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Why are they allowed to do this? If a horse refuses to enter the stalls without a blindfold, why forcing it to go in?
If it fails to get in without a fold, then it has clearly failed the stalls test. In this case it should be banned from running in races started with stalls.Couldn’t agree more. I have argued on another thread that the pushing, pulling, blinding and general manhandling employed to cajole into the ‘traps’ those fine creatures who don’t wish to is an undignified spectacle. It is one of the reasons the Flat is closer to Greyhound Racing than it is to Jumps. The terror felt by a blinded horse when exhibiting the powerful athleticism trained into it, the danger to itself and anyone in the vicinity is unacceptable.
You should be more concerned of the whip abuse, and that is the ugly thing for me in NH, tired horses getting whipped into jumping the the last fences and again hammered in the straight, even 10 lenghts apart 1-2-3-4. They still get beaten up, plunge on the finishline, heart exploded. Now that is pain.
Blindfolding is one of the first things that should be applied when loading, it calms them down. Does not scare or frighten them.
Beating them to go in is wrong, but if settled and only in need of blindfold and 2-3 loaders carrying. No probs. But to many horses are not trained enough for the gates, best walking through daily. From broken yearling.Best Wishes
SilkI don’t see a problem with blindfolding them to co into the stalls but I do see a problem in waiting till the last second before removing.
To blindfold a horse isn’t something natural. If it doesn’t want to enter the stalls on it’s own, then accept that. No tricks please, cause you can’t fool nature. Very sad news that Just Marion had to be put down.
A rather inconclusive report:
http://www.equinescienceupdate.com/articles/bliindfold.html
The manhandling of horses in to stalls isn’t a particularly edifying sight but I can’t get too animated about it. It can’t be denied that blindfolding, which tends to be done as a last resort, does often work
Does anyone have a problem with the use of blinkers and earplugs?
Birds of Prey used in falconry are kept hooded for long periods when at rest, as it keeps them calm. Is that cruel?
When assessing the possible impact of these and other practices on the mental wellbeing of animals we tend to mistakenly anthropomorphise them and assume they would react as we would
I’m sure TRF correspondents with hands-on experience of horses could add something that isn’t subjective gut-instinct
First of all, I have to say that, although I’m a NH person, I agree wholeheartedly with Kentucky Spring. Horses being continually hit when they are either clear winners or clear losers is a particular gripe, and anyway a tired horse is likely to respond better to being held together. On blindfolds, it’s a funny one. If you go to cover a horse’s head with anything, they generally panic. I’ve always wondered why they apparently work so well for entering stalls. My instinct as a rider would be to not want to go into any confined space that the horse can’t see, yet the Flat jockeys seem happy to do it. We had a horse that had to wear an elasticated body cover, due to being allergic to midges (called sweet itch). It was all one piece that went on over her head as a sort of pullover. Occasionally it would get jammed around her ears when taking it off, and she hated it. Head throwing was followed by a frozen head-down posture until you freed her. That would lead me to think that it’s submission rather than calm that makes them comply, but it’s an educated guess rather than knowledge.
I don’t see a problem with it really, don’t think it’s in any way a welfare issue. Perhaps RubyLight is right and any horse who gets to the blindfolding stage should be forced to go for extra stalls training. This isn’t an edifying comparison, but it’s a bit like cattle refusing enter the abattoir – the smell of collective fear and adrenaline can put a horse off. Stick the blindfold on, disorient them a bit and they often go in good as gold.
On the whip issue, personally I think the whip rules are much to harsh and the limits should be upped by 50%, but that’s a whole different thread I suppose.
“I’m sure TRF correspondents with hands-on experience of horses could add something that isn’t subjective gut-instinct”
Kentucky Spring is a jockey
It is the mostly invisible welfare issues that might one day cause a major problem: around 90% of racehorses bleed at least once. Many have wind problems. Should a horse be worked so hard he bleeds in his lungs or he cannot get sufficient oxygen?
The Monty Roberts blankets worn by racehorses have handles on which are held by starting stall handlers, he hangs on and the horses exits with the blanket in the hands of the stalls men. Regarding the blindfolds, I watched one the other day have the blindfold firmly tucked into its bridle and then its up to the jockey to get it off. Perhaps there should be a safety clip/lanyard system to the blindfold which is attached to the side of the stalls (rough idea here), if the jockey fails to release the hood, momentum will take over and the hood will be held back by the attached lanyard.
“I’m sure TRF correspondents with hands-on experience of horses could add something that isn’t subjective gut-instinct”
Kentucky Spring is a jockey
I know, and she made a valuable contribution from a jockey’s point of view regarding the calming effect a blindfold might generally have and the general lack of sufficient training for stalls entry. Louise12 added some good input from a handler’s point of view and it was such as this – from those who deal with horses at home, away from the noisy,competitive, adrenaline-pumping racecourse – I was seeking
Perhaps there should be a rule introduced stipulating that jockeys must keep one hand holding the blind when waiting in the stalls, lest they forget about it; and that blinded horses must be enstalled last, which is usually but not always the case
Or even that blinds must be removed immediately the horse is sardined in to the stall: which might cause chaos, or there again might not: I’ve no idea
I don’t know if Mark J’s particular solution is workable but generally, this does seem like the kind of accident that can be relatively easily prevented if those in charge have the will
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