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The practice of soring
Hi! Now that we have discovered the beauty and grace of the Tennessee Walking Horse, I’m afraid it’s time to speak about the dark side of the story of this breed; soring. Let me start from the beginning. In 1940’s and 1950’s, the popularity of the Tennessee Walking Horse to the American public skyrocketed thanks to this special, extended gait. In fact, the more extravagant the gait, the more charming the horse. Furthermore, it was found that horses which were not “adequately gifted” could improve their gait with some intensive training. Exaggerated gaits also began to fascinate show judges too. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, “soring is the…
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A Video of the Tennessee Walking Horse
Remember the post about the Tennessee Walking Horse? As we do with every breed, now it’s time to watch the Tennessee Walking Horse in action. Amongst the thousands of videos that exist out there, I chose for you an informative video produced by the Tennessee Walking Horse Breeders’ & Exhibitors’ Association. The video is in fact a compilation of clips which feature historical representatives of the breed. It shows us beautiful short films from past generations, when breeding and training a horse was a small farmer’s business and had little relevance to today’s profit-hunting and the extended exploitation and abuse. * Watch carefully how natural and relaxed horses and riders…
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At EGVUS 5th annual show
Hi! Well, spring is here and showtime begins for most equestrians! Spring has been established as a competition season in the equestrian world and at EGVUS we organized a competition among the athletes. People from age 5 to 45 competed showed their skills in a wide range of activities, such as endurance, polo, showjumping, vaulting, racing, timed exercises with poles, equestrian theory and timed bridle assembling. The purpose of the competition is to have fun, introduce the locals to the equestrian sports, show each other what we have learned and prepare psychologically the young athletes for affiliated competitions. Athletes, relatives, friends and common citizens arrived to watch the challenges that…
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The Tennessee Walking Horse
Hello, dear people! It’s been long since the last time I presented an equine breed, hasn’t it? So, I thought I should write about the famous Tennessee Walking Horse! The Tennessee Walking Horse is an American breed, founded in Middle Tennessee. Its genetics is a mixture of the Narragansett, the Canadian Pacer, the Standardbred, the Thoroughbred, the Morgan and the American Saddlebred. Weighing between 900 and 1200 pounds, the Tennessee Walking Horse is considered to be a light equine breed. It was initially bred as a working horse, but in the modern times it is considered a recreational mount, because, except for its gentle disposition and calm, manageable temperament, it also offers…
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Fleeing like in the jungle!
So, what to do when your out and about with your horse and he has a fair reason to flee? Speaking of fair reason, I mean, a predator. You know, there are so many kind and experienced people who have shared online and in real life their advice about this situation; but, let’s face it, how prepared can you be, when you are outside of the safety of a school, the predator is present and the survival instinct of your equine friend has been triggered? Bebis is now an experienced horse who never loses nerve -except if he’s disturbed at mealtime. And I was lucky to be on his back, I…
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Natural Hoofcare Workshop in Crete: Day 2
On the second day, I woke up at the shelter and joined the hikers for breakfast. Two hours before the beginning my second day at Andrea’s yard, I had to have my bed done and my stuff ready; my father would drive me to the yard and, after that, he would return to the shelter to join his comrades. As we were driving down the mountain, pleasant images were appearing all the time before our eyes; picturesque villages, locals working on their fields and, of, course, the stunning view of the sea! Certainly, we reached the place very early, so I took the chance to carry my things to…