This is a joke.

Are these people serious?

Perfect example of a stallion presented just terribly. The picture is smooshed down so he looks short and stubby, he's got no muscle tone, he's not even close to square, and his ribs are showing. No knowledgeable horse person would breed to this stallion. Granted, he'd make a nice gelding. He's not all that bad conformation wise if you really look at him, but this photo just screams that these people have no clue what they're doing. What a way to advertise your stud, right? The best part is, this is the only in- hand conformation shot they have of any of their horses. Most the other pictures on their site are pasture pics.

Click for larger view.

These people are obviously color breeders. Sure, this mare is a pretty color, but that's all she's got going for her physically. She's post- legged and has a flat croup. It doesn't look like she's got that nice of a head or neck, but again, you can't really tell because of the cruddy pasture shot. You can't even see the baby (maybe they did that on purpose?).
This mare is their "pride and joy"? Again, flashy little color pattern, but not a bit of decent conformation. I'm not going to bother pointing out the faults, of which there are many. Not to mention the shitty pasture shot. That's real professional. The least they could do is catch her when she's square. The junk in the background really compliments it, doesn't it? Well, at least this one is resonably clean, unlike the piebald. But that's the nicest thing I can say about this mare.

And people buy horses from these breeders. Adding fuel to the fire. Come on, people. Wake up and smell the coffee.

Oh, and my favorite part of the whole website.

" We wanted freindly safe horses for kids and adults. The breeding for color, pedigree and agility came second. "

WHAT? All of those things should be equally considered when you breed. No trait is more important than another. Well, color should be the least of your concern, because that's more of a cosmetic feature and doesn't affect the horses' function. We all know what I think about color breeders. That's for another post.

So they claim they breed for temperament. Fantastic. Did they even put an iota of thought into performance or conformation? A puppy dog disposition doesn't save a horse from the feedlot. And I've seen some damn good looking and gentle horses in feedlots.

From their site, it sounds like it's a mother/daughter team going on and they're very new to the breeding world. And it clearly shows. I think it all boils down to a lack of experience, and probably a lack of brain cells.

I'm going to go get my Excedrin. Things like this give me migranes.

The more dumb breeders I see, the more I love my barn. And the more ugly horses I see, the more I appreciate my own horses.

Why the bloody hell are they breeding this horse? Why?

This 7 yo Appy mare is for sale with a baby at her side, going for $1,000.

The ad goes on and on about how nice a horse she is and how good she is with kids, she's got such a soft mouth, yadda yadda yadda. I understand that, and that's all fine and dandy if you just want a good ol' trail horse.

What I don't understand is the fact that they bred her. I don't care how nice a temperament she has if she has horrendous conformation. She has no hip whatsoever, her neck ties in weird and there's no chest definition. And that shoulder. That is a textbook example of a poorly conformed, upright shoulder. I bet riding her is like sitting on a jackhammer. She also looks like she might have worms, but that could also be due to the fact that she just had a baby. There's no excuse for those ribs, though. Did I mention those itty-bitty tiny feet? Yikes.

Her filly is supposed to be bred to some big time Quarter Horse stallion, but that doesn't do much good when the mare looks the way she does. It's hard to tell from the picture, but I can see that she's forward at the knee. Her legs are just crooked in general. I'd also be willing to bet that she's got a giraffe neck like her momma. But that's just a guess. Either way, those front legs are aweful.

I can't imagine what these people where thinking. They say she "has all the potential in the world". Are you kidding me? This mare is no athelete. She is not a performance horse. She's a train wreck. The ad also says she's high spirited and needs an experienced rider. That adds to the long list of negatives for her. Not good. You know where these horses could end up.

I don't see a nice future for these two. I could be and hope I'm wrong, but it doesn't look likely. Not many people are going to take in homely, high strung horses. Very sad state of affairs. I really hope these horses are bought by someone who will take care of them.

I'm smitten.

I thought that was a wolf sitting there at first glance.
That gorgeous critter is a Native American Indian Dog. I think I've found my favorite dog breed, next to Shepherds. I'd love to know where I can find a dog like this. The only thing is, they're pretty expensive. I've seen puppies going for $1000, and that's average. I do not have a thousand bucks to spend on a dog. lol

But omygosh. These dogs are to die for. ;D

Look how gorgeous. Hee hee... I love that face. I've always wanted a wolf dog. Maybe I'll get extremely lucky one day and find one in a shelter.

Fat chance, I know, but there's nothing wrong with hoping.

They're supposed to be independent and wary of strangers. So are Chows and Shar Peis, and I have experience with those breeds. I've heard people say they're difficult to train, but I've also heard people rave about them. It probably depends on the individual dog.

I want one. Or two. >:D

This is totally irrelevant, but you'll get a good laugh out of it.
The 1943 Guide to Hiring Women. Hysterical. Ridiculous, but hysterical. lmao

Stupid friggin morons.

I oughta skin this guy's ass into next week. That's a two-year-old QH gelding right there. Is that a sliding stop? It sure looks like one to me. Or at least a greenie version of one.

Here's what the ad says, my comments in white.

"Hawkeye has had a good start and is ready to go on with. (Sure. At the ripe age of two.) He has all the skills you would want in a two year old, without pushing him too hard. (Is he serious? Is this guy serious??? Without pushing him too hard? That's a baby for crying out loud! Get your ass off of him! Riding a 2yo at all is pushing them too hard, you dickweed.) He walks trots and lopes, side passes, backs easily, and stops hard. (WTF are you doing this on a 2-year-old for? That crap is way above his level!) He is unbeatable on a trail, rides in a group or by himself, anywhere in the pack. He is bred to cut or rein, but is athletic enough to do anything you teach him to do. He has been in the herd of cattle and shows potential there. " Yes, three or four years from now!

