people definitely slip through the cracks.

I am in no way defending soring here. . .I think it is an absolutely disgusting practice that was created out of a desire to make a horse move in a way that is TOTALLY unnatural.

From what I understand, even just the pads only became popular as a way for some less talented horses to out-shine the truly natural-gaited competitors in the show ring. They were able to create the "wow" from the judges and audience by showing off their gaits with a lot of flash and high-stepping action. The problem was that the horses that started winning were only winning because of the way the pads made them look, not because they were really the best or most naturally-gaited.

Some of what I've read recently seems to indicate that the industry is trying. . .at least a little. . .to repair its image. There are plenty of constant fans who will still pack the stands at the Celebration and whoop and hollar and think those big lick horses just look fabulous. However, I think that there have been enough incidents, violations, and negative reports by the press in recent years when it comes to soring that they realize they have to do something.

I have mixed feelings on the government being involved in this whole thing. . .of course, it really kind of had to be done initially. The industry proved itself incapable of policing its own members. Hopefully. . .ideally. . .the industry will eventually get to the point where it takes the soring issue seriously and imposes fines and suspensions when those rules are broken.

As far as the "but other breeds/disciplines do such-and-such" argument. . .basically, it's just like running in circles. Some TWH people say that the government is being too hard on them and singling them out unfairly, when the Quarter Horse/WP people are blocking tails and bleeding their horses and making them limp around the arena. . .or the Saddlebred people are cutting their horses' tails and stuffing ginger up their butts. . .or the dressage people are just about pulling their horses' heads off through the 'Rollkur' training method. Of course, those are broad stereotypes about the other styles of riding. . .but the TWH people can then go on to say that the government SHOULD focus more on those OTHER breeds and disciplines, get THEM to stop all of the horrible things those OTHER people are doing to THEIR horses.

The problem is that those other breeds and disciplines will say the exact same thing while doing nothing to clean up their own act. And they all keep pointing fingers at each other while the problem trainers continue to be a problem, and continue to win in the show ring because everyone is too afraid to stir anything up.

And while all this goes on, the horses are still the ones that get the raw end of the deal.

What is "bleeding" horses?

Exactly as it sounds. Bleeding some blood out so the horse is more lethargic.

Money is a huge motivator.