Humane issue: Driving Horses roaring/wheezing

[dreaminmini]

In driving, all the horse is asked to do is to walk, trot, show some minor gait transitions and back up a couple of steps. The level of training can be minimal. This is why a green three-year-old can easily place above a seasoned 15-year-old in Park Harness or Roadster. The horse just needs to have rudimentary skills (it does not need to know how to sidepass or back in a very straight line) and be able to set its head and have some athletic ability. Obviously manners and temperament are going to make this easier.

So, there is always pressure to show the horse to its highest ability, which means some people resort to as many "tricks" as possible to get those feet to lift higher and for them to lift their necks and tuck in their chins as extreme as possible. In some cases, this does cause roaring but usually the horse's way of going appears strained as well.

As to the bits... there isn't a need for more finesse. The horse just needs to walk and trot, there isn't really much turning that needs to be done or any fancy footwork. Everything is more or less a straight line.

The breed ring is just driving in circles, and the goal is not to show off the MIND of the horse, it's just purely to show it's athletic potential under harness. Those who don't like that, can find plenty of other more fulfilling driving shows to go to. Or, look for the breed shows that offer more challenging classes like driven obstacle. You probably won't find the super-highly-checked-up-roarers in that class. Right?

name='disneyhorse' timestamp='1312224525' post='1395067'quote]

Isn't the whole concept of the breed ring, whether halter or driving, basically for the breeder to be able to showcase the best of their program and see how they stack up against the other breeders????

In the breed ring driving, I am assuming that the breeder of these horses would like it to be known that the horses they breed are going to hopefully be good driving horses for the clients that buy them. That they want to be known as being able to breed good driving horses. So therefore, for the brief "snapshot" that the judge sees, should the picture not be the best they can offer??? The horse should be nicely conformed, drive in a relaxed, balanced way with good impulsion (athletic), and be calm, listening but still have some presence about him. I can't see how judges can place horses that are roaring their way around the ring, horses checked so tight their backs are hollowed out and they are fighting it, horses that are scared because they haven't had enough training. Do you really want that to be your "snapshot"??? Apparently, a lot of these people get rewarded with ribbons, what about the clients that buy the offspring of these horses: the roarers, the horses that don't have a driving mindset, or the body style to perform in the class they were bought to perform in. Does it just get perpetuated again. It's like buying something under false pretenses. I personally think it is setting a bad precedent and example for others to follow.

When I watch the driving I want to see the horse I first described: relaxed, balanced, nicely conformed. Those are the people I want to talk to when I want another driving horse. Not the people who have to resort to mechanical tactics and doing things bordering on abuse to get their horse out there.

 

[RhineStone]

Isn't the whole concept of the breed ring, whether halter or driving, basically for the breeder to be able to showcase the best of their program and see how they stack up against the other breeders????

Apparently, a lot of these people get rewarded with ribbons, I personally think it is setting a bad precedent and example for others to follow.

I hope that is not what the breed ring is ALL about. If they only relied on breeders to fill the classes, those shows are going to fall by the wayside.

When we were in KY showing at the Horse Park, there was a Regional Arab show going on, too. Ironically, we happened to be at the same hotel as a lot of Arab competitors. One morning during breakfast, we heard the guys at the table next to us discussing the show in an official sort of manner. It turned out to be the announcer and one of the judges. The previous day we had watched a few classes including a hunt seat pleasure class. Every one of those horses (like 15-17 of them) was overflexed, and not just a little. Most were extremely behind the vertical. So I asked the judge if that was a new trend or some sort of mechanical reason the horses were like that. Amongst other things, he basically told me that he has to place what is in front of him, so unfortunately if he has to ingore the overflexing and find the horse that has the most quality otherwise, that is what wins. What happens is that if so and so is doing that and winning, then everybody else goes along with it regardless of how "wrong" it is. He indicated to me that he didn't like the horses behind the vertical. So usually when a trend like that gets started, they have to create a rule to counteract it.

I think it would be easier for the judges just to announce that even though they placed a class such and such way, they don't like what they are seeing and those trends would stop ASAP. I talked with another competitor about the same issue and they said that they were at a show once where the judge didn't give a 1st or 2nd and got on the mic to say why. Unfortunately, that judge probably didn't judge there again, but bless his/her soul for being brave enough to do it.

Myrna