Racking horses

[Godsgrl]

I went to a horse show today, and nearly all the horses were racking horses. I noticed most of them had what looked almost like platform shoes on the front hooves, along with chains around the "ankle". (sorry, not a horse person). The last class was flat shod, and they racked too, without the fancy shoes. Can someone please explain this, and make me smart? Thank you!!

 

[synoviaus]

The booted shoes you see are weighted to make the horse pick their feet up higher. They usually put them on and leave them for a long time. I'm not a horse owner, but had a racking horse stable across the street from me. They used to use my pastures to exercise the horses. I asked about the shoes. Amy

 

[Godsgrl]

Thank you for your explanation. It sounds kinda cruel to me, but I guess the general consensus doesn't see it that way.

 

[arabianequine]

they make these things called a hobble too you might see on horses does not sound like this is what it was here at the show you went to. Hobbles stop the horse from getting away

 

[michickenwrangler]

Quote:
Where are you at? Generally in the Midwest, they frown on those parctices. I board my endurance half-Arab at a Tennessee Walking Horse barn, one of the few trotting horses. Here in Michigan, shows are sanctioned by the National Walking Horse Assoc. which is trying to eradicate the unnatural parctices used on gaited horses for so long. Plantation Shod classes are offered, but usually those are just large, long regular horseshoes. Country and Lite Shod are for more natural movement. In Michigan, horses have to be checked by a vet in order to compete in NWHA shows (racking horses, spotted saddle horses, rocky mountain horses, pasos and gaited mules are also allowed too) to make sure the horses aren't being sored or hurt in any way.

ALL breeds at shows have some "cruel practice" associated with them. Arab people have come under scrutiny for use of ginger in the rectum to get showy tails. QH people have been known to inject alcohol into horses' tails or even sedate western pleasure horses. Paso people have broken horses' tails to get that "kink." In the 1990s, some dressage people were tying horses' tongues down to their jaw. Locally, our barrel racers are notorious for taking "off" horses, giving them lots of bute and running them anyway.

The barn that I board prides itself on training and marketing versatile, family horses that can show one weekend and trail ride the next. A friend of mine came out riding with me one day and as we were preparing to leave, she asked, "Where are the Tennessee Walkers?"

"That one, that black down there, the two chestnuts in that pasture, that blue roan mare there ..."

"Oh, THOSE are Tennesee Walkers?! They look like regular horses to me!"

She was expecting the "big lick" horses like you saw. When I told this to the stable owners, they found it very funny but were also very flattered by it, that there TWHs looked like "regular horses"

 

[Godsgrl]

arabianequine-I've heard of hobbles before, and these were definitely not them

michickenwrangler-I live in GA. It's too bad that people don't just show natural horses, but I guess showy is what wins awards. We first thought the tails were naturally held up, until we saw a piece of equipment that holds them like that. It's nice to know your stable treats horses properly and lets them just be horses.

Thank you for explaining things to me!

 

[EweSheep]

I've seen all kinds of gimmicks on gaited horses and Arabians and QH back in the 70's and 80's. Just pathetic! I do remember the days of "big licks" on TN Walkers and the sores on their pasterns, rubbed raw, proud red and pink flesh. Just terrible! When I was working at the Arab farm back in the early 80's, it was normal to jerk their heads, ginger in rectums and weighted shoes to make them like Saddlebreds. UGH! All of the neck sweats to get the cleaner, arched throatlatches which you can get it from the Egyptian types but on the Crabbets and modern day American Arabians, it's hard to maintain it. I do remember those huge rubber tubes on some of the gaited horses, mostly on the front legs with the rubber bells, tubes snapped on the harness or to the opposite bell. When the horse walks or trots, sproing, sproing! Some would even ride them with it.

Not only the Pasos get the broken tail part, but the stopping and gaiting in place is a huge no no but the judges does not seem to be bothered that it would be a disqualification if you stop anytime on the sounding boards. Those Colombians are really good at slowing such a speed that they nearly stopped but still gait so tightly. Metal nosebands were commonplace in training to "tuck" in the nose. Some would seesaw the horses mouth so bad that the Pasos literally had to fight the bit or explode.

 

[abluechipstock]

all i have to say is i had the smoothest tennessee walking horse you'd ever want to ride and he wore a regular horseshoe, that was good enough for me

 

[michickenwrangler]

Godsgrl & others

Here are some photos of the TWHs where I board. You can see that they are naturally trimmed and shod and very versatile. The girl holding the big black gelding is about 12 yrs old in the pic.

Bart, champion yearling at Michigan futurity, now walking on the SHore-to-Shore trail

Squiggie, NWHA Grand Champion Plantation Shod, now in semi-retirement as a youth mount

Lacy, family mount and show horse. This was taken at a small open show, where she took 2nd in an English class against Paints and QHs

 

[andbab]

It is pretty normal for arabs to hold their tails up. Not all the time but when they run they 'flag'. Just so people know so they don't think the neighbor down the road is manipulating the poor horse. I don't know anything about showing or anything like that I just know that when my arab mare runs or gets excited her tail comes right up like a flag. The other stuff you guys are describing sure sounds nasty.