Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Oh gosh, one of my pet peeves. Seems that no matter what the breed, the big money show ring has found a way to ruin it for anything but showing and that has been going on for decades.

 

When I was a kid, back in the 1960s, my dad had a big TWH named Stormy. I used to ride Stormy all over the place. He went just as easily on trail and covered ground as well as my half Arab pinto mare. Had I been into endurance then, I'm sure Stormy would have done a fine job. Dad belonged to a Sheriff's Posse type saddle club and each year they'd have a big open horse show.

 

I often worked the gate and parking lot riding Stormy. There were TWH classes in this show and I can tell you that even back then, the "show" TWHs and the one I was riding were nearly two different breeds. In fact, a trainer of one of those big lick horses came up to me when I was on Stormy and watched us work. He said to me, "Now THAT'S the way a Tennessee Walker is supposed to move. We've ruined them."

 

I'm afraid it hasn't gotten much better for the poor horses since then.

 

chris

apleg8'n <rackinfool@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Paula I don't know where you are getting your information, but I can tell 
> you as a TWH breeder of TRAIL and ENDURANCE horses they do NOT lose their 
> value as they age.
>
> Perhaps you are looking at the Big Lick horses from the South? That is an 
> entirely different ball game and those poor horses are used up quickly if 
> not tossed to the dogs right off the get go if they can't lift those front 
> knees up to the moon by 18 months old!

I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship. Louisa May Alcott

 

Chris Paus

BayRab Acres http://pages.prodigy.net/paus

Lake Region SWA  http://lakeregionswa.fws1.com