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Why I Gotta Trot

302K views 4K replies 52 participants last post by  egrogan 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)

Probably my first horse ride ever, circa late '70s.



"To understand just one life you have to swallow the world..." Salman Rushdie


It seems a little difficult to explain where I’m at in my horse life.
For sure I’ve found a horse life to be a dynamic thing, shifting and changing in ways a person may not expect.

First I should explain that whatever may change about me, a constant is that I need to have horses in my life. I’m human, female, and just as deep as both of those things I’m a horse person. In the times of my life where I could not have my own horses, I still thought about them, read about them, obsessed about them. Throughout the long years of childhood and as a teen, when my mother remained convinced I would outgrow this phase, my thoughts revolved around learning, preparing, and planning for when I would own a horse. Any chance I had to meet a horse, touch a horse, ride a horse, and I was there.

When I was in college, they asked me why I chose my career as a nurse. Others around me said they’d always dreamed of helping people or been interested in health care. I truthfully said I wanted to have a career that would help me have a good income so I could always have horses.

Although I did not own a horse until my early twenties, my obsession with horses meant that before I bought a horse I had ridden many horses, taken different types of lessons, studied many different trainers, knew a lot about various types of tack and riding styles, horse breeds, and how to assess horses for soundness and conformation.

As always with horses, and something I learned long before I owned a horse, is that even if you study horses your entire life, you can only know a fraction of what there is to know.

Over the years I’ve found horse people to be opinionated, stubborn, emotional, dramatic, and helpful, tough, caring, loyal. Most of them are loyal to their horses first, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s hard sometimes to call them “my people,” yet they are. They’re the only ones who can understand the deep-seated need “we people” have to talk about horses. Co-workers’ eyes glaze over, spouses try to care but get bored, family members have heard it for far too many years. Strangers won’t stick around long enough. Even when horse people get frustrating, they’re still good to have around to listen to the stories.

I’ve had the chance my horse life to study some different disciplines and different theories whole-heartedly. I’ve had the opportunity to be disillusioned by the difference between dreams and reality, and to learn again and again that horses are amazing animals, just animals, but animals worth spending years and dollars and dreams on. Horses have been teaching me about myself, about humanity, about beauty, and about life. There’s more to learn.

Where I’ve landed is somewhere far away from those that use horses for profit and ego and their own goals. It’s also some distance from those that use horses to fulfill purely emotional needs, or those that believe horses sense our purposes and bond with us with some form of blind parent/child trust. I’ve learned that absolutes such as never, or always do not apply to horses. No horse will “always.” No horse will “never.” In the right situation, any horse will, and can hurt you. I’ve learned that you can’t take anything personal with an animal, and to stay far away from anthropomorphizing. The more I understand that horses are individuals with their own, strong motivations, the more I appreciate them.

These philosophies help explain why I have the two horses I own, and may give insight into what I write about them. In the next post I’ll introduce my horses.
 
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#1,736 ·
You all are good for me, full of great advice.

I think the lease is a good idea (which Rascal's owners are very happy with, since they also are trying to figure out if he is a good fit), and there is no need for me to make any decisions right away. It will only be good for Rascal to have more riding and training, and it might become obvious if he will hold up to harder riding or not. Otherwise I will not be the right person for him, regardless. And that always must be the primary goal, to find the best home for a horse.

There is a horse at my barn I have mentioned before, he was bought about a year ago for a second riding horse and pack horse by a couple at the barn. When they brought him home I begrudgingly pointed out that his hooves were terrible and also his tongue had been badly injured. He is a very sweet horse and had the right personality for packing but kept coming up lame. They tried corrective farrier work and shoeing. He's only about 8 and the vet thought his hooves would straighten out, the xrays are good. But he is lame more than he is sound. Basically, his body is crooked from years of crooked hooves, so he gets sore often and is not fit for work. Anyway, my point is that his owners have found him a good home with an older couple who don't ride very much, but have one lonely gelding who needs a pasture buddy.

We had a sad day again at the barn, since Rebel was put to sleep. DH and I went to help with the burial, so her owner wouldn't have to do it. I was very sad for her owner, since this was her first horse she'd had for sixteen years, since she was a teen. But I was happy for Rebel since she is a very stoic horse but has been in bad shape for awhile. Her hooves today were the worst I have ever seen on a horse in person, and it amazed me she was up and walking on them. She was laying down for hours every day, so I was glad her owner had the courage to make this decision for her.
 
#1,737 ·
I'm sure being my friend was something regretted by horse and human alike today.

The rain was steady and unrelenting. I don't think there was even a break for five minutes all day. The horses were huddling in their sheds. I rousted out Amore and Rascal so I could take them down to the lower barn area for awhile.

For the past few days I've been taking Rascal out for short rides or walks, and working on a positive association with handling. He acts like he's been treated like a machine. When you go get him you can see he thinks there's not going to be anything in it for him.

