# its this abuse? HELP!!!



## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Stupidity isn't necessarily the same as abuse. As long as the horse has shelter, food and water and isn't being beaten, no one is going to say anything to them for being dumb enough to ride a horse so young.


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## BluMagic (Sep 23, 2007)

Out of curiousity, aren't you supposed to start Drafts later in their life because they are bigger? Or am I just rambling? lol


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

half the time they dont have shelter. they have the woods but its really nothing.


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

Trees are considered shelter in Tx (but I don't know about all states) As for the feet. It "could" be considered cruelty, but if that is "all" then the authorities won't do anything about it.

The draft isn't refusing because it "knows" it is too young. It is refusing because it doesn't know what is wanted from it. Being so young, they have "younger minds" and don't always understand what you (or the so called trainer) is asking it to do.

As stated before, ignorance is not necessairly cruelty, but I do feel bad for those poor horses. What will happen is that they will ruin the horse and then go on to the next one.

BTW most drafts (or at least the many that I have trained) are usually too lazy to buck. They will refuse way before they would buck. IMO if you're too afraid to fall off a horse, you have no business "training" it. (I am not afraid because I do it right by waiting until they are old enough, and lots and lots of ground work. THAT'S the way you don't get bucked off.)

I am afraid that they probably won't listen to you, and there won't be anything you can do about it. Very frustrating, I know.


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## Arrow (Jul 21, 2008)

Agree with the others--it's unwise, but not abusive. I'm afraid that you'll have to ignore it or change your schedule so that you don't run into them--people don't respond well when you try to give unasked for advice even when it's good advice. Since I've started reading horse forums, I've seen this exact thing--trailriding 1 and 1/2 year old drafts--come up again and again. Big must equal up to the task. Sigh....


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

*puts head in hands* i dont want to lose her because she helps me whith my horses when im gone. aaaarrrrgggg. im so upset.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

Not sure if they are the right kind of people to be helping out with anyone's horses!


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## Arrow (Jul 21, 2008)

Amen!


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## Cat (Jul 26, 2008)

It sounds like ignorance. And just because its going good at 2 doesn't mean it won't get something up its butt at age 3. The young ones I have worked with tend to get an independent streak around 3 -4 years of age as they start maturing and test the waters a bit.

Have you tried educating them to the problems that could arrise? Dr. Deb Bennet has a wonderful article on horse maturity that you might want to share with them. If you want I can find you the linke.

The larger the horse, the longer it takes to mature and the poor horse is going to pay later in life. But everyone else is right - as long as its being fed, has shelter (and most places do count trees as shelter), etc, then nothing will be done about it.


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

i mean that my horse got hurt and she gave me stuff to put on it. she also feeds him when im gone. i may not ask her any more. i need some points to give her.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I'm not sure how old you are, but if you are younger than her, she just might not listen even though you'd have good advice to give.

I got my draft at 2. We had some issues the first few months then things were great. Then when he hit 4... good grief! It was like the terrible two's for kids. He pulled a lot of the 'you're-not-the-boss-of-me' things.

There are a lot of horses that are too young physically AND mentally to be started. People just want to be riding. I tell those people they need to be buying broke horses and not rush things for the youngin's. :evil:


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have 3 percherons myself. It is okay to start them younger than 2 if you don't push them too hard. When you ride, only go short distances at a moderate pace (no racing or running hard). Most horses are able to be trained young so long as there is an experienced horseman doing the training. A good trainer will know when it is time to stop and when the horse has had enough. More often it is not the horse's back that you need to worry about, it is the growth plates in the horses legs. They can become deformed in a young horse that spends too much time in a roundpen at a hard trot. If you are going to start them that young, ride them for a few days in the pen and then take them on the trail. Also, at a year and a half, most draft horses are about the size of a small quarter horse. If the animal weighs 1000 lbs, its human companion is not much more than an afterthought.


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## Solon (May 11, 2008)

I completely and utterly one hundred percent disagree.

Just because a horse is 16 hands at 2 years old does not mean they are ready. That's the same line I got from people at my barn. "Hey why aren't you riding, your horse is huge!" So I contacted my vet and ask him about it and he said not to push it if I wanted a horse that is going to last.


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

she is younger than i am, she is 14 and im 15. she uses crops and spurs on her horses. i understand on the qh but on a 2 year old!!


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

ok my friend txted me and said that she was riding the qh and the horse fell and skidded on her knees and jammed her nose in the ground. the girl fell off because she was cantering! then she said she wants to jump my horse!!!!!


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## Gingerrrrr (Feb 12, 2008)

uhm....


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## FutureVetGirl (Aug 5, 2008)

I'd say that if you want someone to care for your horses when you're gone, get a better person to do it. I wouldn't want someone like that around my horses.

As long as she's not beating or harming her horses, I'd say let her suffer the consequences of an angry horse. I'd try taking her to see how horses should be trained and worked with (at a professional stable or something), just to teach her.

This is a hard situation. Good luck with it.


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## Erin_And_Jasper (Jul 5, 2008)

i am going to. my neighbor said he would take care of my horses for me


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## TxHorseMom (Mar 4, 2007)

I wouldn't let her within 10 feet of my horse!!!


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