At what point do you consider horse riding cruel?

Question

How high do you think a horse should jump before it's cruel?
What tack do you think is cruel?
Do you think horse racing is cruel? Dressage? Jumpers? Etc. Basically what do you think the limit is?

Answer 1

I don't think riding is cruel at all.



I had a horse and he was like my best friend. He would sometimes wait for me to get off the school bus and let me hop on him so he could take me up to the house with no bridal,saddle or anything.



He trusted me completely and I trusted him, he loved me and would follow me any where.



A horse and rider is like a good relationship not an abusive one.



There are abusive people and some of them have dogs, cats and even horses. Its not the same thing as a genuine horse and rider.

Answer 2

Considering the fact horses were originally wild animals that had no human interaction what-so-ever, than capturing them, keeping them locked up in a barn or a paddock, putting anything on them and riding them is, technically, cruel. But if you think of it that way, then so is owning a dog or a cat or a fish.



Horse racing is an incredibly cruel sport. Most horses in the racing business start at an age where they're not even finished developing yet, and a lot of people don't look at them as animals. They're just money to be made. Several horses I've worked with have been off the track and have been abused.



Horses do jump naturally, and can jump incredibly high. Of course, the higher the jump the more risk there is involved. If a horse has been trained and worked properly to jump high jumps and can do so safely, or has been worked properly so it can do long courses without becoming overly tired, I don't consider it cruel.



The idea of a bit is rather cruel to me, and I try to ride horses with just a halter if I can, or a rubber bit if they're more difficult. Just imagining having to put cold metal in your mouth on a winter day seems painful. That doesn't mean I haven't used a metal bit on a horse before, I just find the idea of it... not the greatest. But as long as it's not too tight or you're not yanking on it with all your might, there are worse things out there.



I could go on, but I won't. Basically, treat the animal nicely, be careful both for you and your horse's safety, and spend lots of time with it doing other things rather than riding or working it - brushing it, playing with it, taking it out to eat grass, and you'll have a happy, well-loved horse.

Answer 3

I love dressage. The whole discipline is based on great principles.

Jumpers: assuming you take your horses limits into consideration, nothing cruel about it. Tons of horses absolutely love to jump. I have seen people jump their horses higher than the horse can handle safely. That's irresponsible and dangerous but doesn't make the discipline cruel. How high a horse can jump is entirely dependent on the horse. My horse used to jump 4.5 ft before he got hurt. Now any jumping isn't safe. it all depends.

The only disciplines I don't like are racing and steeplechasing. It is too dangerous and too many horses end up in rescue situations. Even then I don't think the discipline is cruel-- I think the bussiness behing the sport has taken over and judgements are made that go against the horses welfare.

Tack in and of itself is only an object. There is nothing "cruel" about it. It can be missused by people who don't know better, but almost anything can be put to a bad purpose. Some things are easier to misuse than others but they still have a purpose when used correctly.

Answer 4

IN MY OPINION!!!



I don't know anything about jumping. Never done it, and never plan to. Im not saying its cruel, its just I don't know anything about so I don't necessarily have an opinion on it. If the horse looks like he's enjoying it, then I don't see it cruel.



Im not going to get started on harsh bits and stuff like that because ANY bit is harsh in a horses mouth. No bit is harsh, its the HANDS that are doing the damage. Even the harshest bit can do wonders for a horse, as long as the rider keeps in mind how much powe he has in the bit.

I don't think bareback riding is hard for the horses back, so to all the whiners on here saying its bad, get over it! The indians didn't have saddles!

As far as the other gimmicks go (martingales, tie downs, draw reins, side-pulls, hackamores, crops, spurs, etc.):

I use a running martingale because it steadies my hands. My horse is very bouncy, and he always will be. He has a very low headset naturally. My hands do bounce, but not very badly. The martingale steadies the reins so they don't bounce and put pressure on his mouth.

