I'm asking because they're hosting the world equestrian championships about 15 minutes from my house over the next two weeks and evidently it's a really big deal. They say over a million people will flock to the Carolinas over the next two weeks from all over the world, including kings and members of the British Royal Family. I had no clue it was even a thing...
Anyway, if any of you are into watching that kind of thing and need somewhere to stay, give me a yell- I have two extra bedrooms.
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Horse racing on the other hand? They are definitely treated like crap. Two year olds are still closing their joints. That is why you don’t see any old racehorses. You do see old dressage and jumping horses.KeyFin likes this. -
My wife wishes she were going there, keyfin! I only know enough to be dangerous. :tongue2:
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Steroids aren't allowed in human sports either....jdallen1222 and KeyFin like this. -
Oh, and there's a hurricane passing through here on Friday. LMAO!
My wife's working there for the next two weeks for some side income- they're currently hiring ANYONE at $18/hr to man buffet lines and stuff like that. And she says that it absolutely kicked her butt today...it was a mad-house of people.Last edited: Sep 11, 2018eltos_lightfoot likes this. -
We're 100% vegan facility...so we don't ride our horses or take our animals to schools or events. They just get to live their lives out being themselves.Zippy, Tone_E, jdallen1222 and 2 others like this. -
What I wanted to ask you about though- my wife told me they had to put a 5 time champion horse down yesterday from Europe. They brought him over 2 weeks ago to acclimate to the weather, and the vets said that he just couldn't take the heat/humidity here (which was around 80 degrees and 50-80% humidity last week). They ended up putting this horse down yesterday from his body shutting down- does that sound normal to you?
I mean, it had to be a very valuable horse....don't they usually bring them indoors or something when they're in distress like that? I just can't imagine the stupidity of letting a prized horse sit in a barn and die from weather changes. Or am I missing something? -
Horses can and do get fatal heat stroke, but it is almost always due tot he heat AND exertion...like being overworked or during a race. There is a birth defect some horses have that causes them to not sweat correctly, but with a horse like that, they would have known it and he likely wouldn't become a race horse. One of the following scenarios sounds more likely to me...
1. Someone missed signs.
I doubt this horse was not being worked and was just overheated in a stall or grazing. So that would mean he was being worked and whoever was working him missed any signs before the body shutting down. But this one is iffy to me too because of my next point.
2. He was shutting down due to another issue that was potentially scandalous (steroids, neglect, insurance, etc.)
If they knew the horse could struggle with the heat to the point they thought they'd need to bring him here 2 weeks early just to get acclimated, then it seems unlikely to me they would overwork him in that heat or miss any signs of heat stroke. It would be like Smokey the Bear accidentally setting a forrest fire.
Here's my problem with equestrian sports (or any animal related industry really) they are making living things into commodities. When a living thing becomes a commodity, compassion goes away for that being. It happened with people and slavery and it happens with food and sport animals. The concern and custodianship of their well being goes as far as profit & loss dictates it to. In equestrian sports, they aren't trying to win because of the purse, they are trying to win because that increases demand for the winner's sperm. Winning races increases the profit of breeding....and it is the breeding that is where all the money is. So putting down a five time winner sucks for them, BUT they already have quite a bit of sperm of his frozen and now that he's dead, the cost of it goes even higher.
We have a beautiful paint horse at the sanctuary from a riding facility in New Jersey. Because she's pretty everyone picked her to ride, so she was ridden every day they were open pretty much all day. Her back started to hurt and she got grumpy when she was forced to carry people on her sore back. So because she wasn't as friendly, they were going to put her down. This is a well regarded horse facility, with plenty of people working there that love horses, but because they couldn't use this horse to profit, she was so worthless that death was the option. This is the norm. Luckily, someone intervened and got her sent to us, where she gets to spend the rest of her life just grazing and being a horse. I can approach her anytime I want and she's not mean or grumpy at all. -
It's great that you saved the paint horse as well! I couldn't imagine putting an animal down like that for no good reason. I know having a horse is expensive but man...that's crazy.
Thanks for the info- I think what you're doing is super cool.eltos_lightfoot likes this. -
When it comes time to breed, they have to get the female horse receptive. They don't have time for the actual stud to do it, because his time is valuable. So they almost always have another unaltered male to get the female excited, before the stud comes ion to do the deed. That other male? Never gets to release. Think about that.KeyFin likes this. -
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In the long run, we don't even plan to have studs. It is easier to just have a mare herd and AI. We are pretty attached to the stallions, though, so they get to live out their lives with us getting much love. -
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But you cannot act like there's no controversy about the practice of dressage, however.
And again, I challenge you to explain how treating ANY animal in ANY business like a commodity is good for the animal. The simple fact of the matter, is that for every horse bred that excels in dressage (or any other equestrian event) there's countless others that were force bred and had their babies removed, weeded out and culled, Rollkur-ed, sored, sent to slaughter, etc.
I don't doubt you love your horses and treat them amazing, just as i don't doubt many people treat their purebred dogs amazing....but the industry (or again any industry) that thrives off living beings causes real and significant harm tot he whole of those specific beings.KeyFin likes this. -
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Again, there's great dog breeders out there, great dog owners...but the industry as a whole is terrible, and its the same with all animal industries.
And ftr for anyone else, there are MANY purebred dog rescues out there. According the Humane Society, 25% of dogs in shelters are purebreds. Always choose rescue over a breeder. If anyone wants a purebred dog and wants help finding a rescue for that dog, please PM me and I'll help you find one. -
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1. People just have it in their head they love a specific breed.
2. They want a specific breed for a specific purpose, like a German Shepard for protection or a lab for retrieving, etc.
3. Some breeds become status symbols, pit = tough guy, chihuahua = popular, etc.
Hell, I have a real soft spot for Boston Terriers, but I currently have 6 dogs and all are mutts, or as my wife and I call them, Florida Browns.KeyFin likes this. -
Oh, one pure bred exception- St. Bernards! When I was in college there was about a 250 pounder on an 8 foot chain near a friend's house....I thought about stealing that big hulk for years. He was the sweetest darn animal and the chain REALLY pissed me off- dogs do not deserve to be tied in place 24 hours a day. This one was the size of a full grown bear and I instantly fell in love with him.Fin D likes this.