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Youtube comments on horses makes me mad, how about you2007-11-24 21:23:13

I have been watching the horse dancing because the way they train these horses and how they respond is unbelievable. But the comments some people leave very rude comments. Things like "that is abusive" and some people believe they burn the ground in order for the horse to lift it's feet faster. Well then why are the guys standing on the ground? I am just tired of people crtitisizing other people's customs and beliefs. If you really think about it, maybe they laugh at us in how we train our horses. Maybe they think we are the ones abusing our horses. You cant force a horse to do something you want, if you try you will get hurt or killed so maybe they arent forcing their horses, maybe the horses like it, that is what they are bred to do, that is what their ancestors did thousands of years before them. As you can see, this has been bothering me for some time now and I couldnt take it anymore. I am not trying to change people's opinions, I am just letting out anger and its helping

Answers:

I agree with you, lots of people think that no matter what training you use you are abusing the horse and that is just not true. The bottom line is that you can't make everyone happy so it's pointless to try because no matter what you do it's never enough! So the best thing for you to do is ignore these peoples ignorance to the sport and laugh to yourself because you know how great riding is and they don't!

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The movements that these 'dancing horses' are exhibiting are all about collection. It has to do with collecting the horse, preventing forward movement and exagerating their natural movement. Watch freestyle Dressage sometime and you will see these same movements. Passage, piaffe, etc. The problem you get with some of the foreign countries and even here and the UK are people forcing the horse into doing it before they are ready. I worked with Andalusians in the UK and by the time they were 5, they were exhibiting many of the upper level movements. The horses were stressed and not relaxed whereas in upper level dressage they have to be relaxed. The worst cruelty I have seen is with spurs and the whip. Holding the horse back (collecting) then using the whip and spurs harshly in an attempt to get the movement they want. Some horses like Andalusians ARE bred to have these over exagerated movements. Its up to the trainer to treat the horses kindly and not utilize training aids harshly.

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I have been to see the Lipizzaners in Vienna (another dancing horse breed) and they get excellent care. I can tell you that they are better cared for than the majority of the horses in this world. They are also trained to an oustanding degree, which makes watching them amazing. They aren't abusing the animals. I don't know which horses you are talking about, but fire can scare horses into spasms and shock, but I haven't seen anything so I can't judge.