AQHA Judge Issues Warning to Livestock Owners

AQHA Judge Issues Warning to Livestock Owners

Susan Allen
Susan Allen

 

Well known Quarter Horse Judge Jim Heird’s speech to fellow peers at the December 2009 AQHA Judges Conference has shaken the horse industry and provided words of wisdom not only for those of us that compete with equines but livestock owners as well.  I’m Susan Allen stay tuned for Open Range.  Yesterday I spoke about what it means to “ do right by the horse” basically a wake up call to see if  our training and competing produces a prouder, more confidant animal or if we have become habituated into using cruel training techniques simply to win and in Quarter Horse judges Jim Heirds words “ignore our responsibility to societal ethics in which we were raised.” The well known judge chastised the horse industry with his remark that “Society loves Horses .  I suspect most of us started our love affairs with horses feeling the same way. However as we become more deeply entrenched in the showing /winning aspect of our industry we shift our emphasis to wining rather than the well being of the horse.” And as evidence  with the  recent dairy cruelty scandal our actions with not only performance horses but rodeo stock and livestock can draw negative attention from a host of animal rights groups. Heird spoke of working with Dr. Bernard Rollin of Colorado State University, a professor of philosophy, biomedical sciences and animal sciences and winner of numerous veterinarian animal ethics awards and referenced his favorite Rollin quote to the livestock industry to. “stop doing the five percent that society spends 95 percent of its time criticizing”. Good advice for those of us in the horse industry as well.   I’m Susan Allen
 
Previous ReportExttreme Training Techniques
Next Report Cash-in on Cash Crops