[QUOTE=War Admiral;6320686]
This might be a good time to drop Pepsi a thank-you note.
Once again I reiterate - we need to make animal abuse a FEDERAL felony. This might be a good time for such a movement to get started, as well.[/QUOTE]
I think a push to have animal abuse made into a federal felony should wait until at least child abuse and molestation are.
[QUOTE=RedMare01;6320989]
I watched last night. Ugh. I’ve never, ever in my life heard a horse make a noise like the one that was down in the stall, not getting up, and they were whipping it. :sadsmile: Poor fellow. It takes an evil person to do that to an animal. :no:[/QUOTE]
The sound that horse was making will haunt me for the rest of my life.
I sent Pepsi an email thanking them for pulling their sponsorship.
I hope this trainer goes to prison.
Do other gaited breeds use these methods and win by doing so? I only hear about it with TWH but I haven’t really been listening very hard.
I just read this entire thread. I just had no idea about this world.
I emailed Pepsi, Ford, Nightline and the Celebration horse show. Thanks to everyone who has posted links for contacting these organizations. If there are other sponsors to contact, please post and I will contact them as well.
The noise from the down horse clip was made by the dog I think. You can see an overly excited small dog flitting about at the edge of the screen a time or two…I think those noises were made by the dog.
Absolutely horrendous video. And in the article…that man has been caught 9 times IIRC? Really? And STILL has clients? WTF?
His paying clients are as guilty as that man is.
If the breed wasn’t so willing to please all the time, that type of handling would cause them to become dangerous I would think.
How are these animals not having stress colic every other day?
[QUOTE=5;6322116]
Do other gaited breeds use these methods and win by doing so? I only hear about it with TWH but I haven’t really been listening very hard.[/QUOTE]
I can only speak for Paso Finos and the answer is no.
Action plan and links have moved to post #1
[QUOTE=MistyBlue;6322158]
If the breed wasn’t so willing to please all the time, that type of handling would cause them to become dangerous I would think.
?[/QUOTE]
Occasionally some do “fight back” but they are labeled as renegades, and many just get a bullit to the head, get shipped to slaughter, or if insured, have an accident— UNLESS they are just extremely well-bred or talented. Then they are beaten, and kept muzzled except when shown or used for breeding.
I knew of a son of Pride of Midnight who was supposed to be a renegade but PoM bloodlines were so sought after that he was kept muzzled and used only for breeding.
The guy who bought him to stand at stud used to brag that it took him and three “hands” three ropes some baseball bats and a cattle prod to load and unload him and get him in his stall.
That horse lived in his stall 24/7 except for breeding mares. The mares had to wear a leather mare cover to protect them even though he was muzzled whenever taken from his stall. He would charge anyone who walked too closed to his stall. He lived in a totally enclosed stall except for the front- which had a full door so he could not “get at” people walking by. This stall was always dirty because they only cleaned it when he was taken out for breedings or the poop started attracting too many flies.
His stall front had revolving doors so they could feed and hay him without putting their hands anywhere near him. The stable hands were always beating his stall front with a bat that was kept near by. The owner died, and the horse was sold along with all the others he owned. The new owner, a friend of ours, was warned that the stud was rank.
That owner was careful with him- and had to have him tranqulized to move him. He moved him to a nice specious stall with lots of light and a secure run. No one yelled at him, or beat his stall front or him. But still no one tried to touch him and they kept him in a stall with a full front on it.
They put an older mare in the stall next to him, and eventually they let him and her out in ajoining runs. By then he must have been about 15. Eventually, he could be handled and groomed by one or two men he trusted . He was always groomed in cross ties.
He could be hand bred without the muzzle, but they still used a mare cover just in case even though he never tried to savage any mares. He was devoted to the old hare who lived next to him and she was devoted to him too. But for rest of his life, he was never ever loose in the same enclosure with another horse.
He quit charging people, but he was handled very carefully and no one went in his stall with him. They would lock him out in his paddock when they cleaned his stall- every day. There was a standing rule that NO stable hand could ever raise his hand or voice around him. He didn’t have a perfect life, but at least he lived the rest of his life relatively untormented. He died at about age 25.
