AQHA Neck Testing at Horse Shows?

[clanter]

from the article

Following the finals, all horses sent for drug and tail testing will also have their necks palpated, flexed and thermographically imaged for the second time by a licensed veterinarian.

First off we do not have quarter horses but have at times be subjected to having horses being drug tested by state vets at shows, usually no big deal but after having been accused of switching horses for a test we chipped all of ours for positive ID.

If you are showing I suggest you also microchip register your horse (I see the AQHA has a pilot program now).
https://www.aqha.com/-/recording-your-american-quarter-horse-s-microchip-number#:~:text=About%20the%20Microchip%20Pilot%20Program&text=More%20than%2020%2C000%20horses%20in,.aqha.com%2Fmicrochip.

We had a near knock down drag out battle with a state vet who was at a show to take radium and test all champions. One of our bay mares he insisted we had switch horses on him…even though he had personally escorted the horse after winning a championship from the ring to the stall. The vet insisted the horse on the registration papers was not the horse before him (he was going by physical condition saying the mare could not be 18 but was no more than 8)

Had to get the show’s organizer to come to the stall to vouch for the horse as they personally knew the horse.

After all, all Bays look alike was his reasoning

[endlessclimb]

From what I understand, a botched injection resulted in the death of a horse.

Yet everyone is dancing around naming the trainer/owner.

^^^^ that is a really big problem. Out the SOB. Out the owners too. This isn’t just western pleasure from what I understand - reining and ranch are in this too. OUT THEM.

[trubandloki]

I am confused how simply tying a horse for some quiet time is being turned into a negative in the same league as tying high or their heads around for hours.

Generally speaking horses should know how to tie and be comfortable hanging out doing nothing while tied. A great time to practice this is after a work-out, since the horse is relaxed and maybe even tired.

No, this is not tying a horse in their stall for hours, this is not tying their head way high to make them carry their head a certain way. This is simply tying in a relaxed way to practice - you stay tied where I put you, while I am doing something else.

[Paint_Party]

I agree. My babies learn to stand tied, patiently, so they can be okay with just chillin’. I’m certainly not expecting them to recount whatever occurred in our most recent schooling session, nor analyze it. That’s ridiculous. But it does help prepare the young horse for being tied to my trailer during long, boring one-day shows or while we’re tacking up for a trail ride.

[bugsynskeeter1]

Its Botox and nerve blocks in the neck.

[bugsynskeeter1]

There were rumors of a big name stallion dying over 10 years ago, so its nothing new either.

[goodhors]

I am going to agree with @Paint_Party and @endlessclimb, that a horse just being straight tied is not a bad experience. Our horses need to get GOOD at standing tied patiently for long times. We take them many places where this happens regularly, no stalling, no corrals and standing in the trailer is much more confining. They get used a couple hours, come back to the trailer for a while, go out again, back to the trailer to be tied again. It is part of their life with us. They usually will have hay nets on the trailer, but sometimes they are not hungry, just stand there napping. I don’t really believe they think over the clinic lesson, picnic drive route, while tied, but this is a familiar, safe place to be! Camping out on overnight trail rides means being tied all night on a picket line. That is a lot of hours being tied, but horses do it all the time with no bad results. Many lay down while tied on the picket line, get a restful night’s sleep during this time.

I feel that horses who do not tie WELL have been short changed in training them good life skills.

Neck testing sounds like another black mark against QH competitors who must win at any cost to the horse. I think various testing should be stepped up, not reduced, at their shows! This also might be a time to get Stewards who observe extra long riding sessions, call them to a halt for cruelty. We do not attend Congress anymore. Just walking thru made us sick at the common , yet disregarded, abuses we saw. We were there for the shopping, not watching classes. So MANY lame horses, but not limping because he was hurting in all four feet. Farrier family, we can spot lame without a terrible limp. Riders in rings when we came in, still riding same horse when we left hours later. Watching that happen was not worth any bargins from the vendors.

@clanter I know what you mean about “Bays all look alike!” We have 9 bays and people can’t tell them apart at shows. Some are blood bay, others seal bay, or plain reddish bay with not much in white trim, but bodies are various sizes, 15 to 17H. Maybe Labrador dog owners have the same problem! Ha ha

[2DogsFarm]

Friend’s granddaughter just returned from Congress. She did well, placing 16th of 72 () - not sure if it was for Huntseat or WP.
I believe her trainer - a mere Local Name - doesn’t subscribe to anything worse than a fake tail.
Hope I’m right

Congress holds zero attraction for me, a lifetime H/J & Dressage rider.
I cannot understand the desire to train that “slow-legged” nose-dragging shuffle that passes for a gait. Jog or Lope equally painful to watch.
My 2¢ says it’s developed over time as a stylized version of what WP once was.
Like Hunters have dumbed down fences from what could actually have been encountered in a Hunt field to stripy poles & fake flowers & heights of 2’6".
Even though I believe Ranch Riding was created to attract those whose horses aren’t capable of that level of training, and thus more $$ in entries, at least it rewards a more natural way of moving.

