I was a farrier in east Tennessee and it's worse than you know but what you don't know is that these horses have amazing trusting and forgiving hearts. They can be shown flat shod. Although I had no experience with gaited horses I trained a few using classical dressage and after I developed their top line they naturally go into gait. I was recently given an abused paso Fino that has really thrived using a modified dressage that includes their amazing 4 beat fino gait. Their temperament as an historic war horse really takes well to dressage. Wouldn't it be amazing if the dressage world opened up a place for gaited horses? Their movement is natural and it would be a great alternative. These horses are trained with these pain devices because a trainer can take a green horse to "world champion" in 6 months. I was outspoken against the big lick which is big money for farriers who build those stacks. To get me back they would give my number to people wanting their donkeys trimmed cuz they hated doing them... I fell in love with them and specialize in them. I got good at trimming for laminitic horses as the retired big lick horses had foundered.
Why are they sitting like that? I have never seen this only heard of it and I always give any representation of it in real life or models a hard time because as long as artists portray this as somehow beautiful, the abuse will continue in real life. Stuff like this filters down from art and at the bottom of the pile are the poor flesh and blood horses who are suffering. Everyone should question this. Whether it be in real life or Breyer models it needs stamping out.
I'm from Tennessee and I can tell you that a lot of the Tennessee walking horse people of old have abandoned the breed or stopped showing because of the cult of big lick. Larry Massey was my grandpa's friend in Nashville and he was basically banned from walker shows because he once brought a mule to a show and had it ridden big lick style around the arena. He did it to prove that you could make any gaited horse or mule or ANYTHING move that way because it's such an artificial gait. He did it to prove that horses that won the shows had no breeding value because they weren't breeding for a real gait that could be passed down, just a high tolerance for misery. Big lick and the people who defend it are the same as flat earthers in my book, they won't admit they're in a cult.
This is going to be the whole reason why will love respect & cherries my animals and being one of the best horseman in the world. Because of this video!
strayiggyTV - fascinating to hear of Larry Massey and his mule - Giving a person non-removeable high heels to wear 24/7 for 3 years would undoubtedly change the way they move and would develop different muscles to compensate for the uneven pressure. May I suggest you do a YT documentary on this subject - especially interviews with Larry Massey, your grandfather and others of their ilk (hopefully he and many of his allies are still alive). Many of us find it fascinating to hear of horsemanship and animal husbandry from years gone by. All blessings to Whistleblowers and anyone, like Larry Massey, who take a courageous stance against cruelty.
I don't see how anyone can think the big lick is pretty or impressive. It's clear the horses are in pain. Their eyes wide and confused, backs hollow and hocks wobbling trying to compensate for lifting their front feet so high. It can't be comfortable to ride either, completely defeating the TWH breed. It's a disgusting practice all around. People are so mean. Poor horses.
I dont understand this kind of riding and equipment It turns one of the most graceful movers on Earth into a parody. Like a fast-walking giraffe that has been kicked in the butt. Why go for that??
I actually ride SaddleSeat and at my barn there is no abuse what so ever. People that support the big lick need help and are sick people if u look up a Tennessee walkers normal gaits they are beautiful but what they do to them is terrible
Curious, I had a nice Arab mare I ended up trading for a pony for my kids who jumped. Only traded her b/c I like to do some low level eventing and after 3 years of owning her, she did NOT have any interest in jumping and wanted her to have a home to fit her needs. The lady I traded with was a hunter / jumper states away and knew she didn't want to jump but gave lessons and said she needed a nice lesson safe horse but that they also had a wonderful Arab community. I just sent her updated video of the pony letting her know how much we adore him and asked for updates on her. She sold her b/c she didn't want jump, I assume she thought she could get her over it. She's in KY and she sent me a picture of her in the field which looked nice, and also sent a video. It was grainy and it took me a minute to realize why her gait looked off. It was of her trotting and if you look closely you can see some type of weights on her front legs/hooves with a bungee attached and a crouper on. I feel horrified. I asked the lady whom I traded with and her response was " it's some training technique. I've seen it at other saddle seat farms. I think it's so they pick they're feet up". Is this common??? Seems like abuse?? She seemed very knowledgeable and legit so I'm kind of shocked she seems so nonchalant about it.
@@chelseatodd1449 Yes this is a common training exercise in saddleseat. It's called "long-lining" or sometimes "ground driving"...Don't worry, it's not abusive in the least...The bands are just resistance training, exactly the same as humans using resistance bands to build and tone their leg and core muscles. The cuffs aren't weighted, and are almost always highly padded, to prevent discomfort, and any potential friction that might harm the horse's skin. The "stretchy" part is usually reinforced medical tubing. I used quotations because that's what they're usually called in saddleseat training, either "stretchies" or "stretchers". So just for your future reference, incase you hear the term used somewhere else, you'll know what they mean. These help to build muscle in their legs. That's really all it is. When they're used in conjunction with a surcingle (crupper), aka "long-lining", it also helps to build the top line, and allows the trainer to see/make corrections in their movement, head set, gait, and overall carriage, from the ground. Whereas, from the saddle, they wouldn't normally be able to see which specific issues may need correcting. Honestly, the long-lining is no different than the horse being ridden in a martingale, or driven in a cart, except for the lack of extra weight, and the use of the stretchies are no different than track stars who wear resistance bands during training or before a race. If you're interested in looking it up, there are actually dozens of pics on line of humans wearing identical devices, but designed to work on human legs, rather than horses. Hope this helps. 😊
@Ashley Six Thank you for the very thorough explanation. Familiar with resistance bands, didn't think of it this way. Again, I'm not at all familiar with Saddle Seat and all I had to reference was from a grainy second hand video sent to me so it was very hard to see any detail. I tried to google it prior to posting here but all I could really find was everything on Big Lick - now that looks horrifying! I appreciate your response, makes me feel better!
thank you for clarifying. i ride saddle seat and it makes me sad that people confuse us. some saddle seat people alter the tail of saddlebreds, but where i'm from, we want our horses to look as natural as possible. we don't do anything to the tails, faces, manes, no extensions, etc. our horses are half arabian, half saddlebred (nsh).
Soring has to END. No more cruelty in disguise of a so-called “sport” - this is a grotesque and pitiful mockery of these gorgeous horses and their sweet dispositions. Pain pain pain pain pain. PAIN in a mute, docile creature.
@@millsixstudios very true. Shows have DQPs where horses are checked before and after every class. Dont call bullshit until you've actually experienced it yourself.
I own a beautiful twh. I pulled his papers and refuse to show at any twh show. Until they ditch the big lick classes. It only hurting horses and the breed. Natural gait is wonderful as it is. They are such a gentle soul so it easy to abuse them. They won't fit back like a high spirit breed. They are a perfect family horse and versatile breed.
Thank you for this, saddle seat is beautiful and genuine riding, but it gets tainted by the big lick because some people confuse the two- despite the only thing in common is the saddle
Not sure how you think it is beautiful.. But anyway, saddle seat riders purposefully make them as hollow as they can to get the movement they want. This results in tremendous damage to the horses' bodies. I have seen saddle seat horses with absolutely disgusting sway backs at a very young age. Why do you think those saddles have that deep pommel? This type of riding just makes them deteriorate. Kissing spines, broken at the 3rd vertebrae, L dip, and many more painful problems. Sure, the big lick is a lot worst, but saddle seat is a part of the few disciplines that don't correspond with properly moving horses. You want a horse that is moving beautifully over their backs, lifting and supporting the rider. Not tense and hollow which results in the vertebra rubbing together etc. Some people say saddle seat is like sitting in an armchair. Well, then why don't you go sit in an armchair instead of mentally and physically damaging horses.
Nicole_Eventer With all do respect, in saddleseat it would be impossible for them to be hollow. They cannot physically reach high stepping movements ( which is natural ) without engaging their back. And as for the sway back, it is very genetic. Yes, it can be worsened by certain things, but not standard riding. The saddle has a deeper pommel to compensate for the horse lifting up. The neck and shoulders in a naturally high stepping movement. You also can’t put all of saddleseat into one category, that would be like criticizing all of huntseat. I’m not trying to act like I know everything because I don’t, but I just wish to voice the facts that I’m aware of, as a saddleseat, huntseat, and western rider. Thank you
Sarah Transue ohhhh my god that is so funny 😂 😂. Seriously nothing could be further from the truth😂😂😂. Only horses that have been hollow for a certain amount of time can have so much leg action. Hence the dressage term: “leg mover”... That is the BIOMECHANICS of it. If you watch horses that are over their backs, they do NOT have the ridiculous leg action that saddle seat is all about. If they were over their backs (which means btw when their back LIFTS up.. just in case since your knowledge seems to come from the world of idiots) they will not have a sway back. The deep pommel is only used in saddle seat because of how sway backed they all become.. I have seen saddlebreds that are works properly and they look nothing like the ones that compete in saddle seat. Secondly, do you do any stretching? At all? No? That’s what I thought. A horse HAS got to be stretched to start to lift their core ( no matter the breed so don’t even try to pull that excuse) That is the beginning step. Sooo... if you are actually interested in how the horses body works maybe read Dr Gerd Heuschmann’s books and look up Art2ride. I am just in so shock from reading that😂🤦🏼♀️ oh and also, huntseat riders can actually have their horses working over their backs and have it work in their favor.. saddle seat can’t.. anddd one more thing.. hollow riding causes kissing spines etc lmao. Hollow back = vertebrae rubbing together. Back up = vertebrae seperating. Make sense?
Nicole_Eventer Have you ever ridden saddleseat or even been to one of the barns? Yes, their back is lifting, yes they are engaged. Even while you ride, you can feel their back lifting. Take a horse that’s not working well, with their nose stuck out, that horse is hollow. Do our horses look like that? No. And sway back is GENETIC, talk to any vet. And like I said before, yes it can be worsened. But with special care, its not a big deal. And you seem to only look at saddlebreds. In case you didn’t know, they have a high head carriage which means their back will naturally be more curved. But you also are ONLY looking at saddlebreds. Do you not realize that other breeds participate heavily in saddleseat( Arabians and Morgans just to name a couple). And yes saddleseat can not only allow, but good riding requires, them not to be hollow. So, how about you stop talking bad about something you have no experience with
Really glad to see this! I'm learning jumper at a saddleseat barn (long story) and while I will say a few of the saddlebreds at our stables make me uncomfortable, those are personal cases. For the most part they're treated well and loved on, and our barn champions actually get to roam the property entirely free from dawn until dusk. Lots of happy, goofy horses. I have my issues with saddleseat and some of the practices commonly involved (a few horses here have cut tails which to me is absolutely abuse/mutilation) but for the most part the bad bits of the sport can absolutely be improved and altered for future generations. Big Lick is entirely different and completely based around abuse. Some saddleseat traditions need changing, but Big Lick should simply be illegal.
