# How can a horse's conformation ever be this bad?



## speedy da fish




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## My Beau

That horse is swaybacked... it wasn't born that way.
Here is a good article about it: Lordosis


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## Spastic_Dove

Poor guy.


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## kevinshorses

That's a horse that should have been put down years ago!!


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## Haley

:shock:

I'm kind of speechless. I feel so bad for him/her. :[


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## My Beau

kevinshorses said:


> That's a horse that should have been put down years ago!!


UMMMM WHY?? Just because he's swaybacked?
He's not the only horse that looks like this, soooo many horses in the world are swaybacked - and it's not a painful condition...


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## xLaurenOscarx

Woah! Poor horse!


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## AussieDaisyGirl

I just saw that pic on another forum. Poor horse.


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## Spastic_Dove

Looks like being swaybacked isn't is only issue either =/


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## Sunny06

That's got to hurt.


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## tempest

holy......crow.........oh, my gosh.......


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## wild_spot

I've seen plenty of horses with sway backs, not that extreme, but who still live in comfort. Sure it looks funky, but he loks OOOOLD, and aside from something funky with his hocks (sickle hocks?) he actually isn't that badly built. He looks like a faithful old horse who has done his time serving people and who hopefully is enjoying retirement.


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## dressagebelle

He actually may have been born like that. We have a horse at my ranch that has a sway back that looks almost exactly like that, and he's had it since he was born. It is a medical condition called lordosis as was mentioned earlier, but most of the time it is not actually painful, and can get better with exercises. It looks really bad, but its not that big of an issue. Here's an article about it: http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/health/anatomy/swaybacks_081205/*


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## dynamite.

Poor thing! I've never seen a swayback that bad before.


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## JustDressageIt

Actually, aside from the lordosis (I'd assume it's that, not just a simple aging process) and a slightly weak hq, and slightly sickle hocks, he's actually not terrible. 
As long as he's comfortable (many horses with severe lordosis are) I don't see any reason he can't be a pasture puff....


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## My Beau

JustDressageIt said:


> Actually, aside from the lordosis (I'd assume it's that, not just a simple aging process) and a slightly weak hq, and slightly sickle hocks, he's actually not terrible.
> As long as he's comfortable (many horses with severe lordosis are) I don't see any reason he can't be a pasture puff....


Exactly! No need for the "that horse should have been put down years ago!"

And I don't think the hocks look all that bad - I've seen worse.


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## Junebug

Photoshop, Duh!


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## Susan Crumrine

Maybe we should evaluate his conformation... is that a beer gut? You should have been put down years ago....


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## ThatNinjaHorse

Junebug said:


> Photoshop, Duh!


 its not photoshopped


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## BlackAmethyst

I've seen this happen when breeding young mares to early! My friend bought an arabian mare that was bred when she was 1 1/5 !! She is now swaybacked but not to this extream! They bred her young because the stallion that they wanted to cross with her was about to die. I still dont know why they risked her though! She is a very pretty mare with EXTREAMLY rare Sheykh Obeyd bloodlines!


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## BlackAmethyst

Junebug said:


> Photoshop, Duh!


NO,NO :roll:


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## CrazyChester

He is just swaybacked.  He is quite cute and looks happy enough.


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## Fire Eyes

_I have to admit I thought it was a silly edit when I first saw it. But the shed behind doesn't seem to be edited. 

Sad to see, I hope he's not in pain.
_


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## parcfarms

poor boy! =(


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## roro

kevinshorses said:


> That's a horse that should have been put down years ago!!


Who are you to decide whether a horse that you don't know should live or die? Lordosis (swayback) often does not cause pain to the horse. He is most likely able to walk around and eat with ease. This just looks like an old horse who has had a long life who is hopefully enjoying his retirement. He may look sleepy, but I see no obvious signs of pain by the way he is standing or holding his neck/the look on his face.


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## kated

Poor guy! Reminds me of an old timer we had at the barn across the street from mymoms when we were growing up


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## farmpony84

I think it is a little photoshopped. There is some "smudging" just above the horses back that looks like someone made the lordosis or sway look worse then it really is. I think the horse is old and positively swaybacked, but I think the photo has been adjusted a little as well.

I have a 30 year old horse that is very sway-backed. He wasn't always that way, the older he got, the worse he got. But he's a good old boy and he's worked hard his entire life. I don't think he needs to be put down just because he is breaking down, I believe he deserves to be honored, just like an old cowboy, and that's what I'm doing, honoring him until he cannot go on.


