Is it common practice to "starve" a horse, so that it is easier to control?

Question

I was shocked at a farm i visited, i was looking to buy a horse and found a couple farms will not have a horse in "condition" and an owner told me she doesn't like a Healthy looking horse, they tend to misbehave. Is there any nice looking, manageable horses out there, that have that sweeting loving personality that is "fit as a horse?"

One of the horses was severly underweight, and she said that one the foal was just taken off of her. Yes, i also think she has "too many" to properly see to their vacanations and wormers are done.

the others were about one to two hundred pounds under weight and her kids were doing her "imprinting" they were climbing all over these horses, the horses would come to gate when anyone approached, Looking for a handout. These kids did good work with these horses, they saddled, bridled, picked up feed, rode bare back and all, but the had to be underfed so the kids had control. I obvioulsy didn't buy one, cause my luck i would bring it home fatten it up and get shots, and trimmings and it wouldn't have the same attitude or personality. And would want to question athority since they were trained under malenutrious conditions.

As far as reporting her, would be useless. I just hope she wises up and cuts down on her herd.

Answer 1

Yes i have heard of it and i also have heard of people depriving the animal of water to achieve the same thing.
Yes this is abuse but there are many old fashioned people who carry on these practises regardless of todays standards.
If you report the authorities the chances are the horses will get passed off as ok depending on where you live and how deprived the animals are. My grandfather always says cut the hard feed down if its a highly strung horse like an arab but you must provide as much hay and foilage as the animal can eat. Only you can be the judge on how badly the animals where kept so only you can make the decision to alert authorities. I hope these horses are ok. gd luck.

Answer 2

This is actually not uncommon, no matter what others are saying. There are many people who think this and also withholding water to keep a horse slow in the show ring, tying up short so a horse can't rest and it will go slow, bloodletting to accomplish the same thing. It is more obvious with an underweight horse and there are a LOT of people who will see a ribby horse and insist it is in great shape. You are wise not to buy a horse from there. You could report it and see if there have been other complaints about this place. Sometimes it does no good to report these things and other times it does. But it is what you can do.
As for good horses, they come in nice healthy weight all the time. I have a nice, chubbyish gelding working for a young lady right now. He's a real treat to be around and quite handsome. Where I used to ride as a kid, they had these "pillowesque" types that they rented out for bareback rides. They were the most mellow guys ever...just naturally that way. And they were draft crosses that were bronc rejects, no buck in them whatsoever. Consigned to a life of easy rides....happy, content and not skinny.
We don't go with the trends or fads and let people know when they are doing something shameful. Honestly, some of them have no clue, they are just doing it the way they've been taught.

Answer 3

I have never heard of starving an animal into compliance..oh wait I have it's called abuse. I would alert the local humane society so that they can keep an eye on her!
When you spend money on a horse, most reputable farms will want their horses in the best possible shape so they can ask premium prices for them. Saying that a conditioned horse will misbehave shows a lot about the type of training that poor animal has been exposed to. I would be weary of what that same horse would be like when in top form.

Answer 4

No, that is not common practice and is actually neglect and abuse. That owner is out of her mind and should be reported. Starving a horse will keep the animal under control because they don't have the energy to function properly, let alone "misbehave". A healthy horse is one that is fed properly and trained well. A horse misbehaves or acts out just like any other animal, but with training and care, it will be a highly stable, gentle, and loving animal.

Answer 5

No, no, no. You don't starve ANY animal to make it behave better; you just get a sick, unhappy animal. Some animals (like racehorses) are not allowed to eat all they want so that they don't founder during a race, but that's very different from starving a horse. You never want an unhealthy-looking horse. It won't like or trust humans, and it will probably have a lot of expensive health problems. You don't manage any animal with abuse, and that's what this sounds like. I don't know where you were looking, but steer clear of those people (and report them to your local ASPCA or Rescue league). There are plenty of well-fed, happy horses out there, and that's how they should be.

Answer 6

That is not a common, nor acceptable, practice. This person is either ignorant, or abusive. Of course if they're starving they're not going to misbehave, they don't have the energy! It's better to feed them well, then work on their misbehaviors with training. Some feeds do make a horse "hotter", there are alternative feeds and feed guidelines...and of course, some breeds just are more spirited.

Answer 7

NO, It is NOT common practice to starve horses to make them behave, and you need to get off your duff and report what you observed to animal control and the SPCA in your area. What this woman was doing to her horses was CRUEL and heartless, and I question the judgement ( to say nothing of the sanity) of ANYONE who sees something like this and doesn't report it, the way you have clearly done. I am a horse owner myself, and I have a wonderful mare who is in great shape, and she has a sweet, gentle temper. I have also worked in the horse business for over 20 years, and it riles me to see and hear of cases like this where people KNOW there is abuse or neglect going on, and fail to report it or do anything about it. Horses are creatures which are totally dependent on people for all their needs- and if this woman you are talking about can't or won't care for them properly, she DOESN'T deserve to have them !!!! Enough said.

Answer 8

forget ability starvation, no preserve, dying of their very own feces - purely because of the fact the fencing is slightly crap and you do no longer trust how the girl cleans her stalls, it is not any reason to record her. a lot of human beings deep muddle their stalls and then strip them as quickly as a month - that's no longer forget, it is a thank you to be low in fee with shavings that are very high priced at present. If he gets became out for a pair of hours, it is exercising so which you will no longer say he's on no account ridden or excercised and doubtless there is a few clarification why he's no longer ridden, must be an old harm or possibly he flips over backwards while girthed - who is conscious? If he has hay, water (feed if mandatory), adequate preserve from the climate etc, the humane society won't do something besides because of the fact the fundamentals are lined to maintain the animal. incredibly frankly, human beings ought to guard horses that are actual matters of abuse and forget extremely of reporting all of us else purely because of the fact they do no longer shield their horses and factors to the time-honored of a few huge multi-million dollar Thoroughbred farm. in case you do no longer purely like the fencing, possibly that's beneficial to shell out $12,000 for a mile of four board plank or if the stalls are that undesirable, how approximately chucking in $50 for 10 bags of shavings - afterall, you state which you're assisting preserve the pony?

Answer 9

What a bunch of jerks. And I will bet they have a sign out front advertising "horse training & breeding". You should never have to starve a horse to get it to behave. That is like putting a band aid on an open artery. Training is what makes a horse behave. And yes there are a bunch with sweet loving personalties that are not starved that are for sale. This is one of mine that I currently have listed for sale. And in my opinion he could stand a little more weight. ( he ahs been roped on quite a bit this summer) He is actually one of the lightest horses in my barn for his size. Just so you can see that there are horses you do not have to starve to control. And I have 6 more just like him.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa283/paint_pony/par1.jpg

Answer 10

Turn the farm in, that's abuse. The person obviously doesn't know a thing about horsemanship and is merely a rider with no seat, hands, nor brains.

Arabian horses are wonderful. Especially Crabbet bred from Witez II - they'll do anything you ask, if you ask correctly. Are superior "people" horses and will own you.