Do you think a sulky is mean for horses?

Question

Do you think a sulky is mean for horses?

Answer 1

depends on the horse

Answer 2

What is a sulky?

EDIT:

OK thanks for telling me. No I dont think they are mean.

Answer 3

No - I have personal experience in this regard. I can say adamantly no!. A Sulky is lightweight and extremely easy on the horse. Why would there be a problem?

Answer 4

Just to clarify for anyone who doesn't know what a sulky is, sulkies are the carts that carry the jockeys in Standardbred Pacing races.

I don't think that sulkies are mean for horses. I have ridden in one before, and so many precautions are done to make sure that they don't hurt the horse. They're very lightweight, and jockeys are usually under 120 pounds to race. It's way easier for horses to pull things than to carry things, so it's harder work for a Thoroughbred to race than it is a Standardbred to pace.

So, no, I don't.

Answer 5

Sulkies are very light weight, and someone has already mentioned that great efforts are made to keep them from injuring the horses which pull them. Also, people who ride in them are referred to as drivers, not jockeys, and they are not subject to the same weight requirements which jockeys are, for the simple reason that they are not on the horse's back- and that makes things much easier for the horse.

As a whole, harness racing is actually much more humane than flat racing is- and the horses in that sport live far longer and are competitive far longer than the average Thoroughbred is. Because the speeds are slower, the horses are not as subject to injuries- and because these animals don't carry weight at young ages, their bones have a chance to mature and become strong, which means the incidence of catastrophic accidents and breakdowns is greatly reduced.

Another feature of harness racing which really benefits the horse is the fact that races are started while the horses are in motion, which is NEVER true of flat racers. Starting a race from a standstill puts tremendous strain on the animal's joints in the first seconds of a race, where as if the horse is already moving to start with, that pressure isn't present, and there is not as much risk of a serious injury or fall. I can't remember, in fact, when the last time I heard about a serious injury involving a harness horse was, which is quite a contrast to what is happening in the flat racing world right now.

No, sulkies are not cruel.

Answer 6

No I don't think they are mean.

Answer 7

I don't think the sulky itself is mean, but I do wonder if there are more and worse injuries in harness racing than in other horse sports?????

Answer 8

uh, you mean the cart that racing trotters & pacers pull? How would it be mean? Its lightweight and not a strain to pull. So no.

Answer 9

nope.