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## sixlets

At least his legs look straight...
I'm pretty sure it's not photoshopped though, from what I've always heard lordosis can get that bad.


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## sixlets

"According to University of Kentucky's Dr. Patrick Gallagher, horses likely to develop lordosis are born with a certain skeletal structure that predisposes them to the condition, even as foals in some cases. Dr. Gallagher also found that, while dogs and humans are severely disabled by lordosis, horses are not affected in the same way."
Here's the site I found that on:
Traveller's Rest Equine Elders Sanctuary: Swayback - Not Just Seniors and Broodmares


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## ThatNinjaHorse

i dont see any smudging on the shed, but in the shadow the back looks alot better, of course it could just be the angle of the shadow..


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## Pinto Pony

Def not a photoshop, there are horses near my parents house that have very similar backs, looks bad but the horses are comfortable and retired in the paddock. Good info on the links posted. It is sort of like how older humans get get "hump" backs or bent spines in old age but horses go the other way due to gravity.


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## smrobs

It is possible that it was photoshopped but I have seen a couple of horses that were that bad. One was a late 20-something broodmare that had popped out a foal every year since she was 2 and the other was a 30-something retired gelding that had been ridden very hard his whole life. Lordosis is a grotesque looking disease but generally horse's don't have pain with it until it gets to the point that it compromises their ability to move comfortably. It would not be okay to try to ride that horse but I bet he would make a great companion animal. Other than that, his confo is not terrible. Not great either, but not terrible.


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## mom2pride

The expression and stance of that old fellow does not suggest that he is in terrible condition, despite his swayed back...it looks horrific, but horses swayed backs don't cause the same pain as it would in other animals or humans. My mom's old Arabian gelding has a sway back, and he is still very active and comfortable.


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## Susan Crumrine

Kevinshorses:

I think your conformation is bad and you should be put down.
You have a beer gut.
Sway back is not painful and the horse is probably an old soldier who has worked faithfully his whole life.

Will you put your wife down when she is not so pretty? What if she gets osteoporosis and develops a "grandma hump" . You are mean


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## ThatNinjaHorse

^^ i LOL'd at the last comment


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## Sara

I can share a pretty extreme example that I can promise is not photoshopped (since I took the pictures myself). This mare is in her 30's: she's actually pretty famous over in Friesland: model preferant (best of the best, for a mare), she was a driving champion and mare show champion. Her owners imported her to the U.S. and love her to death. I think they maybe did 1 or 2 embryo transfers with her, but now she just lives the good life. I do not know what caused her back to drop, but she's had a long life, worked hard, and had a lot of babies.


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## Rissa

Sara said:


> I can share a pretty extreme example that I can promise is not photoshopped (since I took the pictures myself). This mare is in her 30's: she's actually pretty famous over in Friesland: model preferant (best of the best, for a mare), she was a driving champion and mare show champion. Her owners imported her to the U.S. and love her to death. I think they maybe did 1 or 2 embryo transfers with her, but now she just lives the good life. I do not know what caused her back to drop, but she's had a long life, worked hard, and had a lot of babies.




Look at that gray! I am such a sucker for the gray. When I see a Friesian with gray all over their face I just wanna SMOOOSH them! There is one at the Kentucky Horse Park that is going gray all over his face. People have to drag me away from him!


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## JustDressageIt

Rissa said:


> Look at that gray! I am such a sucker for the gray. When I see a Friesian with gray all over their face I just wanna SMOOOSH them! There is one at the Kentucky Horse Park that is going gray all over his face. People have to drag me away from him!


I had to :lol: at this


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## reining girl

awww he is just old, sway back isnt something that a horse should be automatically put down for. I think he is cute and hopefully just living the good life now.


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## Sara

Rissa said:


> Look at that gray! I am such a sucker for the gray. When I see a Friesian with gray all over their face I just wanna SMOOOSH them! There is one at the Kentucky Horse Park that is going gray all over his face. People have to drag me away from him!


