Tennessee Walking Horse Abuse

Riding horses can be used in many spectacular ways. Horses can be used for therapy with special needs children. Horses can help ease soldier’s minds. Riding horses helps with emotional issues, diminish post-traumatic stress disorders, and allow children with special needs to have fun.

It is extremely common to walk into a boarding barn, show stable, or lesson facility and see someone exchange labor for board, lessons, or training. Or see employees being paid in cash, leaving no paper trail, employment record, and no wage reporting to the Internal Revenue Service. While this appears to be a “win win” situation for both parties it has the potential to cause more issues and frustration than what is seen by the average person.

Young Indigenous children from all over Canada were snatched from their homes, taken from their families, and placed in residential schools that would ruin these children and bring out the feeling of pain that would last their entire life. In Richard Wagamese novel Indian horse, Saul Indian Horse, one of the many victims of the sixties scoop was taken as a young boy, where he was abused mentally, physically and emotionally at St. Jerome's residential school. This school would inflict pain that would last forever and has a terrible aftermath on his life that puts him in a long and difficult healing process he endured to turn his life around from the distractions he used to hide from the pain. Richard Wagamese tells the story of Indian Horse through the eyes of Saul Indian Horse to demonstrate the feelings he endures during the story for the readers better understanding of the character.

One who suffers from a lot of pain usually loses themselves in the process of trying to reclaim their life. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian horse, the proganist Saul Indian horse goes through a lot of agonies which gives him the motive to kill the Indian in himself, destroying his oneness. Though alcoholism, violent acts, and his new identity makes Saul feel like he belongs it just is not who he is as a person. These harrowing changes are inspired by the tremendous amount of abuse Saul endures throughout his childhood. The endless amount of physical and mental abuse Saul experiences forces him to become a different person which in turn makes him lose his true identity.

There is a trail down the road in Delaware where I enjoy taking my dog for a walk. It is a beautiful, five-mile loop traversing cornfields, thick patches of forest, steep hills and flowing streams; a wonderful place to escape the hustle and bustle of the suburban lifestyle and spend some time amongst the peacefulness of nature. It is not a complete escape, however, for I am not the only person that knows of the trail- it seems to also be a favorite of horseback riders. Often times I will encounter a rider or two at some point during my walk and, without fail, I will be in awe of the size and majesty of the horse. What an incredible, gentle beast it is. Standing next to a horse, you cannot help but gawk at the bulging, toned muscles and long, agile legs. It is truly an athlete with a rare combination of strength and speed. Yet, they are gentle and kind and have therefore been joined at the hip with humans; today, nearly all horses have been domesticated. So I find myself

The abuse that the Tennessee Walking horses are forced to endure is completely unnecessary. Soring techniques are used to achieve an extremely unnatural gait. This desired gait is the

Naylor J. May 1994. Equine hyperkalemic periodic paralysis: review and implications. Can Vet J. 35. 279-285.

Movies, TV shows, circuses, and illegal gatherings in an old car garage are all places that animal abuse has taken place for the entertainment of humans. Since the 1900’s movie producers have been using animals in their productions (Dugas). Inhumane and unnecessary, are just two words that describe animal abuse, the use of animals for human entertainment is cruel and injustice.

Fans have argued that rodeo is abuse the the animals and others have argued that it’s not abuse to them. There are a lot of people who absolutely love the rodeo and come to watch and support it. Then on the other hand, there are those people that hate it and are totally against it because they believe it is abusive to the animals. Without the animals, rodeos would not be possible; therefore, the care of the animals is of the utmost importance to all participants and staff. A writer for Beef Magazine.com says, “Rodeos put animal health and welfare in front of fans. How rodeo has used veterinary information to prepare for—and respond to—a range of questions can be an example for the beef industry.” (Ryan, 2013). This proves that during the rodeos

Though there is a controversy over the exact date horses were domesticated and ridden, the best estimate is around 4500 B.C. There is evidence that 6000 years ago near the Dnieper River and the Don River, people had been using bits on their horses, because a stallion that was buried there had shown signs of consistent wearing of his teeth from a bit. Chariot burials form about 2500 B.C. show evidence of horses being used as working animals. Chariot warfare was followed by the use of horses in cavalries. The horse played an important role throughout human history all over the world, both in warfare and peaceful pursuits like transportation of goods. Horses lived in North America, but died out at the end of the Ice Age. However horses were brought

Soring is a cruel practice used on horses to exaggerate their gaits. It is commonly found in gaited horses such as the Tennessee Walking Horse. Chemicals such as mustard oil, diesel, or kerosene are put on the legs of the horse and left there for a few days. This causes painful sores, and to avoid detection at shows they often use a chemical stripping agent to get rid of the scarring. Then action devices such as chains are placed on these sores to make these horses accentuate their gaits. Another type of soring is grinding down the sole of the hoof to expose the sensitive tissues. These methods often make the horse pick up their legs higher and faster (AVMA, 2012).

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”(Lao Izu) This quote connects to the Iditarod because to start the 1,049 mile journey they just have to take one step and it all begins. The Iditarod is a 1,049 mile long dog sled race across Alaska through the fridge cold weather. The race takes over a week to finish without shelter, it’s just you the dogs and the cold weather of Alaska.

The curly horse has a very economical diet. They need top quality hay. Timothy/grass hay is what is most preferred for the horses. They eat a minimum amount of grain in their diet. The horses need to consume 2-3% of their body fat of dry matter a day. Dividing up hay portions 3-4 times a day, is recommended to make up for limited pasture. Curly horse’s being developed in the wild have a special coat that helps them survive. Having a free population or shelter is enough protection for the horses. They like to be in groups or herds with other horses.

Unfortunately today there are many cases of animal abuse happening around the world. Animal cruelty or animal abuse can be defined as the infliction of suffering or harm upon animals for purposes other than self-defense. There are many different types of abuse such as using animals for research, using animals for entertainment purposes, abandoning animals to shelters, and animal neglect. We need to raise awareness and find a solution to these issues. Animals are suffering and we need to help them.

Gaited horses, like the Tennessee walking horse, for example, are a special type of horse. Tennessee walking horses naturally have a higher step. That high gait decreases bouncing and makes a smooth ride for the rider. In walking horse shows, the horse with a highest gate wins the competition. This gate is known as the “Big Lick.” To produce an even higher gait, many trainers have used chains or special horse shoes that cause more pressure on the hooves of a horse. This practice is known as soring, when people cause pain to the lower legs and hooves of a horse to speed up the training for a high (Gang). Thoroughbreds are used for one of the most famous equine sports ever; horse racing. However, these fast horses have a secret that make them go even faster. Performance-enhancing drugs are used by veterinarians, trainers, and owners. This increases the horses speed, but the drugs are used way too often, and therefore damage the horses bones (Cohen). Whips are also a tool of encouragement in the racing industry. That is also hard to separate into black and white. One horse may shy away in fear from the whip, while