That's starting to change, because we're doing different things each day and I am interspersing small amounts of "no fun" with things that are interesting and enjoyable. I base this on how the horses seem, rather than my opinion. Fun is hunting for grass near the goat pen, visiting the hay storage in the lower barn to take bites of alfalfa, walking with a friend to new areas. No fun is standing around tied, trying on tack, or going in the round pen in the pouring rain.

But I'm trying to make all the things routine that Rascal is not used to, such as tagging along behind me on a lead wherever I might go, through gates and with and around other horses. And getting saddled, unsaddled, standing for mounting over and over, bridled, hooves picked over and over. All of these things made him stand tensely, hesitate or react, which to me is a sign of not being handled routinely enough. After awhile, horses I'm around get completely immune to me scampering around and putting things off and on their bodies, lifting various body parts, my hands going everywhere poking and prodding (nicely).

A friend who used to ride Amore when she was a teen is now in her early 20s and messaged me saying she was doing some college work in town. She is a serious runner, so was asking about good runs. So I got ahold of my sister and after both their work and classes, dragged them out for a three mile run on the trails in the muddy woods and pouring down rain. Lots of steep hills, but it felt great to be out there. We would have gone farther but darkness caught us.

I'm friends on FB with a nice gal who used to post on the forum last year but people kept saying she was making up her stories about riding and how she was doing so she left. I was pleased to see she just bought the lovely, young OTTB she's been riding for the past months, and has continued her foray (descent? LOL) into the horse world.

If @bsms sells Bandit, I would be tempted to ask if he thought he'd be a good horse to ride on the coast. He is a beautiful mover. It's not that tough to ship a horse over a couple states. But I realize that Bandit could probably be a good fit for many people, and my inclination is to find a horse that really needs me in particular.

Something interesting happened along those lines, as I think about Rascal and other options, which is that I discovered there is an Arabian rescue in Oregon that was started three years ago. I sent a message last night to them about my experience with Arabs and how I might be able to give a good home to one that is difficult to place due to temperament.
Home

There is one named Sheba in the rehab section that has more pictures on FB. It says she was unhandled at 13 and they plan to keep her for a long time to make her adoptable because she is very reactive. Her pedigree was posted and it's interesting. Amore's dam's sire was a horse named *Marhaba, a Holland Nat'l champ and her sire's sire was *Bask, a famous sire. Sheba's sire's sire was *Marhaba, and her sire's grandsire was *Bask. No wonder they are having trouble with her, LOL.
Anyway, she is interesting to me, looks rather athletic. Same age Halla was when I got her.


 
#1,738 ·
"If bsms sells Bandit, I would be tempted to ask if he thought he'd be a good horse to ride on the coast. He is a beautiful mover. It's not that tough to ship a horse over a couple states. But I realize that Bandit could probably be a good fit for many people, and my inclination is to find a horse that really needs me in particular." - @gottatrot

For Bandit's sake, I'd give him to you free and pay the shipping costs. But I also think you are right. Bandit could adapt to almost anyone who would ride him regularly and treat him with some fairness. LOTS of people could own him and have a fun, enjoyable horse. I think the racing he did was abusive, in the sense of being much harder on his body than he should have been subjected to...but he undoubtedly LIKED his owner/rider.

The road you've traveled has prepared you for horses more like Mia. Or, even further in that direction, Halla. Horses who NEED someone whose understanding can unlock the world for them. Someone who can teach them riding can be a release, not a pressure.

"This will profit you. This will profit you not." - Tom Roberts

Much of the horse world seems to focus on "This will profit you not." And with many horses - Bandit too, largely - that is OK. They don't really insist on much. "Long-suffering" is an old term for patience, as in the King James (1611) translation "Charity suffereth long" for 'Love is patient...'. But many horses are, by breeding, long-suffering. They can get by in a world where no one bothers to say, or even consider, "This will profit you."

I think any horse can benefit when a rider regularly asks himself, "What is in this for the horse? Why - or HOW - might he be convinced that doing this is HIS idea?"

Ray Hunt wrote:

"Let your idea become the horse's idea."

But he also wrote this:

"How do you get a horse to go away from the barn?

You wouldn't try to take him away from the barn; you'd just make it difficult for him to hang around there. You would make it difficult by not letting his feet stop - just keep his feet moving...You've made the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy." - page 52

That is making hanging out bad, so going out becomes less bad. That is teaching the horse that the world is full of pressure, so he might as well give in and submit. But it doesn't tap in to the horse's sense of fun, what the cavalryman wrote in the mid-1800s:

"Horses don't like to be ennuye, and will rather stick at home than go out to be bored ; they like amusement, variety, and society : give them their share of these, but never in a pedantic way, and avoid getting into a groove of any kind, either as to time or place, especially with young animals...a little reflection will generally suffice to point out the means of remedying something that, if left to itself, would grow into a confirmed habit, or if attacked with the energy of folly and violence, would suddenly culminate in the grand catastrophe of restiveness..."

