Bad Horsemanship:

Hidden Abuse and Neglect Page of Videos

**Careless Horse Woman Kills Horses

Branding Horses and Horse Kick

Horse Transported in Car - Stupid

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Bad Things Done to The Horse

All the things I mention below are easily fixed by taking the time to understanding the horse. Treat the horse the way you would want to be treated and take the time it takes, to teach the horse without fear and abuse. Anything I promote is because I believe it is best for the horse. Try and stay open and do your own research to prove or disprove, but remember, if you were a horse, how would you want to be treated?

Horse that was mistreated fights back: Click Here for Horse Fights Back

Keeping a horse alone. One of the saddest things in the world to see is a lone horse standing alone. They will stand in the corner with their head hung low and a blank lost look on their face. Their spirit is stolen by their owner. Horses are one of the most social animals on the earth. Separating them from their pasture mates, buddies and friends is as cruel as abusing them in other ways. There are so many horses that need a home and because they were seized from an abusive owner or were rescued for some other reason. Surely a owner of a horse could find it in their heart, to at least give your horse a pasture buddy rather than sentence him to a life of loneliness and solitude.

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Another story where a horse pays for careless humans

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Tuolumne County woman drags horse nearly 4 miles

SONORA, Calif. -- Authorities say a Tuolumne County woman likely will not face animal cruelty charges after she accidentally dragged a horse behind a trailer for almost four miles.

Margaret Whitelaw said she discovered her daughter's horse dead Monday night after she saw in her right mirror that the trailer's right door was open.

Sonora police Chief Mark Stinson said officials found streaks of blood along roads for about 3 3/4 miles.

Whitelaw said she did not notice the horse falling out because she was driving on a bumpy dirt road. The 55-year-old Jamestown resident said it was too dark to see the door was open until she drove into downtown Sonora. This was the second time this woman as done this.

Read the article about this careless horse owner by clicking here.

My Personal Opinion of this incident:

The lady that is mentioned in this news article contacted me and called me an "asshole" for putting this on my site. After I asked her to explain what the problem was and that calling me names did not help. She went on to try and justify these accidents with lots of excuses and blamed it on kids and said she should have checked but didn't. No kidding, your are the adult and it is your responsibility. I told her that I would attach her explanation so the readers could decide for themselves. She did not want her long list of excuses posted and did not want this article posted. This story was posted in two different papers that I know of. Although I could post her emails to me, as stated in my release of liability, I have decided not to post it since I don't think it changes what happened to the horses. This site is for learning, so I hope people learn from this and take responsibility for what happens to their horses under their control.

The bottom line as I see it, and I was not there and don't know this lady except from her constant crazy emails that threatens to sue me and her telling me of her "life long" experience and how she is so upset about her name being in the paper. Dealing with this woman is not much different than a lot of horse women that want to make everything about them and not the horse. Had this happened to a child this woman would be charged with crimes and be in jail, since it was only a helpless horse, nothing happens but her name is put in the paper. One article said she was not charged since "she did not appear to have acted maliciously", it may not be malicious but it damn sure appears negligent and not responsible. Perhaps if the laws held people responsible for killing their animals, it would not go on so much. If this woman would have to pay a fine of 10 thousand dollars or more and faced possible jail time, I would bet she would be more careful and more responsible, she would not have excuses since she would have probably checked and made sure her horses were safe. But since she gets off with nothing but her poor name in paper, she wants to demand protection, claim to be the victim and threaten to sue me. Who gets to sue on the behalf of the horse? Not once, but twice. Who is looking out for them? Who is protecting their life and safety? It should have been her and now she wants sympathy from me. Sorry, this site is about helping horses, not some crying horse killer that is sad her name was put in the paper.

