How Disgusting.

Okay so I recently have been tagging along with some friends to pleasure shows and taking my horse in halter. I was also watching the riding. There was about 7-10 trainers there on they're/clients horses. They had a harsh bit some had a snaffle, some split reins, and draw reins. The horses noses were dragging the ground and they were dripping sweat and they're mouth was wide open from being yanked on. EVERY TRAINERS HORSE LOOKED LIKE THIS! They were making them do this wierd ugly look half trot canter thing and it didn't look normal. Why make a horse do Something that's not by instinct or that comes natural? That's how I see it. I even saw a few trainers in the big classes give there horse a hard whack when the judges weren't looking. What kind of horsemanship is this? Is this how pleasure riding is? It just looks so unnatural to me. If this is how the pleasure world is, count me out!
This is how the sweat/lather looked but all over the body!
Http://i.istockimg.com/file_thumbview_approve/15155927/2/stock-photo-15155927-horse-sweat.jpg

This is how the nose looked!
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What you have to understand is while it may not be your cup of tea..It's not your business.. If you don't like it, don't watch or associate with it, but you're not going to stop it and coming onto an open board to bash a discipline just because you don't like it will ruffle quite a few feathers.. Discipline bashing is just not necessary and you can expect to hear a lot of opinions much different than yours.. My aunt and uncle trained western pleasure horses for years, and the different "styles" that come and go are what the client wants..If you want to win, you have to do what's "in" and what the judge is looking for..

Horses nose drags the ground - Google Search

Yeah, that's just a blank Google page..

Any disapline that allows the happyness and well being of the animal to become secondary to winning a competition governed by "fads" is discusting in my books, but you will find people willing to go to any length in every sport.

Various disaplines start horses at 1.5 years, some with heavy riders so they can win at two
You see soring with gaited horses, various training methods that can only be described as systematic beatings, horses with their heads tied to their chest to improve head possition, and of course the injections and medicines used to keep a horse in pain competing, regardless of what it does for comfort or life expectancy. There is no point picking on a specific disapline.

Just so you know.....the forum should be positive posts that should not offend anyone. You get some started on a rant and it quickly can turn very ugly so it's not best to even go there. I tell you from personal experience.

Every discipline has some ugly practices, and ugly people who practice them. Doesn't make the discipline or the people who actually care about their animals bad.

I just think those trainers need to go back to basics and stop rushing the horse and maybe They won't have to beat them! I talked to one of them and they said the horse has only been doing it 3 weeks. & he was already at a show! & I only saw one good trainer there using good methods and he was placing the best!

In today's horse world, it's not so much about doing it correctly, it's about what the client wants and when they want it..They pay good money for a trainer to have the horse ready by a certain time.. Most trainers just don't care, it's all about the money.

What you have to realize is there are bad apples in every bunch, no matter what the discipline. Some of the rushing may very well be the client's pushing the trainer to deliver results. Either way, if you don't like what you see, don't send your horse to that person. That's about the best you can do.