Ha, she is definitely a distinguished old lady  It was so cute: her owners paid the runners to show her in hand after the keuring so they could get some good memory photos of her. I think at first the Dutch judge did not recognize her, but when they told him her name and breeding he was like "I know this mare!" Got all excited, started taking pictures of her with his cell phone and just had to pose with her for a photo. I think she enjoyed the attention


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## roro

Susan Crumrine said:


> Kevinshorses:
> 
> I think your conformation is bad and you should be put down.
> You have a beer gut.
> Sway back is not painful and the horse is probably an old soldier who has worked faithfully his whole life.
> 
> Will you put your wife down when she is not so pretty? What if she gets osteoporosis and develops a "grandma hump" . You are mean


All I can say is: *comment win **thumbs up*


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## Susan Crumrine

I have my moments...


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## Mingiz

Susan Crumrine said:


> Kevinshorses:
> 
> I think your conformation is bad and you should be put down.
> You have a beer gut.
> Sway back is not painful and the horse is probably an old soldier who has worked faithfully his whole life.
> 
> Will you put your wife down when she is not so pretty? What if she gets osteoporosis and develops a "grandma hump" . You are mean


 
Too Funny :lol:


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## speedy da fish

My Beau said:


> UMMMM WHY?? Just because he's swaybacked?
> He's not the only horse that looks like this, soooo many horses in the world are swaybacked - and it's not a painful condition...


yeah i agree, he'she doesnt need to be put down, its not in any pain just needs some tlc


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## FGRanch

Susan Crumrine said:


> Kevinshorses:
> 
> I think your conformation is bad and you should be put down.
> You have a beer gut.
> Sway back is not painful and the horse is probably an old soldier who has worked faithfully his whole life.
> 
> Will you put your wife down when she is not so pretty? What if she gets osteoporosis and develops a "grandma hump" . You are mean


You need to take it easy, you are talking about a person. He is talking about an animal. 

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, chill.


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## roro

FehrGroundRanch said:


> You need to take it easy, you are talking about a person. He is talking about an animal.
> 
> Everyone is entitled to their own opinions, chill.


What do you think people are? Concentrations of light and fairy dust? Humans are a species of animal as well. People are upset by his comment because he seems to believe that because he is swayback, he must be killed. Nobody's trying to start a fight, but I find it a little unsettling that someone would want a horse to be killed because he didn't look "correct".


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## dee

Our neighbor's have an elderly gentleman with a sway back that is nearly as bad. He's such a kindly old fellow. When their grandkids come down (they are not even school age yet) they get to have a short ride - the old guy sure seems to enjoy all of the attention. He doesn't act sore at all when it's all over - but he's not working hard - only the little bittys get to ride, and he just plunks around behind whoever. 

I've even seen him in the barn with one of the barn kitties nestled in the sway back, both of them asleep and quite content.


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## reining girl

awwww that is sooo cute, you should get pics of it, of the kitten that is lol.


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## FGRanch

Compare us to them all you want, but they are still a ton of differences. 

Horses are not people and are therfore treated differently. Would I put that guy down? No way, not if he were comfortable. 

But maybe when Kevin said that, he assumed he was in alot of pain, which it kinda does look painful. 

Until we see the horse, none of us actually know if he is in pain or not.


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## FGRanch

None of you know why Kevin said it, until you do why not drop it. It truly could have been because he assumed the horse was in pain.


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## farmpony84

The thing that people forget is that people who are doing horses as a business, such as FGR and probably Kevin, learn that there are certain things that HAVE to be done. Kevins comment was probably not meant to be as ugly as it seemed. (I hope). But the circle of life plays a little more heavily in a business run ranch then in a hobby ranch. 

I have a TWH that is 30 years old. He's sway back, has ring bone, and arthritis. He has some days that are so bad that I could swear if the SPCA happened by, they'd take him from me. But then he has days that are really, really good. I mean, sometimes he even runs a little and tosses his head. I figure, until the bad days outnumber the good. I'll let him live one. Twice I've thought about putting him down, but he tells me he's not done. So I let him live. 

In a business world horses like him will either need to be put down, sold, or given away. People don't always have the luxurie of keeping them. I probably shouldn't have put FGR and Kevins names in here because I don't want people to think I'm speaking for them because I'm not. I'm just saying that not everyone sees things with their hearts. Sometimes they have to use their heads. 

The horse in the picture looks healthy and happy to me...


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## Jessabel

I certainly hope nobody rides him. That can put a lot of stress on his organs when it gets that bad. I hope he's not in pain. :-(


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## easyluckyfree

There's a horse where I volenteer to take care of the animals, that looks similar to this. He was abused years ago, and taken in from the owner. Of course he's not all skinny and all, but he is very old and raggy looking even though he's being cared for.. Such a sweet boy.