I continue to get harassing and threatening emails from this person. So I am posting a way to contact this person and if anyone wants to hear her "side" of the story, feel free to contact her. Maybe she will stop emailing me. *Contact this Responsible Horse Owner by Clicking Here

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In the video below it shows a horse (pony) being transported in the backseat of a car. This is so dangerous I can't cover all the things that could go wrong. The tires could blow out from the extra weight shift, the axle could break due to load, the horse could spook, if the car gets cut off and has to brake, the horse will end up in the front seat, could knock out the driver, could bread a window, could panick and try to get out, could start kicking, could get hung up in the seat belt, could bite the driver, the list could on and on and all would end with bad results for the horse. But here we are again a woman buys a horse, no truck, no trailer, no sense and then she will be crying and feeling bad when someone or the horse is dead, and then people will feel sorry for this poor lady. I have zero tolerace for Ignorance that forces a horse to pay. Some may find this video cute, I find it abusive, dangerous and ignorant.

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The term "respect my space". This is the most over used and abused term in the horse world. This was started as a safety issue. It has evolved into a sad situation for the horse. If you want a relationship with your horse, stop pushing it away from you, stop backing it up for getting close to you and stop treating it worse than you would treat your dog or kids. Respecting space is an awareness issue. You want a horse to be aware of you, not to step on you or run you over. You will not do this by constantly nagging, popping it with a lead buckle and pushing your horse away.

Popping your horse with a lead buckle, using a stud chain, a gum line and snapping it to hurt and scare your horse is just mean. Anyone that thinks this is the way you have a relationship and build trust is sadly mistaken. I see people spoil their horse with food, carrots, treats, grooming, feet care and then they hurt, snap and scare their horse every time they lead them. Chains across the nose, over the gum line or under the chin is just plain mean. Popping the lead rope so the bucket hits the horse under his sensitive chin is dumb! If you do these things, stop it. Learn how to communicate with your horse without fear or pain!

Blanketing a horse and then leaving it on all day. I live in California, it barely gets to freezing at night and rarely during the day. Yet I see horses with blankets left on all day and all night. And these are horses with covered shelters and not exposed to elements. (I just shake my head and think, poor horse) People do more damage than good when you leave blankets on the horse all the time. If you feel you must blanket your horse, at least make sure you take it off during the day or when it gets warm. If your horse sweats during the day, he will be colder at night than if you had never blanketed him. And lets not forget all those horse lovers that are too lazy to groom their horse so they leave a blanket on their horse all day when it it hot, so it will make the horse sweat and lose their hair faster.

People walking into a herd of horses with a grain bucket. Any five year old with just a little bit of horse sense knows that this will cause trouble. Yet I see grown adults, that claim to be horse people, continue to do this. Then they blame the other horses for coming over and wanting some grain. Learn to catch your horse a better way and not the lazy way, that sets up other horses to get blamed for wanting some food, starts fights, and gets horses into trouble.

A horse is killed during a bull fighting event. This is routine at all bull fighting events, but cruel and evil people still attend and pay money to watch this sad and appalling treatment of these defenseless animals who are being forced to be in danger.

Shoeing horses that are ridden twice a week. The hoof wall is a sealed capsule to prevent infection. Hammering nails into the wall compromises the hoof and makes it much more likely to get an infection or abscess. Shoes prevent the hoof from expanding and contracting when the horse walks to adsorb his weight. Shoes prevents the hoof from growing naturally and stops the sole from becoming tough to protect the inner hoof. Shoes became popular when castles came along and horses were required to be kept in stalls and walked on stone roads. If you shoe your horse, do some research, ask your farrier and ask other farriers about making your horse barefoot. You will be doing your horse a favor and saving money. Unless you do lots of riding on rough terrain, your horse normally does not need shoes. Never ask a barber if you need a haircut and be careful if you ask a farrier if your horse needs shoes.

Branding Horses and Horse Kick

Branding horses was a long and old tradition. Burning the skin and flesh with a fire hot

iron was an accepted way to mark your stock. Cowhide is much tougher than horse hide, but I'm thinking it hurts just as much. A horse has very sensitive skin. Remember a horse can feel and shake a fly off his hip. This video shows a horse react to the burn of a brand. The horse's reaction is fast it is hard to see. Today most horses that require branding are freeze branded. This a much more humane way to mark a horse.

