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A recent survey of trainers and competitors in some our
top competitive sports has uncovered some tragic facts.
When asked a series of questions regarding tail deadening
in competition, I was astounded to receive such a diverse
range of opinions, many of them extremely opposing tail
deadening. However, when I asked if they would consider
showing a horse without using drugs to deaden the tail,
the answer was a definite “No”. Incredible,
is it not! Four out of five people I spoke with actually
thought the horse looked better with a natural tail carriage
and that deadening the tail should not be a factor in judging
the horse’s performance because it did not have anything
to do with the horse’s biomechanics of movement, willingness
to perform or ability to respond to cues.
When I asked about the importance of tail “behavior”
in showing the horse, I did get some valuable information.
I was told there are some horses that have a tendency to
twitch, flip or wring their tail and it is distracting and
takes away from the performance. Tail twirling also can
make a nervous horse more nervous. This, however, is the
exception rather than the rule. It also became very evident
that it is the judges that take off points for tail movement
and that is the reason tails continue to be deadened as
a common routine.
Horses that have their tails deadened require complete and
continuous care. If there were an alternative, I am sure
many owners and trainers would be more than happy to stop
deadening their horses’ tails and pursue the laws
and rules of competition before they continue to main and
kill one of the most vital parts of the horse’s anatomy.
One injection too many and your horse will never be able
to swat another fly. Can you imagine what that would be
like? Any substance that is not normal in the tissue of
the body becomes toxic with long term use.
Did you know that the horse’s tail is not hanging
there just for decoration? It has numerous uses. It is a
signal to other animals and people if they get to close,
a flag, a banner, a weapon against tiny predators; it will
swat you when you least expect it, it acts as a tentacle
and protector to the rear of the horse, it covers its most
vulnerable area and many other signs of language we don’t
know. Who decided the tail needed to just hang down like
a dead animal like it was pinned on instead of a part of
the horse? It is a living thing, a part of the spine, part
of the nervous system, similar to a rudder.
I was asked by the competitors of a recent show not to mention
their names. And I can certainly understand why. One competitor
actually told me that he did not like sedating the tail
of his horse and did not start doing it until recently,
but he knew they were counting points off because his horse
did have a natural tail, not twisting and flipping, just
natural. Another competitor that I talked to did not place
quite as well, but quite a few people felt he had the best
performer. His horse, to me, was the best mover and was
the best performer, the most natural and had the smoothest
flow. He and the rider looked like they were enjoying themselves
and there was a very natural and balanced energy about them.
I couldn’t keep my eyes off them. He had not drugged
or deadened his horse’s tail and said he wouldn’t.
He didn’t have many horses and couldn’t just
keep replacing horses if something happened to them. He
had to turn a horse down for training because the owners
wanted him to continue drugging the horse because the last
rider did. He refused. Several others refused to talk to
me. Others had no problem admitting what they do because
it’s all legal and everybody does it. They do it whether
the horse needs it or not.
I was stunned. So, needless to say, I don’t believe
in it and until the judges stop playing this terrible game
and the competitors start standing up for their horses,
it’s going to continue. We are speaking out for the
Horses’ rights. Horses suffer in silence. Or they
start performing poorly. Deadening of tails is just one
more of man’s ridiculous sense of self importance
at the expense of the animal. What is the next thing man
will think of to do to the horse to raise his level of beauty
to man’s eye appeal? Man is never satisfied. He has
tattooed, pierced, enhanced, lipoed, replaced, rearranged,
cut, lifted, manipulated and implanted everything on his
body because he is never happy with himself. We must speak
up now and allow the voice of the horse to be heard. Where
will it end with taking this most beautiful of creatures
and making him in our image? The horse was given into our
care, not to be mutilated and made into our image.
When asked to give my opinion regarding HYPP horses being
shown in the stock horse industry, I will admit my jaw dropped.
I live in the middle of what might be considered one of
the largest horse populated areas in the United States.
And I am talking some of the best horses in the nation.
I guess my first reaction was “And, why are they still
breeding horses that could possibly be HYPP positive? Why
would anyone take that risk?” I went back and did
my research thinking something must have really changed
since the last time I looked. I know what HYPP is and I
know what the side effects are and I know the symptoms.
I know some horses that are HYPP positive never show the
effects until they are older, but if and when they do, it’s
horrible. I could never subject a horse of mine to that.
With so many options, I cannot even imagine taking that
kind of risk and what could a person be thinking that would
be showing a horse that is HYPP positive? With so many good
horses, what would be the logic? I have interviewed several
very knowledgeable horse people in my area and some over
the phone in other states regarding this subject and have
gotten the same response from them all. Of course, a lot
of the people I know don’t use drugs on their horses
either.
We know that horses can be tested for the disorder. We know
that treatment of HYPP depends on the severity of the episode
and there are things that can be done. But, since HYPP only
occurs in quarter horses descendents of Impressive (yes,
he was a leading quarter horse sire and a beautiful horse),
why are there are still over 55,000 and that number is an
old one? And if a horse is HYPP positive, why would anyone
take a risk on showing in highly competitive events that
present ideal conditions to promote attacks.