KikiV I ride saddle seat and agree that it can be abusive. But it is not true that all saddleseat is abusive. My barn treats our horses right and not all barns are bad
I have ridden saddleseat for almost 6 years now. I can tell you the amount of times someone uneducated on the discipline told me I was riding at an abusive barn. I thank you for making this video and educating people on the very extreme differences between blatant abuse and a beautiful non abusive style of riding. Also just some other things, we like to keep our horses pretty natural. We don’t clip them because we live pretty far north and it gets cold. Only one of our horses wears extensions and that’s because part of his tail had to be amputated after an accident when he was a baby. None of our horses use shoes too large for them or anything like that. (I ride saddlebreds FYI)
@@June.julyyy yes but there’s tons of abuse in all disciplines it’s not just saddleseat. Like dressage has killed tons of horses so has big lick and racing. Even jumping horses have been treated horrible and even have a way higher death rate then saddleseat
@@Saddle_Editz it’s quite obvious there can be/is abuse in every discipline. But I’m not talking about every other horse riding sport, I’m talking about saddleseat.
its just so sad how people get the two mixed up. cause they are two completely different things. i ride saddle seat and when people say that its abuse because they mix the two up it gets me upset because they dont know the difference. i will definitely show this video to people who dont understand.
I also ride Saddleseat and people tell me all the time that we abuse horses and it just makes me really sad because so many people know about it that they mix it up with Saddleseat!
I ride regular English, hunter jumper but the two videos? I can immediately see the difference. Saddle seat horses do have a high step but it’s not like comic and ridiculous looking. This big lick looks.... like I don’t understand how it’s even a thing. It looks utterly ridiculous. (I took a college class at a saddle seat barn and they were VERY engaged and concerned with their horses welfare.)
Around me, the only thing is biglick and I hate it. And about the flies, I agree completely with everything you said, but the horses never even see the outside unless they're working. A boy who rides with his g-pa asked why I had a fly mask I my horse and when I said that it he was outside 24/7 because he's retired he was like asking me why he wasn't in a barn. I almost lost it
Ugh! That’s awful! And yes, I’m sure you’re right, those horses don’t need to swat the flies because they don’t see the outdoors very much. Such a shame. Here are my thoughts on that subject: ua-cam.com/video/RASNXdmMgaU/v-deo.html
Agree 100%!!! IT IS NOT RIDING, IT'S BARBARIC.🤬 it is absolutely horse abuse. Unbelievable....makes me sick to my stomach 🤬 horrific.🤬These poor horses
Thank you for letting me know about that horrible treatment of those beautiful horses. I knew a gentleman that owned a horse that was the son of Midnight Sun. And I lived watching him move. I was only 6 and that affected me the rest of my life.To hear thehoofbeats coming up the road to my house and the excitement I felt until I was able to see that gorgeous animal. And now I find out how they have been treated. So sad
This is absolutely insanely cruel, what they are doing to these horses. You can see in their eyes the pain and agony these animals are being put through. This just breaks my heart to see these practices of soring. What can we do to put a stop to this abuse?
Find out at each show who is sponsoring the big lick class...which company is putting up the prize money! Then call the company president hd complain...email them...call the local TV station and complain...call the local radio station and always talk to the owner or company president and complain!
Tricia Adamson big luck has been banned from states such as north carolina. what happens now at these horse shows is every horse that goes to one of these shows gets checked to see if there is any scarring or any signs that these horses have been hurt in any way. they have been cracking down on this a lot. if anyone is caught doing this is not allowed to compete and they are charged with animal abuse.
If you tried to do what these Big Lick monsters do to the Arabians I’ve worked with, you’d get tossed into the dirt, fast. Those poor Tennessee Walkers have such an easygoing disposition that they’ll even submit to horrible torture. Poor darlings deserve real own.
It’s pretty obvious the difference between these two! There is nothing altering the Saddle seat ridden horses legs or feet........ I feel so sorry for TWH! It needs to be banned!! My daughters horse is an Arab and has a very upright neck naturally....... you did very well to contain yourself during this video!
I agree, Big Lick should definitely be banned. I’ll be going to a show hosting the Big Lick classes this weekend to gather more information. I’m prepared to be horrified. 🤢😢🤬
Deanna Corby you’ve got a stronger resolve than me! I hope the stands are empty, not that it would make any different because they are competing for their own glory..... in from Australia and weep at the fact that people are doing this to their gorgeous Animals! Priscilla Presley is actually actively working against the big lick as her and Elvis used to have TWH!
Ally Smith -Really?! I had no idea. Good for her. I know of another protesting group that is already at the show grounds. BillGoBoy. I’ve signed his petition and hope to meet up with him as well. He’s a very avid Big Lick protestor. I’m sure we won’t be able to change the minds of the current abusers but I’m hoping we can educate future generations about this horrible practice done to these beautiful animals.
Actually, that is incorrect. Saddle seat horses are all extremely hollow which results in many biomechanical problems. Kissing spines, L dip, broken at the 3rd vertebrae. It even causes lamenesses as all of the shock goes directly into the hard tissues of the joints. Horses that are over their backs have "Shock Absorbers" as Will Faerber likes to describe.
dear god, big lick is horrible and scary. Poor horses.. I’m glad I have a Tennessee Walker. We might’ve saved him from being a big lick horse. Those poor horses did nothing to deserve that horrible abuse. I’d just love to take those shoes off of them, and take the pain away and then hug them all :(
I signed a patition against big-lick years ago after watching an undercover from a training barn As I understand this perticular trainer was banned from the association, but still practised as a trainer. It was so long ago I do'nt remember who made the video, but the horride images still haunts me. It's so sad to see the pain in their eyes and know what they have to endure. It does not seem like they care if they hurt their horses
and people actually think this is ok, it’s torture, and it’s cruel, the southeast needs to have this banned, i’ve seen Tennessee walking horses and they are beautiful, and have beautiful gaits, it’s truly sad
I had a Saddlebred for a few years, and even though she was more of a hunt seat type horse than a gaited horse, I still learned a little bit about saddle seat riding from the stables I rode at. Even though abuse can occur in ANY genre of riding (even western, and some western folks can be REALLY rough with their horses), most saddle seat riders do NOT abuse their horses. Saddlebred gaits are natural and beautifully flowing, tail stretching is done over a period of time by gently stretching the tail muscles rather than nicking them, and these horses are NOT sored -- in fact, a Saddlebred trainer told me that Saddlebreds will not perform with sore feet. Gaited Saddlebreds don't have ugly stacks on their feet or chains around their ankles. But the Big Lick stuff is another story. The people who partake in this are obviously oblivious to the cruelty that they're inflicting on their animals, partly because they've been raised to see it as a tradition, or they want to have a champion that they can either sell or breed offspring from for big bucks. But I honestly don't see how ANYBODY can see how the Big Lick as attractive, unless they're totally desensitized to it. It's pretty obvious that the animals are straining just to move in the show ring, the stacks are ugly and distracting from the natural beauty of the animal, and their backs are sloped at an unnatural angle because they're forced to throw their front feet so high. And that's just what you CAN see in the show ring. What you DON'T see is downright sadistic. Sometimes their owners/trainers will mix up these chemical concoctions, put it on the horses' feet and then wrap them up and leave the mixture to "cook", causing unimaginable pain to the horse. Sometimes, as what is perceived as a courtesy, when a Big Lick horse is sold, the previous owner will even give a soring "recipe" to the new owner! Sometimes the animal is in so much pain that they don't want to get up, so the owner/trainer whips them to get them up, and apparently it's not considered a horrible, inhumane thing in their eyes! Chains and other irritants are then put on the already sore and sensitive ankles to get the horses to throw their feet up faster and higher. Other methods are also used, like jamming sharp objects like nails up into the sensitive part of the hooves, or running an unshod horse over rocks to make their feet hurt. And because these shows are often self-inspecting, the owners and trainers find ways to get out of having their evil deeds exposed. If a show lasts for more than one night, they will simply leave on the first night without showing their horses, and then return the following nights, when inspectors are less likely to be there. Sometimes they will put numbing sprays on their horses' feet during inspections, which usually wears off by the time the horse gets into the show ring. An even more barbaric method of avoiding soring evidence is something known as "stewarding", which is punishing horses who flinch when a sore spot is touched. You have to be REALLY sadistic to do that to ANY animal! The Big Lick is something that should have been outlawed long ago, but due to the combination of people holding onto what they believe is a tradition, and the money involved if a horse wins, it's going to be easier said than done to get rid off! But this is something that really needs to go the way of the dodo bird, before any more innocent horses suffer from this!
@@JoMarieM You need to stop thinking with emotions. It's not a "barbaric" practice until it's proven that ACTUAL abuse happens regularly. So far, the (albeit little) research that has been done has proven that pads and action devices, like chains below 6 oz., which is the maximum weight permitted by the HPA/USDA, don't have any detrimental effect on TWHs. Even the AVMA, which advocates for the abolishing of performance packages, admits that, based on their OWN RESEARCH, pads and action devices are not harmful to the horse. On to "unnaturally sloped backs." TWH have a naturally different center of gravity that allows them to gait comfortably and safely, even on pads. Now that that's established, let's move on to soring and why pads exist. Performance packages, which are pads/stacks, did NOT exist back then, and pads were invented to replace soring with no harm done to the horse. Soring began in the late 50s/early 60s, which is applying caustic chemicals such as mustard gas to the pastern or heel of a show horse. This would cause the horse to pick up their feet higher. Because of soring, a federal law was passed called the 'Horse Protection Act,' or HPA. This law forbid the transport, sale, showing, etc. of a sored horse. Today, this law is enforced by the USDA, which performs mandatory inspections before and after every single class at sanctioned shows, for both flat shod and padded show horses. So far, the HPA has a **98%** compliance rate. This means that out of every single horse inspected by the USDA, only 2% of them were shown to have a violation. Most of the violations are minor, usually foreign substance that turns out to be mud or baby powder, or they will be field scars. People like this UA-camr, or people like Clant Seay a.ka. "BillyGoBoy," are the reason why the masses are so misinformed, willingly ignorant, and emotionally fuelled by what they think must be "abuse." I hope you try to come to learn about the truth instead of relying on uneducated UA-camrs to give you your information that will inevitably lead to the downfall of a beautiful gaited breed with decades of culture behind it.
