Any horse lovers watch Martin Clunes "Heavy Horses"?

[baymule]

I don't want to say that I hate animal activists.......but I hate animal activists. An ASPCA ad running currently shows dogs chained to their doghouses in the snow. Sad music plays in the background, ending with an equally sad faced woman begging for money. Am I the only one who noticed most of the sad, chained, snowed on dogs are pit bulls, and that most shelters automatically euthanize pit bulls? But we are to send money to "save" the poor dogs? What a load of vomit. There, I feel better to get that vented.

On the carriage horses, if they don't have a job, they will most likely be sold and could wind up on a long truck ride to Mexico, since horse slaughter is now illegal here. So sending them to Mexico where the slaughter is not regulated is somehow more "humane"?? I suppose this NYC Deblowhard idiot wants to unmounts the mounted police as well?

If you want to "save" a heritage farm animal, eat it. Then the farmer has a monetary reward for spending his time and money to raise that animal and can pay his bills and care for his family. Otherwise, there is no reason to keep breeding them in order to preserve the breed. If you want to "save" the carriage horses, then go take a carriage ride. Heck, take two of them. Then the carriage horse owner has a reason to care for the horse and has the money to do so.

Do these ding-dongs not know that it costs money to care for animals? Oh nooo......all farm animals should cavort about in green pastures without a care in the world and contribute nothing toward their upkeep.

Animal activists

 

[thistlebloom]

Could stick horses be in the NYPD mounted officers future? Easy to maintain, and in a pinch the officer can dismount and use it as a billy club. Not terribly impressive watching your police force galloping up to a riot tho'.

 

[baymule]

Could stick horses be in the NYPD mounted officers future? Easy to maintain, and in a pinch the officer can dismount and use it as a billy club. Not terribly impressive watching your police force galloping up to a riot tho'.

Sure would make good youtube video

 

[journey11]

Sounds like a cool series, Thistle. We love to watch the draft teams at the fair. I tried looking on Hulu and several other places with no luck. Thanks @digitS' for the link!

@Nyboy -- Stupid activists. Horses are made for work and get fat, lazy and unhealthy if they don't get the exercise. Most of the time those animal rights guys just make things worse for the animals. Now if they said they were just tired of stepping in poo, that I would understand.

 

[seedcorn]

I have no problem banning pulling teams as I understand how they are trained. To rear up and hit in unison is not a natural act. U will never see working horses do that.

 

[thistlebloom]

I have no problem banning pulling teams as I understand how they are trained. To rear up and hit in unison is not a natural act. U will never see working horses do that.

I just watched a pulling contest last summer at the Draft horse and mule show. The first one I've been to in person, and it was so impressive.
I didn't see any of that, the rearing and plunging forward to start a load moving. I think there was something in the rules about it, so maybe that sort of training isn't universal?

One driver who was doing very well with his team pulled himself out early so his horses wouldn't get discouraged. They were 4 year old Belgians and just beginning to work as a team.

Beautiful! I could have watched all day.

 

[seedcorn]

Great to hear. Maybe they outlawed that practice-and should!

 

[journey11]

I've not seen that at the fair either. Must be something to do with pulling much heavier loads. Just pulling a carriage or wagon, they would jolt the passengers to death, I imagine. Smooth starts and stops are one of the things they judge them on at the fair.

 

[thistlebloom]

I think Seed is referring to weight pulling contests, where a sled is loaded with increasing weight as each team successfully pulls a given distance.

 

[valley ranch]

We have several wild horse bands that roam free around the Nevada ranch. They are a pleasure to see. The BLM seems to feel the need to gather them for their protection, but as a result many are taken to Mexico.
There's plenty of food there, cheat grass mostly and water at the river and some of us put out water troughs. But they have to justify their budget.
The Wild Horse Preservation League is a great help, daughters donate money from their paintings of horses and knitted horse sales at the Wild Horse Fair.

The league arranges fences where horses might cross roads and get killed.
Wifey says: they should leave them alone, they don't manage any of the other animals.

Aircraft is used to run the horses into traps, somehow they are permitted to do that even though Congress made it past a law against using aircraft in the 50ies.
They kill the horses injured in round up.

Last year the BLM gathered Wild Horses to be sold at action as Feral Horses to be used at the pleasure of the buyer, so you can guess where most went.

Richard