Although HYPP can be managed by nutrition, pasture and turnout,
access to water and salt diuretic (acetazolamide to help
the body eliminate potassium), there is no guarantee.
No horse comes with a guarantee, but, to put a horse at
risk when you already know the cost, is surely at the sad
expense of the horse.
Used to keep potassium levels in an HYPP horse from causing
it to have a seizure. It is also a Diuretic - meaning is
causes the horse to urinate, a lot! Which in turn will cause
the horse to pass any other drugs it has in its' system
and dehydrate the horse. Now, please talk to a Vet about
Acetazolimide. Make sure the Vet you talk to is neutral
and not an HYPP breeder. The horse world was advised 20
years ago by Dr. Sharon Spier, DVM at UCDavis, that we should
not breed "for" HYPP. Yet here we are today, allowing
and encouraging these horses to be in the ring with us.
Acetazolimide is also a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor. It
slows periodic breathing as well as increasing recovery
time from stressful activities. Reduced breathing rates
mean less oxygen in the system and the body becomes tired
very quickly. Is this what our western pleasure trainers
are actually after?
Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors have not been studied in pregnant
women. However, studies in animals have shown that carbonic
anhydrase inhibitors cause birth defects.
Acetazolamide is a diuretic that helps the liver and kidneys
shed the excess potassium, however it takes approximately
12 hours after being administered to become effective. Acetazolamide
is now approved as a maintenance drug by the AQHA and can
be used during competition, however it is still listed as
a substance banned by the USEF and FEI during competition.
Bringing
to Light Hypp
Genetic
Roulette
Horse
Genetic Site
Having had a fabulous show horse that was navicular and
having to make that tough decision myself and being a therapist
with clients horses diagnosed with heel lameness, having
had PDN or PDN as an option my response to this dilemma
is based on sound fact.
When my daughter’s show horse was diagnosed with Navicular,
it was devastating. I was very fortunate to have a vet that
was very supportive to work with me on using an aggressive
holistic program. She was in the early stages, a program
of acupuncture, corrective shoeing and herbs worked well
and she was able to continue showing. As she aged her condition
deteriorated, we continued with the program plus Isoxsuprine
therapy which of course is a blood thinner. We had the option
of PDN. I chose the medication as it could be adjusted or
discontinued if we chose, whereas the Nerving procedure
was irreversible. I felt the risks of surgery were not an
option at the time. In my experience as a therapist, I have
seen some negative effects of nerving and accidents thought
to be directly caused by instability of feeling loss in
the foot. There have not been many, this is true, and they
were primarily with hunters. I could not understand why
anyone would put a horse through this type of event with
no feeling in the front feet.
For other orthopedic problems and heel lameness there are
qualified farrier solutions in many cases. However, when
these conditions get to a point where constant medication
and corrective shoeing are no longer effective, the veterinarian
may recommend Posterior Digital Neurectomy and it may be
the only solution for the unrelenting pain relief caused
by chronic heel lameness. If it were my horse I would definitely
consider PDN if my veterinarian who I trust recommended
the procedure, but not show this horse. There is a slight
chance of painful neuroma forming after surgery, loss of
hoof wall, and rupture of the deep flexor tendon. These
conditions are rare. I personally would not ask a horse
that had the procedure to perform in any strenuous activity.
Nor would I think it was safe to ride a horse that is under
the influence of pain masking drugs.
I do know that even after a nerve block has been performed,
horses that have shown heel lameness for long periods of
time still exhibit a toe landing way of traveling. Although
they are pain free it can be assumed that there are adhesions
between the deep flexor tendon and the navicular bone. X-rays
of these feet often shows significant pathological changes
in the navicular bone. I am not a farrier but this is information
from farriers I have spoken to and information you can easily
get from the websites.
An old trick of unscrupulous horse traders used to be and
still is, to inject horses with saline or air in sunken
areas of the body to alter their aged appearance and make
them look younger. That reminds me of Leona Helmsley. She
is the woman, for those of you too young to know her, whose
facelifts have turned her into an animal. It’s so
tight; her eyebrows are now in her hairline. My question
to people who do this to horses is, “What’s
the point?”
If your horse is a halter and pleasure horse and he’s
a certain age, what’s the point of trying to make
him look younger. It’s stupid. Besides, anytime you
inject anything into the body, you run a risk of infection
or damage. Don’t you care more about your animal than
that? Blowing up the eyelids does not increase the beauty
of the horse, that’s not what he/she is being judged
on. Are horse people getting so extreme, when they run out
of things to compare, they will start measuring a stallions
penis and giving them Viagra. Or measuring mares’
teats and giving them breast implants. It is so stupid.
Are owners so self-indulgent or self-conscious, they can’t
stand the thought of their horse “looking old”.
I have the dentist come out and take care of our horses’
mouth and teeth. Now, when I first got my first horse (that
was many years ago), I don’t believe there was such
a thing. My husband and our farrier take care of our horse’s
feet and shoeing needs. They have a vet, a therapist, nutritionist,
and other team members (me) and trainer (Stephanie) and
my husband. All those things are building blocks for a horse.
