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Ten Commandments of Horse Ownership

8K views 8 replies 9 participants last post by  CowboyGirl 
#1 ·
I sure do wish that everyone would follow these simple rules. The world would be a better place...
 

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#2 ·
I'll pass.

My horses seem to like me well enough, but they just aren't all that in to me. If I sold them to a good owner, they wouldn't spend time missing me. If I sold them to someone with green pastures, they'd dump me like a poor, fat boyfriend.

I trust my horse to be a horse. They have good intentions, but they are horses. Sometimes a horse needs a butt-kicking. A horse that chooses to use its strength to attack me would soon be dog food.

My 3 horses share a corral. They don't mind being 'locked up' away from me.

I expect to own my horses until they die. I try to be fair to them. They do seem to understand that I try to take care of them. For a horse, that is about as good as life gets.

But they are not humans, and they don't think in terms of human friendship. They don't view a corral as confinement, but safety. They are horses. They have come to trust me, but the horse I sold in Dec 2010 seems to be very happy with her new home as well.
 
#4 ·
I like that. :3

I think the first one meant that you need to spend plenty of time with your horse. I'm sure they do get lonely if they're ignored, especially if they're used to getting lots of attention. My Norman sure gets upset if I don't pay enough attention to him every day.

And I think the "locked up" part meant locked in a stall.
 
#5 ·
This has been slightly modified from what was a dog "10 commandments". I agree it works much better for dogs
 
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#8 · (Edited)
Dogs and horses have completely different mindsets. Both need an alpha and a herd/pack, but one is a predator and the other is prey. They think quite differently in terms of food, safety, and companionship.

I think this personifies (applies human feelings, thinking, and personality to something not human) horses to much, which is dangerous (both to horses and dogs). If I treated my horses like I treated my dogs, I'm sure I'd have a hoof in my gut somewhere along the line. A horse most certainly would not put up with that level of rough housing. :lol:

This applys to a dog much more heavily, and probably should, because a dog will actually modify it's behavior to be like it's owner/alpha. And this modification, this copying of behavior, is why dogs are endeared to so well. It is genetically ingrained in them to do this, and how they have survived as a species next to humans. They depend and endear themselves so thoroughly. A horse does not do this, and mistaking a horses behavior can cost you your life.
 
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