Thursday, June 18, 2009

Stupid, Cruel Training Device

This is the "No Buck Trainer", it is meant to prevent a horse from putting its head down to buck. It features a thin steel cable system that encircles the horse's ears and runs down to a pair of pulleys on the noseband. The instructions say to put it on the horse, attach reins to the cables, and tie the reins to the saddle horn while the horse's head is at a desirable level. Supposedly, when the horse puts its head down to buck, the cables tighten on the ears and poll, discouraging the horse from bucking. Here is a photo of the contraption.



Now, when I put pressure on my horse's poll and ears they LOWER their heads. How does this prevent them from doing so? I should think this would actually encourage the head to lower. I would think that if you just HAVE to use some kind of artificial device to prevent bucking, a simple overcheck would be more effective. But, what do I know? This device is recommended for beginners (WHAT?!), the elderly, and children. My question is, what the hell are you doing putting one of the aforementioned individuals on a horse that bucks in the first place?

Another "training" gadget for the instant results sector of the horse market, all for the low price of $219. Wow, don't you want to run out and get one?
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14 comments:

  1. Arab-N-OTTBJune 18, 2009 at 6:28 AM

    This thing is just flat out not needed. I also love that if you look close enough that pressure on the poll is also going to be on the ears because they have that blasted steel rope...looping the ears. Talk about dangerous, up this is so going to keep a horse from bucking...now he'll rear instead and become headshy all at the same time. PERFECT for children and elderly. *head desk*

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  2. HJune 18, 2009 at 6:29 AM

    I don't get it! Is this for retraining rodeo broncs or something? WTF?

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  3. UnknownJune 18, 2009 at 7:06 AM

    What the hell does a beginner, elderly or child have doing on a horse that bucks. Thats the last thing I would ever put on a horse that bucked. So you create a learned helplessness situation with a horse that may be bucking out of back problems. wtf!?

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  4. sandycreekJune 18, 2009 at 7:47 AM

    It seems to me this contraption on a ill trained horse is just an accident waiting to happen. I can imagine the horse flipping over backwards when he feels that cable behind his ears!

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  5. Laura Dotson-ThomsonJune 18, 2009 at 8:13 AM

    Ah, but it has attractive high-quality stitching! You've gotta love it!

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  6. EveryoneThinksThey'reGoodDriversJune 18, 2009 at 10:01 AM

    This is cruel for both horses and people. For horses it's obvious, for people, they are wasting their money and putting faith in something that will more likely get them hurt or killed.

    This thing will not stop a determined horse from bucking. Nothing can. Perhaps it will stop some half-assed bucking (that's rideable anyway) but not real bucking.

    I hate the people that sell this thing. They are hurting people and horses and setting back 'what it is to ride a horse' one sale at a time.

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  7. Cut-N-JumpJune 18, 2009 at 11:10 AM

    But it's endorsed by a *professional*!

    Ya gotta wonder how *professional* he is, if he puts anyone on a known bucker with no regard to their riding abilities. Adding to that, putting a contraption such as this or any correctional aids in the hands of the unskilled or unknowing rider...

    Should we all place bets on how long until the first round of lawsuits come rolling in? We know they will.

    Maybe we can ad bonus points for naming the first lame excuse to be tossed out in defense at the trial:

    1) Your Honor, I was not present to see that it was adjusted correctly.

    2) Your Honor, I was not aware of the consistency or degree of intensity the horse put into bucking before this was applied.

    3) Your Honor, I am not responsible because the kid fell off while the horse happened to be wearing this. (Bucking or not)

    4) You Honor, I am not responsible for the vet bills because the horse put his head down and his ears fell off. No, your Honor, the cable did not cut them off, they just came off. Excuse me? No I was not present, I don't know. Maybe the plantiff cut off the horses ears before putting this on the horse. Cutting the ears off makes putting this on the horse easier and less troublesome...

    I wish I didn't have to joke about it to make light of a dangerous thing like this. Unfortunately someone will get hurt- human or horse- and there will be a suit filed. Surely something stupid will be said.

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  8. DrillriderJune 18, 2009 at 11:53 AM

    I've had buckers. Sometimes there is a reason causing them to buck (saddle fit, back pain, etc.), sometimes you can train it out of them and sometimes it becomes a habit with the rider being bucked off as their reward and you can't ever fix it. I have a 27 year old gelding that is still known to buck because that is just part of who he is. He has a temper, he feels good, he doesn't like the horse next to him, too much food not enough work.......

    My experience is that people who haven't a CLUE how to work with horses are the people who resort to "gimmick" equipment and compound the problem immeasurably! Not only do they not know what they are doing, but then you add that they get this gimmick equipment and don't know how to use it either. If that isn't a recipe for a train wreck waiting to happen, I don't know what is?

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  9. PatJune 18, 2009 at 4:40 PM

    I first found this on Fugly. We then discussed it on COTH BB. These MORONS had the cajones to come on COTH and defend this crazy thing. I'll do a search to see if I can find the thread. It couldn't have been more than a year ago so I don't think it got pruned.

    At any rate, it was (of course) pointed out that if one TRAINED the horse or TAUGHT the rider then they didn't need the stupid thing. Thier answer? "well, since not everyone knows what they are doing or will take lessons, this will keep THOSE people safe." WOW. Darwin really needs to reach down and just take these people NOW.

    They also went so far as to take OUR comments on the flaws in this stupid thing and thier (ill)logic and show them to "satisfied customers". Who then in turned attacked us on thier website, saying we were bad horsemen if we didn't see the usefullness of the item.

    mMMMMM. OOOkAy, what ever, moron.

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  10. PatJune 18, 2009 at 4:42 PM

    Oh, and think of all the poor, hollow backed creatures who will NEVER be able to lower thier heads and raise thier backs because they are afraid thier ears will be ripped off.

    Trully mind boggling.

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  11. PatJune 18, 2009 at 7:07 PM

    Took me FOREVER, but here's the COTH thread.
    http://www.chronicleforums.com/Forum/showthread.php?t=134734&highlight=fhotd

    Sorry, I need to learn how to make a link hot.

    Oh, lol, it appears I'm the thread killer on that one. It got up to 7 pages, but it's worth reading to see how these people justify the freeking thing. Leroy Blackwell is the person who markets this thing, and he chimed in on page 2. Of course he's "president" of the "company" that markets the thing. How much you wanna bet he's also the ONLY person on the payroll of the marketing company?

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  12. The Half-Assed BlogJune 19, 2009 at 10:27 PM

    Gee, instead of taking 8 months to slowly train the buck out of my mule I could have used this instead.

    I have decided that people are using devices like this as a substitute for brains. Poor horses, poor poor horses.

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  13. cattypexJune 22, 2009 at 12:35 PM

    I'll say it again...

    Anything with pulleys does NOT belong on a horse's head.

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  14. UnknownDecember 15, 2010 at 6:11 AM

    I see this causing bleeding ears.

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