I've seen draw reins used at many horse shows. The trainers get on and crank the horses head down in the warm up ring. But when it comes time to enter the arena, off come the draw reins. And what happens? The horses head goes up! Big shocker! Its only a temporary fix. I've only seen them used that way, and im sure there are people out there who use them properly, but all I can go by is what I've seen.

Only two of the lesson horses use hackamores at my barn. One has a hebranoma in the side of his mouth, so he can't have a bit, but he is guided mostly by leg pressure. The other horse has always been in a hackamore because he doesn't need anything else. He goes easily with a hackamore.

I use spurs on some horses, but that doesn't mean im constantly poking them in the side. Some horses need a bit more encouragement than others. I have never caused sores, bleeding, or anything else with them. But I will admit I have seen spurs used incorrectly. One of the biggest: the spur stop. Horses naturally move away from pressure. When you push a horse forward with your legs, their first instinct is to move away from it, not the other way around.



Hope I helped :)

Answer 5

A horse should be jumped only as high as it is willing to jump. If a horse consistently refuses a jump, and is forced to jump anyway, that is cruel. The exception is for a horse who refuses to be naughty.



A bit is only as harsh as the hands that use it in my opinion. I could put any bit in my horse's mouth and he would ride the same. Why? Because I have light hands and he has a soft mouth. I could ride him in a snaffle, but we both prefer using a tom thumb. I could put the biggest, baddest bit in his mouth and he would still ride out forward and happy.



I don't consider whips cruel either. A smart horse will know what they are used for. As long as a crop or whip is used properly as a training aid then I don't see it as a problem. I feel the same way for all tack and equipment.



A line is crossed when such equipment is knowingly used improperly or to harm a horse.



The only things that make a specific discipline cruel are bad riders and unwilling horses.



Horseback riding as a sport is not cruel. What makes it cruel is rider's who intentionally harm or force their horses, riding a horse who is not physically capable or is caused pain by being ridden, and being ignorant to things that will cause a horse harm or discomfort.

Answer 6

It's not cruel anyway unless whips are being missused or being pushed way past their limit. Whips don't hurt the horse either if your not using full force, which shouldn't be necisarry. As for racing... Certain horses are made for that and love to run. However I think rodeos are cruel because they take horses that have been abused by people put em' in a arena with a bunch of men chasing them and call the horse wild.... That's cruel

Answer 7

I think it is cruel when the horse is in hurt or is way over worked. I think tack and disciplines are cruel when it is to far from naturally for the horse to do it. Jumping is fine because in the wild horses naturally jump. I feel some tennesse walking classes are cruel because the horses are forcefully trained cruelly.

Answer 8

No height of jumping is cruel, horses will only jump as high as they are comfortable, any unnessesary tack is cruel, for example if a horse is really responsive you cant use a harsh bit, And you should always use the least harsh bit that will still control the horse. If it harms the horse is it cruel.

Answer 9

Horse's will usually let you know what their limit is while jumping. If a horse runs out and point blank refuses to even go over a 3 ft jump I will normally lower it to a cross pole or a pole on the floor to end on a good note.

I can't really say, probably really harsh twisted mouth bits, I would never hurt the pony i ride.



I'd say Rollkur/hyperflexion is cruelty when used incorrectly, its used in all disciplines.

Answer 10

Horses jump naturally in the wild, anything over the size of a tree stump isn't natural. However, some horses LOVE to jump stadium sized jumps (5 foot or above), as long as they love to do it it's fine. Same with racing, dressage and most other sports.

The only way tack is cruel is if it's used improperly.

If I had to pick a limit I'd say wild horse races (cowboys tack wild mustangs and ride them across the finish line as fast as possible http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7enx5JOUeOg) and bronc riding.

Answer 11

Riding/tack exc becomes cruel when the horse is pushed over what it can handle or causes the horse pain.