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## speedy da fish

yeah, even when horses are ill they have their good and bad days. tbh i think the ood always outways the bad, if they are looked after then they are happy


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## Junebug

People I have a mac and macs can edit things like that, its not that hard, photoshop is so easy to fake things.


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## Sunny06

I think they *may* have photshopped out the tail (for whatever reason) but's that's about it if they did. That's a sad looking horse, but he's probably ok


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## Sunny06

Junebug said:


> People I have a mac and macs can edit things like that, its not that hard, photoshop is so easy to fake things.


Isn't Mac just a brand of computer?


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## Thatgirlsacowboy

Susan Crumrine said:


> Kevinshorses:
> 
> I think your conformation is bad and you should be put down.
> You have a beer gut.
> Sway back is not painful and the horse is probably an old soldier who has worked faithfully his whole life.
> 
> Will you put your wife down when she is not so pretty? What if she gets osteoporosis and develops a "grandma hump" . You are mean


 
Was that SERIOUSLY neccesary? Honestly? Instead of pointing out him being "mean" why don't you take a good look at what you just said. Apparently hypocrisy on this site knows no bounds.


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## equiniphile

poor thing


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## SaddlebredGrl

The barn i used to be at had two horses with sway backs, and they showed them. One was so bad that it looked like his butt was going to touch his withers. I always felt bad for them, but they never seemed to be in pain. Oh, and as for the horses tail if you look closely the tail is wrapped up.


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## themacpack

farmpony84 said:


> The thing that people forget is that people who are doing horses as a business, such as FGR and probably Kevin, learn that there are certain things that HAVE to be done. Kevins comment was probably not meant to be as ugly as it seemed. (I hope). But the circle of life plays a little more heavily in a business run ranch then in a hobby ranch.
> 
> I have a TWH that is 30 years old. He's sway back, has ring bone, and arthritis. He has some days that are so bad that I could swear if the SPCA happened by, they'd take him from me. But then he has days that are really, really good. I mean, sometimes he even runs a little and tosses his head. I figure, until the bad days outnumber the good. I'll let him live one. Twice I've thought about putting him down, but he tells me he's not done. So I let him live.
> 
> In a business world horses like him will either need to be put down, sold, or given away. People don't always have the luxurie of keeping them. I probably shouldn't have put FGR and Kevins names in here because I don't want people to think I'm speaking for them because I'm not. I'm just saying that not everyone sees things with their hearts. Sometimes they have to use their heads.
> 
> The horse in the picture looks healthy and happy to me...


Here, here!



Junebug said:


> People I have a mac and macs can edit things like that, its not that hard, photoshop is so easy to fake things.


LOL, any computer can do that - it's the program, not the system. Even if this image is edited, though, the fact is that horses can, and do, reach this very point.


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## Junebug

Yes, iMac Apple, the software for it


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## Rissa

lol, MACs are a PITA. I have Photoshop CS4 and can do anything and I don't have a Mac.

However that photo isn't photoshopped. 

Isn't there a meme about this...


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## samc230

Kevin also does not condone his children wearing helmets at rodeos, because his children are "too cool" for safety.

http://www.horseforum.com/western-riding/western-show-helmets-opinion-35822/

Maybe he is just a little "off" ... who knows?


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## Thatgirlsacowboy

^

Or maybe he was expressing his rights of freedom of speech? Or maybe he even thought that since the horse was sway-backed, he must feel some sort of pain and being a compassionate creature, thought his pain should be ended a long time ago. OR maybe, JUST maybe, he's a heartless *** hole who likes to put innocent wittle ponies to sleep just because their outer appearances don't fit his biggoted oppinion of how a horse should look.

So I have this great idea! Lets all go on and on and on about what a jerk Kevin is! And about what a horrible father he is for not making his kids wear helmets at rodeos! And to top it ALL off, lets post links to ALL the posts and threads that Kevin has made that we dissagree with even if it's completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand!!! 
Who's with me, team?!

