to see the sights. They have a horse pulled cart tour there. They came to the river boat area at the park around 11am. It was about 85degrees out and humid. The horse stopped and refused to go again. The cart driver had a small black stick thing that she repeatedly tapped the horse with and then hit it with the thing until it started to move. It was a big horse, not as big as a Clydesdale, but a big brown draft horse with white feet. The wagon had 8 people in it.
I saw the whole scene from atop the riverboat. Was that mean (animal abuse)? or Could a huge draft horse safely pull a cart with 8 people in that weather over those cobblestones and back up the hill from the river? Was the horse just being stubborn or did it need to rest?
Answers:
The horse was a Belgian. My father raises Belgians, big pulling horses you see at the fairs. Horses are no different than people. People have to work in this type of weather and so do the horses. My father's horses are exercised for two hours every night warm weather or cold (except if it gets up around 100 degrees then we don't). As long as the horses are allowed to drink water during the day they are fine. Pulling a wheeled wagon along at a walk or a trot is not that strenuous for a horse that does it every day.The horse gets to rest every time the passengers get on and off. The horse was probably just being lazy and needed a little remind that break time was over.
Owners of carriage horses do make their money from their horses so it is in the owners best interest to treat their horses well as it is very expensive to replace a well trained horse.
Just think of what the top athlete's do in training themselves and compare it to how the animal is being trained and worked. It gives you a little perspective on what really is abuse and what the animals do out of enjoyment because that is what they are bred for.
hannilbal mo. doesn't have a lot of horses.
If I had a horse it would be grazing on grass in a field. I would feed it apples, and never ride it.
Horse races see horses falling and breaking legs and having to be "done away with" often. Little girls love riding horses and pretending they are princesses. People have to whip horses to move on hot summer days because they have eight paying guests.
Humans mistreat animals to get what they want. Is it fair? Not in my book. Is it legal? Usually :(
8 people i dont know? Hitting a horse with the "stick" was not abuse It does not harm the horse unless it is used accessively. It is just used to get a horse to stop misbehaving or to walk. But if its in 85 degree weather and aprox. 800 lbs I wouldnt work one horse that much
i have a hard time with that...seems abusive to me...that "stick" was probably a jolt prod...makes me want to hang, draw and quarter such a person.
horses need to be tended and cared for if they work for us...plenty of water for them to drink especially when it is hot...and with humidity they need breaks in the cool of the shade as much as any person.
A horse can easily pull a wheeled vehicle that is six times his own weight, however most carriage or draft horses are used at only 25% of that capacity. A carriage or draft horse averages in weight from 1200lbs to 2300lbs, therefore they are able to pull anywhere from 7200lbs to 13,800lbs. Doesn't seem excessive for it to pull a cart with eight people. Tapping it on the butt isn't abuse and people that tend to own animals like that to make their living usually look after them quite well because that's how they earn a living.
The stick is called a whip. It usually doesnt hurt the horse unless used with a great amount of force and fast. A horses skin is very thick so they cant really feel it. I think it is very wrong to use 1 horse for that many people. With our huge obesity scale Im sure some people were larger and could pass as 2 people. So I bet the horse was carrying more then 8 peoples weight. I think it would have been better if they used 2+ horses. Not 1. It is VERY hard on their backs and knees.
Don't worry... a tap from a whip is not harmful to a horse. It's far from being abusive, some horses need just need it as a reminder once in a while. When used properly a whip doesn't hurt a horse very much, it may sting a little for a second but that's it.
However, if the person was hitting the horse, HARD, several times, that would border on being excessive. Horses are strong animals so I wouldn't worry much about a good sized draft horse pulling a cart with that many people, they can probably handle that fine, but they do need to rest occasionally, especially in hot weather.
It's hard to base a statement of whether or not the horse was being abused off of the information you've provided... It could have just been a matter of the horse being stubborn and since you're not very familiar with horses you'd have a harder time distinguishing this. There have been cases of carriage horses being mistreated by not being provided with enough rest and water, but most people who run business like this take pretty good care of their animals since their income relies on the horse remaining healthy.
a stick? or a driving whip? I know I bought a wagon it was pretty big. it could seat 6 and had a canopy and the breaks were locked on 2 of the wheels. I could still pull it myself and that is saying alot. So I am sure a draft would have no trouble wheels are round and make it easier to move things once it is rolling it just gets easier. I doubt he was being abused, or stubborn either. Most places that give carriage rides like that are inspected regularly so no worries.
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Eight passengers is far too much for one horse to pull. Even in NYC where there is a big movement to get rid of the horse-drawn carriages, a maximum of four adults is allowed. It is inhumane to increase that load.
ReplyDeleteHorses do not do well in hot, humid weather. A horse cools himself by sweating. The cooling mechanism of a horse is most effective when the total of the ambient temperature and humidity is 130 or under.
About the whip? How would any of you like to be whipped to do your job?
To the person who brought this up? Your instincts were right. What you witnessed was inhumane and exploitative. No question.