Answer 12

Sorry, but I don't cater to PETA type questions, especially when they have to do with a sport that I cherish and love so much (horse racing)...... ** Question is, what do you consider "cruel". Let us be the judge. :- ) ** @Sandra.... Hey Doc! lol...... I was wondering if you could fit me in for a therapy session sometime early next week. I know you are very busy, but I would greatly appreciate it if you could find the time..Ya see, I am having this psycho/anger problem with the people from the "other" category. Maybe I could stretch out on the plush over sized couch which adorns the corner of your office and spill my problems out to you while you take notes and come up with a remedy. Who knows, if everything goes well, maybe we can go out and sip down a glass of vintage, Napa Valley wine at the local watering hole afterwards. :- ) *** Sandra....No, not JSC. lol ....B.R. Valentine "Meikyo"

Answer 13

The horse will pick its limit. Dont.push it harder than you think it should go. And horses bloodlines date back to hard workers so they are normally willing and spirited but dont push them to the breaking point. Bridal really cant be cruel..

Answer 14

I think 'cruel' is something that hurts the horse.



I don't think it's cruel to jump any height, as the horse will just refuse if it doesn't want to jump. But I do think it's cruel to beat a horse into jumping.



So basically, beating = cruel, encouragement = ok

Answer 15

In dressage there's this thing called rollkur or hyperflexion, where the horses head in pulled to the chest, cutting off breathing for extended time.





http://www.ponybox.com/upload/news/578_image1.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-4g3P7FtE8

Answer 16

Why?



Anyway, a horse will only jump as high as it can or is willing to unless physical coercion (pain) is used...whenever you have to crack a whip or otherwise harm the horse is when it becomes cruel. Just riding or training it is not.



Just like how dolphins and seals are trained to perform tricks using reward incentives, such as food (fish), I'm sure a horse could be trained in the same way rather than resorting to other means...



Just be nice to it, keep it fed and sheltered and give it plenty of room to run around and do horse stuff and it should be happy.

Answer 17

I love this question!!!



Okay, height of jump I consider cruel:

4ft. or higher. Although the horse might like to jump, jumping that high can cause problems to their joints and lead to probelms later on for them.



Tack that's cruel:

Depends on the severity it's used.

Crops are okay if they are used rarely and not too severely.

Strong bits (almost anything above a snaffle bit (I'm very severe with bits))

Spurs

Any sort of home-made pain-causing device



Horse racing

YES YES YES. It hurts the horse' joints (especially because they're too young for it) they aren't cared for properly and they are scared and caused so much pain just to make them run like that.



Dressage

YEP! The bitos are too big, the spurs too strong, the riders too dang dumb! They're always kicking and twsiting they're horses mouth and causing pain to make them work like that.



Jumpers

In most occasions. People caues allot of pain when their horses don't behave. Then again, almost all sports cause the same sort of pain. Most riders are just dumb when it comes to competing.



Barrel racing

That too. The horses are always kicked and spured and caused all sorts of pain and discomfort to run that fast. This type of pain is also caused by most western racing sports like gymkhana.



Rodeo

ANY rodeo activity is almost always cruel to one animal or another.

Answer 18

The limit is when you see something that is a danger to the horses health, stability, and well being.

Answer 19

Jumps: Anything over 3.3ft IMO.

Harsh bits, but all tack is technically fine, its just the way you use them and who uses them. You have to know, if you dont then its cruel.

Racing: not if its handled properly, as in not too many horses, a safe course, the horse is properly trained and not overused.

Dressage&Jumping&Anything Else: Not really, the horse wouldn't do it if it didn't like it, most horses enjoy dressage, jumping etc.

Limit: Probably not what you mean but when horse riders overuse their horses, not give them enough rest, over exircise them or work them too hard.

Answer 20

I think it reaches cruelty when the ridding puts their health in danger like the Kentucky Derby.

Answer 21

The limit was during war when the armies of Europe rode their horses to bursting. You could smell French cavalry before you could see it, as they were notorious for poor treatment of their animals.



So basically no amount of dressage is all that cruel.

Answer 22

None of that is nessiassy cruel unless they don't want to do it.I use to keep my horse at a boarding place, and they use to whip there own so i quickly got it out of there.

Answer 23

Anything that turns horses from beautiful animals to pets or tools used for betting and racing. Horses should be free!