Pssst, last thursday I watched Kevin beat a puppy for looking at him wrong... What a heartless fellow. :roll:


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## ThatNinjaHorse

Thatgirlsacowboy said:


> ^
> 
> Or maybe he was expressing his rights of freedom of speech? Or maybe he even thought that since the horse was sway-backed, he must feel some sort of pain and being a compassionate creature, thought his pain should be ended a long time ago. OR maybe, JUST maybe, he's a heartless *** hole who likes to put innocent wittle ponies to sleep just because their outer appearances don't fit his biggoted oppinion of how a horse should look.
> 
> So I have this great idea! Lets all go on and on and on about what a jerk Kevin is! And about what a horrible father he is for not making his kids wear helmets at rodeos! And to top it ALL off, lets post links to ALL the posts and threads that Kevin has made that we dissagree with even if it's completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand!!!
> Who's with me, team?!
> 
> Pssst, last thursday I watched Kevin beat a puppy for looking at him wrong... What a heartless fellow. :roll:


Agreed.
Theres no need to jump the gun, we havn't even heard Kevins side of the story.


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## farmpony84

I think it's time to post the usually Conscientious Etiquette Policy reminder:

_The Horse Forum was created so that people can discuss horses in a friendly, fun, helpful environment. While the Horse Forum is open to the public, we reserve the right to restrict access to those who undermine our efforts to preserve the character of the community.

Please exercise what we call conscientious etiquette when you post. This means that you keep the objective of preserving the forum's friendly, fun, helpful environment in the forefront of your mind as you write your message.

If your post is nasty, condescending, rude, etc., regardless of how subtle, and whether shrouded in the form of opinion or otherwise, it is subject to be removed and your access to the Horse Forum may be restricted.

This applies to the Critique forum as well. People come here because they are passionate about their horses. Naturally, a biting critique about an animal a person is passionate about can be very hurtful. While a request for critique implicitly invites criticism, the sensitive nature of such topics is all the more reason to post conscientiously, keeping the other person's feelings in mind.

Our interest in preserving the nature of the community trumps our interest in allowing everyone to share their opinion here. If you can't share your opinion in such a way so as to preserve the friendly, fun, helpful nature of the community, don't.

Please exercise conscientious etiquette when you post. Please use the alert button to notify the Horse Forum Staff when you read something by somebody who clearly hasn't.

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## FGRanch

Thatgirlsacowboy said:


> ^
> 
> Or maybe he was expressing his rights of freedom of speech? Or maybe he even thought that since the horse was sway-backed, he must feel some sort of pain and being a compassionate creature, thought his pain should be ended a long time ago. OR maybe, JUST maybe, he's a heartless *** hole who likes to put innocent wittle ponies to sleep just because their outer appearances don't fit his biggoted oppinion of how a horse should look.
> 
> So I have this great idea! Lets all go on and on and on about what a jerk Kevin is! And about what a horrible father he is for not making his kids wear helmets at rodeos! And to top it ALL off, lets post links to ALL the posts and threads that Kevin has made that we dissagree with even if it's completely irrelevant to the discussion at hand!!!
> Who's with me, team?!
> 
> Pssst, last thursday I watched Kevin beat a puppy for looking at him wrong... What a heartless fellow. :roll:


Man you are awesome!  Thanks so much for the awesome laugh!


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## FGRanch

farmpony84 said:


> In a business world horses like him will either need to be put down, sold, or given away. People don't always have the luxurie of keeping them. I probably shouldn't have put FGR and Kevins names in here because I don't want people to think I'm speaking for them because I'm not. I'm just saying that not everyone sees things with their hearts. Sometimes they have to use their heads.
> 
> The horse in the picture looks healthy and happy to me...


Well I no longer run a horse buisness (we sold the stallions and broodmars and not just have riding horses) but I agree that some people think with their heads not their hearts. 

I wouldn't put him down, unless of course we was suffering. We kept out old guy until he did of old age. But I think that Kevin has a right to say what he wants about it, he isn't offeneding anyone personally. It's not the horse can come on here and read what we are saying about him. 

Farmpony I just had to say you are a very well rounded person, you have your own opinions but are not afraid to hear someone else opinion! The world needs more people with your way of thinking.


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## kevinshorses

Just for the record that puppy deserved it!!! I will comment no more about helmets. If you don't like what I say scroll past it and read something that you agree with. The horse doesn't look overly healthy to me and not being able to see it move it's hard to tell if it is in pain or not. As a matter of fact if his back is in pain he might not show it much. I wouldn't keep a horse like that alive because I could be feeding a sound horse that someone could use. If that's cold hearted then I guess that's what I am.


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## farmpony84

Now that Kevin has had the oppurtunity to respond to comments I feel it's time to close this thread.


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