Not the first time, and not the last time: Training vs. Abuse

Choosing A Trainer

Not the first time, and not the last time: Training vs. Abuse
Why is it that a minority of individuals have tainted the entire industry for others that love horses and can compete and win fairly?
Submitted by A. E. Lowe, 1/31/2009

While the latest case of equine abuse on the internet is disturbing, it is hardly the worst. Consider the case of Streetwise; in the early 1990’s his leg was deliberately shattered as he was unloaded off a shipping van. This case ultimately led to several parties going to prison; not because of what they did to the horse, but the fact that they tried to commit felony fraud by collecting on the mortality policy. Horses have been killed or abused for “profit” for decades, and scandal and rumors still abound over some of the most recent cases. Other horses have just been left, abandoned, or neglected because they did not live up to the expectations or financial investment put into them. Not all abuse is physical; the current use of prescription drugs and natural supplements to enhance or alter a horse’s performance is a pervasive and highly profitable business.

On one level the current photos and summary on the internet is simply the case of an individual abusing an animal; but the issue does not stop there. Take the current incident to a different level, and we have to wonder if the horse industry has not become a “blood sport”. What is the motivation behind such actions against an animal? What is the incentive to drug, maim, and cripple? And why do the governing associations in the horse industry continue to condone it? Has showing horses become a contest of “winning at all costs?” And if this is so, what are we really winning: A shiny gold trophy? If you have to cheat, drug, or abuse an animal to win, it might as well be made out of tin. Why is it that a minority of individuals have tainted the entire industry for others that love horses and can compete and win fairly?

There are several issues that the current case will address; first is the criminal complaint that has been filed. That is something for the court to decide. In the state of Texas, animal abuse is only a misdemeanor. Had this incident occurred in the state of California or Oklahoma, the perpetrator could possibly be facing felony charges. Then there is the issue of what the governing equine association, AQHA in this case will do. Less than five years ago an animal abuse case that involved the death of several Quarter Horses including the stallion Conclusive Dare resulted in the conviction of the owner in the state of Tennessee. AQHA suspended the member for their actions; however, less than five years later, the association re-instated them with full privileges. So what does this say about their stand on the issue animal cruelty and abuse? Then, there is the issue of how this is going to affect the general public’s perception of our industry. We all saw the outcry after the breakdown and humane destruction of Eight Bells in the 2008 Kentucky Derby. It was a freak accident, but led animal rights activists to attack the industry for cruelty. So what will they say about a case that was clearly deliberate?

With the World Equestrian Games coming to the United States for the first time ever, you would think this is the time we would be showing our industry at its very best. But I don’t see how we are going to make the changes needed with only a year and a few months until the opening ceremonies. There is a lot of work to do, and while the posts continue to add up on various websites about the latest case, it does not appear that anyone has come up with the steps to find a solution to the problem. Now is the time to do something; the horse industry has suffered badly with the current economic crisis in this country. Horses are being let loose and abandoned in every state. Add pictures of the current case to what the American public has already read and seen about the equine industry and is there any reason for them to support it? As one well educated woman told me, “my first thought after seeing the pictures of the horse with the broken jaw and wounds on its side was that the trainer must be a friend of Michael Vick and supports dog fighting as well.” Those sentiments came from a woman whose family has been in the horse industry for 40 years.
One has to wonder after watching the walking horse industry face USDA regulation for “soring” horses, when it will be called for in the western breeds. If you compare the pictures on the internet of what happened to a two year old quarter horse and a picture of a two year walking horse that has been sored, what is the difference: Probably the fact that the walking horse did not have broken jaw. So what does that say about our end of the industry?

The rules regarding equine abuse in the western breeds often seem arbitrary at best. While it is perfectly acceptable to ride a horse in cathedral bit with draw reins and rowel spurs, driving it each stride into the shape of a paperclip, it is not acceptable (at least at AQHA shows) to lunge a horse in a smooth mouth snaffle and elastic side reins. It is considered the “norm” to drug and “jug” pleasure and halter horses as long as you don’t get caught, but let a horse swish his tail because of a fly, or lift his head for a moment to look at something outside of the ring, and that is enough to keep them out of the ribbons in most classes. However, I have seen horses that are lame, allowed not only to go in the ring, but win. So if this what the leadership and judges of the western breed associations are telling us, why not abuse these horses? We not trying to judge horses anyway, we are trying to judge animals that have been programmed to act like robots. And officials and judges continue to turn a blind eye to the situation more often than not.

