The sad thing is that a lot of TWHs are started at 18 months with pads. It a common thing around here to see 18 month olds started under saddle and showing. By the time they reach the double digits, if they do, they are broken down and completely unsound. By then, the "trainers" and owners have thrown them aside or just simply quit feeding them.
I personally know of a few walking horses that have the high knee action naturally. My horse and his sire are two of them. Doc, my horse's sire, wins a lot and even beats padded horses. He simply has better knee action naturally. He is 18 and still sound and showing. Never been padded and is flat shod all showing season. Below is a picture of him.
KUDOS to this dude! He is holding true to the REAL Tennessee Walker. Gorgeous horse with an awesome running walk! It is great to see the ones that aren't misused being shown. Now only if we could get the TWHBEA and the judges on board....
TWH's are shown at the canter. The big lick horses have a really weird canter, but it is a canter. The horses that are shown at a rack are never cantered because they may break out of their rack at fast gaits. These are great horses. People treat them like crap. They deliberately make them lame for money.
I have had two TWH's in my life. They were always just natural horses. I still have one. He is 24 years old. He and his mother before him had (he still has) wonderful gaits. Great canters. Smooth running walks. Perfect pleasure horses.
Anybody that thinks that putting ginger in a horse's rectum to make it tuck it's butt in nicely, or putting caustic stuff on their feet to make them sore, or cutting the ligaments in their tail so that it can be forced into a weird brace, or putting them in shoes that are 6 inches high, or keeping them in a dark stall 2/7 is humane is evil. How can anybody be so mean?
There is no doubt a hot place in the pits of hades waiting for them in the next life .........
Why are the judges allowing it? Those so called judges aren't true horse people! Why is it being allowed? That isn't pretty, it's horrific! There should be major penalties with major fines. The people competing are just as bad! Your basically crippling your horse to get a ribbon. How selfish of human beings to treat an animal that way, disgusting.
To the people doing this its perfectly ok. There is a very wide range of what can be considered abuse, its all personal opinion. Like I see nothing wrong with tying around a horse to their tail. But many people see that as absolutely disgusting.
I've done that it works lol...but it doesnt cause "pain"...
Torture vb:to punish or force someone to do or say something by causing great pain.....(webster's dictionary)
Soo if it walks like a duck talks like a duck looks like a duck......probably not a butterfly...just sayin it personally made me want to strap that junk and the trainer...
14Likes
breaks my heart..... 