That horse is too young to have a rider on his back (much less a full sized adult!). WTF is he doing around cattle?? Have these people lost their marbles? These pictures scare me.

I can see arthritis in this horse's not-so-distant future.

Two is way too young to start a horse. Any horse, reguardless of breed. What makes people think it's okay to lope a two-year-old? What are they thinking?

Can I make my point any clearer? Am I emphasizing this enough? Keep your ass off your two-year-olds. It does them no good whatsoever.

I hate to imagine what this colt will be like in ten years. Crippled? That's a fair possibilty.

Once again we see that stupidity abounds. These morons need to go back to the basics. You wouldn't ask an eight year old kid to run hurdles, would you? Same concept applies.

The people who buy these horses are equally at fault. Here's something to mull around in the ol' noggin: Why don't you try using that vaccant space above your neck once in a while? Utilize what's left of your common sense. Two is too early. Don't buy 2yo's who are already broke. It's unconceivable why anybody would do that. Stop encouraging them. The horses will thank you.

If you catch someone on a baby, you have reasonable cause to wring his or her neck! I'm serious. Just chew their ass out to your heart's content. They deserve it.

Whatsurname???

Today's topic goes out to all the parents out there who like unusual names.

I'm all for unique names. One thing I hate, though, is when people give their kids normal names with ridiculous spelling. I.E., Schuyler instead of Skylar, Ashleigh instead of Ashley, Jessye instead of Jessie or Jesse. The list goes on. Why do people do this? Is it supposed to be cool? Rare? Exotic? Well, it's just annoying. How long does it take for those kids to learn how to spell their names?

Weird spelling doesn't make the name any less common. There are a million gazillion Ashley's in the world, no matter how you spell it. If you want a rare name, give them a rare name. Not some outrageously configured mouthful that no one can remember how to spell.

Some names should be illegal. Names that are just plain awful. There should be a law preventing parents from giving their kids names that will cause them problems later in life. (Celebrities could learn a thing or two from this.) Seriously. Apple? Why would you name anyone Apple? I wouldn't even name my hamster Apple. And Barbara. I can't stand that name. Or Dorothy, Penelope, Phoebe, Marguerite, Gertrude, Mary, Mildred, Hortence Maud, Bob, Gaylord, Albert, Wallace, Walter, Paul, Chauncey, Maury, Perry, Berry, or Wilfred. They may not be that bad to some people, but I can't stand the way they sound.

However, I love Rosalyn, Siobhan, Geneva, Lucretia, Minerva, Cale, Sophronia, Mercy, Lorena, a lot of 17th century English names. My favorite guy names would be Lucian, Jasper, Vincent, Alonzo, Horatio, Demitrius, Jack, Jesse, Levi, Simon, Cyrus, Adrianus, Kade, and Deidrich.

I also like River for a girl's name. And Willow. They sound pretty.

I've heard of a girl named Temptress. And she wasn't attractive. Irony.

I've noticed that unnecessary apostrophes are becoming more popular. Like D'eva. That's not a name. Why don't you spell it D-I-V-A? And A'isha. WTH is the apostrophe for? Aisha or Asia looks much better. The apostrophe serves no purpose. It's just an obnoxious embellishment. Knock it off. Unless the name really does require an apostrophe because of the language, don't add one. Jeez.

Gaited horses are saints.

Look at the shit they put up with.

Honestly, I can't imagine them tolerating this crap unless they have saint-like patience or they've been beaten an inch from their lives.

Tennessee Walkers have to be the most docile horses in the world. How else could those repulsive Big Lick riders get on them without the horses kicking their asses into next week? If I was a horse, I wouldn't take that shit for a second.

What would possess a human being to put acid or lighter fluid on a horse's legs? That's a living animal! The horse has to walk on those legs! Excuse my while my brain bleeds out my ears.

What is that???

A traditional Icelandic bit, that's what. Can you say leverage? Yikes. And they use these with flash bridles. If that gait is natural to them, explain to me why you need the nasty bits. And why crank their heads back until they're practically touching the rider? That is not comfortable for them. It's not even remotely healthy, either. The rider looks like he would slide off over the horse's butt if he wasn't hanging onto the reins for dear life.

Notice the open mouth and drop noseband that looks like it's cutting off the horse's circulation. His poor nose is about to turn blue. And they make them gait at high speeds and carry a rider twice their size on top of the suffocating bits and bridles. And tight saddles.

I don't understand how these horses put up with it. My teddy - bear draft horse wouldn't even tolerate that.



Does this horse look relaxed or comfortable? He looks like a wreck to me. Those back legs look distorted and strained. This picture in general looks over flexed and tense. There's nothing natural about it. It's fake, artifucial, man made, whatever you want to call it. Oh, but pads and chains don't hurt them! It just like a woman wearing high heels!

First of all, I've worn high heels. They're fine for a church service or going out to a fancy restaurant, but try wearing them for hours on end. You wear them for more than a short time and you have the wrath of hell upon you. Not only do they kill your feet, but your knees and back ache afterward. I know women who used to wear heels every day for their jobs, and now their feet are messed up and they often have back pain. Heels are evil. Using them as an analogy for padded shoes is only proving my point. Walkers are padded for years at a time. How do you think their joints feel?

Second of all, comparing a horse with a human in any anatomical aspect is completely ridiculous. Do you see any similarities? Because I don't. Okay, we both have two eyes, two ears, a mouth, and we're both mammals. We're totally the same. *headdesk*headdesk*headdesk*
Horses weigh 1200 pounds and walk on four legs. Do you really think a TW with four-inch pads on his front feet, plus the weight of a rider, is the same as a 140 pound, two-legged person wearing heels?

For crying out loud.

TWH people just keep coming up with excuse after excuse. You put pictures right in front of them and they continue to insist that none of it is true. Are they that heartless or are they really that bessotted? That could be said for every gaited horse industry, generically speaking.