We owned one of his sons. That was one of the sweetest geldings we ever had. None of his get showed any mean or rank behavior. That stallion had become what he was because what was done to him during his show career. I am convinced of it. He had been hurt so much that he had decided that the best defense was a good offense. They had to quit showing him after he turned three because he has tried to tear down a stall to get at another stallion stalled next to him at a show-- or at least that is what was claimed. Once he was treated decently, he never did charge or attack anyone or any other horse, but his reputation had preceeded him so our friend took no chances.
That horse had actually bitten one man’s thumb off. He had taken a chunk out of another man’s forearm. He had actually torn part of another man’s scalp off. And he had struck at and kicked at countless handlers. Of course all of these were men who routinely beat him and shocked him.
asking twhnc how many of their board members are on the list of hpadata. you maybe surprized.
i am learning so much from you b_b
It is interesting to see the two farriers standing just to the left of the horse being beaten in the head with the bat. One is actually holding the crosstie.
And the man on the back of the horse which is about to be stuck with the cattle prod is smiling and seems very enthusiastic about the procedure…looks to be laughing as well.
WTF is wrong with these people??
Does anyone have any type of compassion any more.
These horses with their big doe eyes and beautifull face just want a scratch behind the ears and maybe a piece of carrot.
But those horses get greeted by a bat to the face ???
Holy Lord this world has gone to hell 
[QUOTE=aarpaso;6322221]
asking twhnc how many of their board members are on the list of hpadata. you maybe surprized.[/QUOTE]
IF they bother to answer and answer truthfully.
[QUOTE=WalkInTheWoods;6322015]
It takes a whole team to do the wrong thing or turn their heads and keep their mouths shut.
Trainers, owners, riders, some breeders, vets, farriers, DQPs, judges, etc all have a hand in it. Lets see where do we start.[/QUOTE]
Yup, thousands and thousands (maybe millions?) of people out there okay with abusing horses. Putting an end to this horrendous abuse is a real David and Goliath fight. There’s just too many people with too much money condoning it. I would venture to guess that since the HPA in 1970, abusive practices have only become more cruel and more common.
I’m so grateful to abc for running this story, but I pessimistically fear it is far too little. They should have covered more of the corruption within the industry that allows for such rampant abuse. Rather than focusing the whole story on an individual trainer, the main focus should have been on the TWHBEA!
Currently there is only one count of animal cruelty against this a$$hat. Hopefully they can get more.
I agree Twisted River. luvmytbs,One count is pathetic. McConnell has $$$$$. Does anyone know if he is related to Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell ?
[QUOTE=farmgirl598;6321319]
I have a TWH mare I got from a rescue back in February. I agree with the poster who said they are the sweetest, most tractable horses God ever made. I cannot IMAGINE hurting an animal for money or ribbons!!! I don’t show…but if I did…my horse Promise would win just because she is such a great partner! I hope all animal abusers get what’s coming to them!!![/QUOTE]
Karma comes back at’cha threefold–and these SOB’s are about to come face to face with theirs.
[QUOTE=bayou_bengal;6321466]
<LIKE>
If the TWHBEA is so AGAINST these practices, then why has it allowed generations of HPA violators to remain members of the organzation, show horses, sit on their board, register foals and transfer horses?
Why do people like J McConnell hold judge’s cards with SHOW? Why has J McConnell, and other HPA violators been named “Trainer of the Year” by the professional Walking Horse Trainers Association?
Why haven’t McConnell and other violators been thrown out of these associations so intertwined with the TWHBEA and the TWH show world?[/QUOTE]
If they’re so against it, why does their website homepage pop up with a photo of a BL horse on it? They’re actively promoting something that is INHERENTLY abuse, serves no practical purpose, and utterly ruins horses while providing very bad publicity for the breed.
Wonder if William Shatner condones these “training methods”.
He drove a BL horse at the WEG opening ceremony in Lexington.
He always WAS an asshat.
[QUOTE=luvmytbs;6322395]
Wonder if William Shatner condones these “training methods”.
He drove a BL horse at the WEG opening ceremony in Lexington.[/QUOTE]
No, he drove a Saddlebred. ASBs are not sored.
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