@@JoMarieM Please respond. I am genuinely interested in educating others but if they ignore me completely after presenting why they're wrong, they can't learn.
@@Hotaruflash I've seen videos of these horses performing in the Big Lick Shows, and I find it very painful to watch. These animals often seem to be struggling just to move, the heavy stacks on their feet detract from the natural beauty of the animal, and their body language does not indicate that of an animal that is comfortable with what they are doing. Even when they are standing still, some of these animals are trembling, and their eyes indicate that they are scared and/or in pain. I've seen Tennessee Walking Horses being ridden normally, and there is a VAST difference in the way they move. I don't see this uncomfortable behavior with Saddle seat, western or English huntseat horses, even though I know that there are obviously some questionable practices in these disciplines, too. And just because very few people who do the Big Lick stuff get caught abusing their horses, doesn't mean that others are not doing it and getting away with it. Some people have no problem using cruelty with their horses, if it achieves the results that they want. If this Big Lick stuff really isn't all that bad, as you claim, then tell me why there is so much controversy about it, and there are so many terrible things that people in this discipline are STILL doing with these horses? It wasn't just in the 50s and 60s when people were doing this stuff -- it STILL happens today. People have just become more skilled about hiding it. No other discipline, not even horse racing, attracts the level of scrutiny that the Big Lick stuff does. And the people who do Big Lick don't seem concerned to me about the cruelty in this discipline, or even want to admit that it exists!
This is the video we needed I have America saddled bread and I’m done with people always telling me that I’m a part of the big lick thank you for this video and it’s very resourceful and I’m going to share this with many people to show them
I’m so glad u made this video, a lot of people hate on saddle seat and think it’s just like bug lick but it’s NOT. I ride saddle seat and it’s not abusing the horses in ANY way
I hate the big lick, a pea-shooting motion of the front legs in a high-stepping motion. Unfortunately, I've seen people blame the breed itself when it is the trainers and owners of Tennessee Walkers who do this to their TWH or allow it.
I owned icelandic horses , i first start riding with a young horse at the age of 4/5 years. A gaited horse takes longer to developed the growth of their bones and muscles. Its common to put weights on their shoes so they lift their feet up a bitt more. But they are bred to walk like that. It shocked me to see the rider on a 18 Month old horse
Riding saddle seat myself it gets confused with big lick a lot. This has made saddle seat look like an abusive discipline. I get asked why I ride it if it is abusive that is the farthest thing from the truth. The saddle seat horses I'm around tend to be treated like they are the most important thing in the world. Thank you for making this video if they truly want to know what the difference is they will find this video!
Gotta COMPLETELY AGREE about the Walker crowd! My grandparents raised Saddlebreds during the 50s-70s and can say that I NEVER saw them mistreat a one of them... Grandpa was a real cowboy and had respect for all animals. He wouldn't mistreat a rat if he were paid to. I remember that he'd "train" their tails from the time they were just babies... He'd bag them and lay them up on their hind quarters. The bag was held still by a belt. By the time they were about a yearling, off the bag would come and they had natural, high tail carriage with complete control over their tails for use as fly swatters. I also remember Grandma and Grandpa taking in unwanted Tennessee Walkers... Once they got them, they'd turn them out with their Saddlers and they'd eventually "pick up" the way the Saddlebreds would play and strut around... We had a black Walker gelding named Charlie that they had adopted... He hung out with my Five Gaiter, Captain Hook... That horse would mimic almost everything that Hook would do. Ended up with really high action NATURALLY... I'm certain that it just came to him by those two playing together. My mom always said that animals are sometimes much more intelligent than a lot of people... And I have no reason NOT to have believed her.
They both seem to ride over the horses kidneys. The riders seem to slam the horses backs awfully hard. Nothing like a good English rider who sits properly and still. It’s so sad there is so much mistreatment of horses, especially Tennessee Walkers. We live in Kentucky and I saw the Big Lick in the flesh. It’s ghastly, the horses actually grunt in pain as they perform. We watched 1 class and I had to leave. It was more than disturbing. The Tennessee Walking horse was developed for a smooth fast walk that covered ground so plantation owners could get to all parts of their land on a fast comfortable horse. How it came to this is bizarre. They people who support Big Lick are hostile because deep down they know it’s not a good thing in any way.
Thanks for addressing this! I spent some time boarding at a mostly saddlebred barn and they are not much better to their horses. Look up images of “saddlebred tail sets,” any horse you see with the bend in its tail wears one of these harnesses 24/7/365. They only come off to show. Leg chains on every horse. Zero turnout- they can’t with the (legal) shoes the horses wear. They throw fire crackers and crack whips as the horses are going by. The “trainer” Even told me saddlebreds are the only breed that will take this kind of “training.” Yikes. Everyone thought it was normal! I had to get out of there. I’m sure there are good horsemen in the saddlebred world, but each one I met was blind to the abuse.
Then you were in an individual barn that has less then moral trainers. This is not the case for all. I showed Saddlebreds for years. Mine got daily turn out, did not have chains on their ankles and were not in tail harnesses. There will always be some people who have to take things too far, in all disciplines but with Tennessee walkers BIG LICK. they are all abused. Tennessee Walkers on their own are wonderful horses, gentle, sturdy and comfortable to ride...Flat shod is the way to go.
While I think that this was quite the extreme when it comes to daily life in a barn, there is a huge difference between this and the abuse that is going on in the TWH circle doing the Big Lick. Is captivating, training, riding, and showing abusive? No. It might be less than desirable or less than ideal to some bystanders, but it is NOT abuse.
I’m in the saddle seat industry and the only thing people do to help the tails including me is we either put a cover over the tail so the top part of the tail isn’t showing because it can get ugly but this might be kinda controversial but putting a tail brace which does not affect the tail much but it kinda holds it up and in place so it looks good and we do nothing like cut tendons or harm the horse in any way except the occasional person that everyone hates...
Yeah. Totally insane with the big lick and cutting the tail tendon. I road saddle seat years ago with my half Arab, half saddlebred and he just had the natural talent. We never did anything weird to him to increase the action. We qualified for nationals but due to family issues I had to sell my horse but to a trainer I had known for years. They showed him all through his golden years and will retire with them until the end.
The crazy paso Fino people cut the tendons on the side making a J tail shape...?!? It's constantly getting dreads around the j and I can see no advantage to it other than vets make money. I have a Paso and he is so awesome.
I live in Tennessee and accidentally found myself in Big Lick country on the day of the abusive event. My son was on leave so we did go to their museum in Wartrace, Tennessee. At first I didn't realize what we were walking into. It suddenly became very apparent once the woman running the museum said she'd stay open just as long as she didn't miss the Big Lick Show. From that point on I started looking around and saw the all the torture devices. No pictures allowed. She invited us to the show. I pulled the side and told him we had to go and see the truth. From that point on I've been speaking out. It broke my heart. They cover every stall so no one can see the atrocities.
I did saddleseat with a TWH. It was kind of fun! But I mostly ride saddlebreds and Morgan's! I've been doing saddleseat for about 4 years! AND I LOVE IT! It's such adrenaline rush! This video was very educational! Good job!
I’m so happy someone is speaking out about this! I ride saddle seat and it’s so annoying and sad when people think we abuse our horses because they get it mixed with big lick, we treat our horses better than we treat ourselves!! Personally I think big lick os disgusting, the TWH is such a beautiful breed and what they do is horrible. They make the horses look so dopey and it’s obvious they are in pain. It’s so disturbing to watch to see the horses that obviously in pain, don’t mistake saddle seat with big lick
All saddle seat I've ever trained horses for has been done through training. It's been highly popular since the 50s, I've gotten the big lick walk out of horses without having to use the big lick(stacks) which is the stacks on front hoves by training and using saddle seat style riding, this also includes no chains or soaring, the walking horse has a naturally high step so training to get them to step higher I've found is far easier then with other non high stepping breeds but it can be done. This is how I've always done it, train for saddle seat style riding is completely non abusive, after use a lunge line, a traing crop or traing stick whichever you prefer to call it, have one person hold the line, the other with the stick and tap the behind the front legs just hard enough to get them to lift higher then normal. Obviously not hard enough to hurt them or cause damage, it takes longer for obvious reasons but you can with enough time get the same walk. How or why people are so concerned now I'll never know, people in equestrian circles have been trying to get this banned since it should've been outlawed outlawed in the the 1970s under the horse protection act. Yet to this day it still is around in two states Kentucky and Tennessee, every other state has banned them which is why so few have heard of it. I knew about when my grandmother's friend got an old big lick rescue horse, I had no clue as we live in New Hampshire but the she pulled out what is called a stack which is 5lbs of lead inside of what you see attached to the hoof from another that came to her some time way back when. We had to get him in the barn and I wanted know what it felt like I hopped on back, went in the barn, next words out of my mouth would've Satan cry. That's when I wanted see if there was another way to do hence what's mentioned above, the ones I trained didn't do to bad either around new england. Since 2012 when glimmer went nation wide on TV for this because after 10yrs of showing the owner made a video to sell him everyone has known and yet only a few still care, the usda got involved at one point this was the last time glimmer was disqualified, now it's harder to tell as the trainers use spay paint to cover up the sores on the bottom of the legs to make them look healthy. I've checked all my horses before, during and after training to ensure the safety and health, not to mention quit when they want to cause nothing good comes from pushing.
Saddleseat is simply a style I grew up breeding/ riding saddlebreds. I'm tired of getting tied into the horrible things big lick trainers do. But honestly talk to an active saddlebred trainer before taking what shes saying to heart cause alot is as I've read or as I assume. She has alot of misconceptions but honestly she's not to far off. And fyi everything we do to a horse is without the horse's concent sooooo yea welcome to the horse business
This is absolutely insane! Why are there no institutions banning this animal cruelty? I had no idea. This gives a whole new light to horse "sports" to me. These poor creatures look scared to death and they are clearly in so much pain.