I think gaited horses attract the worst, most moronic dolts in the horse world because of their overly-tolerant nature and smooth gaits. Anyone with half a brain can ride a gaited horse. It's the matter of dolling them up with all these outrageous gizmos and gadgets that brings their stupidity to a whole new level of pathetic. It takes a real equestrian to bring a horse to his full potential and do it humanely and naturally. Anyone can pop a shank into a horse's mouth and make him prance with his head held up like a carousel pony. Good riders don't need that kind of crap and put the horse's well - being before anything else. They care more about their horse than blue ribbons and a boost in self esteem. That's more than I can say for Big Lick riders. The whole discipline is completely devoid of any artistry or beauty. There's nothing attractive about it. It's fake.

Again, respectable equestrians appreciate what their horse has naturally and wouldn't wish to change anything about it. The horses are happy in their work and it shows. Have you noticed the difference in demeanor bewteen Big Lick Walkers and natural ones? Night and day.

Even regular saddleseat is better than that. At least Saddlebreds are flat shod. I'm not fond of the leverage bits, but it doesn't necessarily scream cruelty. I can't say I've met very many friendly saddleseat riders, but that could be due to my lack of interaction with them. The last show I went to, they were all snotty. You couldn't even approach any of them.

Go ahead and flaunt your $30,000 stallion in my face. My Thoroughbred could kick your Saddlebred's ass without even smearing his Show Sheen.

Ugh. Tomorrow.

Valentine's Day. Have I ever mentioned how much I hate it? Well, I hate it. It's a Hallmark holiday invented by the cards companies. It's pointless.

And I have to go to a funeral tomorrow. That'll be fun. On Valentine's Day.
Who has a funeral on Valentine's Day? Not that it makes that much of a difference to me, but jeez.

Anyway, I went to the flower store today to pick some up for somebody else, and the place was packed. People really get into this nonsense. You shouldn't need a special "holiday" to give someone chocolate or roses. I used to get stupid little novelty things like Valentine's Day pencils, stamps, knickknacks, and basically junk. You can only use those things near Valentine's Day. Pink and white "Be Mine" pencils look stupid in June. I know my mom means well, but the crap just piles up in my room until I throw it out. I do enjoy dark chocolate, though. But I eat it all the time. I don't care if it's shaped like cute little hearts. I'll eat it. The novelty crap just annoys me.

Another thing I can't stand. In school, they always have sales where you can send a flower or candy or whatever to friends with a kyoot little message attached. They dish out all the goodies during class and you always have the handful of kids who never get anything. (Me being one of those people.) In front of everybody else who are getting 15 flowers each. Go ahead, make your unpopularity blatantly obvious to the rest of the world, why don't you? Way to make people feel left out.

Not that that made me feel bad, per se. It just irritated me.

It's not that I don't have friends. I do, but we just don't get into stuff like that. I never send flowers, and I never receive them. I guess what bothers me the most is the fact that there are kids with no friends who really feel left out. There's lots of them every year. I feel bad for them.

I love Halloween, though. My favorite night of the whole year. I would have an aneurysm if I missed out on Halloween. The costumes, the slew of horror films, the decorations, I love it all. And the candy. I lurve Snickers and Hershey bars with almonds. I steel them from the cauldron every year. >;D Hee hee... I can't wait till next time.

... Happy Singles Awareness Day!

Western Pleasure: Sport of the half- dead, stick- legged robot!

Look at those legs! Could they be any freaking straighter? They're like toothpicks. Not to mention the noobish Photoshop job, but that's beside the point.

What's so attractive about a horse that looks like he's about to drop dead? Why do they want a little pitter-patter jog?

The lope is even worse. The horse practically has three feet touching the ground at all times. It looks like a sloppy half - trot.
Or is that actually a trot? It's almost impossible to tell!

Here's a good video displaying a WP lope. And the rider's terrible hand position.

And why would you want your horse's nose in the dirt? Is that supposed to look good? The horse looks exhausted. There's no energy in it. The horse barely moves.

And those tail extensions! D:< This one is painful to watch. Did you see the way he jerked the reins? Textbook example of a WP horse with her face in the dirt and looking 99% nerve dead. No energy, no impulsion, no enthusiasm from the horse. She's like a robot.

They look weighed down and lifeless. I'd rather watch an introductory level dressage show than a professional WP show. At least those fat little ponies in the munchkin dressage classes have some life in them and actually pick their feet up off the ground more than 5 centimeters.

They've got two-year-olds already being ridden and showing! One of my very worst pet peeves! Riding a two year old horse is never acceptable. They're too young, regardless of the breed. They're in such a hurry to make a name for their horse and it's for nothing more than short term gratification. If you start riding your 2 year old, how can you expect them to be working saddle horses for the next 20 years? It's not gonna happen. You're asking for arthritis and lameness.

And they don't care. It's all for the ribbons and they don't give the horses the time of day after their usefulness expires.

A 2 year old horse should never be ridden. Now, you're not evil if you try and see if your 2 year old will let you sit on him. I wouldn't do this simply because I make a point of avoiding hitting the ground at all costs, but it wouldn't hurt the horse. I don't even have a problem with going for a little stroll around the arena, as long as it's short and no faster than a walk. Unless the rider happens to be 250 pounds. That's just a matter of common sense. I'm talking about riding an immature horse, as seen here.

I can't stand that head carriage... his nose is practically to his knees. If his head was any lower, he'd be tripping over his own face!

Western riders often tell me they don't like English because we make our horses hold their heads up and it's uncomfortable fot them. Oh, please. First of all, we don't make them hold their heads high. They're allowed to carry their heads up. (You know, like they can actually look around and see what's going on in front of them?) WP carriage is unnatural. Horses don't naturally walk with their heads down, unless they're tired or looking for a place to roll. >.<

I'll use a picture of Victor as an example (Ignore the long stirrups and bad hand position. I don't know what I was thinking that day). I'm not making him hold his head anywhere. That position is completely natural to him. And look! Ears forward, eyes bright and alert. He really looks uncomfortable, doesn't he?

