One of the things that irritates me most about us horse folk, is our tendency to judge other disciplines and styles that we don't understand.
We are a harsh and unforgiving crowd. I have been accused (I admit, rarely on this blog) of hating English riders, Horse+Man+Ship aficionados, and clicker trainers, among others.
The truth is, I hate people and training methods which are cruel to horses. Period. I save a special place under my judgmental eye for those who are cruel through stupidity, especially stupidity hidden under the guise of superior horsemanship skills, defined by a specific method of training. C'mon, you know who you are.
Blanket statements set me off. Has anybody noticed?
So in honor of those stupid people, I've begun the Mugwumps My Way or the Highway cartoon series. We'll start off with three cartoons, just to give you a taste of what's to come, and I'll add another every Friday from now on.
Hope you guys have as much fun reading them as I had making them.
We are a harsh and unforgiving crowd. I have been accused (I admit, rarely on this blog) of hating English riders, Horse+Man+Ship aficionados, and clicker trainers, among others.
The truth is, I hate people and training methods which are cruel to horses. Period. I save a special place under my judgmental eye for those who are cruel through stupidity, especially stupidity hidden under the guise of superior horsemanship skills, defined by a specific method of training. C'mon, you know who you are.
Blanket statements set me off. Has anybody noticed?
So in honor of those stupid people, I've begun the Mugwumps My Way or the Highway cartoon series. We'll start off with three cartoons, just to give you a taste of what's to come, and I'll add another every Friday from now on.
Hope you guys have as much fun reading them as I had making them.
*chortle*
ReplyDeleteLove these! But you need to watermark/sign them as I see them quickly going around the internet!
ReplyDeleteJackie
Jackie - Not my photos...
ReplyDeleteI bet the dressage horse wishes he could see, too!
ReplyDeleteThe cartoons are funny, but also sad since there is some truth to them. I guess they qualify as political cartoons.
Me? Political? Naaaahh....
ReplyDeletelol love the first one - I can relate western please has changed since I was a kid and what gives with that wierdo crab like canter thingy? What the h#ll is that called?
ReplyDeleteThat was entertaining.....I always figure there is nothing so "sacred" that it can not be made fun of.
ReplyDeleteThe "weirdo crab like canter thingy" is a poor trainer's excuse of trying to force a horse to go slower than it is physically able to, due to muscle condition, conformation or proper training. IMHO
YIKES! Why do people tie heads to the ceiling?? Thats a new one for me....
ReplyDeleteanon - makes their neck so tired they won't raise their head above their withers.
ReplyDeletemakes their neck so tired they won't raise their head above their withers
ReplyDeleteGOOD LAWD what the F is wrong with people!
The interesting part about tying heads up to get them to put their head down is the saddle horses that have their head tied up to teach them to keep their head up. If they weren't so wrapped up in their own cruelty they could maybe see it doesn't accomplish anything but hurting the horses.
ReplyDeleteAnon, they tie their heads up so that the muscles in the neck that hold up their heads become fatigued, and they can't raise their heads. That practice can also lead to broken vertebrae and death. It happened to horses of two of my friends. They both had the same trainer. They both won a lot more blue ribbons than I did. Oh, and they both sent their new horses back to the same trainer. I had a crazy, spooky, mare who gradually got better and won some blue ribbons, then I trained her to drive and jump, and later sold her to a lady who did some dressage with her, and pampered her for the rest of her life. Amazing what they can do if you never break their neck.
ReplyDeleteI digress.
I like the cartoons, it made me chuckle at first, but now has reminded me of the darker side of horse showing.
We call the "weirdo crab like canter thingy" the trollop! LOL! We also joke that a gaited horse can be lame in 3-legs and we would just think that's the way a gaited horse moves:) Okay, maybe that second part isn't really funny, but there is some truth to it.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of making fun of diciplines, and a bit of politics... I think you'd all probably enjoy this bit.
ReplyDeleteStephen Colbert and Dressage
http://goodolewoody.wordpress.com/2012/06/13/colbert-report-stephen-colbert-romney-dressage-and-a-powerful-black-president/
Love the cartoons...
ReplyDeleteLOL! Thanks for the chuckle, Mugs, though it is a bit sad at the same time to realize that the practices depicted are actual fact in some cases.
ReplyDeleteLMAO! Good ones! You do need to make the barrel racer one with the horse's head turning around the barrel by the riders yanking hand and the body and ribs going the other direction.
ReplyDeleteLikin' this expressive side of you!
ReplyDelete"One of the things that irritates me most about us horse folk, is our tendency to judge other disciplines and styles that we don't understand." I agree! I may not find some disciplines my cup of tea but that doesn't mean I should bash them. Same thing with breed bashing (I call it breedism lol) I believe there's no 'bad breed' just some are more suited to certain disciplines, also some people's personalities just aren't suited to mesh well with certain breeds.
ReplyDeleteI really hope that is just the "pleasure horse's" perspective of barrel racing.
Done properly the horse is guided NOT yanked around the barrel. Like any discipline there are those that do it well and those that half ass it.
cdncowgirl, dressage "done properly" is also not constant rollkur in a double bridle. Barrel horses get yanked around barrels just as often as dressage horses get choked to death by their own bits. Some barrel horses are ridden well, some dressage horses are ridden well... and some are not. It has nothing to do with another group's presumed perspective of the sport.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the points the cartoons are making. I think most people probably do except those that are doing it.
ReplyDeleteI may be the only one who thinks this, but they seem somewhat childish and beneath you?
Like I said it may be only me. I love your blog, especially the Mort and Tally stories.
Oh Albigears - I feel so chastised. Sigh. I'm going to go off and be serious now. Achieve a lofty goal or too.
ReplyDeleteHey Albi, before I go, pull my finger, would ya?
No comment on the cartoons, but didn't want a note I left a few entries ago to get lost. If anyone wants to see some great pictures of real bridle horses working, check out Mary Williams Hyde on Facebook. She photographs ranch events and ranch rodeos in the Great Basin/ION country. She has tons of photos of real working horses, real buckaroos and real bridle horses. Cool stuff, and an interested person can spend a lot of time absorbing the details in the photos.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, exactly. Like I said in any discipline there are those that do it well and those that don't.
ReplyDeleteI'd laugh but they are too sad...
ReplyDeleteJust looked at the pictures on FB a bit and wanted to ask if someone knows what kind of bit this one is?
ReplyDeletehttps://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=3627471244374&set=a.3627470444354.2142287.1201837414&type=3&theater
I can't see well enough - thanks in advance!
PS loved the cartoons.
Can't tell anything about the mouthpiece by the shank, but from the degree it's rotated in the horse's mouth, I would guess it's not a spade, probably a mona lisa or something similar. The shank looks like a version of a Santa Barbara.
ReplyDeleteLes Vogt's bit website has a nice sorting of the shank styles with lots of eye candy examples.
http://www.lesvogtscalclassics.com/bits/SBBits.html
The applicant can use money for their needs. This will enable you assess the quality of service, the provider's reliability and technical support. Web faxing or email faxing is an efficient technology which It's also just as frustrating if the file your customer desires is on your computer and he or she is 500 miles away. You can get and send your faxes from anywhere, anytime.
ReplyDelete