i think some consideration should be given to--- how devices alter a
horse's conformation. Like tiedowns, dropped nosebands too tight,
held behind the verticle-- can creat a ewe neck. Also weighted
boots. I see and ride with many many many gaited ex-show horses.
Have you ever seen how a ballerina has a funny goofy walk and stance
due to stretched tendons and years and years of over developed
muscles, a funny stance, etc. they walk with toes out like a duck. I
can often tell a gaited ex show horse by the way they stand and walk.
They are sometimes loosey goosey in the front feet, stretched out
tendons etc., muscle compensation. These are things that wont show
up when used for breeding. BUT what WILL show up is the lousy gait
they used the devices to correct in the first place. That shows up in
breeding, and in fact the signature gait of the tennessee walking
horse has been bred nearly out of existence. They breed for pace so
the heavy shoes will square them up. Then everyone wants to breed to
the WGC right? so then you have generation after generation of pacey
horses going around clanking with chains and weighted shoes to square
them up. its a tragedy really. and very very stupid. in my last
TWHBEA "Stallion Registry" book there was only one horse pictured that
was being ridden gaiting naturally. ALL the rest were posed in show
ribbons, parked out. From that you would kinda get the idea of whats
most important to that registry now. Show posing, not gaiting. Why
didnt they just take quarter horses and pad them up instead of
breeding the gait out of an entire breed. And of course when it first
started happening everyone who pointed out what was happening was
ridiculed, driven away. Thats how the RHBAA registry began, then next
thing you know, it crept there, then the NWHA began, no soring, now
its creeping into there. why? Because national level show people do
whatever they need to do to win....
Janice
Janice--
yipie tie yie yo