*headdesk*

I'm working on getting him to bring his nose in so he's on the vertical, which helps him collect. It is not uncomfortable, and it does not obstruct their airways in any way. But you don't just pop a pelham into a horse's mouth one day and make him carry his head on the vertical. It's a gradual process of conditioning and working up their neck muscles to where it's perfectly comfortable for them. Same concpet in dressage, and pretty much any other style.

Yes, there are idiots out there that crank their horse's head back behind the bit and I despise them as much as anyone. And yes, there are dipshit trainers/riders that put their fancy little martingales, draw reins, and side reins on their unconditioned horse and make them hold their heads like Olympic level dressage horses right off the bat. Those kinds of people need to have a set of draw reins yanked around their necks and be made to run the jumping course they rode their horse through. See how long they last.

Those shitheads don't account for the rest of the English riding population. Just wanted to clear up that misguided belief for all the ignorant or uninformed non-English riders out there.

Back on topic, you never see a 2 year old jumping or doing pirouettes. You rarely ever even see a jumper/dressage prospect being ridden under the age of 3. Jumpers don't even go near fences until they're at least 5. And again, there probably are dickweeds out there who try to jump their colts or fillies. In the jumping world, we look down our noses at shit like that.

Come to think of it, I rarely come across an English horse that's been started under saddle before they're three, and that's the absolute youngest. Four is the norm, at least around here. But I see 18 - 24 month old Western horses being ridden all the time, whether they show or not. That oughta tell you something.

Someone needs to go back to kindergarten.

Quoted from the add:

"Standerd fancey hamsters 5.00 with cages

Girbals With Cageds 10.00 tall cage"

Good lord. The dumbest boneheads on the planet post on Craigslist. The last one might be a typo, but Jeezus.

And it sounds like they have lots of little critters they're trying to get rid of. Is keeping the boys away from the girls a foreign concept to them?

Why would anybody have that many hamsters?

And they're asking ten bucks for the gerbils. They live like two years and who knows how old they already are. You could get them home and they'd die in a week. There's ten bucks down the toilet. Well, at least you got a cage out of the deal. A crappy little glass cage.

There's a forehead slapper for you.

Finally! TWH's the way they're supposed to be!

Check out this mare. She's flat shod, has her ears forward, and looks perfectly natural and relaxed. And the movement so much more attractive than padded horses. Notice how the rider is sitting up straight and the saddle is up near her withers where it's supposed to be. I'm not a huge fan of those leverage bits, but when used correctly and in gentle hands, the horses seem comfortable with it.

And another example of a natural Walker, with a well-placed saddle and competent rider. Is this not 100% better than the Big Lick?

...

This has nothing to do with TW's but,

<<< WTF IS THAT???

Is it a weapon? A 15th century torture device?
Jesus Christ, how screwed up do you have to be to design something like this? What sick bastard would put something like that in a horse's mouth?

My mouth hurts just looking at it.

Bits like this should be illegal.

That's just wrong. Just plain sick.

I've seen a lot of bad necks but this one takes the prize.

This is a 2-year-old colt.

Look at that neck. The only other time I've seen a dip that bad is in a 30+ year old Arab mare at my barn. This guy's only two. It says he's been shown at fairs. What kind of fair? I'd like to know. This colt is a train wreck.

And his name is Mater.

You can't scream hillbilly any clearer than that.

I've been looking for a seasoned, kid-safe Appaloosa for a friend of mine. I can't find any that are trained for jumping, and very few even schooled in English at all. Figures. They're a western-type horse.

But Quarter horses are too, and you see them in English disciplines all the time.

Oh, well.

I would never use these things on an animal.

Pinch collars. I hate those collars. People say, "Oh, it doesn't hurt! Put it on your arm and see!"

Try putting that monstrosity around your neck.

These chokers don't work and they look awful for the dog. There's no way these collars are comfortable.

Did I mention they don't work? I've seen big dogs in pet stores with them, yet they still pull. I've even seen some people jerk the leash when the dog pulls.

Here's some food for thought, dickwad. Why don't you try a head collar or harness that's designed to stop pulling? They work much better and are a lot more humane. You could also try some obedience classes. Using those chokers only shows that you never bothered to properly train your dog and/or you have no idea what you're doing.

#2: Lip chaining.
If you need to lip chain a horse, it shows that you've done a crapass job of training your horse and/or you have no clue what you're doing. ( Are we seeing a pattern?)

I've seen this a lot on Thoroughbreds and Arabians, which makes sense because they're both known for being high-strung. I've never ever needed anything more than a halter and lead rope to lead any TB or Arab. If you're a good horseman, you don't need a lip chain. Most decent horse people don't need chains at all.

The only time I ever use a chain is when I'm deworming Norman, and it's the traditional stock breed show method that goes under the jaw. He hates his dewormer... lol He runs when he sees me coming with that syringe. XD

I firmly believe that no one should need a chain to simply lead a horse. Now, I'm not gonna call you evil if you use the under-the-jaw or around-the-nose method, but shame on you if you use a lip chain!

Have you noticed how many big time race horses are seen like that? The dumbass trainers teach them to break out of the gate and run with all their weight on the forhand, but apparently not to lead nicely. Ground manners are the most basic skill a horse learns! You can't do anything with a horse if they have no ground manners.

I'm really impressed when I see someone leading a stallion with a normal halter and a loose lead. You imediately know that the handler knows what he's doing and the horse has been well trained.

Chains in a horse's mouth is never appropriate. It's invasive in such a sensitive area, and it reflects bad horsemanship. That's the horse's mouth! I doubt they enjoy a chain wedged in their gums. That's an excellent way to hurt them.