A Horse Kick is a powerful thing, watch this clip of a horse kicking a person during a branding: (Horse Kicks Guy in Chest) or (Powerful Horse Kicks Man)

Horse Thief Justice

Stalling your horse.
From a horse's point of view, stalls are small, confining, dark, and lonely. A horse in a stall has to smell and stand in his own urine and feces. He cannot walk, he cannot breath fresh air, he can't lie down in a clean spot and he cannot see or play with his friends. I know some don't have the option, but if you have a choice, try and think like your horse. If you decide to keep your horse out of a stall, then you truly understand the horse. If you don't understand horses, you will justify this by saying, my horse has horses next to him, my horse can walk out into his turnout, my horse likes his stall and so on. If you really believe this, leave your stall door open and see if your horse stays or leaves. Short periods in a stall with lots of turnout and exercise may be nice, but too many people use a stall as a easy way out, it is easy to catch their horse, it is easy to put up, it is easy to keep if from getting dirty, and so on. More hours in a stall than out is a very sad life for a horse. They get little mental stimulation and have lots of excess energy that will end up coming out is other ways.

Twitching a nose, using a gum line, or ear twisting are all forms of fear, pain and intimidation. Using these methods destroy trust and make the horse more fearful than he was before you started hurting him. These can have a place if done right and with care. I did an article on this if you want to read more, Twitching. Don't use them inappropriately and don't let other use them on your horse. Look at the eyes of this horse with the lion, how do you think they got this horse to do this trick? Pain, fear, intimidation and meanness. This horse is not happy, is not enjoying his job and is scared to death, but something is overriding his fear of being eaten by this lion???? Fear of the person making him do this, what a sad life for this horse.

Forcing a horse into a trailer. This always amazes me. I see horses get pushed, dragged, beat, shocked, whipped and crammed into trailers. These poor horses rear and cut their heads, flip over in complete panic, kick, scream and literally fear for their life. Why do people do this? Because people don't understand the horse. A trailer is about the scariest place in the world for a horse. It is dark, confined, no way out and totally unknown to a horse. I would love to take these people that do this, blindfold them, shove them in a dark room and tell them, there is an alligator, a 50 foot hole, a live electrical wire, a man with a gun and a man with a knife all in this dark room, now get in! And then if they resist in the least bit, just do to them what they do to a horse. Please don't beat, scare or force your horse into a trailer. This is mainly for first timers, once a horse knows how to load and is just being disrespectful, then being more forceful may be necessary. Look at the pain in this horse while he over flexes.

HORSE SLAUGHTER: This link is disturbing and shows horses being led to slaughter. The gun used by the killer is shooting a steel rod into the horse. **Viewer Warning** If you view this, you will see horses actually being killed and skinned at a slaughter house. I don't like this video and think it is horrible. However, until you see it, it is hard to believe this actually goes on everyday. Click here to see Horse Slaughter Video

The picture below is another example of the cruel people that do horse slaughter and the disrespect shown to the amazing creatures "the Horse"

Big bits! Again, if you were a horse, would want metal in your mouth. Not to mention, the person holding the reins tight and pulling on the mouth, popping the bit, is not much a horseman. Some people need a bit to feel in control, this is normally a lack of confidence and knowledge about the horse. I am a big believer in halter or bit less riding. A lot of people who don't understand the horse think that a metal bit will give them control over the horse. These people have never ridden a runaway or they would know it just ain't so. If you cannot ride a horse in it's halter, you need work on yourself and your horse needs work. Most good horsemen will always ride new horses with just a halter for their first few rides. If the horse has the proper foundation, no bit will ever be needed. Bit less bridles are more natural and kinder to the horse. I like the bosal, also known as a hackamore. There are others, such as the side pull, mechanical hackamore or halter hackamore. This next statement may upset some people, but "metal in the mouth = less horsemanship." I assure you, any good, knowledgeable trainer can get most any horse out of a bit and into a bitless bridle in less than a week. One week for a lifetime of happiness for your horse. Tough decision.... The bit pictured above is called a "Spade Bit". Notice the point in the middle that digs into the roof of the horse's mouth. Some would sharpen that point like a knife to show that it would cut the horse. And still today, real cowboys will tell you the bit is only as severe as the hands that hold it. (Poor Horse) Horses don't respect bits, whips or spurs. They fear them and associate them with pain. With proper horsemanship, a horse will respect you (see you as his leader) as a herd member and leader. There is a need for bits and spurs but not for most weekend or monthly riders.

