Sure, but other breeds, including my MinPin have erect ears.
Min pins ears are typically cropped too.
4 Likes
In dogs, ear cropping, which is done around three months of age, and entails wearing a brace around their ears until they heal standing up, is far more cruel than docking, which is done at a few days old ā puppies are born with their nervous systems incompletely formed and I heard barely a squeak when it was done to my corgi puppies. Pups that are cropped suffer a growth delay compared to uncropped in the same litter.
Nonetheless, I will never buy another docked puppy, and support docking bans.
Declawing is cruel to cats. Loose cats are so destructive to bird life that Iāve never met a single cat lover who would acknowledge the statistics except those who kept their cats indoors their whole lives.
To me, there is no good way for many ordinary people to keep cats well, and not cause environmental harm, unless they install a generous ācatioā which many cannot do. It is a main reason I will never own another cat. Parrots fall into the same category. No way I can see to care for these strong, acrobatic, social flyers how they deserve. Since I had agency, I have sworn to never keep any animal in less than optimal mental and physical environments. I would never keep a horse in a stall without hours of turn out every day, either.
Yes, there would be far fewer pets ā at least of some species ā if I were the empress of the world.
As for nosebands on horses, I think they should be banned in competition. Maybe that would make some of the thousands of people who ride in them for no reason except that itās the fashion to have a thought about why they are doing it. The true number of horses that wonāt ever be comfortable in any bit unless it is pinned to the sides of their faces might then be revealed.
6 Likes
Mine has upright ears without cropping. Many breeds have them. I wonder if Dobe breeders can breed for them if the cropping option is removed.
1 Like
There is already a provision in the standard for what uncropped ears should look like ā necessitated by the banning of cropping in Europe. They donāt have to do anything except stop cropping.
1 Like
The uncropped Dobies I have seen have ears that partially flop over. As far as I can see the AKC standard still talks about ears ānaturally cropped and held erectā. No mention of uncropped ears.
My min pin had natural ears. I thought they were adorable. She was way too big and not straight in front, so she would never have been a bench dog anyway.
1 Like
I wonder what the hell they think ānaturally croppedā is.
I must be confusing them with some other cropped breed, like Great Danes or Boxers.
3 Likes
Have you actually seen nosebands pin bits to the sides of the horseās face? If so could you please post a picture because I am having a hard time picturing this. The nosebands that I am familiar with make no contact with the bit. I have seen many thousands of bridles and have never observed what you describe and imply to be widespread.
Edited to add: However, I agree with many of the other points you make in your post.
8 Likes
No, but isnāt that what people are essentially saying when they say their horse needs the bit to be āstabilizedā? Doesnāt that imply ānot movingā? And if the bit isnāt moving, how is that accomplished except by fixing it in some way to a non-moving part of the horse, ie its head (as opposed to its jaw)?
Iām not saying there are not horses like this, I just feel that if you took every nose band off every horse and then rode them as before, what percentage would absolutely need that noseband put back on, in order to function optimally? What percentage would be fine with a different bit, a different kind of hand ā and what percentage would either have no reaction at all or be relieved? Just, you know, wondering.
3 Likes
The major portion of the damage to bird life comes from feral cats, not pet cats. Feral cats are a HUGE problem, both in the cities and rural areas.
1 Like
I hear you passion about this, but I think youāre misguided. Iām not going to try to talk you into my point of view, just that a total ban on nosebands of any kind is overkill. Your personal experience may be as you describe, but thatās certainly not the industry as a whole. Sorry that you feel that way.
14 Likes
Feel free to take the nosebands off all your bridles then, and experiment as much as you like. Change bits, change your hands, whatever.
8 Likes
Do you have a cite for this? This is the first hit on google, a birding site:
āNorth America, cats are second only to habitat loss as the largest human-related cause of bird deaths. Itās estimated that cats kill 1.3ā4 billion birds each year in the U.S. alone, with 69% of these kills attributable to feral or unowned cats. This is a staggering number even when compared with the next-largest sources: 599 million estimated to be killed in collisions with windows and 200 million killed by automobiles.ā
So, even though ferals are clearly the majority, even if there were no feral cats it would still be an enormous number of birds.
1 Like
I didnāt know we were talking about me. My horse doesnāt wear a noseband and never has in her life. However, we also are not doing competitive dressage.
The only reason Iām piping up about nosebands is that, in other animal-related niches in which Iāve been involved, it has been really striking to me how competition seems to be the enemy of questioning conformity. If thereās a tradition, no matter how meaningless or even harmful it is now, if thereās a fad rewarded by blue ribbons for embracing it, well never mind the well-being of the animal, thatās just how itās done. And if thereās been anything even more striking, it is how insanely resistant people are to even looking at the issue.
I see a lot, from the outside (and Iām, frankly, always on the outside, even when Iām on the inside, it is my nature) to question about competitive dressage. A lot to wince at. Tight nosebands are just one of them.
3 Likes
I think you might be misinformed.
Bit stability is used in reference to drops, flashes and fixed cheek bridles, and thereās no āpinningā going on. A cavesson - unless incorrectly installed (maybe over the cheek pieces? Or something?) - cannot pin the bit to the jaw, either. A drop noseband can help keep the bit still in the mouth in regards to rein weight - basically it can help keep a bit from being too jingly in the mouth when the reins are loose. A properly adjusted flash is supposed to do the same thing, if itās not too tight or too low.
Iām no bit or bridle fitter so Iām sure thereās more nuance here. (Caveat, I donāt ride in anything like that, itās a loose cavesson hunter bridle or no noseband for me, depending on which horse.)
ETA Iād love to see tightness rules enforced. Iād also like to see cavessons made optional. Heck, letās make bits optional while we are at it!
12 Likes
I can agree that there is a lot to wince at too, honestly. But the possibility that someone could overtighten a noseband is nowhere near the top of my list and that is already against the rules. Nosebands in general are not even ON my list. Sorry, but I know of no evidence that a properly adjusted noseband is uncomfortable for a horse. I am willing to learn, so if you have evidence rather than just a personal impression please post a link!
If you(g) prefer to ride without one fine, its a harmless preference. But please donāt try to make it a rule for everyone.
I think I find the quest to ban nosebands annoying because it reminds me of the smug bragging of someone I used to board with. She took off her noseband, then took off her brow band next, proclaiming āI donāt need it. I have quiet hands.ā Her horse was a saint and she only rode at walk and slow trot in the indoor. She did have quiet hands, along with drooping reins. She also rode with a very loose girth, and quit lessons when her instructor wanted her to tighten it. What bothered me was her superior attitude toward anyone who rode with contact, used standard tack, went forward energetically, and especially toward anyone who aspired to progress let alone compete. And she did not seem to realize that her personal tack choices might even be unsafe on another horse or doing another type of riding (for example schooling a young OTTB cross country).
15 Likes
I have 6 TNR barn cats on 20 acres. I have all sorts of birds because I have habitat, flowering plants for seeds and lots of bugs and grubs.
The cats are well fed and therefore expensive but if someone could tell me how many cats it would take to get rid of the starlings I would gladly house more.
Starlings are non native and do harm native birds particularly bluebirds. And donāt get me started on house sparrows
9 Likes
Gahhh!!! These folks are proliferating all over social media. I agree ā I donāt care what they do themselves, but they donāt need to insist on everyone else following suit.
9 Likes
I agree, there is always more nuance. Over-simplifying is an ever-present danger, and I apologize for being in rant mode.
6 Likes
