What constitutes a horse being abused?

Question

I ask this because it seems that almost everyone that writes on another horse forum that I belong to has an abused horse with 'problems'.

It seems that if the horse doesn't like its ears touched, they were 'eared' and don't you know with pliers too!!

It seems that if the horse was head shy, it was twitched or beaten severly about the head .

It seems that if the horse turns its butt to you, its being defensive because it was beaten and whipped.

It seems that if the horse runs from you and is hard to catch, its because it was treated severely.

I'm just curious for those that have 'abused' horses, how did you come to terms that it was abuse and what makes you think so?

How do you know its abuse vs vices from improper training or getting away with things from ppl who didn't know better?

Thanks!!

Dang you guys are giving some awesome answers!!!

Answer 1

I realize that some horses have had a hard time, but almost everyone of my clients says they "rescued" their horse. And even worse, they use that excuse to justify why the horse acts like a jerk.
If the horse has any behavioral problem, it seems easier to say that it must have been abused or mistreated rather than saying that the horse needs training or the owner needs to learn more.
Unless I see physical scars or I have witnessed it, I assume it is a training/horsemanship issue. Too many people use it as an excuse.

Answer 2

I haven't seen the video and I'm not about to either. Everyone has lapses of judgement and no-one is right 100 percent of the time. Yes I've done stupid things and so have my kids - it's an integral part of growing up and the way that experience is gained but there comes a point where the risk is just to great to countenance. I wouldn't let a a child that young lunge anything ( except maybe a dog) co ordination and reflexes aren't anywhere near good enough for a start and that's before you even consider the weight/size difference and the tendency of horses to do stupid things without warning. It's all very well to say that we shouldn't judge how others raise their children and maybe there was someone just off camera ready to save the day or whatever - I don't know but posting the thing was not a good idea in itself - how many other people will think it's a good idea and go try it ? How many people could be hurt ? There was a massive uproar quite recently when a guy in Australia posted a video ( not his) of someone swinging a laughing child - this guy has been through hell and high water as the "authorities" pulled his vid, downloaded his personal details and harassed him through court for "perpetuating the abuse". Edit> Gallop has a good point - what we really don't want is even more legislature sneaking in through the back door or a major investigation if some kid gets bitten by a hamster etc. Risk is inherent in all things already.

Answer 3

You make my day and are a breath of fresh air! I have had thousands of horses literally pass through my hands during the course of my life and have only ever seen a couple that I would honestly say were abused and often wonder about the disproportionate amount of horses that owners claim to be abused on this board. I even get the impression some people relish the telling of how bad the previous owner was and how they have "saved" it from a fate worse than death. Even horses that come from rescues are not all abused, some have just gotten too much for inexperienced owners or the owners have run into problems and for one reason or another cannot afford to keep them. It appears to me that people on this board think that racing is barbaric, showing is cruel, breaking is inhumane, keeping a horse stalled is torture and the only thing a "true horeselover" should do is keep them in a field and stare at them. Not sure though how they come to the conclusion though it's ok to ride them though?
Reading between the lines on many on these threads leads me to believe that a lot of problems are caused by the inexperience of the owner and the fact that the horse has realized this and taken advantage of the situation. When I go to a pasture with 50 mares, there are always the ones that don't want to be caught, maybe because it knows it's going to the breeding barn to get infused again or maybe because it just plain prefers to be out with it's buddies. I don't think for one minute it's been abused. Abuse to me is deliberate and with the intent or knowledge to cause an animal to suffer, eg leaving a horse with no food or water for a month. Any rational person knows that is going to cause the animal to suffer. Discipling a horse that weighs a ton is the responsible thing to do before it does serious damage to itself or others. It's like my son, if you don't teach him right from wrong and what behavour is acceptable, you are setting not only yourself up for trouble but him too later in life.
Great question and I'm going to give you a star! It's refreshing to see that not all reason has left the building. (spell check isn't working so I apologize for any mistakes)

Answer 4

I consider abuse to be a willful, purposed act that inflicts harm upon the victim, either through a direct deliberate action or as a side effect when something is done or not done callously or carelessly without regard to the animal.

I think willful neglect is as bad as abuse...

