> We do need some watchdogs out there, otherwise, people who care only
> about the bottom line and not about the animal's welfare will abuse
> their animals. We also need punishments that support the crime, ie: a
> person with starving cats / dogs in their home should not be punished
> with a $500. fine (as just happened in Marin) but should go to jail.
> But lets distinguish between the extremenist and those who are only
> concerned.
>
> Last thought, if you are not abusing an animal, then why feel
> threatened?
There are many people who consider endurance riding to be abuse of
horses, and these are not just rabid animal rights activists like PETA,
many horse people I know would never consider selling their arab to and
endurance rider as they do not consider that a "good home."
There are very different opinions about what abuse entails. I find much
of what is done at the race track and show ring to be abusive and
therefore, choose not to do that with my horse, but I would never deny
that right to somebody else with their horse. There is no line cast in
stone or set in concrete across defining what is "abusing and animal".
My experience is that most "abuse" is done by people who love their
animals as much as I love my horses, they have just drawn the line
differently. But, in order to not have other people telling me how I
should treat my horse, I have to not tell other people how to treat
theirs. For instance, I think riding a two year-old (not just arabs, all
two-year olds) is abuse, but Genie Stewart-Spears has a great deal of
respect for Bazy Tankersly who does it with all hers. Bazy, Genie, and I
are all dedicated horse people who would never think of abusing our
animals.
When it comes right down to it, horses are property. It makes me sick to
see the way some people treat their horses (and it probably makes some
people sick seeing the way I treat mine). I won't tell other people how
to treat their horses, and I don't want other people telling me how to
treat mine. If asked, I will express my concerns and explain why I do the
things I do, and think the things I think; but these are only my
opinions, and I will also ask other people their opinions and reasons for
doing what they do.
Each horse sport (including endurance) has set standards for treatment
which owners must meet in order to participate in the sport, and these
standards vary from sport to sport. If I want to participate in
endurance, I must meet the standards of endurance riding. These are not
the same standards as exist for show jumping.
But it seems to me there is plenty of reason to "worry" about the people
out there who have different ideas about what constitutes abuse and want
to impose their standards on us.
Let's face it. Asking a horse to carry you 50 to 100 miles in a day is
asking alot of a horse. I, personally, am of the opinion that it is up
to the individual horse owner and/or rider to decide if it is asking too
much.
kat
Orange County, Calif.