I've seen several Saddle Seat shows where artificial tails were used to give the tail set look and the horse's own tail wasn't raised at all. I know because sometimes the artificial tails come loose and you can see them clearly. Which is a relief but really if we could just ban that "fashion look" altogether I'd be happier.
Omg I love u u are a safe rider u care for ur horse and I own a horse I do show jumping and I totally HATE these ppl who are hurting the horses I mean did u see the horses faces they are clearly hurting 😷🤕🤬
THANK YOU Deanna . . . . I very much appreciate the attention you are bringing to the unnatural 'nonsense' / damage that's been a part of some 'pleasure horse' riders = NOT MUCH PLEASURE FOR THEIR POOR ABUSED HORSES !!! It is violently horrendous and should NEVER be a part of any horse lovers life or any horse anywhere ! I am appalled at this is allowed to happen when it's SO SO SO damaging to the life of the horse !
as a saddle seat rider, the breed of horses i ride, morgan horses, is no longer LEGALLY allowed to maneuver a horses tail. however, there is no way for judges to stop participants from doing it. i have ridden a horse with a tampered tail, and he swats flies fine. his tail carriage is just higher. It is a quickly dying fad in the world of morgan horse saddleseat competition.
I have a Tennessee walker but I DO NOT do the big lick I would never do that to any horse in the world the big lick is so abusive it’s so so sad to watch it’s sad to watch what they do with there tails too 😭
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! the watchers, the riders and the judges. This is wrong, so very wrong and so very cruel. Unbelieveably cruel. Have y'all seen what these poor beautiful horses also have to endure BEHIND the scenes. The chemicals, the physical abuse, the verbal abuse, the training. The performing itself. How can people think and believe this is okay? How can people watch this and not cry? How can people be so blinded. This is heart breaking. So bloody heartbreaking. I wish pain and torture on all these people. All of them. Curse you all! PS THIS IS ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT
My friend was like “ well yournq horse abuser cause your horse has blocks“ saddle seat shoes are not in any way shape or form like the big lick shoes, even if the horses are on blocks they are extremely small and there is a reason why they have those or they have specific shoes for a class or they don’t feel comfortable with any other kind you, Saddleseat does not abuse HORSES and people need to normalize that. Thank you for making this video
As a saddle seat rider I can say that big lick is completely different. Big lick as many people know is extremely abusive. Saddleseat generally isn’t abusive but there are always some abusive people in the mix. I ride a 17.8 hand saddlebred; in big lick they will use any breed of horse and most likely never a saddlebred. Saddlebreds naturally lift their legs higher.
There are many different breeds they do rear end cutting,many paso finos have this also,I have paso finos but,it saddens me any harm be done to any animals for the sake of ribbons and trophies,I think that's great you are making ppl award.Thank you❤
“Seen their horses” explain? Dressage uses the same bits. What methods? Theirs abusive people in every discipline it’s on YOU if that’s who spend time around
These individuals abusing these poor horses need to be charged for animal cruelty. Where is the SPCA in all this. These large grown individuals look absolutely absurd forcing these horses to do something completely unnatural. This is sickening at every level. Thank you for speaking out in this…again where are the animal welfare groups.
Thank you for this video. I love horses but didn't have the privilege in learning to ride, so everything I know about them come from books. I think information like this should be clear in horse books, or at least give some insight in these riding styles. Personally, in my opinion, the saddle seat looks legit, but the big lick is straight-up abuse. If the owners don't think anything they do to Tenesse Walking horses is wrong, it would great to see their reaction on putting chemicals on their legs everyday, constantly and having chains on their ankles so their could feel what the horses feel. Like you said, there's good and bad in every riding industry, but for sure big lick would probably be the definition of hell for a horse.
Makes me sad and angry. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Yes I would be interested hearing and trying to understand why people that says they love there horse feel it’s ok to hurt and cripple a living thing. I hope animal cruelty STOPS.
As a saddle seat rider and owner of a Arabian I have never hurt or doesn’t anything bad to my horse and saddle seat is not a bad decipline big lick is the most cruel thing I have ever seen.
I show Arabian horses in saddle seat and western. I can tell you that Arabian horses naturally have the high tail carriage and elegant movement. I have a purebred colt that is 3 months old, and we absolutely know that he will be an English horse because of his own natural high stepping movement and the way he carries himself. I also have a 14 month old Arabian filly that is absolutely going to be a western horse. She carries herself elegantly as well but she was not born with that natural movement that is needed to show English. The Brutality inflicted on those big lick horses to change their natural movement & make up., is horrifying!!
The Big Lick is repulsive. It has been illegal since 1970. Many people think it has stopped. I have been talking to horse people about it. The authorities have to be turning their backs on it. The only way to stop it is to put pressure on the people who abuse their horses this way. Like any form of abuse silence only help it to continue. Perhaps just talking to some of the owners at the show will help (will not call them riders). Any opportunity to shed light and publicize it will help turn it around. 👍
My dad went to a TWH barn back in 1970’s. He saw the horses having nails driven into the crevices of the frog on the hind hooves to add to the pain, so the horse would lower their hind quarters & add to the front end high action. I don’t know if they are still doing that, but as you said, the backyard trainers will do anything for a ribbon. The people that are torturing these beautiful animals need to be rounded up and put in jail for animal cruelty & be banned from having ANY animals in their possession.
Can not believe how much abuse the horse s go through .Must be like walking on glass ,chemicals ,chains . And arseholes sat on top . Hope it gets stopped !
I hung out at a barn with a friend who had a lovely ASB filly she was training to show, she was five gaited. They trained with bungees and chains around the ankles and called them aids, to each their own I suppose, I saw no injuries to horses's legs. Some had their tail tendons cut but most just wore a special harness every night that stretched the tendon so the tail would be higher in a show. I never saw my friend do this, but at some shows I did see trainers applying some sort of substance to the underside of the tail, an irritant I was told. The one thing I really DON'T like about it is the horse being ridden hollow, I've seen so many ASBs with swayback.
40 years ago shows had hunter-jumper, saddle seat, walkers, multiple breeds. All the breeds and plantation walkers had life in their eyes. The plantation TN walkers had normal movement but the show walkers who did the big lick looked dead in their eyes from pain. That was 40 years ago...can't believe this is still happening!
The walking horse people were told to clean up their act, now it's the law. No soring or chains. and now they have USDA inspectors at all their shows. I just got back from a saddlebred show and the safe sport thing made everyone stay home. No inspectors just USEF vets.
No one in their right minds should find this acceptable. These are living, feeling animals which are being exploited in the most inhuman and ghastly way to meet some utterly ridiculous standard. The natural lovely movement of these horses is turned into something not only grotesque but unbearable to watch by anyone who purports to admire and respect horses. As a New Zealander, I cannot feel that this is making America great. Entirely the reverse - it is a disgrace.
I don't know about now but Saddlebreds used to have the cut tails also....and that means they have to live in a harness to keep the tail from laying crooked.24X7 so mostly live in a stall cause dangerous to turn them out with all the straps etc. from the harness
I was a farrier in east Tennessee and it's worse than you know but what you don't know is that these horses have amazing trusting and forgiving hearts. They can be shown flat shod. Although I had no experience with gaited horses I trained a few using classical dressage and after I developed their top line they naturally go into gait. I was recently given an abused paso Fino that has really thrived using a modified dressage that includes their amazing 4 beat fino gait. Their temperament as an historic war horse really takes well to dressage. Wouldn't it be amazing if the dressage world opened up a place for gaited horses? Their movement is natural and it would be a great alternative. These horses are trained with these pain devices because a trainer can take a green horse to "world champion" in 6 months. I was outspoken against the big lick which is big money for farriers who build those stacks. To get me back they would give my number to people wanting their donkeys trimmed cuz they hated doing them... I fell in love with them and specialize in them. I got good at trimming for laminitic horses as the retired big lick horses had foundered.
❤️❤️❤️
you are a fking diidiot....I am a walking horse farrier, an YOU are full of SCHIT....you fking CLOWNS!!
🙏❤️👍❤️
all of the men who ride in the big lick look like creepy villains riding all hunched over in their outfits
not to mention they look drugged up!
Ikr
100th like
Why are they sitting like that? I have never seen this only heard of it and I always give any representation of it in real life or models a hard time because as long as artists portray this as somehow beautiful, the abuse will continue in real life. Stuff like this filters down from art and at the bottom of the pile are the poor flesh and blood horses who are suffering. Everyone should question this. Whether it be in real life or Breyer models it needs stamping out.
They look like the child snatcher from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang or the grime reaper at the London Olympics
I'm from Tennessee and I can tell you that a lot of the Tennessee walking horse people of old have abandoned the breed or stopped showing because of the cult of big lick. Larry Massey was my grandpa's friend in Nashville and he was basically banned from walker shows because he once brought a mule to a show and had it ridden big lick style around the arena. He did it to prove that you could make any gaited horse or mule or ANYTHING move that way because it's such an artificial gait. He did it to prove that horses that won the shows had no breeding value because they weren't breeding for a real gait that could be passed down, just a high tolerance for misery. Big lick and the people who defend it are the same as flat earthers in my book, they won't admit they're in a cult.
Omg I would love to see those reactions😂😂
This is going to be the whole reason why will love respect & cherries my animals and being one of the best horseman in the world. Because of this video!
These people cowards. In Mexico we do it different. The horses dance naturally.
strayiggyTV - fascinating to hear of Larry Massey and his mule - Giving a person non-removeable high heels to wear 24/7 for 3 years would undoubtedly change the way they move and would develop different muscles to compensate for the uneven pressure. May I suggest you do a YT documentary on this subject - especially interviews with Larry Massey, your grandfather and others of their ilk (hopefully he and many of his allies are still alive). Many of us find it fascinating to hear of horsemanship and animal husbandry from years gone by. All blessings to Whistleblowers and anyone, like Larry Massey, who take a courageous stance against cruelty.
Bogans need to go back to school
I don't see how anyone can think the big lick is pretty or impressive. It's clear the horses are in pain. Their eyes wide and confused, backs hollow and hocks wobbling trying to compensate for lifting their front feet so high. It can't be comfortable to ride either, completely defeating the TWH breed. It's a disgusting practice all around. People are so mean. Poor horses.
I feel the exact same way. 😢
I dont understand this kind of riding and equipment It turns one of the most graceful movers on Earth into a parody. Like a fast-walking giraffe that has been kicked in the butt. Why go for that??