These bits scare the shit outa me. Particularly the last two. Nobody should ever need to use a bit like that. If your horse has a strong mouth, you can use a leverage bit with a smooth mouthpiece and still have control. I use a kimberwick for Vic and he goes perfectly in it. I hate corkscrews. I would never use a bit like that on any horse. Why not use a smooth bit with a curb chain? You still have leverage and it's more comfortable for the horse. I understand some horses need a harsher bit, but there's a line to be drawn. If you wouldn't put it in your own mouth, don't put it in your horse's!

#3. That SOB Cleve Wells and his weapon-like line of equipment.

WTF is that? It kinda looks like some Chinese torture device.

What kind of trainer is he if he sells bits like this? If he's half the trainer he claims to be, he should be able to ride a horse in a plain curb or snaffle. It makes it worse when you see how he rides. Jerking the reins like a moronic idiot. Have you noticed that every horse he rides has its ears back and tail swishing?

If you look on his site, he's even got solid metal curb straps and corkscrew snaffles.

Look how thin that is! That's a nasty bit. Someone needs to strap that into Wells' mouth and start yanking away, the same way he does to the horses. This bit is currently out of stock, which means people are buying them up like crazy. I pity the those peoples' horses.


And that's not all, folks! You can get your very own torture kit for the unbelievable price of $650.80! It must be a good deal if Cleve Wells says it is, right? He is a proffessional trainer, after all!

These are the kinds of things that give Western pleasure a bad rap. I don't even want to get into the shit they do to those horses. It's all about winning. They want their stupid little ribbons and belt buckles and don't care how they obtain them. They bit up and use spear-like spurs as a cheap way of making the horse look soft.

I love Prince of Wales spurs. They give you that extra pressure you need for less obedient or more-whoa-than-go horses. It's not easy to hurt a horse with those. You should never use any spurs excessively because the horse can eventually become desensitized to them. They're only to be used as a reminder.

But do you really think people always use them the way they're intended? Western spurs are meant to be rolled, not jabbed, but all too often people abuse them. I've seen horses with their sides torn up from western spurs.

I have no problem with gentle spurs that are used correctly. Sadly, there's a lot of spur abuse in the show ring. Particularly western.

Lastly, a note on the Big Lick discipline. This is probably one of the most controversial topics in the horse world. I'm one of the people who hates it. The pads, the chains, the bits. I hate it all. The gait is not natural for the horse. If it was natural, you'd see them doing it out in the pasture all the time and they wouldn't need the pads or chains. Soring is a consistent problem as well.

You can't watch this video and think that doesn't hurt the horse. It looks unbalanced and uncomfortable, not to mention the rider's atrocious posture.

More big lick horror. And even more. This is video proof and people still deny it. They're caught on camera torturing horses and they continue to insist it doesn't happen.

Moreover, the whole thing is just hideous. The gate is ugly and makes the horse look lame. They call it "enhanced". Yeah, artificially enhanced. Or better yet, artificially ruined.
This happens all the time in the Big Lick show ring. It explains everything in the last video I mentioned. If a few horses are sored, it obviously gives them an "advantage" over the competition, so what do you think all the other competetors are going to do? Even up the odds. How many people in this industry do you think actually put their horse before that blue ribbon? They'll win by any means necessary. Soring is everywhere in this discipline.

People might say, "You don't see dressage horses doing the passage out in the pasture!"

Well, that's true. However, dressage doesn't push a horse's leg action past their natural range of motion. Their gaits aren't enhanced with anything. There's nothing fake about it. And if you look at a lot of dressage horses, most of them love what they do. Ears forward, mouth closed, throwing their effort into every step. Yes, there is mistreatment in dressage, as with any show discipline. But be serious. I haven't seen anything in dressage, jumping, or eventing that compares to the shit they do to TW's. When a lot people think of the Big Lick, they associate it with soring, chains, and generally paints a bad picture. Hence the word controversial.


One more thing! Tail extensions. They're everywhere. I have one question for people who use them: Why???

They're ugly, expensive, and totally obvious. You can see where the real hair ends and the extentions start. They don't move with the rest of the tail. They just hang there. The last show I went to, almost every horse had them. I think every western horse had them. Some were even different colors than the real tail. On one horse, you could actually see where it was tied in. The horse didn't like it, either. He kept fidgeting his tail. Poor guy. I hope he dumps his owner hard one day.


Okay, the last thing I wanted to point out goes back to dogs. Why do they make chihuahua-sized choke chains? Why in the world would anyone put a choker on a 10 pound dog? For shows, yes. But they're available in every pet store! I'm not a big advocate of chokers at all, but on little dogs? They've got delicate little necks! You know they have to breath, right? And they have vertebrae the circumference of your pinkie finger that need to stay intact in order for them to live? Good grief.

No Common sense. None.

Little dogs = fashion accessories?

This bothers me. I think people have forgotten that dogs have pride. My sincere condolences for Paris Hilton's little gerbil-dog. What's it's name? Tinkerbell? Yeah.

Even my mother dresses up our little Papillon/Pomeranian mix. She's got her little sweaters and and even a little Halloween dress. I have to drag her away from the dog clothing section every time we go to Petsmart.

She wanted to get poor Meggie a sundress last time. Why would you put a dress on a dog? I understand putting a coat on dogs if they're sensitive to the cold, but dresses? Why?

It's a waste of money and resources. I put a stop to the dog dresses, much to Meggie's relief.

The things that bother me the most are those little bows tied to their ears. It's uncomfortable for the dog and it looks stupid.

Look at these poor critters. They've even got the standard poodle in on it. Eesh.

They look thrilled, don't they? If those dogs could see themselves in a mirror, they'd cry.

This isn't cute to me. I'd be ashamed to be seen out in public walking a dog that looked like these guys.

