>>>> But the reality is....this is NOT traditional training. You can't tell me >>>> that the Icelandic farmers rode like this. This kind of training is some >>>> kind of noveau bastardized version that was created somewhere other than >>>> Iceland. ... There aren't any nosebands in the old pictures of >>>> Icelanders riding. Both horse and rider look quite pleased with >>>> themselves.
To continue the parallel, the old plantation owners of the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries darned sure didn't ride Big Lick horses in the cotton fields, but they did keep gaited alive and thriving in the USA. Neither kind of abuse really cropped up to any serious level until people had plenty of leisure time to pursue horses as ego-boosters. Workhorses of past centuries might not have been coddled as we coddle our horse (but, then, life has never been so easy for humans either...) but economic realities kept a sort of balance in how they were treated. A lame, crippled horse wasn't useful, and so these older "sport" pursuits had some natural checks and balances. It all goes back to the show ring. I don't think all showing is horrible, and I think SOME good comes of it sometimes, but the desire to win does seem to put human egos ahead of animal welfare in way too many cases. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.6.2/781 - Release Date: 4/30/2007 9:14 AM