It reminds me of how my dog walks when we put her winter booties on in the winter.
Soul Companion K9s I think is pretty amazing😉
xXrÿłëēXx RoO I think it’s pretty pathetic.
I actually ride SaddleSeat and at my barn there is no abuse what so ever. People that support the big lick need help and are sick people if u look up a Tennessee walkers normal gaits they are beautiful but what they do to them is terrible
Curious, I had a nice Arab mare I ended up trading for a pony for my kids who jumped. Only traded her b/c I like to do some low level eventing and after 3 years of owning her, she did NOT have any interest in jumping and wanted her to have a home to fit her needs. The lady I traded with was a hunter / jumper states away and knew she didn't want to jump but gave lessons and said she needed a nice lesson safe horse but that they also had a wonderful Arab community. I just sent her updated video of the pony letting her know how much we adore him and asked for updates on her. She sold her b/c she didn't want jump, I assume she thought she could get her over it. She's in KY and she sent me a picture of her in the field which looked nice, and also sent a video. It was grainy and it took me a minute to realize why her gait looked off. It was of her trotting and if you look closely you can see some type of weights on her front legs/hooves with a bungee attached and a crouper on. I feel horrified. I asked the lady whom I traded with and her response was " it's some training technique. I've seen it at other saddle seat farms. I think it's so they pick they're feet up". Is this common??? Seems like abuse?? She seemed very knowledgeable and legit so I'm kind of shocked she seems so nonchalant about it.
@@chelseatodd1449 Yes this is a common training exercise in saddleseat. It's called "long-lining" or sometimes "ground driving"...Don't worry, it's not abusive in the least...The bands are just resistance training, exactly the same as humans using resistance bands to build and tone their leg and core muscles. The cuffs aren't weighted, and are almost always highly padded, to prevent discomfort, and any potential friction that might harm the horse's skin. The "stretchy" part is usually reinforced medical tubing. I used quotations because that's what they're usually called in saddleseat training, either "stretchies" or "stretchers". So just for your future reference, incase you hear the term used somewhere else, you'll know what they mean. These help to build muscle in their legs. That's really all it is. When they're used in conjunction with a surcingle (crupper), aka "long-lining", it also helps to build the top line, and allows the trainer to see/make corrections in their movement, head set, gait, and overall carriage, from the ground. Whereas, from the saddle, they wouldn't normally be able to see which specific issues may need correcting. Honestly, the long-lining is no different than the horse being ridden in a martingale, or driven in a cart, except for the lack of extra weight, and the use of the stretchies are no different than track stars who wear resistance bands during training or before a race. If you're interested in looking it up, there are actually dozens of pics on line of humans wearing identical devices, but designed to work on human legs, rather than horses. Hope this helps. 😊
@Ashley Six Thank you for the very thorough explanation. Familiar with resistance bands, didn't think of it this way. Again, I'm not at all familiar with Saddle Seat and all I had to reference was from a grainy second hand video sent to me so it was very hard to see any detail. I tried to google it prior to posting here but all I could really find was everything on Big Lick - now that looks horrifying! I appreciate your response, makes me feel better!
Hannah 22 yea but all breeds have something bad about the industry
Hannah 22 Same!
thank you for clarifying. i ride saddle seat and it makes me sad that people confuse us. some saddle seat people alter the tail of saddlebreds, but where i'm from, we want our horses to look as natural as possible. we don't do anything to the tails, faces, manes, no extensions, etc. our horses are half arabian, half saddlebred (nsh).
You better prepare because they are gonna take saddle seats pads and bans just a heads up
Bru that problem looks uglier than a burnt chicken nugget
Poor horses 😢😢
All those who say racing is evil, should see THIS.
aikitbliambanu they’re both evil in their own ways, racing has more fatalities though. 119-120 in 2017 to 2018
Walking horses don't snap legs and die on a trackm
Jeremy Jermani horses die in every discipline 🤷🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
aikitbliambanu it’s not evil
xXrÿłëēXx RoO it is evil to take advantage of a horses docile nature. That is exactly what happens every single day in the Big Lick industry.
Soring has to END. No more cruelty in disguise of a so-called “sport” - this is a grotesque and pitiful mockery of these gorgeous horses and their sweet dispositions. Pain pain pain pain pain.
PAIN in a mute, docile creature.
Soring is generally mu ch out of use asthe horses are all tested. By a federal vet.
.
@@markwalsh6138 - not true
@@millsixstudios very true. Shows have DQPs where horses are checked before and after every class. Dont call bullshit until you've actually experienced it yourself.
@@markwalsh6138 you’re mostly right but I’ve heard of people getting by who “only barely sore” the horses by paying off the inspectors
It has ended
I own a beautiful twh. I pulled his papers and refuse to show at any twh show. Until they ditch the big lick classes. It only hurting horses and the breed. Natural gait is wonderful as it is. They are such a gentle soul so it easy to abuse them. They won't fit back like a high spirit breed. They are a perfect family horse and versatile breed.
Big lick makes me feel queezy when I look at the horses doing that torture
Thank you for this, saddle seat is beautiful and genuine riding, but it gets tainted by the big lick because some people confuse the two- despite the only thing in common is the saddle
Classic Vogue Dressage thank you!
Not sure how you think it is beautiful.. But anyway, saddle seat riders purposefully make them as hollow as they can to get the movement they want. This results in tremendous damage to the horses' bodies. I have seen saddle seat horses with absolutely disgusting sway backs at a very young age. Why do you think those saddles have that deep pommel? This type of riding just makes them deteriorate. Kissing spines, broken at the 3rd vertebrae, L dip, and many more painful problems. Sure, the big lick is a lot worst, but saddle seat is a part of the few disciplines that don't correspond with properly moving horses. You want a horse that is moving beautifully over their backs, lifting and supporting the rider. Not tense and hollow which results in the vertebra rubbing together etc. Some people say saddle seat is like sitting in an armchair. Well, then why don't you go sit in an armchair instead of mentally and physically damaging horses.
Nicole_Eventer With all do respect, in saddleseat it would be impossible for them to be hollow. They cannot physically reach high stepping movements ( which is natural ) without engaging their back. And as for the sway back, it is very genetic. Yes, it can be worsened by certain things, but not standard riding. The saddle has a deeper pommel to compensate for the horse lifting up. The neck and shoulders in a naturally high stepping movement. You also can’t put all of saddleseat into one category, that would be like criticizing all of huntseat. I’m not trying to act like I know everything because I don’t, but I just wish to voice the facts that I’m aware of, as a saddleseat, huntseat, and western rider. Thank you
Sarah Transue ohhhh my god that is so funny 😂 😂. Seriously nothing could be further from the truth😂😂😂. Only horses that have been hollow for a certain amount of time can have so much leg action. Hence the dressage term: “leg mover”... That is the BIOMECHANICS of it. If you watch horses that are over their backs, they do NOT have the ridiculous leg action that saddle seat is all about. If they were over their backs (which means btw when their back LIFTS up.. just in case since your knowledge seems to come from the world of idiots) they will not have a sway back. The deep pommel is only used in saddle seat because of how sway backed they all become.. I have seen saddlebreds that are works properly and they look nothing like the ones that compete in saddle seat. Secondly, do you do any stretching? At all? No? That’s what I thought. A horse HAS got to be stretched to start to lift their core ( no matter the breed so don’t even try to pull that excuse) That is the beginning step. Sooo... if you are actually interested in how the horses body works maybe read Dr Gerd Heuschmann’s books and look up Art2ride. I am just in so shock from reading that😂🤦🏼♀️ oh and also, huntseat riders can actually have their horses working over their backs and have it work in their favor.. saddle seat can’t.. anddd one more thing.. hollow riding causes kissing spines etc lmao. Hollow back = vertebrae rubbing together. Back up = vertebrae seperating. Make sense?
Nicole_Eventer Have you ever ridden saddleseat or even been to one of the barns? Yes, their back is lifting, yes they are engaged. Even while you ride, you can feel their back lifting. Take a horse that’s not working well, with their nose stuck out, that horse is hollow. Do our horses look like that? No. And sway back is GENETIC, talk to any vet. And like I said before, yes it can be worsened. But with special care, its not a big deal. And you seem to only look at saddlebreds. In case you didn’t know, they have a high head carriage which means their back will naturally be more curved. But you also are ONLY looking at saddlebreds. Do you not realize that other breeds participate heavily in saddleseat( Arabians and Morgans just to name a couple). And yes saddleseat can not only allow, but good riding requires, them not to be hollow. So, how about you stop talking bad about something you have no experience with
I’m really glad someone is speaking out about these styles of riding! You are absolutely right and the Big Lick is Disgusting!!!!
Really glad to see this! I'm learning jumper at a saddleseat barn (long story) and while I will say a few of the saddlebreds at our stables make me uncomfortable, those are personal cases. For the most part they're treated well and loved on, and our barn champions actually get to roam the property entirely free from dawn until dusk. Lots of happy, goofy horses. I have my issues with saddleseat and some of the practices commonly involved (a few horses here have cut tails which to me is absolutely abuse/mutilation) but for the most part the bad bits of the sport can absolutely be improved and altered for future generations. Big Lick is entirely different and completely based around abuse. Some saddleseat traditions need changing, but Big Lick should simply be illegal.
Big money.
As a girl that owns a trail riding Tennessee walking horse it makes me so sad they sore these beautiful animals.
Thank god that soring doesn’t happen anymore
@@theflatwalktalk5684unfortunately it still does 😢
Omg thank you so much for this it can get really annoying how people get my discipline confused !!!
What discipline is that? Saddle seat???? Shame on you
KikiV why shame on her? Because she rides saddleseat? It’s not much different than riding any other discipline🤷🏼♀️
I used to ride saddle seat and I even competed it but after further evaluation of the discipline it can be very abusive.
KikiV // um wdym shame on you what’s wrong with saddleseat
KikiV I ride saddle seat and agree that it can be abusive. But it is not true that all saddleseat is abusive. My barn treats our horses right and not all barns are bad
I have ridden saddleseat for almost 6 years now. I can tell you the amount of times someone uneducated on the discipline told me I was riding at an abusive barn. I thank you for making this video and educating people on the very extreme differences between blatant abuse and a beautiful non abusive style of riding. Also just some other things, we like to keep our horses pretty natural. We don’t clip them because we live pretty far north and it gets cold. Only one of our horses wears extensions and that’s because part of his tail had to be amputated after an accident when he was a baby. None of our horses use shoes too large for them or anything like that. (I ride saddlebreds FYI)
Yea same and I agree I’m so tired of posting videos and people not understanding lol
Saddle sea can be really terrible to the horses. U May no be but there are still a lot of disgusting things happening in saddleseat.