And look, the poodle got second place in the little fashion show. If he/she (I hope it's a she) looks that ridiculous and only got 2nd, I'd hate to see who got first place.

You know what just makes me crack up? Dogs and owners with matching clothes. How much money do those people spend on their dogs every year? That's scary to speculate.


Here's another unfortunate creature. Oh look, its ears are even in little pony tails! Isn't that kyoot?

Not only is the dog shaved like a little circus pony, they've got it dressed up like a Barbie doll.

Why does the dog have a hat on? She doesn't need a hat. She doesn't need the god-awful sweater, either.



Here's the whole matching thing. How ridiculous is that? The outfits are hideous anyway. The least they could do is put them in something less gaudy. Why do people think that looks good?

Animal clothes serve no purpose. I've even seen this lady on TV dress up her iguana. Now that's creepy.

I've noticed a lot of rich people especially like to dress their dogs up. *cough*Paris Hilton *cough*

Is it because they think it makes their dogs presentable? That it shows off their wealth? Well, it doesn't. I'm impressed when I see a nicely groomed, clean, and well behaved dog. That shows that they're well taken care of and looks 100% better than bows, dresses, and little shoes.

I'm not a little dog person. I'm partial to big dogs. But I still feel sorry for the little ones because they're the ones that are usually put through this humiliation. Maybe that's why they shake.

Dogs are not fashion statements. They don't need boots or sweaters. Let your dog be a dog. Keep the dresses off.

Your dog will thank you.

While we're on the subject of dogs, I've been contemplating my dream dog. I really, really, really want a German Shepherd, but I'm afraid of getting one from a bad breeder. You gotta be picky when you're looking for a Shepherd or you could get one that'll have tons of health problems later on. That's the only thing I'm worried about.

Ideally, my dog would look like this:
(That dog is gorgeous!) He'd be about 90-115 pounds, and I'd name him Drigon. (Dree-gan)

He'd go to the barn with me all the time. :)

I saw this little black female at the shelter a few months ago. I wanted to take her home so bad. :( I already have three dogs, though.

When I do get a dog like this, I'm getting him a collar like this:

Or something similar with small spikes. Or just studs with no spikes. I hate the ones that look like weapons. The spikes are like 4 inches long and the dog would be impaling people whenever he walked by. >.>

I'm gonna find out where that shepherd lives and steal him away. XD

Nicanor's maiden race

His first time out, he stumbles out of the gate and hurts his leg. I see this as a bad omen.

If my horse got hurt coming out of the gate, I wouldn't have made him run. The sad thing is, nobody seems concerned about it. It's like they're just shrugging off any possibility that he could end up like Barbaro. How many horses have to die before someone realizes how screwed up the racing business is?

I can't get past how young the horses are. Even OTT horses often suffer from their days on the track. Lameness early in life is common for them, along with arthritis.

They'll deny it to the ends of the earth. But it's true. I know an ex- harness racer who came to the barn half dead. He was a bag of bones and the idiots told the lady that bought him he was 19, and "that's why he's so skinny."

First of all, no horse should ever be emaciated, no matter how old they are. Granted, if a horse has heaves, it's hard to keep weight on them, but even they shouldn't look like walking dead.

There was no medical reason for Houston's condition. He was run into the ground and probably would have died of exhaustion if he hadn't been rescued. The funny thing is, his new owner got his papers, and turns out he was actually 11. Hmmm... imagine that.

His hindquarters were slightly deformed because he had broken bones that were never treated. We thought he was going to have to be put down for a while, but he perked right up after he started being fed and she even rode him a little. ;D He's been rehomed since then, and as far as I know, he's doing well.

Textbook example of why I hate racing. And why I worry about all the horses.

Nicanor - Another Barbaro?

My first thought when I first saw him was, "God, he looks just like his brother."

The resemblance is uncanny. If it wasn't for the stripe, I'd swear it was Barbaro. They even have that same wandering gaze.

I'm worried sick about him. I worry about every racehorse, but him especially. How can anyone involved with the horses not worry? His trainer was all excited about his maiden race and he didn't sound the least bit concerned. I note the lack of emotion when he recalls Barbaro.

Although I do believe Barbaro was cared for, seeing as they spent so much money trying to save him. On the other hand, I wonder if it was merely because they still could have made a profit from him as a stud. Or to put on a show to gain attention or sympathy. I wouldn't put it past them. I know his jockey cared about him, though. I wanna read his book, but I'm afraid I'll start crying.

Still, I have very little sympathy for anyone in the racing business because they're well aware of the risks and any self-respecting trainer wouldn't even think about riding a horse under 3 years old. But it happens in racing all the time. You'd think that as many breakdowns as there are, people would step up to the plate and acknowledge that there's something wrong. Breakdowns are not just a freak accident. They happen because they're raced too early, they're often drugged, they're bred for light bone structure, and their hooves are usually misshapen.
(They have under run heels and too much toe, making their pasterns steep as pictured here.)

Eight Belles' owner is on my blacklist. He said nobody knew why she broke down. It was a freak accident.

Bullshit, you dickwad.

I can only hope Nicanor won't turn into another Barbaro. And if he does survive the track, he could be shipped off to Japan or some other counrty to stand at stud. He could easily end up just like Ferdinand and Exceller. If you think it can't happen, you're a naive shithead.

Any horse can end up in a slaughterhouse, it doesn't matter how accomplished or well pedigreed they are. Racing happens to contribute to a hefty chunk of the horses bound for slaughter. About 7,000 American Thoroughbreds are slaughtered each year. That oughta tell you something. Horses in the UK don't have it any better, either.

This is a pretty good article. Accept I find it hard to swallow that many people in the racing industry "just don't know what's going on." You can find this information in all of 30 seconds if you google it, so don't try to tell me they're just blissfully unaware. This information is also found everywhere in magazine articles, on TV, and word of mouth. There's no way they're just oblivious.

