Desi is doing great. I haven't been riding much here lately. For a few reasons.... About 6 weeks ago I noticed Desi was loosing a little weight. Not a ton but enough for me to take notice. It apparently takes more energy for her to stay warm than Apple the air fern. After upping her AP and blanketing her a little more generously she is starting to look great. I am finally starting to feel better than I have in years. I have changed my diet and am dropping a lot weight which is good and started having some Rolfing work done. Its amazing how much I hurt and didn't realize it until I didn't hurt anymore. Desi had her feet done last week and it has POURED ever since. The pasture is soggy, the ring is soggy, the gravel is soggy, there isn't a dry place anywhere.
Cross your fingers that it stays dry for the next day or so and I can ride some this weekend! I would KILL for an indoor right now.
***Blacky is fictional and is not directly related to anyone anywhere.***
Evergreens
Not the tree. Recently I have been getting lots and lots of calls and emails about problems with older horses. Not horses 18yrs or older but older than I would consider the age to be good and broke. It seems to me that in the past 10 years or so it has been more acceptable to have a 15yr old horse that is still green broke. Not because he was started late.....but because nobody bothered to finish him. Why didn't someone teach Blacky not to buck after the first 2-3 rides? Why is he 14 and you still have to lunge him to get all the bucks out before hopping on. Why wasn't this issue addressed when he was 3?
When did we start making so many excuses? Personally I think somewhere along the way working with your horse and coddling your horse were mixed up. Now people say they are going to work with their horse on trailer loading but never get them on the trailer. They ask with a high pitched voice, offer food, and don't expect it to work. When it doesn't instead of trying something else Blacky gets to go back in to the pasture and we'll just forget going to the trail ride/show.
When did the basics of horse handling go out the window? Well Blacky doesn't like to be tied so I lead him around and all the shows, trail rides, around the barn, etc. You know, growing up I didn't like getting up at 6am to go to school and as an adult I hate having to get up at 5:30 to start my day but like being an adult and having responsibilities part of being a broke horse is standing tied, getting in a trailer, not loosing his mind at a new place, pay attention to the rider, don't intentionally HURT your rider, etc.
These seemingly small things lead to horses that aren't settled. They don't know their jobs, they don't know their place, they are confused, and that leads to ulcers, pacing, neurotic behavior, and general spoiledness. They aren't confident in themselves or their handler and that gets people and horses hurt. This is what hurts my feelings the most. Meeting horses that are SO eager to have something make sense....anything. I love helping them and their owners get "it" but it kills me how many that I meet.
Sorry for the small rant.
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7 comments:
Can I hire you to teach my mom that very lesson? Pretty please? How about if I ask in baby talk while holding a brownie at her house? ;)
Think of it as job security ;)
I think its not that most people don't want a horse that knows its job and doesn't intentionally try to kill them - I just think most people don't have good horsemanship skills! There are way too many people thinking horses are pretty, so they go buy one. And in short order, reverse any training it may have had by being inconsistent.
You know, most people don't even have dog handling skills. I get so frustrated watching people with horribly behaved dogs..and they have no idea that they totally caused it. Just be friggin fair and consistent, people, and stop treating that dog like a human - it's not capable of understanding why one minute it can jump on you and the next minute it can't.
YAY on the weight loss! :) And yay for Desi gaining weight? I was just thinking today that as riders we're always fussing about losing weight and then fussing about our horses keeping weight on.
I think it's like Gabby said - horsemanship just went somewhere. I think a lot of people want the end result (quiet, patient horse who ties and trailers and bathes, etc.) but just don't know how to get there. I think other times it's easier (not better!) to adjust to the 1000lb animal than lay down the law, especially consistency.
Something really clicked for me when I noticed a common thread among Gayle's lessons, Super Nanny, and Cesar Milan. It was all about set boundaries and consistency, consistency, consistency. Horses, kids, dogs! It was really fascinating to see them all saying the same things.
I have noticed this too. When looking for a horse to buy, I was looking at Andalusians and so many of them hadnt been started and they were 5+. Or they were barely started.
One in particular that I went to look at, couldnt stand still in the cross ties, couldnt be caught, and was very green. Her owner was having a hard time riding her, so she kept putting harsher bits in her mouth, which didnt help.
Its horses like these that worry me and I think "I hope this horse doesnt wind up at an auction or a slaughther house."
Im glad Desi is doing well. We miss hearing about her.
Good for you for the weight loss and eating better! I am glad you are feeling better!
I have also noticed the trend of older horses that are still green. There are a lot of reasons, I think, many of which have already been mentioned, and I agree with!
Andrea, If I knew how to teach people this lesson a little better and have it stick I would be happy to!
Gabby, I prefer to NOT have to work the same horse over and over again. That only leads to more confusion for the horse. I am with you on the dog thing too! I can't stand seeing little dogs drag their owners down the road.
Kate, Thank you I am working hard and it is paying off. Consistency is a BIG part of training kids, dogs, horses, etc. Parents at the barn can't figure out why their kid does what I tell them and not what their parents tell them.
Piaffe, I see people adding larger bits ALL the time. Most of the time if you need a bigger bit, what you really need to do is figure out what happened with the communication. Hopefully I'll be posting about Desi more here soon.
Christie, You should yell at me. I swear I meant to send you that video! Please harass me until I do it! I have an unconscious fear of the Post Office. LOL
Well, in my defense, I couldn't help that MY horse didn't have basic skills when I got him. And I did what I could to correct it, but I am so NOT a trainer. I can TEACH any day of the week, but I can't train.
But hey, if I get a green-bean again, I'll trade massages for training! :p
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