@@June.julyyy yes but there’s tons of abuse in all disciplines it’s not just saddleseat. Like dressage has killed tons of horses so has big lick and racing. Even jumping horses have been treated horrible and even have a way higher death rate then saddleseat
@@Saddle_Editz it’s quite obvious there can be/is abuse in every discipline. But I’m not talking about every other horse riding sport, I’m talking about saddleseat.
@@Saddle_Editz obviously jumping has a higher death rate...
its just so sad how people get the two mixed up. cause they are two completely different things. i ride saddle seat and when people say that its abuse because they mix the two up it gets me upset because they dont know the difference. i will definitely show this video to people who dont understand.
I also ride Saddleseat and people tell me all the time that we abuse horses and it just makes me really sad because so many people know about it that they mix it up with Saddleseat!
I ride regular English, hunter jumper but the two videos? I can immediately see the difference. Saddle seat horses do have a high step but it’s not like comic and ridiculous looking. This big lick looks.... like I don’t understand how it’s even a thing. It looks utterly ridiculous.
(I took a college class at a saddle seat barn and they were VERY engaged and concerned with their horses welfare.)
Around me, the only thing is biglick and I hate it. And about the flies, I agree completely with everything you said, but the horses never even see the outside unless they're working. A boy who rides with his g-pa asked why I had a fly mask I my horse and when I said that it he was outside 24/7 because he's retired he was like asking me why he wasn't in a barn. I almost lost it
Ugh! That’s awful! And yes, I’m sure you’re right, those horses don’t need to swat the flies because they don’t see the outdoors very much. Such a shame. Here are my thoughts on that subject: ua-cam.com/video/RASNXdmMgaU/v-deo.html
Logan Pope saddle bred don’t go outside either
xXrÿłëēXx RoO that’s absolutely not true. I have 4 saddlebreds that compete at my barn and they go outside every day.
Agree 100%!!! IT IS NOT RIDING, IT'S BARBARIC.🤬 it is absolutely horse
abuse. Unbelievable....makes me sick to my stomach 🤬 horrific.🤬These
poor horses
I had a flat-shod Tennessee Walker for decades. The gait is natural-big lick is not.
this is a horrible way to treat such a beautiful horse! i ride horses and watching this makes me wanna cry. Poor animals!
Thank you for letting me know about that horrible treatment of those beautiful horses. I knew a gentleman that owned a horse that was the son of Midnight Sun. And I lived watching him move. I was only 6 and that affected me the rest of my life.To hear thehoofbeats coming up the road to my house and the excitement I felt until I was able to see that gorgeous animal. And now I find out how they have been treated. So sad
This is absolutely insanely cruel, what they are doing to these horses. You can see in their eyes the pain and agony these animals are being put through. This just breaks my heart to see these practices of soring. What can we do to put a stop to this abuse?
Find out at each show who is sponsoring the big lick class...which company is putting up the prize money! Then call the company president hd complain...email them...call the local TV station and complain...call the local radio station and always talk to the owner or company president and complain!
Tricia Adamson big luck has been banned from states such as north carolina. what happens now at these horse shows is every horse that goes to one of these shows gets checked to see if there is any scarring or any signs that these horses have been hurt in any way. they have been cracking down on this a lot. if anyone is caught doing this is not allowed to compete and they are charged with animal abuse.
@@CB-pd1og for real??
If you tried to do what these Big Lick monsters do to the Arabians I’ve worked with, you’d get tossed into the dirt, fast. Those poor Tennessee Walkers have such an easygoing disposition that they’ll even submit to horrible torture. Poor darlings deserve real own.
PREACH SISTER! I hate the big lick, saddle seat is fine that is how those horses are bred to move, but the big lick is complete and udder abuse
It’s pretty obvious the difference between these two! There is nothing altering the Saddle seat ridden horses legs or feet........
I feel so sorry for TWH! It needs to be banned!!
My daughters horse is an Arab and has a very upright neck naturally....... you did very well to contain yourself during this video!
I agree, Big Lick should definitely be banned. I’ll be going to a show hosting the Big Lick classes this weekend to gather more information. I’m prepared to be horrified. 🤢😢🤬
Deanna Corby you’ve got a stronger resolve than me! I hope the stands are empty, not that it would make any different because they are competing for their own glory..... in from Australia and weep at the fact that people are doing this to their gorgeous Animals! Priscilla Presley is actually actively working against the big lick as her and Elvis used to have TWH!
Ally Smith -Really?! I had no idea. Good for her. I know of another protesting group that is already at the show grounds. BillGoBoy. I’ve signed his petition and hope to meet up with him as well. He’s a very avid Big Lick protestor. I’m sure we won’t be able to change the minds of the current abusers but I’m hoping we can educate future generations about this horrible practice done to these beautiful animals.
Actually, that is incorrect. Saddle seat horses are all extremely hollow which results in many biomechanical problems. Kissing spines, L dip, broken at the 3rd vertebrae. It even causes lamenesses as all of the shock goes directly into the hard tissues of the joints. Horses that are over their backs have "Shock Absorbers" as Will Faerber likes to describe.
Ally Smith nobody will understand the tests this breed has to go through
Abuse has no business in any sport!!!
Thank you for your video.
dear god, big lick is horrible and scary. Poor horses.. I’m glad I have a Tennessee Walker. We might’ve saved him from being a big lick horse. Those poor horses did nothing to deserve that horrible abuse. I’d just love to take those shoes off of them, and take the pain away and then hug them all :(
I signed a patition against big-lick years ago after watching an undercover from a training barn As I understand this perticular trainer was banned from the association, but still practised as a trainer. It was so long ago I do'nt remember who made the video, but the horride images still haunts me. It's so sad to see the pain in their eyes and know what they have to endure. It does not seem like they care if they hurt their horses
I think I saw that it was one of the worst cases of legal abuse I've ever seen
Use dark magic on the abusers, punishing spell for them to feel the pain the horse feels
and people actually think this is ok, it’s torture, and it’s cruel, the southeast needs to have this banned, i’ve seen Tennessee walking horses and they are beautiful, and have beautiful gaits, it’s truly sad
I had a Saddlebred for a few years, and even though she was more of a hunt seat type horse than a gaited horse, I still learned a little bit about saddle seat riding from the stables I rode at. Even though abuse can occur in ANY genre of riding (even western, and some western folks can be REALLY rough with their horses), most saddle seat riders do NOT abuse their horses. Saddlebred gaits are natural and beautifully flowing, tail stretching is done over a period of time by gently stretching the tail muscles rather than nicking them, and these horses are NOT sored -- in fact, a Saddlebred trainer told me that Saddlebreds will not perform with sore feet. Gaited Saddlebreds don't have ugly stacks on their feet or chains around their ankles. But the Big Lick stuff is another story. The people who partake in this are obviously oblivious to the cruelty that they're inflicting on their animals, partly because they've been raised to see it as a tradition, or they want to have a champion that they can either sell or breed offspring from for big bucks. But I honestly don't see how ANYBODY can see how the Big Lick as attractive, unless they're totally desensitized to it. It's pretty obvious that the animals are straining just to move in the show ring, the stacks are ugly and distracting from the natural beauty of the animal, and their backs are sloped at an unnatural angle because they're forced to throw their front feet so high. And that's just what you CAN see in the show ring. What you DON'T see is downright sadistic. Sometimes their owners/trainers will mix up these chemical concoctions, put it on the horses' feet and then wrap them up and leave the mixture to "cook", causing unimaginable pain to the horse. Sometimes, as what is perceived as a courtesy, when a Big Lick horse is sold, the previous owner will even give a soring "recipe" to the new owner! Sometimes the animal is in so much pain that they don't want to get up, so the owner/trainer whips them to get them up, and apparently it's not considered a horrible, inhumane thing in their eyes! Chains and other irritants are then put on the already sore and sensitive ankles to get the horses to throw their feet up faster and higher. Other methods are also used, like jamming sharp objects like nails up into the sensitive part of the hooves, or running an unshod horse over rocks to make their feet hurt. And because these shows are often self-inspecting, the owners and trainers find ways to get out of having their evil deeds exposed. If a show lasts for more than one night, they will simply leave on the first night without showing their horses, and then return the following nights, when inspectors are less likely to be there. Sometimes they will put numbing sprays on their horses' feet during inspections, which usually wears off by the time the horse gets into the show ring. An even more barbaric method of avoiding soring evidence is something known as "stewarding", which is punishing horses who flinch when a sore spot is touched. You have to be REALLY sadistic to do that to ANY animal! The Big Lick is something that should have been outlawed long ago, but due to the combination of people holding onto what they believe is a tradition, and the money involved if a horse wins, it's going to be easier said than done to get rid off! But this is something that really needs to go the way of the dodo bird, before any more innocent horses suffer from this!
A lot of this is either very hypocritical or wrong.
@@Hotaruflash So I'm guessing you must be one of these people who are defending this barbaric practice, then!
@@JoMarieM You need to stop thinking with emotions. It's not a "barbaric" practice until it's proven that ACTUAL abuse happens regularly. So far, the (albeit little) research that has been done has proven that pads and action devices, like chains below 6 oz., which is the maximum weight permitted by the HPA/USDA, don't have any detrimental effect on TWHs. Even the AVMA, which advocates for the abolishing of performance packages, admits that, based on their OWN RESEARCH, pads and action devices are not harmful to the horse. On to "unnaturally sloped backs." TWH have a naturally different center of gravity that allows them to gait comfortably and safely, even on pads. Now that that's established, let's move on to soring and why pads exist. Performance packages, which are pads/stacks, did NOT exist back then, and pads were invented to replace soring with no harm done to the horse. Soring began in the late 50s/early 60s, which is applying caustic chemicals such as mustard gas to the pastern or heel of a show horse. This would cause the horse to pick up their feet higher. Because of soring, a federal law was passed called the 'Horse Protection Act,' or HPA. This law forbid the transport, sale, showing, etc. of a sored horse. Today, this law is enforced by the USDA, which performs mandatory inspections before and after every single class at sanctioned shows, for both flat shod and padded show horses. So far, the HPA has a **98%** compliance rate. This means that out of every single horse inspected by the USDA, only 2% of them were shown to have a violation. Most of the violations are minor, usually foreign substance that turns out to be mud or baby powder, or they will be field scars. People like this UA-camr, or people like Clant Seay a.ka. "BillyGoBoy," are the reason why the masses are so misinformed, willingly ignorant, and emotionally fuelled by what they think must be "abuse." I hope you try to come to learn about the truth instead of relying on uneducated UA-camrs to give you your information that will inevitably lead to the downfall of a beautiful gaited breed with decades of culture behind it.
