Monday, March 12, 2012

Are Horse Shows as Evil as Some Would have You Believe?

My History with Horse Shows.


I Started showing just a couple of weeks after I got my first horse.  That was twenty-two years ago.  I showed nearly every weekend from the time I was thirteen until I was nineteen.  I did not quit because of some moral dilemma with it.  Quite simply put, I quit because I was burnt out on it.  I loved training barrel and pole horses to compete, but I was tired of competing myself. The late Friday nights preparing, followed by the early Saturday mornings feeding and finishing up the preparing, getting the horse(s) ready for the haul, and the haul itself.

By the time I was old enough to drive, I was more than proficient at pulling a loaded trailer, pretty much anywhere on my own.  Actually, the day that I went to take the driven part of my driver's license test, I had to unhook the trailer from the truck.  I went just about everywhere with that trailer hooked up.

OK, back to the subject at hand.  While I only showed in open shows, in associations that most people have never heard of, I spent a fair portion of my youth at them.  Our shows were governed by the A.Q.H.A. rules and regulations, with the exception that we also had pony classes in addition to the Pee Wee, Buckaroo, Junior, and Senior classes.  As for what actual classes we had, there was Western Pleasure, Reining, Gaited, Performance, and English Pleasure, so we had a pretty well rounded list with a total of about 34 classes or so.

In the years that I have showed and rodeoed, I have only ever seen one instance of any horse abuse, and I put a stop to it, well technically my horse did, after I stepped off of him.  He chased the guy that was doing it back to his horse trailer and into it.  I took the other horse to the officials and reported the guy.  They followed me and the horse back to the guy's trailer and asked him to leave.  Which he promptly did, after I retrieved my gelding who had him pinned inside his own trailer. (I told you that the nightmare ended up being a pretty good horse.)

I've never seen any of the training torture that some people would have you believe goes on at every single horse show, with no regards to the level of the show.

Does it Actually Happen?


I have no doubt that it actually happens at all levels of competition, but I do not believe that it runs rampant at every horse show/rodeo.  Despite what any business, person, or organization posts on Youtube.com, or any other public forum, it is not as present as what they want you to believe.

I have always been aware of what was going on around me, and usually notice details that others completely miss.  That being said, most horse people that I know would not stand idly by while a horse was being mistreated in any form.  Some of them would personally intervene, while others would promptly report them to he officials at the show or the local authorities.

When in Doubt, Check it Out.


Instead of taking my word or any one else's word for it; check it out for yourself.  And, I'm not talking about over the Internet, actually find a horse show, or rodeo in your area, and go check it out for yourself.  You will find the people nice and willing to talk to you, if they are not in the middle of preparing for their next class, or getting one of their kids ready.

You could spend an entire day going from trailer to trailer, or stall to stall, which ever the case may be, and probably make several new horse friends.  If horse showing or rodeoing is not for you, fine.  Just don't decide not to give it fair consideration because some one told you that horse shows/rodeo people are jerks and all horse shows/rodeos are over run with abuse.

Are Horse Shows Bad for Kids?


I personally think that horse shows and/or rodeos offer great benefits for kids.  The fellowship of other kids with similar interests, they teach good sportsmanship, and they keep kids out of trouble on weekend nights.  Especially, if you live in a small town where there is not much for kids to do outside of school,  and school related activities.  Some schools even have horse related clubs, but others sadly do not.

I personally think that if a kid is going to show a horse (or any animal for that fact), they should have to be responsible for caring for that horse, muck, buck, and barrel(lock, stock, and barrel for the non-horsey people who may be reading this).  Which means that the kid will learn even more from horse showing.

The only negative part of kids showing, are the parents who force their kids to show.  This will take all of the fun out of it for the kid, and if it is not fun then what's the point.  Another little thing that sucks the fun out of it for the kids are parents that constantly push them to win and frequently yell at them if they don't.

I can attest to the last one personally, while it was not a parent, it was an uncle that would frequently yell at me and did not care who was watching.  I could win, and I would still get yelled at that I should have done better!  Doesn't that sound like a blast for a kid?  That's one reason why as soon as I got my license I switched associations and got away from him.

Who can Benefit from Horse Shows?


I would say everybody can benefit from horse shows and rodeos, but if you decide that it is not for you, that is fine.  You can make friends with similar interests, and learn from them and teach them as well.  If you are wanting to be a trainer, you will need a show record of some sort, I would chose a consistent trainer over one who wins sometimes and didn't even place other times, but there is no way to determine this if the person does not have a show record, preferably on several horses.

There are horse shows that cover every aspect of riding horses, from trail riding (think A.C.T.H.A.) to dressage, and everything in between.  And most have different levels from Beginners to Professionals, there is a place for everyone.  There are local open shows, which will be closer to home (depending on where you live) than most of the bigger associations.  It all depends on what you want and how far you're willing to go to get it.

What if I Decide that Horse Showing is not for Me?


It is perfectly OK to decide that horse showing is not for you.  If you don't think that showing is something that you would enjoy doing with your horse, stay at home with him/her and enjoy doing whatever it is that you do.  You may enjoy long trail rides out through the woods that are just the two of you, or with a few of your closest friends and family.  I too enjoy going on a good trail ride, even if I have to haul fifty miles or so to get to it.  There is nothing wrong with enjoying your horse without competing with it.

What if I Decide that Horse Showing is for Me?


Well, then my first piece of advise to you would be to have fun with it, and good luck.  Anything beyond that would have to be discipline specific, and I could only comment on the barrel/pole horse aspect of it.

Conclusion.


I personally enjoyed competing, until I burnt out on it.  It's not for everyone, but only you can decide if it's right for you, no one else can make that decision for you.  Weigh you options carefully before you make your final decision, and if you're concerned about the abuse of the horses at shows, go check it out for yourself.  Boycotting shows will not change how people think about them, whether it's for or against them.  The only way to eliminate any abuse is for people to go to shows that are brave enough to stand up for what is right, and to educate the ones that lack knowledge.  Change starts one person at a time.

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