Neglect from ignorance (not understanding worming schedule, not knowing to keep pregnant mares off fescue, etc.) is still no less harmful for the horse, but I think "abuse" is a term that reflects more towards the perpetrator and the victim than the action itself.

For example, say a person is a novice and doesn't understand saddle fitting and rides their horse on a long ride with an ill-fitting saddle resulting in a sore on the back. Upon discovery, they are mortified, get proper treatment, fix the fit issue and don't repeat the error. That's not abuse, that's ignorance that resulted in injury.

If the same person discovers the sores and says, "I paid for a week's camping and by God I'm gonna ride" and continues to use the horse without treatment, that's abuse.

I think with horses and people alike there are some folks dead set to blame pure unadulterated bad behavior on something bad that happened to the person or horse...I'm not so sure that's always the case. Sometimes ill manners and nasty dispositions are the product of a crappy personality...in horses, and people too!

I also don't think we can rule out "mental defect" for behavior. I've seen a filly hand raised from birth to 2 years old that was never abused, handled by a 40+ year old lifelong, experienced horsewoman, and that filly was a dangerous sociopath.

Answer 5

I have to agree with most of the others here. A horse that is not trained well can be considered abused by some, but that isn't so. Abuse has occurred when the horse fears humans or acts very aggressive around humans; also abuse stems from simple neglect--people starving horses to death. Abuse is beating a horse for no reason, or working the horse to the point of exhaustion. There are very few truly mean horses; the problem is, people judge the horse's behavior by human standards, and say the horse is "stubborn" or stupid because they can't get the horse to do or behave as they want, and it never occurs to these people that they AND the horse need more training and need to learn how to communicate. Kindness, patience and a willingness to learn the horse's language and learn to communicate are the way to go to avoid abuse/mistreatment.

Answer 6

lol, you are right. So many people try to use this as an excuse for ill training on a horse. I have made this point here on something, and I do have a horse that was "abused". I have confirmed the methods used on this horse from the grandmother of the "abusers". Turns out the girl constantly ripped on the horses mouth and had "tantrums" on him 'cause he wouldn't enter the arena and he would "shut down" prior to the first barrel. Well, turns out the father had a mental handicap and when they took that horse out to the arena to "make" him run those barrels the horse reared (girl aboard and father whipping from behind) Well the rear was the last straw and the father went and got some lumber and repeatedly hit the horse in the head, poor 80 some year old grandma begged and pleaded with him to stop but he wouldn't listen, this poor old horse has scars and bumps all over his head, clear across his eye on one side. (Guess what though.... this horse is not headshy) Anyway, that is abuse, but more often then not, people who make the statement are looking for sympathy on the horse and making excuses as to why they can't "retrain" the horse properly or at all. Its the lazy way to get out of doing your homework and applying it at test time:)

Answer 7

Sometimes it can be hard to tell. Unless their is scars of some kind. People don't realize anytime they are with their horse they are teaching it good or bad habits. I bought a beautiful AQHA red roan gelding at a sale , anytime a man would walk into my barn he'd get in the corner & shake. His tongue had also been almost cut in half due to the bit they used. It took me almost 2 years to get this horse to trust & be a great mount. I also have a mare I bought as a yearling. When you go to put a halter or bridle on her she'd throw her head. She almost knocked me out once. I had the vet check her ears, thinking it might be mites. The head throwing was just her acting up , she doesn't do it anymore. People can be down right dumb. Making a horse mind, by giving it a little spank is fine. I've seen someone at a show try to use a barbed wire whip. Riding a lame horse is also cruel, I've seen this happen too. I've also have dealt with people that know nothing. I took a young mare in for training, the owner claimed she was unruly and loved to buck. I had this horse for 30 days. The horse threw her once , so she took her back to the barn. So she wandered why the horse continued bucking. The horse only bucked on me once. People don't understand common sense & animal ownership go hand & hand.

Answer 8

You have a very valid point - --- "abuse" is very much in the eye of the beholder. It makes a person feel good that they "rescued" an "abused" animal and are "helping" it to get over it's previous issues. When in essence, as your post implies, there are far too many people that think improperly or naivly trained animals were abused, and that they are doing the world a great favor by rescuing the animal and showing it the right treatment.

For the most part, this is harmless stuff, and it can easily be brushed off. Look at those people and just, "ok, you have 8 "rescued horses", but none that you could ride... uh - huh.