@@JoMarieM Please respond. I am genuinely interested in educating others but if they ignore me completely after presenting why they're wrong, they can't learn.
@@Hotaruflash I've seen videos of these horses performing in the Big Lick Shows, and I find it very painful to watch. These animals often seem to be struggling just to move, the heavy stacks on their feet detract from the natural beauty of the animal, and their body language does not indicate that of an animal that is comfortable with what they are doing. Even when they are standing still, some of these animals are trembling, and their eyes indicate that they are scared and/or in pain. I've seen Tennessee Walking Horses being ridden normally, and there is a VAST difference in the way they move. I don't see this uncomfortable behavior with Saddle seat, western or English huntseat horses, even though I know that there are obviously some questionable practices in these disciplines, too. And just because very few people who do the Big Lick stuff get caught abusing their horses, doesn't mean that others are not doing it and getting away with it. Some people have no problem using cruelty with their horses, if it achieves the results that they want. If this Big Lick stuff really isn't all that bad, as you claim, then tell me why there is so much controversy about it, and there are so many terrible things that people in this discipline are STILL doing with these horses? It wasn't just in the 50s and 60s when people were doing this stuff -- it STILL happens today. People have just become more skilled about hiding it. No other discipline, not even horse racing, attracts the level of scrutiny that the Big Lick stuff does. And the people who do Big Lick don't seem concerned to me about the cruelty in this discipline, or even want to admit that it exists!
You deserve an award or a medal for this. You are a sincerely good hearted individual and it needs stamping out now!
Thanks for the awareness
This is the video we needed I have America saddled bread and I’m done with people always telling me that I’m a part of the big lick thank you for this video and it’s very resourceful and I’m going to share this with many people to show them
I’m so glad u made this video, a lot of people hate on saddle seat and think it’s just like bug lick but it’s NOT. I ride saddle seat and it’s not abusing the horses in ANY way
I hate the big lick, a pea-shooting motion of the front legs in a high-stepping motion. Unfortunately, I've seen people blame the breed itself when it is the trainers and owners of Tennessee Walkers who do this to their TWH or allow it.
Thank you, for talking about the difference between saddle seat and big lick. The big lick has to stop these are bad cruel people.
This is so good! I’m sorry that saddle seat keeps getting compared to the big lick
I owned icelandic horses , i first start riding with a young horse at the age of 4/5 years. A gaited horse takes longer to developed the growth of their bones and muscles. Its common to put weights on their shoes so they lift their feet up a bitt more. But they are bred to walk like that. It shocked me to see the rider on a 18 Month old horse
The word is mutilate ...they mutilate these horses for money. Period. When is this everrrr ok?!!
Riding saddle seat myself it gets confused with big lick a lot. This has made saddle seat look like an abusive discipline. I get asked why I ride it if it is abusive that is the farthest thing from the truth. The saddle seat horses I'm around tend to be treated like they are the most important thing in the world. Thank you for making this video if they truly want to know what the difference is they will find this video!
Gotta COMPLETELY AGREE about the Walker crowd!
My grandparents raised Saddlebreds during the 50s-70s and can say that I NEVER saw them mistreat a one of them... Grandpa was a real cowboy and had respect for all animals.
He wouldn't mistreat a rat if he were paid to.
I remember that he'd "train" their tails from the time they were just babies... He'd bag them and lay them up on their hind quarters. The bag was held still by a belt.
By the time they were about a yearling, off the bag would come and they had natural, high tail carriage with complete control over their tails for use as fly swatters.
I also remember Grandma and Grandpa taking in unwanted Tennessee Walkers... Once they got them, they'd turn them out with their Saddlers and they'd eventually "pick up" the way the Saddlebreds would play and strut around... We had a black Walker gelding named Charlie that they had adopted... He hung out with my Five Gaiter, Captain Hook... That horse would mimic almost everything that Hook would do.
Ended up with really high action NATURALLY... I'm certain that it just came to him by those two playing together.
My mom always said that animals are sometimes much more intelligent than a lot of people... And I have no reason NOT to have believed her.
This is absolutely terrible. I dont get how people say that this is amazing or beautiful. The natural gait and tail carriage is amazing as is.
Too cruel.... I can't even watch.... so evil!!
Monica Swavel the big luck is cruel not saddleseat
Monica Swavel not cruel not evil
xXrÿłëēXx RoO taking advantage of horses is indeed cruel.
@@ellasworm2091 The Big LICK< if you are going to support cruelty at least get it spelled right.
KikiV saddleseat isn’t cruel. Its their natural gaits and big lick is always abuse
Some perverts actually get off on sadism!
They both seem to ride over the horses kidneys. The riders seem to slam the horses backs awfully hard. Nothing like a good English rider who sits properly and still.
It’s so sad there is so much mistreatment of horses, especially Tennessee Walkers. We live in Kentucky and I saw the Big Lick in the flesh. It’s ghastly, the horses actually grunt in pain as they perform. We watched 1 class and I had to leave. It was more than disturbing. The Tennessee Walking horse was developed for a smooth fast walk that covered ground so plantation owners could get to all parts of their land on a fast comfortable horse. How it came to this is bizarre. They people who support Big Lick are hostile because deep down they know it’s not a good thing in any way.
Tysm for making this video tysmmmm ❤
Oh NO! Why? The big lick, this made me cry.
😢
Maili Ojasalu - Why? Money. Money in prizes, in stud fees, in breeding, in training, in sales. Whenever money enters the picture, horses suffer.
Thanks for addressing this! I spent some time boarding at a mostly saddlebred barn and they are not much better to their horses. Look up images of “saddlebred tail sets,” any horse you see with the bend in its tail wears one of these harnesses 24/7/365. They only come off to show. Leg chains on every horse. Zero turnout- they can’t with the (legal) shoes the horses wear. They throw fire crackers and crack whips as the horses are going by. The “trainer” Even told me saddlebreds are the only breed that will take this kind of “training.” Yikes. Everyone thought it was normal! I had to get out of there. I’m sure there are good horsemen in the saddlebred world, but each one I met was blind to the abuse.
Then you were in an individual barn that has less then moral trainers. This is not the case for all. I showed Saddlebreds for years. Mine got daily turn out, did not have chains on their ankles and were not in tail harnesses. There will always be some people who have to take things too far, in all disciplines but with Tennessee walkers BIG LICK. they are all abused. Tennessee Walkers on their own are wonderful horses, gentle, sturdy and comfortable to ride...Flat shod is the way to go.
While I think that this was quite the extreme when it comes to daily life in a barn, there is a huge difference between this and the abuse that is going on in the TWH circle doing the Big Lick.
Is captivating, training, riding, and showing abusive? No.
It might be less than desirable or less than ideal to some bystanders, but it is NOT abuse.
I’m in the saddle seat industry and the only thing people do to help the tails including me is we either put a cover over the tail so the top part of the tail isn’t showing because it can get ugly but this might be kinda controversial but putting a tail brace which does not affect the tail much but it kinda holds it up and in place so it looks good and we do nothing like cut tendons or harm the horse in any way except the occasional person that everyone hates...
Yeah. Totally insane with the big lick and cutting the tail tendon. I road saddle seat years ago with my half Arab, half saddlebred and he just had the natural talent. We never did anything weird to him to increase the action. We qualified for nationals but due to family issues I had to sell my horse but to a trainer I had known for years. They showed him all through his golden years and will retire with them until the end.
The crazy paso Fino people cut the tendons on the side making a J tail shape...?!? It's constantly getting dreads around the j and I can see no advantage to it other than vets make money. I have a Paso and he is so awesome.
I live in Tennessee and accidentally found myself in Big Lick country on the day of the abusive event. My son was on leave so we did go to their museum in Wartrace, Tennessee. At first I didn't realize what we were walking into. It suddenly became very apparent once the woman running the museum said she'd stay open just as long as she didn't miss the Big Lick Show. From that point on I started looking around and saw the all the torture devices. No pictures allowed. She invited us to the show. I pulled the side and told him we had to go and see the truth. From that point on I've been speaking out. It broke my heart. They cover every stall so no one can see the atrocities.
Please do what you can to raise awareness in your state and spread word on the abuse. It’s just heart breaking. Best wishes 🙏🏻
‘Big Lick’ is AS Sadistic as are the people who Participate in it
Let’s stop big lick it is abuse!!!!!!
I did saddleseat with a TWH. It was kind of fun! But I mostly ride saddlebreds and Morgan's! I've been doing saddleseat for about 4 years! AND I LOVE IT! It's such adrenaline rush! This video was very educational! Good job!
We all know about it but the department of agriculture wont do anything about it MONEY
Big Lick: Didn't the riders parents teach them the difference between right and wrong? Apparently not.
Heart breaking, I can't understand why they treat their horses like this..😭
There’s a special place in hell for the people that do this or abuse animals in other ways.
I’m so happy someone is speaking out about this! I ride saddle seat and it’s so annoying and sad when people think we abuse our horses because they get it mixed with big lick, we treat our horses better than we treat ourselves!! Personally I think big lick os disgusting, the TWH is such a beautiful breed and what they do is horrible. They make the horses look so dopey and it’s obvious they are in pain. It’s so disturbing to watch to see the horses that obviously in pain, don’t mistake saddle seat with big lick
Anyone who rides in Big Lick competitions is not an equestrian, and deserves to be blackballed.
All saddle seat I've ever trained horses for has been done through training.
It's been highly popular since the 50s, I've gotten the big lick walk out of horses without having to use the big lick(stacks) which is the stacks on front hoves by training and using saddle seat style riding, this also includes no chains or soaring, the walking horse has a naturally high step so training to get them to step higher I've found is far easier then with other non high stepping breeds but it can be done.
