From: JLF
Sent: Sunday, November 30, 2008 6:06 AM
Subject: [ClassicalDressage] Training & Supplements
I was under the impression that dressage training is supposed to be good
for horses. However, in speaking to some of the members of my local
dressage community who show regularly -- or not, because of lameness
issues with their horses -- I wonder at the the treatment of their
horses. The people who show their horses purport to treat their horses
very well. They have them in the 'best' barns. They have private turn
out for a few hours a day. They are ridden 5 or 6x a week and rubbed
down with Vetrolin and re-stalled. Whenever they have a boo-boo the vet
is called. They are given Ulcerguard, Legend, Adequan, etc.
On a BB I frequent, in response to another person's mention of buying a
14 y.o. horse a respected BB member said, "As far as maintenance goes, I
personally think any horse that is working above first level needs
something. My trainer's competition horses all get adequan every other
week, starting when they first start learning collection. My friend, the
vet assistant, gives her horses (including her five year old) monthly
legend as a matter of course. Due to his age, this guy is probably more
of a monthly legend horse than a bimonthly adequan horse, but again, I'd
ask the vet."
The point I think that I might be off base is that, if a horse's
training compromises his body so badly that a horse working at 1st level
needs joint supplements wouldn't that be a reflection that the training
is not very good? And further, that if he needs Ulcerguard, wouldn't
that be a reflection of a living or "job" situation for the horse that
should be altered? Am I alone in thinking this is not quite right?
Are all the Spanish Riding School Lipizzaners on joint and/or digestive
supplements?
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Is it wrong to address these issues which are valid and industry knowledge? What if the public quits buying your product/horse because of these issues. This individual is not advocating the closing down of the dressage industry, which does have a standard, she is addressing make sure they are trained right, and make sure they are a suitable animal for the sport. The dressage world like all industry's that deal with animals are changing and addressing issues. They are not perfect, and they address daily. They have soared in popularity in the last twenty five years, and as yet have not become a "soft target". Please try to convince me that because they have millions of dollars and we don't, that that is a valid argument in a working/ performing animals life who deserves the best money can buy, not what money you have. There public is buying their product by the truckloads.
Posts
8 comments:
LOL... For better or worse let us not forget that the horse industry "invented" doping -- and equines have been medicated one way or the other by owners/trainers/traders for hundreds of years. The idea that a five year old horse might need an anti-arthritic like polysulfated glycosaminoglycan simply to train is pretty appalling...until you think about the three year olds "working" doped with phenylbutazone. Or these days all of the farriers who reach for the acepromezine to "handle" a ride pony (and it's easier than a twitch.) Much as I may find all of this alternatively amusing and disgusting, it's a bit like steroids in baseball players. Drugs exist that give us an edge. All the rules in the world won't stop some people from employing those drugs when they can get away with it. Clearly horse were trained to a high level long before such chemical assists -- but the was less economic incentive to crank out "product" for the "consumers" within the horsey set.
Ben,
How come so much is know about the world of the "horsey set", but little is known about the world of the "circusy set"
Wade
I have been around horses all my life and never had I heard of such practices, I guess I have been unaware or travel in the wrong circles. The minute someone told me that every horse in training must receive medication to be worked would be history. How gullible is that! I think seeing all the expos and now seeing this I believe that the horse people at large are willing to do anything their Messiah trainer tells them. A sad state of affairs and I guess one learns new things everyday.
Dianne,
I would think the Trainer would be the one to trust, if you have purchased something you know nothing about. But I think it is VERY important to retain the services of a skilled trainer. I suggest it is not the whole industry, as it is not everybody in the circus. Anymore then we should assume because you have a horse like Chewy it has been doped up. That is unfair, as I think Ben's statement was unfair. There is good in bad in all industry's as has been suggested. Do you expose the bad or do you hid them so people don't know, and it becomes a stereotype on the whole industry?
Wade
P.S. Did the the thundering herd give you birthday nuzzles? Tell Tiny to give you one for me.
Wade, anything that I know about horses I learned from my mother, or my brother. And my brother is a pretty laid back trainer who has done very well as a college team coach, with his private clients at Pony Nationals, and now working for Penn State. ...But he's has some partners over the years... Honestly I think that the advantage in doping is frequently overstated -- but as long as it's billable, a "service" to sell, somebody will indeed sell it. Let's remember just how many riders are amateur owners, even if they spend $300K on a made horse. I think we've all known people -- particularly young women -- who probably put better tahn fifty percent of what they make into their horse. Sometimes it's a good enough horse, but the fact is that they will never have the skills to realize its potential. Sometimes it's a mediocre horse, and the owner does have some skills but she's never going to own a horse that will will take her where she dreams of going -- so she spends like crazy on "fixes" that won't really fix anything. What's the difference between the horsey set and circus? Billions of dollars and intent. I can buy a great dog act that's ready to work and earn back the cost in a few weeks. I can buy a fifty thousand dollar horse, spend another fifty on coaching, and training, and travel and shows and at the end of the year I still have a fifty thousand dollar horse. But if I'm an amateur rider I still have my day job. In the circus that dog act is my day job.
Ben,
You can't base an opinion of your brother on a whole big "industry". I also think by referring to it as the "horsey set" but not the "circusy set" points to a prejudice/bias that disturbs us when folks say "circus gypsy" or "circus carnies." It sounds like you will accept anything bad about one but defend the other.
Wade
Ben,
Just a thought. Do you know more about the horse industry then a fan does about the circus? But we get upset when they make a misinformed statement based on their bias.
Wade
Regarding this subject I don't think you can forget that most people themselves are drug happy. The entire world thinks have a pain, take a pill, think about a pain, take a pill, are you depressed take a pill, etc. etc. etc. I kept as a reminder, the jar of pills that I believe killed my mother... I will not ever let a doctor do that to me.The domino effect..need one, need another to stop the side effects of the first..etc.etc.etc.
Bottom line people think they can't survive without their drugs so why wouldn't they think the same about their horses..Ignorance in my opinion..
People drugging horses for the amateur to win is another ignorant practice in my opinion. If the amatueur can't put the time in and/or have the ability to win drug free, then guess what.........they shouldn't win..let them spend their big bucks on riding lessons...
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