Harrowing article about show condition and hot stables :(

That's awful. I hate seeing fat animals and I think "show condition" should mean lean and fit and that is what we should see rewarded at shows. Not verging on obese. It does make me cross. Still, I really feel for the owners - noone deserves to loose an animal they love in such a horrible way, no matter how mis-guided they are.

RIP Perl.
 
I read about this a while ago in Gallop... a horrible way to die, it's a pity horse's can't talk :frown:
This condition needs to be made known about, to avoid other cases..
 
I just can't believe the article says she is not 'particularly overweight' merely carrying 'show weight'.
 
Rips said:
I just can't believe the article says she is not 'particularly overweight' merely carrying 'show weight'.
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Which is entirely the problem isn't it? "Really quite overweight" has been normalised to "show condition". So much so that an article about how dangerous it is to be overweight doesn't even call a spade a spade. :(
 
I feel for the owners, too :( losing a pet in such a way must be devastating :( the 'show condition' malarky needs a culture change methinks! as long as obese horses (and i don't mean the fit and well covered) are placed at these levels, the message to owners wanting to show is a dangerous and wrong one.

As for Perle, I have seen a lot worse at big shows, unfortunately :(

RIP beautiful girl :(
 
So sad.

Mybe this is why so many Shetland ponies down south are always labelled as bad tempered. Their whole body has evolved to keep heat in, and to minimise heat loss. The hottest we ever get here, in summer is 70 degrees or so and that's so rare. (sheepdogs drop like flies when that happens here , they are not used to it)

So all those poor, overwight Shetlands, having to put up with Hot UK Mainland summers, shut up in stables.......food for thought.
 
You know I love hairy horses but I do sometimes wonder in very hot spells, whether the long manes and feathered legs stop heat dissipation. I know that manes grow long "in the wild" but in the wild, horses and ponies are able to find somewhere shaded and cool and this isn't always possible with the domesticated horse and the grazing we choose for them. I know how hot and sweaty Jack's neck gets under his mane so he'll often sport a line of Heidi-plaits on hotter days....
 
domane said:
You know I love hairy horses but I do sometimes wonder in very hot spells, whether the long manes and feathered legs stop heat dissipation. I know that manes grow long "in the wild" but in the wild, horses and ponies are able to find somewhere shaded and cool and this isn't always possible with the domesticated horse and the grazing we choose for them. I know how hot and sweaty Jack's neck gets under his mane so he'll often sport a line of Heidi-plaits on hotter days....
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Definatley agree with big fat brass knobs on.

We were asked to sell some of our lot to some Middle Eastern Country. It would have been mega bucks for us. Some rich Oil tycoon. We refused to sell our Island bred ponies to a country they were not designed to live in.

We have a frienid in Oz - She has to use mane and tail wigs to show her Shetlands as nature is making their mane and tail fall out. I think more a phenotypic adaptation that true evolution, but it's true.
 
Very very sad indeed :frown:

This is why i hate seeing horses over rugged, it just cant be good for them.

One of the horses at our yard is a native well covered type, but he is made to wear around 3 rugs at night. I have felt the poor bugger under the rugs and he is SO hot.
Makes me think recently he's been acting very odd maybe its somthing to do with been over rugged constantly....hmmmm...:frown:
 
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