# Share your opinion- horse pulls



## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

We're buying a pull team tomorrow, since my step dad pulls but sold his team a year ago. Two bays, weighing 1850 and 1900. Right now he's a hooker :lol: for a few other teamsters.

I for one, love pulls. I've been attending my whole life. I admit ten or so years ago they were BAD. The pullers association has come a long way weeding out the abusive idiots stuck in ancient times. I enjoy watching those beasts do what they were made for. 

But, for the first time ever today I encountered protesters. There were only three, but I was completely baffled at how unaducated these people were. There are bad apples in every discipline. 

So just to start a conversation, I'd love to hear everyone's opinions on horse pulling- positive or negative!


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## Paintedponies1992 (Nov 17, 2013)

I think it's like any horse sport, as long as they're conditioned to do the job I see no problem in it. I was watching it at our local fair for a bit a few weeks back and didn't fully agree with having them pull on such a hot day that late in the day, but I only saw one team that was soaked in sweat. They also didn't look to be pushing them too hard that day. The one thing I don't agree on is how they have their teams rearing up and acting silly while they're trying to hook them up. Now I'll admit I don't know much about pulling, my grandfather loves it and goes to each pull when it comes to the area (he also knows quite a few people who participate in the pulls). I think it's just me, having trail riding horses, that likes a calm and quiet horse .


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I have absolutely no problem with pulling. Around here it is quite popular. My fillies are bred from a breed known for pulling in Germany.

The mini and pony teams are especially interesting to watch!


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

greentree said:


> I have absolutely no problem with pulling. Around here it is quite popular. My fillies are bred from a breed known for pulling in Germany.
> 
> The mini and pony teams are especially interesting to watch!


I really want to take a trip to the states to watch the pony pulling! It's banned here. 
My dad used to pull ponies and it was extremely popular. Pound for pound they can pull more than a draft team. He used to have almost sixty pull ponies!


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

I enjoy watching the pulls ( oxen too ) and don't have a problem with it. Unfortunately there is always someone in any sport that will resort to any means they can get away with to win. The uneducated will protest everything and most of them have no idea of what they are talking about. I went to a rodeo once and was sitting near a guy telling his lady friend how inhuman rodeos are. When he said the bucking strap on the bronc was tied around HIS genitals, I had to inform him that the bronc was a mare and the strap was no where near her genitals. I was able to watch the rest in peace.


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## ChitChatChet (Sep 9, 2013)

I love watching the pulls up at the SandPoint Draft Horse Show.

I help a friend with her pony rings. Run into people all the time who have no clue what they are talking about. So I have taken to educating them about ponies and how good working them is and how they have most of the year off from work while we humans spend most of our time working. Most people are fairly receptive to the information.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

As said, it is like all competition sports, with horses in it being pushed to the max.
Having horses pull huge weights, starting from a standstill, can be harmful, same as any sport where winning becomes everything
I don't know enough about it, far as the wear on those horses, to comment.
Gotta have some tremendous muscle strain


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

I'm thinking as long as the horses are conditioned, with appropriate exercise and nutrition, there's no reason why they can't pull. 

I recently had someone ask me if all the horses being used for events in the Olympics were abused. Yes, those big meanies fly horses all over the world, spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on their care, training, and thousands of hours riding and training because they just love abusing animals...


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, it is nice to believe that all who compete in horse sports, love horses. Unfortunately that is not true.
How many here recall the scandle, when show jumpers, no longer competitive, were killed, by a hit man, so the owner could collect on the insurance?
Those horses had to be killed, in a manner that would appear that the horse just died of natural causes.
Thus, horses were electrocuted , in the mouth, had colic induced, and a sting operation caught the hittman in action. He was caught, breaking a horse; leg with a bat one night.
That hit-man was hired, by supposed horse lovers, who were even well enough off, to not really need to collect on those insurance policies

Read more:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse_murders

Not pointing fingers at any discipline, just the reality check, to blindly state all those in horse competitions, love their horses and put them first. That simply is not true


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I love horse pulls. Our local fairs have not had them for quite a few years but we do watch on RFD TV when they air them.