But, I tell you what. Having blown up eyelids and saline
injections to pump up the flat spots aren’t going
to make him smarter, faster or better. It would just make
me look stupid that I took the time to do that when I could
be actually spending my time on something that matters,
like, training, or getting me and my horse a pedicure.
If I was a judge, and I wish I still were, part of my judging
would be to walk around and press all the horses’
muscles and the first signs of “cottage cheese”
would be disqualification. That would be caused by saline
injections. I guess you think that stuff just disappears
into thin air. No, it’s got to go somewhere. It stays
in the body and dissipates and clogs things up. Steroids,
now!! What next. Can you not breed a horse that is just
handsome or beautiful without disfiguring their bodies?
Anything unnatural is harmful. Anytime you put a needle
into the flesh, you run the risk of bacteria entering.
I believe it would be fun if I could take all the people
who show the horses and have a class for them and do all
the things to them that they do to their horses. I would
love to see how it would look, can you picture it? How would
these individuals feel if they had their soft spots pumped
up with saline, their tails deadened and a tasty buffet
of assorted drugs administered. Then let them go run around
the arena and line up to be judged. Not so fun now. Judges,
quit placing these competitors who are disfiguring their
horses. If an owner is insecure with their own inner self,
who cares, but let it be known you are no longer going to
tolerate horse abuse.
Is it fair competition for a sound horse to complete against
an unsound drugged horse? Is it safe?”
It will be fair competition until the judges change the
rules and regulations or until the competitors who do not
drug their horses speak up, take a stand, stop competing
and start their own associations. Or until the associations
are taken to task by larger organizations that are looking
out for the welfare of the horse. Perhaps the only other
way to beat them is to start showing undrugged horses that
consistently outperform the horses that are drugged. I believe
it can be done. But, I know we are limited by important
resources when we talk about standing together and creating
a mighty force to oppose the new drug system.
Legitimate drugs in the past were considered those to treat
illness, injury and disease. However, increased economic
and peer pressure to show horses too young, premature and
unfit has resulted in more lameness, breakdowns and drug
abuse in the horse industry. Over time, almost without anyone
being aware, it has become accepted.
A drug is defined as any chemical agent that affects the
living processes of the body. And the key word here is affects.
It does not say positively or healing or any word which
would associate it with being a good thing.
Drug education can fight the abuse of drugs. But, drug education
is only as good as the people who care. You cannot force
information down someone’s throat. And all the information
and knowledge in the world does not automatically become
wisdom. Drug education is only effective if it can bridge
the gap between the horse’s highest interest and the
vanity and concepts of modern horse performance. And we
have already seen the failure of that concept in the issues
of tail deadening and saline fillers to make horses to alter
the appearance of the horse.
Drug education will not be effective until we can prove
there is a better way. You cannot take something away without
replacing it with something else. There has to be an alternative
to drug use. There is a way to allow each individual to
reach maximum potential in the short time allowed without
the extreme stress and injury, also minimizing rehabilitation
time in the event of injury or illness. There are so many
options in the form of humane training while still meeting
deadlines, complimentary, holistic and natural remedies
to determine an individual program and control all elements
of training, health and nutritional program.
Get involved in some way to promote the humane treatment
of sport horses. Man has somehow misinterpreted his role
in being a caretaker of this planet and the animals. Instead
of being a caretaker, he instead feels some sort of delusion
that he is supposed to create animals into his own image.
Man’s reliance on drugs in his on world and his inability
to control things in his own world has somehow perpetuated
a need to gain total control over animals and make them
completely bend to his every whim and fad. A better model
would be the horse as a willing participant and partner
than a robot and life force in need of drugs to be in an
arena for a few minutes of time. There seems to be no end
to what man can conceive as he grasps for some control.
It seems since he finds none in himself, he turns to the
things around him he feels he can control. I
Call your judges; tell your competitors that you would like
to see horses compete as they were meant to. Be active in
this fight. Be the voice for those who have none.
I was asked the question, “Is tying horses heads up
for hours upon hours with no access to water in order to
make the horse carry its head low and have that dehydrated
look fair competition?”
I would say that does not border on abuse, that is abuse
and as a Certified Criminal Abuse Investigator Assistant,
I would have to turn someone in if I had personal knowledge
of such an instance. Animal abuse is a felony now and depriving
a horse or any animal of water and restraining an animal
in an abusive manner is considered abuse. That is no longer
considered training.
I can speak from experience on this subject as I have been
a barrel racer for more years than I care to report, my
husband is a horse trainer and we are associated with many
trainers. For many years my horses won boatloads of money
for me, my husband’s horses are known for their beautiful
headsets. His horses get the proper groundwork and lots
of it, the basics are there and shine in everything they
do, no matter in what sport they compete. I can give you
the names of trainers off the top of my head that are top
of the line professionals that would not be associated with
someone that would treat a horse like that. We don’t
have to resort to cruel methods like that because we train
horses correctly. That is cruel and unusual punishment.
So, no, not only it is not “fair”, but it is
abuse and I would be the first to report anyone I found
doing a cruel act to a horse like that.
Submitted
by:
Bennie Jean Kuehnle
The Animal Institute of Holistic Health
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