General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Ann Romney = Animal Abuser [View all]soccer1
(343 posts)but I see a big difference between entering horse shows....jumping, and how the rider handles taking the horse through a course than training a horse in dressage movements. Preparing for standard horse shows does not require the horse to act in ways that are unnatural. Even though the dressage exhibition might only be for a few minutes, the training requires many, many hours. So, I'm not saying that these beautiful horses are not loved by their owners and are not well taken care of.....I just believe that horses or any animal should be enjoyed by humans while they are doing what comes naturally to them.
How does one justify the expense of owning a horse? Is it guaranteed that a horse will win a monetary prize in exhibition? Most don't, some do. We have many horse owners in my area. Their owners enjoy riding them on trails and some enter horse shows. There's not one person I know that has won enough money to offset the expense of taking care of their horses. Most of the people around here keep their horses at a stable....very expensive. Even those who have enough land put out lots of money for the care of their horses. They love and respect their horses...and that's enough justification for ownership for them.
These are my beliefs concerning the "ethical" ownership of horses......certainly many people would disagree with me.