ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: Kat's response to Saddle Woes

Re: Kat's response to Saddle Woes

Trishmare@aol.com
Sat, 19 Apr 1997 09:21:16 -0400 (EDT)

In a message dated 97-04-18 21:34:53 EDT, you write:

<< This is in response to Kat's post when she says "I consider a barrel
shaped,
mutton withered horse to be totally disqualified as a purchase for an
endurance prospect...and for god's sake don't breed them...a riding horse
need to have withers". >>

I think all Kat was saying was that if you are looking for a horse with the
goal in mind of endurancing him, then such an animal would not be the one to
purchase. Also, though of course there is no "perfect" horse, and there are
many badly conformed horses who are just sweethearts in temperment--one would
hate to see them "discarded" because of bad conformation, still, conformation
counts. I have run a boarding stable for 10 years, and have seen the amount
of frustration and angst couased by people trying to force performance out of
an animal which just isn't built for it. The horses suffer, the people
suffer. Mostly the horses suffer.
I am considered somewhat of a conformation snob by my friends, due to my
willingness to classify an animal as a "nag" even if it is sweet, and will go
down the trail willingly, and eat sugar out of your hand. If that horse
belongs to someone who just wants to take a ride round the block every sunday
fine, it can do that forever, no harm done. But what if that horse gets sold
to someone who wants an athelete--just doesn't know how to look for one? I
am not speaking of most of the people on this list, in my limited experience
endurance people are the most well versed of any equine discipline as to
correct conformation and it's importance. But I've seen too many
long-backed, weak rear-ended animals whose owners were trying to get to be
the next great barrell horse at the county fairs, and the devices they put on
these poor creatures to force performance where nature denied it. I'm
boarding a TB right now who has no business even being ridden--this animal
belongs in a can of dog-food. Hate to put it that way, but it is true. His
owner weighs 300lbs. She has spent ungodly amounts of money trying to find a
combination of saddles, pads etc. which won't sore him--not to mention a bit
that will work in his severe parrot mouth. The horse runs like the dickenns
when he sees her truck pull up as being ridden has become such a miserable
experience to him.
This post got longer than I intended, but I've jsut seen too many woes
born of horses who were badly bred, have bad conformation,etc. One last
point--I was at a form-to-function clinic given by Dr. Beeman of Colorado,
couple of years ago. Before he started his lecture (which was excellent) he
asked how many people in the audience bred horses--about a third of the hands
went up. Then he asked, how many people had a mare in their broodmare bands
which was out there because she had "good" bloodlines, had cost a lot of
money--and had broke down under use?--Not so many hands went up, but you
could read it in the faces.

Trish & "pretty David"(whose color is sort of an ugly, dingy grey--but if
your into structure, he's your man!)

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