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Original poster

Painting pony parties - yay or neigh?

236 replies

Paintedponio · 11/08/2018 19:40

I have just seen a post on Facebook, shared from a national news station, about pony painting parties and some people that are protesting them and trying to get them stopped on the grounds that they are animal cruelty.

The responses were largely agreeing that it is cruel, and should be banned, that it teaches children not to respect animals, though there were some saying the opposite. Many replies were angry, saying it's exploitation, cruel, abuse and all in the name of making money for the owners.

The organiser of one of the companies that runs these parties has stated that the children are supervised, and wear protective equipment, the ponies are not overloaded, one party a day, and the paints are not harmful to animals, and washed off afterwards, and applied with soft brushes, much like grooming the pony.

Personally, I really don't see the problem. I think it's a great way for a retired, older or unridable pony to have interaction with people, and many ponies love the attention of children fussing over them. I think it is a lovely way to introduce children to horses, without them having to ride, which they could be too scared to do, and they are supervised and wearing the right equipment. Some comments said it wasn't fair on the pony because it doesn't have a choice, and some people were furious about it, but I don't understand why, horses have no sense of self, show them a mirror and they think it's another horse, and as long as the paint doesn't irritate them then it is probably easier to get off than stable stains or mud!

The ponies feel the brushes, but much like they are being groomed, which just about anyone who's ever had anything to do with horses will tell you is an activity that is essential to a horses well being.

When I trained with horses, the college used to paint the skeletal structure on one side and the muscle structure on the other side of a grey horse and lunge him (long line so the horse goes around you in a circle while you stand in the the middle) to demonstrate how the muscles and bones work while walking/trotting/cantering and jumping, it was amazing and such a good teaching tool and the horse was happy and healthy.

So what does the MN jury think? What is your opinion of pony painting parties and do you think they should be banned?

OP posts:
FlotSHAMnJetson · 11/08/2018 22:16

In a former life I was a qualified RI and I honestly don't see it as much different to a novice stable management lesson.

My son loves Zebras and I've debated painting his pony one night for laugh!

Original poster
Paintedponio · 11/08/2018 22:28

@Loopyloopy

Yes, agree with that

@FlotSHAMnJetso

I'd agree with that too, in fact it was the basis of my opinion that it's no worse than any other pony related activity, and I wanted to know why there was such an outcry against that but not the other pony related activities that go on and many people take part in.

OP posts:
Loopyloopy · 11/08/2018 22:41

@Ilovegin the dog would love the attention. My kids would think it was hilarious.

Bringonspring · 11/08/2018 22:43

Dreadful

Tara336 · 11/08/2018 22:48

It’s a horrible idea and I’d have never allowed my dad to participate in something like this

GreenMeerkat · 11/08/2018 22:51

My issue isn't so much the painting (though I think it's a bit silly and pointless), it's the taking an animal into an environment with 30 or so hyper, sugar crazed kids. I don't even like these environment when it's my child's party and I've organised the damn thing, let alone an animal that has absolutely no clue what is going on. Poor things!

FlotSHAMnJetson · 11/08/2018 22:57

It’s a horrible idea and I’d have never allowed my dad to participate in something like this

Totally agree, I've text my father and asked him to cancel his pony painting party with his friends, you can never be too careful with pensioners these days.

Quangot · 11/08/2018 23:09

It's not even as though there's a lack of other ways to hold a children's party.

DiseasesOfTheSheep · 11/08/2018 23:27

To a degree, I agree with you, OP. I find the concept of painting ponies in this manner baffling - utterly pointless and unnecessary - but I really can't see it as cruel. We do all sorts of things to animals which are awful in far more tangible manner than making them look silly, and whilst that doesn't condone a trivial issue, it's relevant to put the current outcry in context, and raise questions about exactly why this particular issue is getting so much media focus... And that's a lot to do with PETA, I think.

Given the huge surfeit of horses and ponies in the UK, I'd far rather see a little pony having a decent life with a responsible owner and putting up with gaggles of paint-hyped children on occasion, than see them left in a field to get fat and laminitic, or worse, dumped at the roadside. Finding jobs of the huge numbers of unwanted equines in the UK is a pretty big issue.

I would also argue that the vaguely comparable aesthetic trend for "matchy matchy" in riding horses is worse in terms of welfare, because of the risk and damage done by over-heating tendons with unnecessary boots and bandages. I suppose you could argue that this is a consequence of the same mentality - that horses are there to be objectified for our amusement. I can raise more annoyance about this side of things though, as it's actually detrimental to the horse.

Purpleartichoke · 11/08/2018 23:33

Dd goes to a camp every year where on the second to last day they braid the ponies hair and paint them a little bit. I found it odd, but they have been doing it for years. The ponies seem to like the attention, but it’s possible that they are just resigned to their fate since they work at a horse camp. With the heat wave this year the pony painting got cancelled and they were only allowed to do braids because the ponies needed to stay cool.

Ihuntmonsters · 11/08/2018 23:33

I can't even see the appeal for the children. I assume that the horses used for this are very placid and basically stand there and ignore the children completely. Doesn't seem all that different to painting a wall from that perspective. I don't see this as something that needs to be banned from a horse welfare point of view or from a safety point of view so long as the activity is run by an establishment that has experience both with looking after their horses and with supervising children. I don't however think it's a good idea to encourage children to think of live animals as things. Looking at that photo it looks like the 'artwork' is essentially graffiti, which to me makes it a bit too close to supervised vandalism.