While there have been hundreds of comments posted by horse owners on the various websites keeping up with the current case of equine abuse, I have yet to see any comments by an association or fellow professional offering to develop a plan or solution to the problem. From the perspective of an outsider, this would appear that all professionals in the western breeds are in collusion with each other, knowing that they have all had to do this to get to the winner’s circle, and it says that the associations are at best apathetic about the issue. I know there are a lot of successful trainers in the western breeds that have never gone to these lengths to win or use tolerate such methods in their daily training. So where are they in all this? Are they not angry about having their reputations destroyed on the internet? A good friend of mine that just got a young horse in training had the owner come out asking pointed questions about training practices in their barn. The trainer finally asked the owner where their concerns had come from. The owner told them their doctor who shows on the hunter circuit said “all trainers in the western breeds abuse horses”.
Adding fuel to the fire, at another “western” trainer’s barn, the owners had decided to move their horses to another training facility. The owners had paid their board through the end of the month, but were eager to start in a new program and were willing to accept the monetary loss. However, when they went to their current trainer’s barn they found out their horses had been padlocked in their stalls, and the trainers were out of town. The employees at the farm were told that under no circumstances were said owners horses to be taken out of their stalls, and the stalls were only to be unlocked to feed and clean stalls, or let the owners brush the horses. Is this not another case of abuse? With the exception of a leg fracture or having a horse that "tied up", I can never think of a case where it was advised to keep a horse locked up in a stall with no exercise for more that a day or two.

Though the current controversy surrounds the actions of professionals in our industry, what about the owners who only want to win, whether it means breaking the rules, abusing a horse, or trying to “getting rid of it” to recoup some of their financial investment. As a professional do you comply with their demands so you can make the mortgage payment, buy feed for other horses in the barn, or get clothes for your kids? What recourse do professionals have when they are put into this situation? The most obvious solution is to not let owners like that rule your business, but sometimes it can mean the difference between paying the bills or losing everything; and this is not the economic climate to try to make a career change.

While there are no simple solutions to the current state of affairs in the equine industry, there is one given. The industry has come to the point and been publicized to such a degree that it cannot sit back and do nothing. A lack of actions says to the public “we condone what has happened” and leaves the entire equine industry open to attacks from animal rights groups. Then there is even a more disheartening question: what does this tell our young people about this industry?

I would dare say that the late Dr. Reiner Klimke, Ronnie Mutch, Jimmy Williams, or Clyde Kennedy would approve of what is going on in the horse industry today. They all trained their horses and won national and international recognition without breaking bones, bleeding horses to near death, drugging horses out of their mind, or putting blocks of wood in their mouths to make them accept the bit. Is this not what the horse industry should aspire to? Why has our industry failed to follow this path?

Whether we like it or not it may be time for all associations in our industry to look collectively at the future of horse shows in this country. Economics and public support, along with corporate sponsorship has been harder to get while newer sports are growing both in the number of participants and national recognition. Take for example the recent national television coverage of the eastern regional canine agility competition in Orlando. Not only did it get prime time coverage on a major national network, the competition had crowds packed in the stands, and corporate sponsors that are household names advertising at each commercial break. What are they doing right that we are doing wrong to get this kind of corporate and public support?

Why is it that equine sports in Europe are widely supported both by the media and the public? Many of the disciplines are the same, but in Europe you can get 10,000 people to fill a stadium to watch dressage and here we are lucky to get 500 people to watch a world championship show in the western breeds? The current publicity on the internet does nothing to build public support for our industry or the professionals in it. Maybe it is time to put together a consortium of industry leaders and professionals crossing disciplines and breeds to unify the equine industry’s effort to survive in this country. Maybe it is time to appoint a governing council to work with AAEP and develop a code of conduct or industry code of ethics that all association members, professionals, owners, and alike adhere to. Is this an absolute solution to the current problem? no, but it may go a long way to showing the American public and the animal rights groups that we do not condone the abuse or injury of horses for the purpose of gaining recognition and rewards in the show ring.

I look back to just a few months ago at the NFR, and the thousands of people that attended it. There were individuals from all aspects of the horse industry, as well as thousands that never come to a livestock event of any kind but the NFR. Looking at its history it was just a few decades ago when the NFR was almost bankrupt, yet now they have corporate sponsors from all industries, and public support that cut across all demographics in this country and abroad. Ironically, there was not a single complaint from any animal rights group at the NFR. Maybe it is because one of the first issues they addressed is animal welfare, and there was not a single animal at the competition that did not look “well fed” or physically sound. Can we say the same at our own horse shows? If we don’t start working to resolving some of the current issues, horse shows in the western breed industry may some day face the same fate as the dodo. And if we choose not to change our industry to the better, maybe that is the fate we deserve.

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By Sherry Haynes at 2/9/2009 4:49:23 PM
Horse Abuse in Texas
Concerning your article on abuse, I concur wholeheartedly. I am a trainer who prides myself on "teaching" the horse and rider not abusing them. My clients are welcome out anytime to watch and ride. Surprise visits will find me out doing my job and you won't find marks on the horses' sides. Maybe that's why I have clients that have stuck with me over 20 years. But there was one point I wanted to clarify. A year or two ago, there was a law passed in Texas that makes it a FELONY to abuse a horse. I personally know the woman who helped get it passed. It was done in response to the boys who were going around slashing horses in pastures for fun. You might want to check on the new law. Unfortunately, not all our DA's and Senators are up to date on it either. Keep up the good work.

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