Lets take this blog to the next level

If you have a photo of crappy show riding, know of a jerkwad trainer or judge, or someone in the show world that is an abusive piece of shit then send the info to me. This blog is not anti-showing, it's anti-abuse. So there is no truth to the claims from the TWH, ASB, western pleasure and dressage zombies that I'm trying to shut showing down. Instead I'm trying to make showing more honest and to get abusive practices out of the showring! Email me at shameinthehorseshowring@gmail.com



I have a request for my readers: If you have successfully rehabbed a show horse, or gotten a rescue and taken it on to a show career then let me know, I'd love to feature you here!






Sunday, September 1, 2013

A Post about Posts

                                      What the hell is going on with the breeding of halter stock horses?                                     Let's explore the change of the hind legs, shall we? Good.

We'll start simple. This is a post:




Well, three posts, but you get it. Straight up and down wooden posts. They are supposed to be able to hold up a fence or a building, or show markings for boundaries. They are not meant to sway, bend, or curve.

These are hindquarters from modern AQHA/APHA/ApHC halter horses:





I'm seeing a resemblance here. Halter stock horses these days are good for nothing. They have zero angulation in the hindquarters. It's like a straight line from the pelvic bones to the ground. What the fuck happened to the proper angulations of the hindquarter? You absolutely can not get any kind of movement out of a horse that cannot even bend its rear legs properly.

One theory is, they are breeding them to be as posty as possible with straight up and down legs and column straight pasterns to hold up their enormous beefcow bulk. I can see this as true. If you were to put any normal angulation on a 15 hand tall horse that weighs 1400lbs you'd be snapping ligaments, tendons, and bones left and right under the strain of holding up all that weight. Few of them look like they can even move past a walk with their post legs.

Horses with legs like this will never have a riding career. Those legs wouldn't be able to handle it. They are good for one thing only, standing at the end of a lead rope for people to gawk at.

Anyone need something to string rails between? These guys' ass ends would make fabulous fence posts.


Raevyn

23 comments:

CurtsBooks said...

Until I saw the photos, I did not know that a horse's hind legs could be that straight.
Just amazing...

Kim Wende said...

I agree with what you said. For me I want a horse that is versatile not one that is only good for halter. I feel so sorry for these horses that are made to be like cows and who break down early because of the heavy weight. It's all because of the ego of some people and what they can win they don't care about the horse.

ShameintheHorseShowRing said...

Running fence today, where are the halter horses when I need them?

Unknown said...

I enjoy showing halter, but I WILL NOT breed this crap. They are giving the horse a death sentence from conception. It's BULLSHIT.

Cut-N-Jump said...

Good to see the blog has been resurected!

I just can't see how the mares can move while pregnant, let alone get down to foal and back up again to nurse. Looks miserable to me.

Unknown said...

Halter horses are not meant to move, from what I see they are bred for meat and if they can't run they are that much easier to catch.

Lindsay said...

That's disgusting...! It looks so unnatural and unappealing. Why would anyone be TRYING for this?

Carson said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Carson said...

San Diego horse dies after controversial training method

and get this.. it's not the First time at this ''training facility''...
god this planet needs a hero

http://www.habitatforhorses.org/san-diego-horse-dies-after-controversial-training-method/?fb_source=pubv1

Tracie M said...

That is just gross. Halter should not exist because it breeds incompetence for riding. Don't we have enough unwanted horses??

samadhi said...

A friend purchased a horse recently and said she was going to show in halter classes. She put pictures up on line and not having seen a halter horse in some time I immediately saw the post legs in the rear and thought, "Now I KNOW she can see this... why would she spend that much on a horse with such an obvious flaw?" And yet all friends kept saying how beautiful the horse was. The rest of him was, just not those legs. Why on earth are they breeding halter horses this way? I thought halter horses were supposed to be the examples of perfect conformation in the breed, perfect gaits, soundness and of course color where applicable. To say these horses should be functional I thought went without saying. Much to my surprise, halter horses are seldom if ever ridden and if they're all posty legged I can understand why. Every show judge should penalize this flaw and we should go back to halter horses representing the best of the breed- conformation, soundness, disposition, conformity to breed characteristics.

Unknown said...

It's true that most halter horses are used for halter. However, some are not only great in the halter arena, but in the riding ones as well. 5x world champion halter stallion, FG Totally A Charmer, is used by his owners as a riding horse, as well as, a breeding stud. Check out their site jhshowhorses.com to see the video of her loping him bareback! World champion CKade at sirepower.com getting ready for the roping classes. World champion Telusives Touch at telusivestouch.com is now being shown in the english events and has such great temperament that she even uses him to pony her 2 yr old filly sire by him as she fits her for halter. There are many others including my own world champion halter horses that now have enough points in performance for me to show them in the performance halter classes as well! I prefer halter horses, but I do believe in a well rounded individual which is what the Quarter Horse breed is all about! Every individual is different and just because they're posty hocked doesn't mean they aren't a good individual. The smoothest riding horse I have is posty hocked. Also, please remember that a lot of the pics are at certain angles, with certain lighting, and that there is a specific way to set up the horse to give them that appearance. One last thing, in halter the horses are judged on balance and movement, as well as, conformation and coat. I hope everyone has a safe and successful show and/or trail riding season this yr! Good luck!

Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

I always pick the grocery cart with the wonky wheel.

Unknown said...

I always pick the grocery cart with the wonky wheel.

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anniebanannie said...

FG Totally A Charmer is downhill and a carrier for HYPP. he would not be my choice for a breeding stallion... Ever.

Unknown said...

The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. See the link below for more info.

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www.ufgop.org

roanhorse said...

NO HOCKS....MAJOR PROBLEM ... A VIRUS AMONGST HALTER HORSES.

roanhorse said...

The AQHA breeders seem to love the "feeder steer" physique...you cannot call these horses by any imagination a performance horse; ...too much bulk, and a reiner and cow horse could spin circle around any halter horse out there at present time; ...the last of the GREAT "all arounders" happened in about 1975 and the stallion was "Major Bonanza" ridden by both Bob Avila all western performance and halter and his wife at the time, Christi Avila, all hunt seat classes and trail.

Performance capabilities have been bred right out of these halter horses....and yet. current owners think they can keep them sound by doing a little steer stopping, team roping, cowhorse classes, etc. You CANNOT keep them sound....doing this .... I've seen plenty of them crippled up by doing just this...a dam shame.

roanhorse said...

The current "No hocks" physique contributes to "apple butt" and further diminishes any athletic ability.

Christine Dix said...

What about the rest of the horse? Their heads are increasingly wider and the nostrils are huge! Their crests are bigger (mostly to hold up the head) and hereditary faults that either cause the foals to die or need to be put down are rising by the day. Cloning is another atrocity; allowing up to six cloned foals to be registered a year!

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