That article says people are starting to acknowledge what happens to ex-racers, and I hope it's true. The thing that really pisses me off is that the owners of said horses are up to their noses in money yet they give nothing back to the horses when they retire. They could support their retired horses and still have cash to burn, and they're too consumed in greed to care. It's a real shame, and racing still continues to be masked in glory and wealth.

Excuse me while I pull my hair out.

This broad is giving this 4-year-old mare away. She's not trained to ride, but heck! You can have a nice little burr-covered horse for free!

Quoted from the add, "I want to make sure she gets a good home and does not end up in a bad situation. Convince me that I should give her to you."

There is no home for this horse. The only person interested in this horse would probably be a kill buyer. Twiggy here is exactly what they like. Unbroke and free. Good lordy.


Another Craigslist failure:
This mare isn't broke, either. Surprise, surprise. Nobody is going to take horses like this. They're asking $500 or trade for a kid- safe pony.

I hope any potential traders have better judgment. She says she doesn't have the time or money to put into the horse she has, and she wants someone to consider a trade? Please. Look at that background, too. What does that tell you about the place?





This unregistered mini mare is in foal for 2009 and for sale for $400. Okay, so they bred her even with the economy in the toilet and she isn't even registered. Lazy asses.

She looked suspiciously like a dwarf horse. Minis are supposed to have the same conformation as full- sized horses, and she looks like a sheep. Too many miniature horses have that stubby chubby conformation. Jeezus.


Just for a comparison, this is what a mini is supposed to look like.

He kinda looks like a little Arabian. >.< Pretty little squirt, huh?

Maybe I'll make a future post about badly bred minis. They seem to be the majority, sadly.

This happened a while ago, but I feel like I need to discuss it.

Early last summer, I went with some barn buddies to look at a possible new horse for the barn owner's husband. This place was in a not-so-rural area where backyard owners were packed together in tiny little 3-5 acre plots of land. The lack of space wouldn't have been so bad if they were actually nice, but it was basically a dump.

Okay, so my mom and I are approaching the driveway and we happen to glance across the street to a neighbor's pasture and we saw what looked like a dead horse. It wasn't just lying down, but its nose was pointed up and its legs were stiff, as if rigor mortis had set in. Scared the shit out of me.

We walked up to meet the guy with the horse for sale and asked him about the neighbor's horse, and he was like "Oh, he does that a lot."

Well... okay. We go look at this horse, who happened to be a paint mare who really wasn't anything special, so they weren't real interested. (The guy also has two ugly, hyperactive Thoroughbreds in the nasty little mud pasture. Eww.) So, we go back to our vehicles and I look across the street again... and the horse is standing. Standing rocked way back on his heels and to any good horse person it would have screamed LAMINITIS. I looked at that horse for half a second and knew he was foundering. Bad.

I told the guy, and he just shrugged and said the horse stood like that a lot.

HELLO, FUCKWAD.

My barn owner walks over and gets a hold of this old guy who owns the horse (who I saw was a dark bay Arabian, probably beautiful at one time) and he says he knows the horse founders a lot and just keeps him to keep his other horse company. The other horse was a 32-year-old appaloosa who was blind and so swaybacked it was like a perfect U.

Is he too besotted to realize how much his horse is suffering or does he just not care? All I can say is that it's a damn good thing for him that I wasn't the one who approached him because I would have skinned his ass raw. I regret not doing so. I've never seen a horse that lame in my life.

We called Animal Services and some chick drove out to see him as we were leaving. She was on the phone with my mom and said she couldn't do anything because the horse was a good weight and there was hay in the pasture.

Dammit, if only I could have gone back and chewed her ass out until she did something about it. I wasn't the one driving, unfortunately. One thing I hate about my city is that the animal control here is a joke. I've called in abuse/neglect cases several times and they did nothing. Bunch of clowns...

And I worry about the horses that other guy owns. If he can't recognize a condition like laminitis, he has no business having horses. And how long had that been going on while everybody watched and did nothing? I can guarantee you it wasn't just a few weeks. I bet that horse had been foundering for months, and with no vet or ferrier care. Makes me absolutely sick. I truly hope that horse has since passed. He needed to be euthanized badly, but I bet that never happened because his shithead owner was too cruel to give him the time of day.

I can't stand backyard owners. This is the kind of shit that happens when dumbass idiots get horses. They don't know shit about horses and often times the horse suffers for it.

And you know what disturbs me the most? The worst any horse abusers get is a slap on the wrist from animal control and then they go about their merry way. No justice. None. Because apparently tormenting animals isn't a big deal to the shithead directors and judges here. That's why it never stops. People are never punished. It's never going to stop unless the laws are enforced.

"Cultural tradition" my arse.

Today's topic has been eating away at my conscience for some time now. This is seriously why I'm ashamed to be a human. Just piling on more reasons why I've given up on humanity. I think it would be nice if the the lowest human beings on the planet would just disappear. Isn't that everyone's dream come true?

Well, this is what's bothering me.

In a lot of Hispanic countries, specifically Mexico, Argentina, and pretty much anywhere you go in central/south America, the way they treat most animals could be called barbaric. The way they "break" horses in Argentina makes me want to throw up.


Doesn't this look humane? The colt/filly is strapped to a post while the tack is put on, then the rider just hops on and starts beating welts into the horse while it's thrashing and bucking like a maniac. They literally beat them until they're exhausted and their spirit is broken. That's a fantastic way to ruin a horse right there. And they see it as an important part of their culture. It's absolutely criminal. It should be illegal. Fucking heartless bastards.