[clanter]

@goodhors

We have 9 bays and people can’t tell them apart at shows.

we had five at one time, it was fortunate that they had different white feet, you could just look at their feet and then you knew who was who

[hoopoe]

there is nothing wrong with tying a horse after a training session. The idea that they are / it is for contemplating the work they just did and the things they just learned is where I blow the BS whistle. Horses do need to learn to stand quietly and patiently even when not being groomed.

[candyappy]

@Xanthoria

If you get into the habit of tying your horse up for two to three hours after you ride him, he won’t be in such a hurry to get back to the barn.

While I agree with the fact that for some horses it is a good idea to not unsaddle and put them away immediately and that standing tied does teach a horse patience.

I have no doubt that no matter what, they are not thinking about anything else than " get this stuff off and untie me already".

I think 10-15 minutes would be perfectly acceptable. 3 hours is insane.

[Bluey]

I think that mature, well trained horses, like ranch horses at work, get tied for as long as it takes when you are working on foot, then get used again to move the cattle that were worked, etc.
They stay tied and learn to chill out, rest a foot and doze off, for hours at times.
If over a noon break, you walk them over to water, then tie them again, if where they can be let graze a bit, you hobble them and they graze and then stand there resting, some like to watch all that is going on also.

When just training an already well trained, experienced competition horse, we put them away in their stalls or pens once they are cooled off and thru with them, no need to tie them to teach patience, like with a very young horse.

Training is about doing what is right for each horse using sensible training methods that fit that horse and situation, some tied, for shorter or longer time, some not at all.

Interesting to hear why they have that new rule.
Guess some always find ways to try to cheat, don’t they.

[clanter]

@Bluey

get tied for as long as it takes when you are working on foot,

most of our horses were taught to ground tie, reins or lead on the ground they stay put,

[Xanthoria]

100% all of this. Nothing worse than a horse who won’t stand tied. What they’re thinking about during that time is irrelevant.

[Xanthoria]

@trubandloki

I am confused how simply tying a horse for some quiet time is being turned into a negative in the same league as tying high or their heads around for hours.

For me it’s not so much the standing tied, it’s standing tied for hours, without water or food, after a workout. And the idea that the horse is going over a lesson plan in that time.

[hoopoe]

@Xanthoria

tied for hours, without water or food, after a workout.

Exactly. If this animal was part of a research study, like a mouse or rat, your would have to cite reason for deprivation of food water or its home shelter

[spotnnotfarm]

Ranch Riding was created because AQHA noticed how large the ranch horse associations were getting and wanted more $$ from entries. Also, they were being raked over the coals for how terrible pleasure horses were moving. It had nothing to do with lower caliber horses. Pleasure horses and ranch riders are bred totally different. It’s like comparing an apple to a pear.

[MsM]

Some years ago I went to a AQHA show as a spectator. In the stabling area there was an official notice to exhibitors of prohibited activities. I still remember a couple as it was a “they really have to tell them not to do that?” moment.

“No bleeding of horses” Apparently some people thought they could quiet their horse by removing blood!

“No horses left tied and unattended in stalls.” I think this was to address those people who would tie the horse bent around to saddle or surcingle and leave him for hours.

“No horses tied to the rafters and no tying with the nose higher than the withers.” Apparently people would tie the horses high - including tying from the top of the halter noseband to the rafters - to tire out the horses neck. They hoped that when released the horse would be unable to raise its head.

Sad that some would resort to these practices and that rules need to be made against them.

[bugsynskeeter1]

@MsM

“No bleeding of horses” Apparently some people thought they could quiet their horse by removing blood!

Yes - bleeding was quite the thing to do in the 80s and 90s. I’ve heard stories of the drains at Congress being clogged from all the blood.

[oldernewbie]

It used to be that we would go to Congress to watch cutting and reining and shop. Always avoided western pleasure days if at all possible - could not handle what they thought WP gaits were. Horses looked awful.
Now the reining people have embraced drugging horses for competition, so that’s the end of that. Can’t enjoy it any more. That leaves cutting. And shopping. This year we are going to try watching the trail classes too. We will see how it goes!