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## Textan49 (Feb 13, 2015)

Smilie said:


> Not pointing fingers at any discipline, just the reality check, to blindly state all those in horse competitions, love their horses and put them first. That simply is not true



Point well made. I have seen things in many kinds of classes that I didn't particularly like and the draft pulling is no different. In any equine competition there are those who put the horse first and those who put the ribbon (or cash prize) first


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

Very good points smilie! 
Our local pulls have very low cash prizes, sometimes so low as to not even cover the fuel it took to truck the horses down. I've never seen any of the pulls with the big cash prizes or ribbons. 

My favourite horse, even more of a favorite than my own, is a pull horse. She weighed 2020 pounds at the last pull, and she is the absolute most sweet, gentle animal I've ever seen. I spend a lot of time with her after the pulls, pulling her harness, watering and feeding her. She has not a mark on her. She's a Snow White Percheron Clyde cross, and I can drive her and her partner out of the ring and back to the trailer with no fuss, whereas some horses will run away. I even rode her out one day. Pete uses her for his granddaughter to ride and do sleigh rides in the winter (off season) so she stays in shape year round. If I had a million dollars she'd be mine!


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

My response was mainly to dispel the idea that just because someone competes at Olympic levels (mulefeather;s post ) then those horses must be owned by horse people that love them. While this is hopefully true for the most part, those Infamous horse murders, occurred among show jumpers, worth 100,000 dollars and up, by some of those owners having Olympic connections even. They just needed to collect on the insurance, often to buy another horse, that could take them down the glory path.


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## Rain Shadow (May 1, 2014)

We right now have that Olympic dressage rider who claimed her horse was bit by a bug and that's why they pulled out when now it looks like the horse has a broken jaw. So yeah Olympic level means nothing. 

I'm not to familiar with pull horses, but I honestly don't think they could make those big guys move if they didn't want to.


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## myperuvianpaso (Feb 2, 2014)

I think that if the horse is built for and conditioned for this particular discipline, there should be no problem. As with any discipline, the horses needs should be accounted for... never being forced to overexert themselves is key, but if the supervisor knows anything about horses, that's just common sense. I don't particularly like the horses pulling on pavement because I feel it's bad for their hooves and legs, but again, if proper measures are taken, I really don't see too much of an issue.


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## WhattaTroublemaker (Aug 13, 2013)

myperuvianpaso said:


> I think that if the horse is built for and conditioned for this particular discipline, there should be no problem. As with any discipline, the horses needs should be accounted for... never being forced to overexert themselves is key, but if the supervisor knows anything about horses, that's just common sense. I don't particularly like the horses pulling on pavement because I feel it's bad for their hooves and legs, but again, if proper measures are taken, I really don't see too much of an issue.


I've never saw them pull on pavement, in our area it's deep sand and they hand shoes with special toe corks on them so they have better traction. After every haul its raked even for the next team so they all have a fair chance.


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## Mulefeather (Feb 22, 2014)

Smilie said:


> Well, it is nice to believe that all who compete in horse sports, love horses. Unfortunately that is not true.
> How many here recall the scandle, when show jumpers, no longer competitive, were killed, by a hit man, so the owner could collect on the insurance?
> Those horses had to be killed, in a manner that would appear that the horse just died of natural causes.
> Thus, horses were electrocuted , in the mouth, had colic induced, and a sting operation caught the hittman in action. He was caught, breaking a horse; leg with a bat one night.
> ...



And where in my post did I explicitly state that these people are all horse lovers, or that mistreatment or underhanded deeds don’t occur? That is literally any sport I can think of, not just horse sports. My point is that the general public can seem to view any activity where a horse has a job as bad/abusive if we do not dispel those myths – and that is dangerous for horse sports in general. 

I am quite aware of reality, thank you. Perhaps instead of a “reality check”, a perception check is in order.


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