[NOMIOMI1]

It is so easy to become absurd for 'art' and opinion.

I wont lie Ive looked at some dressage youngsters and thought it looked a bit over the top although the horse is, A. Not in pain and B. Appears to be incredibly happy and ridden well.

But I can feel a tingle of how much more? In dressage as well.

I think the Big Lick should be a lesson to everyone... And hopefully a dead one soon *yuck.

[Reagan]

Nope. Midnight Sun was the horse you mention. He could "Strike a Lick" on his own, God-given ability & talent, honed by proper training.

Trainers saw Midnight Sun win WGC 2 years and said "Oh, we can get ours to break higher! How we gonna do that? I know, we'll cheat." A chemical caused one horse to lift their legs higher & faster and so the decades of pain & torture started. Best explained in this well-published/shared article, More Than Sore.

Alas, cheating and short-cuts to bring up performance are used across all equine breeds & disciplines. Close to my heart, of course, is the draft Big Hitch world where pressure shoeing, bigger/heavier scotch bottom shoes & assorted chemical cocktails are used to get that Big Knee Action that's being pinned.

All for a ribbon and, maybe, a check.

That article made me sick to my stomach. I've seen a few of the videos but the different soring methods they described absolutely made me sick. How can people be that cruel?

[wendy]

He could "Strike a Lick" on his own, God-given ability & talent, honed by proper training.

when my horse moves peculiarly and refuses to use his limbs the way he's supposed to I call the vet out, I don't call it "ability & talent".

In order to prevent freak shows like the "big lick" and the wobbly show GSDs from existing it's important for groups to always, constantly, seek out and appreciate outside commentary on your practices. If everyone recoils in disgust or horror there's probably a reason for it.

[ChocoMare]

Midnight Sun didn't move peculiarly... he was doing the full, correct, four-footed Running Walk and Rack, but breaking higher than other TWHs of his day.

[Gloria]

Damn it. Why did I have to click that link at all? Now I feel physically sick.

[Calhoun]

Maybe it was an optical illusion, the guy on the winning freaky grey, his legs are so far back he was spurring back by the stifles. Thank God there was only 3 in the class (although 3 too many), can you imagine 20 or more.

[Equibrit]

I felt dirty after watching that.....

I only made it for 2 seconds.

[FLeventer]

Perhaps to hide their forked tail?

I thought that was what the long coats were for?

Plain sick.

[PonyPeep]

Nope. Midnight Sun was the horse you mention. He could "Strike a Lick" on his own, God-given ability & talent, honed by proper training.

Trainers saw Midnight Sun win WGC 2 years and said "Oh, we can get ours to break higher! How we gonna do that? I know, we'll cheat." A chemical caused one horse to lift their legs higher & faster and so the decades of pain & torture started. Best explained in this well-published/shared article, More Than Sore.

Alas, cheating and short-cuts to bring up performance are used across all equine breeds & disciplines. Close to my heart, of course, is the draft Big Hitch world where pressure shoeing, bigger/heavier scotch bottom shoes & assorted chemical cocktails are used to get that Big Knee Action that's being pinned.

All for a ribbon and, maybe, a check.

Wow. That article made me sick to my stomach. Cigarette burns to the tongue?

[mimiwenk]

all the riders look like overweight gangsters!

[Live2Jump]

Wow, that canter is truly strange. Doesn't it look like the horse that won the class has DSLD or something? Maybe it's how rocked back they have him moving, but his back pasterns look soooo loose. Between that and having him move almost on the ground with his hocks, how on earth could this horse stay sound?

Seems to me the biggest problem with these extremes seen in the horse world (as discussed earlier on this thread) is that they are consistantly rewarded by the judges. If this type of strange unnatural movement is winning, people will go to great lengths to produce it. If instead, that type of movement placed last and horses that move in a more natural way won, people would start to train their horses differently. Same thing for extremes that have developed in other disciplines. Judges may not be the ones training the horses, but they do have a lot of influence.

[NOMIOMI1]

Midnight Sun didn't move peculiarly... he was doing the full, correct, four-footed Running Walk and Rack, but breaking higher than other TWHs of his day.

That horse is an amazing example of the true TWH. He always looked happy and well cared for with correct muscling.

Most of these new big lick horses are as funky muscled and built as you would espect with their freaky riding.

Dont lump all TWh's with this as so many are lovely and ridden well!

[Live2Jump]

NOM- agreed. I'm sure there are lovely TWHs out there that are allowed to move differently and are happy in their work!

As a comparison, can anyone find a sample video to share of some TWHs being shown that look more natural?

[Dare1]

There are no words.

[Lady Eboshi]

Over in "Off Course" there has been a thread about soring, stewarding and Big Lick running for many months; in fact, since last year's expose on TV. For those who haven't seen it, it's quite illuminating.

People who want to see this gone, which is about 99% of everyone, have targeted the corporate sponsors, the show managements and the major veterinary associations with some very good effect. The TWH "Celebration" this year was quite a subdued affair, with a lot of major sponsors having pulled out, and now other shows are falling into line no longer offering the "Performance" (euphemism for stacked & padded) classes.

In a new development, the USEF has declared it can't go on at the same venue concurrent with any competition they recognize if I'm reading that right. So there is BIG pressure being applied to get rid of this, and this time people are NOT letting up! Read that thread and see where you can write, e-mail, or call as well to join the many who condemn this barbarism.

I look at my own TWH, who's like a Labrador retriever, and I can't begin to imagine how people can do that to a horse. But I guess the bottom line is ALWAYS greed--so we have to eliminate that incentive. Nowhere to show, nowhere to train, nowhere to hide!

[nolly]

Couldn't watch the whole video, doesn't seem right.

[kookicat]

I honestly just want to go in there with a big stick and start smashing heads. Poor horses.

[ReSomething]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbZH3IbosI8 TWH grand champions in the early years.

[NOMIOMI1]

It gets worse here are the 2 year olds http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuqN9n4RF4Y

Why are people not putting pressure on them to get rid of this abusive class is beyond me!

Compare to light shod http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9b41iobm3ps

and light shod show

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rwW4bQvnJ0

[katarine]

Dressage with gaited horses.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQdU1HKNeqc

and a better horse than the one above (I own that first horse LOL)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9Bri...sH2o9e0ytawP0g


and some video from NWHA shows and WEG.
http://youtu.be/pCQLn-54Y1U

http://youtu.be/mfyFnu6bbe0

OMG he can canter

http://youtu.be/-kSmWhs0FuQ