This is how I've always done it, train for saddle seat style riding is completely non abusive, after use a lunge line, a traing crop or traing stick whichever you prefer to call it, have one person hold the line, the other with the stick and tap the behind the front legs just hard enough to get them to lift higher then normal.
Obviously not hard enough to hurt them or cause damage, it takes longer for obvious reasons but you can with enough time get the same walk. How or why people are so concerned now I'll never know, people in equestrian circles have been trying to get this banned since it should've been outlawed outlawed in the the 1970s under the horse protection act. Yet to this day it still is around in two states Kentucky and Tennessee, every other state has banned them which is why so few have heard of it. I knew about when my grandmother's friend got an old big lick rescue horse, I had no clue as we live in New Hampshire but the she pulled out what is called a stack which is 5lbs of lead inside of what you see attached to the hoof from another that came to her some time way back when.
We had to get him in the barn and I wanted know what it felt like I hopped on back, went in the barn, next words out of my mouth would've Satan cry. That's when I wanted see if there was another way to do hence what's mentioned above, the ones I trained didn't do to bad either around new england.
Since 2012 when glimmer went nation wide on TV for this because after 10yrs of showing the owner made a video to sell him everyone has known and yet only a few still care, the usda got involved at one point this was the last time glimmer was disqualified, now it's harder to tell as the trainers use spay paint to cover up the sores on the bottom of the legs to make them look healthy.
I've checked all my horses before, during and after training to ensure the safety and health, not to mention quit when they want to cause nothing good comes from pushing.
Even looking at the distance in tails you can tell that the saddle seat in natural and nothing has been cut.
Saddleseat is simply a style I grew up breeding/ riding saddlebreds. I'm tired of getting tied into the horrible things big lick trainers do.
But honestly talk to an active saddlebred trainer before taking what shes saying to heart cause alot is as I've read or as I assume. She has alot of misconceptions but honestly she's not to far off.
And fyi everything we do to a horse is without the horse's concent sooooo yea welcome to the horse business
This is absolutely insane! Why are there no institutions banning this animal cruelty? I had no idea. This gives a whole new light to horse "sports" to me. These poor creatures look scared to death and they are clearly in so much pain.
Saddle seat and saddlebreds does the tail set in some circles too
not always. :) it’s not very common anymore
I've seen several Saddle Seat shows where artificial tails were used to give the tail set look and the horse's own tail wasn't raised at all. I know because sometimes the artificial tails come loose and you can see them clearly. Which is a relief but really if we could just ban that "fashion look" altogether I'd be happier.
In Germany we would say „ich kotz im Strahl“
Omg I love u u are a safe rider u care for ur horse and I own a horse I do show jumping and I totally HATE these ppl who are hurting the horses I mean did u see the horses faces they are clearly hurting 😷🤕🤬
THANK YOU Deanna . . . . I very much appreciate the attention you are bringing to the unnatural 'nonsense' / damage
that's been a part of some 'pleasure horse' riders = NOT MUCH PLEASURE FOR THEIR POOR ABUSED HORSES !!!
It is violently horrendous and should NEVER be a part of any horse lovers life or any horse anywhere ! I am
appalled at this is allowed to happen when it's SO SO SO damaging to the life of the horse !
as a saddle seat rider, the breed of horses i ride, morgan horses, is no longer LEGALLY allowed to maneuver a horses tail. however, there is no way for judges to stop participants from doing it. i have ridden a horse with a tampered tail, and he swats flies fine. his tail carriage is just higher. It is a quickly dying fad in the world of morgan horse saddleseat competition.
I have a Tennessee walker but I DO NOT do the big lick I would never do that to any horse in the world the big lick is so abusive it’s so so sad to watch it’s sad to watch what they do with there tails too 😭
WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?! the watchers, the riders and the judges. This is wrong, so very wrong and so very cruel. Unbelieveably cruel. Have y'all seen what these poor beautiful horses also have to endure BEHIND the scenes. The chemicals, the physical abuse, the verbal abuse, the training. The performing itself. How can people think and believe this is okay? How can people watch this and not cry? How can people be so blinded. This is heart breaking. So bloody heartbreaking. I wish pain and torture on all these people. All of them. Curse you all! PS THIS IS ONLY FOR PEOPLE WHO LOVE IT
This video need to be up bc everyone gets them confused thank you!
Thanks for watching! 💛
My friend was like “ well yournq horse abuser cause your horse has blocks“ saddle seat shoes are not in any way shape or form like the big lick shoes, even if the horses are on blocks they are extremely small and there is a reason why they have those or they have specific shoes for a class or they don’t feel comfortable with any other kind you, Saddleseat does not abuse HORSES and people need to normalize that. Thank you for making this video
As a saddle seat rider I can say that big lick is completely different. Big lick as many people know is extremely abusive. Saddleseat generally isn’t abusive but there are always some abusive people in the mix. I ride a 17.8 hand saddlebred; in big lick they will use any breed of horse and most likely never a saddlebred. Saddlebreds naturally lift their legs higher.
I used to actually know someone who competed saddle seat, that would cut their tendons in their tails for more elasticity and I thought it was nasty
😩😭
Thank you for sharing I had NO idea this was even a thing.
BAN BIG LICK
There are many different breeds they do rear end cutting,many paso finos have this also,I have paso finos but,it saddens me any harm be done to any animals for the sake of ribbons and trophies,I think that's great you are making ppl award.Thank you❤
Don’t let the Saddle Seat people off the hook. We have visited their barns, seen their horses, bits, methods.
“Seen their horses” explain?
Dressage uses the same bits. What methods? Theirs abusive people in every discipline it’s on YOU if that’s who spend time around
@@fukc26 there are
This is disgusting.
These individuals abusing these poor horses need to be charged for animal cruelty. Where is the SPCA in all this. These large grown individuals look absolutely absurd forcing these horses to do something completely unnatural. This is sickening at every level. Thank you for speaking out in this…again where are the animal welfare groups.
Good on you for saying the words!
Thank you for this video. I love horses but didn't have the privilege in learning to ride, so everything I know about them come from books. I think information like this should be clear in horse books, or at least give some insight in these riding styles. Personally, in my opinion, the saddle seat looks legit, but the big lick is straight-up abuse. If the owners don't think anything they do to Tenesse Walking horses is wrong, it would great to see their reaction on putting chemicals on their legs everyday, constantly and having chains on their ankles so their could feel what the horses feel. Like you said, there's good and bad in every riding industry, but for sure big lick would probably be the definition of hell for a horse.
Makes me sad and angry. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Yes I would be interested hearing and trying to understand why people that says they love there horse feel it’s ok to hurt and cripple a living thing. I hope animal cruelty STOPS.
As a saddle seat rider and owner of a Arabian I have never hurt or doesn’t anything bad to my horse and saddle seat is not a bad decipline big lick is the most cruel thing I have ever seen.
This horrible...l wish l hadn't been inquisitive..I HATE ANIMAL ABUSE..KARMA WILL COME AROUND.
Some saddleseat riders knick the tails of their horses as well.
I show Arabian horses in saddle seat and western. I can tell you that Arabian horses naturally have the high tail carriage and elegant movement. I have a purebred colt that is 3 months old, and we absolutely know that he will be an English horse because of his own natural high stepping movement and the way he carries himself. I also have a 14 month old Arabian filly that is absolutely going to be a western horse. She carries herself elegantly as well but she was not born with that natural movement that is needed to show English. The Brutality inflicted on those big lick horses to change their natural movement & make up., is horrifying!!
The Big Lick is repulsive. It has been illegal since 1970. Many people think it has stopped. I have been talking to horse people about it. The authorities have to be turning their backs on it. The only way to stop it is to put pressure on the people who abuse their horses this way. Like any form of abuse silence only help it to continue. Perhaps just talking to some of the owners at the show will help (will not call them riders). Any opportunity to shed light and publicize it will help turn it around. 👍
I just wanna say not all people who have Tennessee Walkers do this. I have a Tennessee walker and I’m just learning about this
My dad went to a TWH barn back in 1970’s. He saw the horses having nails driven into the crevices of the frog on the hind hooves to add to the pain, so the horse would lower their hind quarters & add to the front end high action. I don’t know if they are still doing that, but as you said, the backyard trainers will do anything for a ribbon.
The people that are torturing these beautiful animals need to be rounded up and put in jail for animal cruelty & be banned from having ANY animals in their possession.
Can not believe how much abuse the horse s go through .Must be like walking on glass ,chemicals ,chains . And arseholes sat on top . Hope it gets stopped !
The most disgusting event in the horse world! Makes me sick!
I hung out at a barn with a friend who had a lovely ASB filly she was training to show, she was five gaited. They trained with bungees and chains around the ankles and called them aids, to each their own I suppose, I saw no injuries to horses's legs. Some had their tail tendons cut but most just wore a special harness every night that stretched the tendon so the tail would be higher in a show. I never saw my friend do this, but at some shows I did see trainers applying some sort of substance to the underside of the tail, an irritant I was told. The one thing I really DON'T like about it is the horse being ridden hollow, I've seen so many ASBs with swayback.
This is awful! Ive never seen it but just watching this makes me so angry!! No animal should be subjected to this! Here in UK its illegal! So sad
Makes be feel sick what these beautiful horses go through
40 years ago shows had hunter-jumper, saddle seat, walkers, multiple breeds. All the breeds and plantation walkers had life in their eyes.
The plantation TN walkers had normal movement but the show walkers who did the big lick looked dead in their eyes from pain.
That was 40 years ago...can't believe this is still happening!
The walking horse people were told to clean up their act, now it's the law. No soring or chains. and now they have USDA inspectors at all their shows. I just got back from a saddlebred show and the safe sport thing made everyone stay home. No inspectors just USEF vets.
No one in their right minds should find this acceptable. These are living, feeling animals which are being exploited in the most inhuman and ghastly way to meet some utterly ridiculous standard. The natural lovely movement of these horses is turned into something not only grotesque but unbearable to watch by anyone who purports to admire and respect horses. As a New Zealander, I cannot feel that this is making America great. Entirely the reverse - it is a disgrace.
It makes me ashamed to be an American. I am glad NZ is disgusted by this barbaric crap. I wish America would wake up
I know that hurts them and it looks heavy as hell
I don't know about now but Saddlebreds used to have the cut tails also....and that means they have to live in a harness to keep the tail from laying crooked.24X7 so mostly live in a stall cause dangerous to turn them out with all the straps etc. from the harness