Then there's horse tripping in Mexico. I didn't believe it when I first heard about it. This makes me sick. What would possess any kind of decent human being to intentionally rope a horse around its legs and watch it crash to the ground? They do it for sport. They have little kids in the audience learning that it's amusing to watch a horse fall and break its neck. They're creating more monsters that'll grow up to do the same thing. They should all be ashamed. Horses die in Mexican rodeos all the time. I can't understand how these people scream and laugh at the "thrill" and "entertainment" of it. This is what evil is. And it doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon. They're all a bunch of savages. They crawl out of every crack like roaches. They don't seem to have any regard for animals' lives, so why should I think of them as human beings?

We've all seen what bullfighting looks like. Disgusting, yes? I hope you think so, because if not, I truly hope you die of a very slow, painful disease.
Look at this poor creature. Exhausted, terrified, soaked in his own blood and in agony. And the crowd yells in excitement at the carnage. How do matadors live with themselves? Do they have no shame?

How do you torment an animal and call it a sport?

Matadors are a particular group of people whom I hate bitterly and don't consider worthy of life. Soulless monsters, every last one of them. And that goes for the people who watch this atrocity as well.

Furthermore, it's not even a fair fight. The matador has his fancy little spears and swords, while the bull has nothing but what nature gave him. Make the bullfighters go in with nothing but their bare hands. That would be a fair fight. Instead, the cowards hide behind weapons and torture the bull until he's an inch from death, then strike the final blow.

They're a waste of oxygen. No two ways about it. I'd like to take a few of them and ram spears into their backs in front of a cheering crowd. See how they like it from the animal's point of view.

If they want gore, fight each other. Leave animals out of it. Put two humans in a ring and watch them rip each other apart. That's one sport I would enjoy watching.

This one's possibly worst of all. Horse fighting. It happens in the Philippines, China, and God knows where else. It's like a horse lover's worst nightmare.


Two stallions are released in a pen with a mare nearby to further entice them to fight. They gore each other for the spectators' amusement and they often die. Sometimes weak or old stallions are even "sacrificed" by making them fight a much stronger horse. Horses that are too weak or injured to fight are killed and their meat sold to the crowds.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-515508/Tournament-blood-The-sheer-horror-horse-fighting.html

Is this not enough to make people see how cruel this is? If they want blood, make it human blood. Watching animals tear each other to pieces is inexcusable and beyond heartless.

Like I said, if you want to get a gladiator thing going, be my guest. If two guys want to beat each other to a bloody pulp, let 'em. I want front row tickets. But leave the animals out of it. God, things like this disturb me to no end.

Don't even get me started on bear baiting. It makes me ill every time I see it. I've lost hope for mankind. I can't even fathom what kind of sick bastard would find pleasure in participating in anything like that.

North America has its share of nefariousness, too. Cock fighting, dog fighting, and any other shit these ghetto rats come up with (rot in hell, Micheal Vick). American rodeos aren't great either, but don't compare to the barbarity of Mexican ones. Keep in mind, in the US, animal cruelty in any way, shape, or form is a crime. You can get your ass thrown in the slammer for it, although it's never punished severely enough. I believe in an eye for an eye. If you starve an animal, you should be starved. If you whip an animal to the point of bleeding to death, officials have the right to do the same to you. Unfortunately, law enforcement doesn't work that way. If only...

Now, who in their right mind can read this and not think there's something wrong with the world?

Why can't people be more like me?

Think about it. If everybody saw things my way, there would be no animal cruelty.

I am right. They are wrong. Humans are not in any way "better than" or "superior" to animals. We are animals ourselves. We are responsible for corrupting the world.

Stop hurting animals. Shame on all you worthless cockroaches.

I'm going craazzyy...

First day of February! One day closer to spring!

But still, 2 more months of crappy weather. Emphasis on crappy. In the Midwest, the weather is pretty weird. Today it's supposed to be 46 degrees, when only two days ago it was in the low 20's. I think it's supposed to cool down again in a couple days.

But all the snow is melting now. And we had lots of snow. Which means the paddocks are going to be a mucky mess. Man... they better not roll. I do not want to be scraping mud off my horses in 30 degree weather. And it's too cold to bathe them. I hate this time of year.

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel! Spring is coming. And then summer! Hooray!

But that means the show season is coming closer, too. I'm terrified. My biggest fear is that Victor might decide to be stupid that day and totally make an ass of himself. And embarrass me. And then we'd go home ribbonless and I would not be happy. Just one ribbon. That's all I want from my first show. I don't care what color (although first place would be amazing) but I'm petrified of losing or messing up. Please be a good boy, Victor.

It's scary because I have the most knuckle-headed horse in the barn (besides Tess, of course). Vic is either totally on or totally off. There's no in-between. Some days he's perfect, other days he's horrendous. Yesterday was a textbook example of one of his bad days. The snow was melting outside and falling off the roof of the indoor, and Vic spooked every single time. The other two horses spooked once and then got used to it. Not Victor. And then he bucked a few times and refused to do anything I asked him to. He wouldn't even trot without trying to bolt or buck.

He calmed down during the last fifteen minutes and we could do some simple stuff, but overall, it was pretty unproductive. He needs to get out and run so bad. The only place he can exercise is the indoor arena because the paddocks are all icy and muddy. He's so pent up right now I don't even want to get on him unless I have to.

On the other hand, I rode Norman yesterday, too. He behaved beautifully, as usual. He's always my good boy. I love his trot, too. It's so lofty and smooth. :) Unlike Vic who has a horrible sitting trot. Well, more so now because I haven't been working him. When he's conditioned, his gaits are pretty decent. It's just this damn winter.

I hate the cold. And the snow, ice, slush, mud, wind, and cloudiness. I'm moving to the Bahamas. I'll deal with the hurricanes and storms. If it's warm, I'm game.

Aaaagghhh I can't wait to clip them! I miss the shiny coats and grass pastures and the outdoor arena and trail rides. D;

I'm losing my marbles being stuck in the barn. I'm sure the horses are, too.

Summersummersummersummersummersummer...