Va precis inne och kollade lite på epona.tv en mycket bra sida som tar upp mycket omdebatterade ämnen om hästar. Det är en kontroversiell sida som vågar trycka på många ömma punkter inom ridsporten och hur vi väljer att träna våra hästar. 

Här nedan följer ett litet inlägg, det väljer att ta upp varför de inte uppmärksammas lika mycket om vi ser smala eller till och med undernärda hästar. Alla som har en häst skulle direkt tycka att det var misshandel om vi såg en smal häst, men vi blir inte förvånade om vi ser hästar som står inne hela dagarna, får mat 4 ggr om dagen, då det står still och äter (fast att de egentligen ska röra sig ca 14- 16hom dagen samtidigt som de äter), ingen skulle höja på ögonen om en häst gick själv utan att kunna nudda en annan häst (fast att de är flockdjur och behöver kontakt med andra hästar), ingen skulle heller reagera om en häst, bockade, sparkade mot skänkeln, piskar med svansen eller gapar vid ridning. (hästar ska ju lyda.....). 

Jag tycker att detta är fruktansvärt, sen vill jag absolut inte heller se smala hästar, men jag tycker att det ska vara lika uppseendeväckande som allt de andra! Fler måste börja förstå vad en häst är och börja lyssna på deras behov och inte sina egna! 

läs gärna hela artikeln på http://epona.tv/blog/2014/september/glass-houses#sthash.yXxOIKKG.dpuf

"Imagine going to an average livery or competition yard and having a look around for any horses who are showing signs of stress. Would you be surprised to see a cribber and a couple of weavers? Hear any box kicking? If the vet came around and scoped all the horses, would you be surprised to see a fair number of gastric ulcers? Go to the tack room and have a look what's in there. See any gadgets designed to cause pain to - or "correct" as it's known -  horses who are failing to perform as wanted? See any crap saddles that don't fit? Yes? Are you surprised? Why would you be? That stuff is common.

Stroll on over to the feed room. Can you see any brightly coloured bags full of sugary stuff most horses should not really be eating because it messes up their teeth, exacerbates their ulcers and fills them up with calories so they can't have as much hay as they need? Are you surprised to find that these domestic horses are spending only two or three hours per day eating while they stand, even though optimal welfare requires them to eat for at least 14 to 16 hours while they walk? Probably not. After all, that's how horse keeping is still generally done.

There might be a couple of stallions living on this yard. See if you can find them. Do they have the possibility to freely interact with other horses or are they isolated? Are they perhaps kept in solitary confinement boxes with a few hours a day in a sterile sand paddock without enough room to run and with nobody to play with or watch over? Are these stallions going mad because of the inferior husbandry available, displaying abnormal aggression towards other horses and towards people? Are they difficult to handle, necessitating the routine use of painful gadgets such as chifney bits and stud chains? Do the owners call this "stallion behaviour"because they are ignorant about the actual, natural behaviour of stallions? Are you surprised yet or is it as you expected?

Perhaps there are brood mares and young stock living on the yard. How is the weaning done? Abruptly around when the foals are 4-5 months, less than half the age they would be if naturally weaned? I thought so. I'm not surprised. Are you?

If the weather is nice, you might head for the outdoor arena and grab a seat on the fence. There are probably some horses being worked. Are any of them showing signs of pain or discomfort? Lashing their tails? Pinning their ears? Opening their mouths? Furrowing their brows? Kicking at the rider's leg or the whip? Rushing? Napping? Inverting? Ducking away from the contact? Refusing to jump? Failing to yield? Resisting the rider's aids in any way? 
If yes, does that surprise you? No? It doesn't surprise me either. After all, that's how things are almost everywhere."