[jaykay]

I see your point, but couldnt you easily say the same about horse riding or jumping tho?

I've assumed that the ponies/horses are quite frightened of fire and therefore rather a lot of force has gone into making them do what they do - and that they probably remain frightened?

I don't know enough about how horses seem to feel about riding and jumping. Certainly they seem wary at first - do they get to like it or not mind it? I don't know?

[SallyintNorth]

Ach, ponies/horses are quite frightened of lots of things - their own shadow, a paper bag, a polythene bag, a stick, a wheelbarrow, tractor, a person in a fluorescent jacket, silage wrap, a balloon - the list is quite literally endless.  They learn through repetition that these things don't hurt them and become calm when passing them.  I would imagine that no coercion but repetitive pressure-and-release type techniques have been used to acclimatise the ponies to the flames, which don't hurt them.  No way would they go through them if they thought they would hurt them.

Generally, horses that have been trained using coercion are pretty bad-tempered and unpredictable.  Not ones I would expect anyone to trust pulling a cart at speed over jumps between flaming poles.

Or perhaps I am all rather rosy-bespectacled about it all...

[deepinthewoods]

well i dont think its at all cruel.
more an excellent example of how a true bond of trust can be built between a horse and rider. well done them. good to see old skills being kept alive.

[jaykay]

true bond of trust can be built between a horse and rider

That's generally how I see horse riding etc. so am happy to believe the horses trust their people enough to overcome their fear of whatever.

[lachlanandmarcus]

I think this thread has gorn a bit off topic from sheep transport....