Horse Abuse is so uncalled for. It comes in many different forms. Any form cannot be justified. I have attached some links to some good sites that try and prevent Abuse. Some pictures are graphic, but if you don't see it, it is hard to believe it is out there. Some of there sites are non-profit and some get money from sponsors for getting their site viewed. I am providing this for the information and to help The Horse.

Underfed Horses Dressage Over-Flexion Bull Fights kill HorsesEquine Advocates Inc.

This video is how to train a horse to buck. From watching this you see the guy is too big for the horse, the horse is too young, the horse is scared and confused, the horse is getting kicked (maybe spurred? can't see) and the horse has not been set up for success. This rider is basically teaching this horse how to buck, so the horse will get better at bucking.

Gingering: More brutal methods used to win points, prizes and medals. Gingering is the process used to make a horse consistently hold his tail in a high position, primarily for the show arena. Ginger or ginger extract is inserted into the rectum, causing a burning sensation that makes it uncomfortable for the horse to lower his tail. The procedure has become less common since animal protection groups began policing competitive horse events. Damn those pesky animal protection groups..... Perhaps shoving some crushed red pepper up the butts of the jerks doing this would impress the judges.

In the picture below is a poor neglected little horse that does not have a chance since it is so neglected and abused. How can anyone do this to poor defenseless animal? I hope there is a special place in hell for these people.

Obsession with Hot Wires: Hot wires may have a place, but they are used far too often and for the ignorant, too many people seem to see them as the ultimate easy way to fix a horse of anything. People use them for leaning on a fence, prevent playing by horses in stalls, to stop other horses from biting, to keep horses off the gates, to keep horses penned up, to keep horses away from hoses, to teach horses a lesson, to show them who is boss and a hundred other reasons. If someone would make it, there are lots of people who wear an hot wire body suit to teach a horse to "respect their space". Electricity falls into the same category as Chains. Both are bad for horses and do not train horses, they just hurt horses and increase fear. Both show an incredible lack of knowledge about horses the laziness of the owners that use them. There are many different options to prevent things that people use hot wires for. So when some "I have owned horses my entire life" type person tells you that a hot wire is what you need, know that this person obviously does not understand a horse. This person may have also owned a car their entire life, it does not mean they know how to fix your transmission.

Scaring Horses in Pasture is Dangerous: Another horse suffers from bad decision from life long horse owners. A person decided to drive a small 4X4 out into pasture with 20 horses. It was cute to see the horses run in a panic. Guess what, it spooked the horses so bad, the herd panicked, ran wildly and one horse was badly hurt. Since the horse was running full speed, scared and in a panic, probably from a strange, new sound and fast moving vehicle, the horse lost a leg. Horses do not run full speed blindly for no reason. Horses in a herd environment, who may be nice and calm alone will become a wild herd when only one horse gets scared and runs from fear and then may cause a chain reaction for the entire herd, much like "stampedes". Never scare horses in herd, they will run blindly and the likelihood of one getting hurt increased significantly.

Over Feeding Abuse: Some people still believe that by feeding a horse they think they are taking care of him and doing him a favor. How much is too much? At what point do people realize that an over weight horse is unhealthy and not good for the horse's legs, internal system and will make the horse live a painful and unhappy life.

Abuse comes in many forms: This is a picture of a horse so under fed that it died and no had the decency to bury it or even cover it up. During WWI, when horses were killed, people would come over and cut off the best parts of the horse for meat. Horses have been treasured and have always been used for man best use.

I always you can get a horse to do most anything if you use a enough force and fear. In the picture below this horse is forced to jump from a ramp and fall over 50 to 100 feet before hitting water. This goes against every instinct a horse has, not to mention the pain of the water shooting up his nose, eyes and ears. How cruel this is and people paid to see this.