Elderflower78 · 11/08/2018 23:35

I think it's pointless and the time could be spent actually learning how to take care of horses and ponies and encourage a love of animals.
However I don't think it's cruel. I mean there are people sitting bitching about this who don't buy free range eggs or still buy cheap meat and don't bat an eyelid.
As long as the pony has a loving environment and has everything it needs then I don't see the harm in letting a bunch of kids play with it for a while, although I do think it's distasteful to actually paint it.
The pony would have to be handled well and looked after to let children do that anyway.
My daughter had a pony party but they didn't paint the ponies, but they did apply glitter hoof oil and use bows and beads in the mane and tail.
Some horse shows have fancy dress for ponies and riders and you should see the ponies! Ponies and riders have a fab time and a great day out. Harmless fun.

Twistella · 11/08/2018 23:37

I think it's a bit silly but I shouldn't think the pony is at all bothered by it.

Timeisslippingaway · 11/08/2018 23:42

Hmm apart from it being cruel to the animal while they stand there being painted by a load of children, I'm pretty sure that no animal should really be washed every day (obviously I'm presuming shampoo of some sort would be required to remove paint from the horse). Also it will teach children that it's fine to do whatever they please to any living thing. It's a bloody rediculous idea!

Loopyloopy · 11/08/2018 23:50

Timeisslippingawsy, actually, horses can be washed daily if you are careful. Any horse in heavy work is washed after each exercise. They sweat.

I think you are thinking of dogs. You should not wash them too often.

marmaladecats · 11/08/2018 23:57

It makes me uncomfortable. Horses should be treated with dignity.

rainbowsandsmiles · 12/08/2018 00:02

Why stop at painting and drawing all over ponies? Why not fling a tin of paint at a cat? Like on Drop Dead Fred? What's the difference?

coffee88 · 12/08/2018 00:04

I am not sure why paintin a pony is more abusive than riding it

Lynne1Cat · 12/08/2018 00:08

It's a ridiculous idea. Silly fuckers.

psicat · 12/08/2018 00:14

It's the fact it's pointless OP. Why do children need to splash paint over the pony? What does it teach them? Why not use a wall?

Learning how to care for the pony, grooming etc is a very different ball game which teaches all kinds of positive things. Painting it in the ways that have been pictured teaches nothing - except maybe this is not really a living thing but just a wall for their amusement.

And I agree with a lot of the comments about bad practices in the horse world - but that doesn't mean that doing this is okay. It's just, not. It's disrespectful. The horse may not give a shit (if you had a haynet in front of mine he wouldn't generally care) but what are you teaching the child? Lack of respect.

Also - H&S nightmare. Even small horses can cause big damage when something goes wrong. Several excited kids poking it with paintbrushes or paint covered hands, Hmmm. My aforementioned lazy thing is generally half asleep but he is a living creature and unexpected things can happen. If the children are using it as a whiteboard they are not going to be thinking how it could suddenly react.

My DS loves our horse and has zero fear of him - this is not always a good thing and it's constantly drummed into him that just because horsey is usually quiet, he must always be respectful of what it COULD do.

Buy your kid some paper or one of those colour in models. Don't draw on a living animal. Shouldn't even need to be said

Stirner · 12/08/2018 00:17

You'd have to be a complete Chav to even consider this

Greenyogagirl · 12/08/2018 00:25

paintedponio - I don’t understand the outcry!
mumsnet - points out the blindingly obvious reasons of outcry.
paintedponio - but I don’t understand the outcry!
Hmm
Are you a journo? Why else would you make such a ridiculous thread?

restingbf · 12/08/2018 00:28

Awful Sad I signed a petition against this today

Original poster
Paintedponio · 12/08/2018 00:40

Buy your kid some paper or one of those colour in models. Don't draw on a living animal. Shouldn't even need to be said

I have said at no point, anywhere that I am going to send my 'kid' to one of these parties - she's too old for this style of party whether it involves paint or not for starters. I didn't start the thread for that reason.

paintedponio - I don’t understand the outcry!
mumsnet - points out the blindingly obvious reasons of outcry.
paintedponio - but I don’t understand the outcry!
hmm

You are missing literally most of my replies there where I have agreed with some points, discussed others. It's basically just another mud slinging post..........notice you haven't put anything informative, discussed anything. I don't understand the outcry from most people because they have literally posted saying how awful etc, but not WHY it's any more awful than the other ways animals are used for entertainment when the animal isn't physically being harmed. You haven't either........ Totally pointless post really. If you'd read the full thread you'd see that actually I have responded, agreed and discussed with those posters who have come on and talked sense rather than been downright insulting without anything to actually contribute.

Are you a journo? Why else would you make such a ridiculous thread?

No I'm not, and I have already explained the reasons why, if you can't be arsed to read it, and it's such a ridiculous thread why the fuck even comment. Moron.

OP posts:
Pansypotts · 12/08/2018 00:41

My son attends riding for the disabled & they use pony painting as a sensory experience for particular children. He was supposed to participate in a session (him & one other child) but as it was a chilly day, it was cancelled because of the need to wash the pony afterwards. I do not have a problem with pony painting but am not sure a Birthday Party is a suitable environment for it to take place. Very excited children & a live animal are surely not a good mix.