A true abused horse does not always develop the same issues that a poorly trained horse can. For example, while an improperly trained horse might become head shy, or bite, or have terrible ground manners or be afraid of clippers, etc.... the majority of true abuse cases are surprisingly willing to trust a human again and be with them again.

I think an abused horse is one that is not provided the basic needs - one that is left without food, water, shelter, vaccines, deworming, farrier care - any one or any combination of these things - in my mind creates an abuse situation.

I'll admit, just recently I let my horse's regular 8 week trimming schedule lapse to week 10, and their feet got too long and I said it's like abuse to do that and I hated myself for letting that happen - I just forgot to look at the monthly calendar for them all.

I have seen horses that have had their feet so long, they have grown into elf shoes, and the owners swears they keep them trimmed every 8 weeks. I have been to nice looking barns where every single horse in the place, while in stalls with water - were thin, overgrown feet, and razor sharp teeth. Oppositely, I have been to barns that were crappy, dusty, and gross looking, but the stalls were spotless, water buckets so clear I'd drink out of them, and the horses were perfection in flesh.

A lot of people judge a horse by the barn, is my point - and if the barn is a mess, then the horse is abused. That is bogus.
The ASPCA defines abuse by not providing an animal with food, shelter, water, and neglect by not providing the animal with veterinary care, vaccines, etc...

I also consider a horse that is improperly whipped/spurred or in some other fashion overly reprimanded/harshly handled to be abused --- for example, to me, a horse left in a stall for 8 hours a day with a saddle on and it's head tied to the stirrup so it learns to bend its neck is down right abuse and nothing else.

But, a horse that won't clip, or doesn't stand tied, or won't tolerate being bathed isn't an abused horse. I just roll my eyes when I meet people that "rescue" these kinds of animals. It makes them feel good that they think they are doing a good deed, and that's all there is to it. These are not the people that are going to go out and pull a dying, starving horse from a field and truly rescue an animal, but it makes them get all giddy inside that they "helped" a horse get over its previous bad experiences.

Answer 9

I'd say that a lot of horses that have been treated just fine and be head-shy and such, I've seen plenty that just hadn't had their faces touched much. And hard to catch horses that just had strange personalities, and horses being defensive not from abuse, but just because they didn't know you or want to know you. Horses can act out from being abused, poorly trained, or simply personality quirks. Personally, I hate my ears being touched.

One horse I looked at getting, however, had definately been abused. He was forced to stand in mud constantly, not fed right, and near death when the people brought him to the rescue. He barely had hooves to speak of, and was so skinny you could count his bones. He was also covered in scars from humans. Now that is abuse.

This is horse abuse: http://www.atourhands.com/horses.html

And some horses never regain their trust in humans, it's sad. But I understand what you're saying--some people just think that their horse was a victim of abuse simply because he runs from them, or that he doesn't like a certain spot touched.

Answer 10

Hey Mulereiner, I am totally in agreement with you on this one. In all honesty there are many more people that "abuse" their horses in the non-conventional ways simply because they do not know what they are doing or they just don't care. I believe my horse was an example:

His owner moved and left him in a feild with no food other than inadequate grazing till a neighbor contacted him telling him that she was going to find him a home if he didn't come back to take care of the horse. She posted him on craigslist for $600. We went out to see him and were appalled! He was around 620lbs (he is a 14.2h Arab), ribs sticking out profusely and severely dehydrated. His halter had been left on him 24/7 and it had rubbed him raw in places. He was a sad sight. It took us 3+ hours to load him - was he abused by someone trying to put him in a trailer before? I don't know but now he eats in one to get over it!

Neither of my horses are that well behaved, one came from an inexperienced home who let his training fall apart and the other one you just read about.

My TB HATES me cleaning his ears, eyes and nose. I doubt he was abused, his old owners probably never did it cause he was a butt - he won that one. Not with me, it's head down and stand while I wipe him off. Takes a little longer than it should but we are getting there. A little head shy in this sense too but I chalk it up to him being a butt, it's part of his charm. =)

I agree I could just tell people that his old owners probably abused him and that is why he does this but I don't know for a fact and I would rather correct the problem than let it persist because of such an excuse.

There is my long answer and spell check wouldn't check it!