So much of riding and "horsemanship" seems to come down to "Can you get the horse to DO what you want?" I think real horsemanship comes down to, "Can you get the horse to WANT what you want?"

By selective breeding, many horses are content to live with DOING what the rider wants. That is why my farrier prefers mules - he says they HAVE to want what you want, or they won't do it. And he says that is why so many horse riders can't do squat with a mule - because they have never even IMAGINED trying to get an animal to want what they want.

There is a thread about how many horses have you ridden. I think learning to get a horse to want what you want only comes from riding a horse who won't be ridden any other way. Someone whose horse has taught them to approach horses from that perspective has been given a gift by his/her horse. A gift to use where there is need...an emotional triage for horses.
 
#1,741 ·
I think any horse can benefit when a rider regularly asks himself, "What is in this for the horse? Why - or HOW - might he be convinced that doing this is HIS idea?"

Ray Hunt wrote:

"Let your idea become the horse's idea."

But he also wrote this:

"How do you get a horse to go away from the barn?

...You wouldn't try to take him away from the barn; you'd just make it difficult for him to hang around there. You would make it difficult by not letting his feet stop - just keep his feet moving...You've made the wrong thing difficult and the right thing easy." - page 52

That is making hanging out bad, so going out becomes less bad. That is teaching the horse that the world is full of pressure, so he might as well give in and submit. But it doesn't tap in to the horse's sense of fun...

So much of riding and "horsemanship" seems to come down to "Can you get the horse to DO what you want?" I think real horsemanship comes down to, "Can you get the horse to WANT what you want?"
Very great post!

Thank you for the kind words about Bandit.

"What is in it for the horse" is the challenge I keep trying to solve. What I believe is that even the horses that will do what we ask because of their breeding and compliant natures will benefit from us figuring out the answer. Do we want a horse to do what we ask, or do we want them to shine because they enjoy doing what we ask?

I often find it challenging just to figure out how to make doing what I want "not negative," and it is super challenging to go beyond that and make it positive. So many people seem to not even be able to think about what is "not negative." Not negative to me means the saddle doesn't hurt, the rider is not nagging and providing enough release, the horse is not asked to ride beyond his fitness level, the horse isn't frightened or overly worried.

The fitness one seems very difficult for most people to figure out. Good friends of mine will think nothing of taking horses out for long, hard rides after a significant amount of time with no exercise. To me that is a negative for the horse. I don't think when horses' lungs and muscles are burning they think about how good the workout will be for them.

Rather than making riding or getting in a trailer less negative, I would at least like to try for not negative or neutral. Hopefully we can even get to positive. What I've found about making horses move their feet is that many horses will find moving out in a safe area less negative than standing and resting in an unsafe area. If the horse feels unsafe away from the barn, he may be happy to keep moving in that safe place where even if he is working hard he doesn't feel in danger. Ditto with the trailer.

@Horseluvr2524:
I can completely understand your desire to pick a horse that needs you. My only thought is, would it not be better to find a horse under 10? I'd just like to see you pick a horse that you have a better chance of enjoying a riding life with for 15 to 20 years, rather then 8 or 10 years down the line having the past repeat itself. Just my .02. Take it or leave it.

Perhaps you could volunteer at the rescue (well, if they are in a feasible distance). Then you could work with MANY horses that need your help, and save your second horse spot for one that is healthy and will be rideable for a very very long time.
You are my voice of reason. Yes, I'd rather have a horse I could ride for longer. The rescue is a bit too far away to go there often. Something I'm wondering is if I could foster a horse for awhile. Then I'd be donating in a way, by providing for a horse, and also making the horse more adoptable. It would put off getting my own horse, but I'd have plenty to feel good about.
 
#1,739 ·
Holy cow, Sheba looks a LOT like Amore.

I can completely understand your desire to pick a horse that needs you. My only thought is, would it not be better to find a horse under 10? I'd just like to see you pick a horse that you have a better chance of enjoying a riding life with for 15 to 20 years, rather then 8 or 10 years down the line having the past repeat itself. Just my .02. Take it or leave it.

Perhaps you could volunteer at the rescue (well, if they are in a feasible distance). Then you could work with MANY horses that need your help, and save your second horse spot for one that is healthy and will be rideable for a very very long time.
 
#1,740 ·
@bsms Like Like Like Like your post.

I have a mare, Isabeau, who you MUST get her to want what you want or she won't do anything. She has her own opinions about everything, and she doesn't hesitate to let you know them too. Everyone who rides her likes her. She's great to ride, but it has to be her idea. I've learned a whole lot about figuring out how I can make things her idea.
@gottatrot, I really "get" what you are saying about a horse that needs you. I used to feel sad that I constantly had to make do with other people's cast-offs and rejects, but I think, over the years, I've profited from it more than I realized. There's a special bond when you have a horse that you know wouldn't work for most people but does well with you.
 
#1,742 ·
Fostering I think is a good idea... so long as you don't get too attached! I get so attached to animals that I couldn't foster. I would become the animal's forever home. DH is actually worse than me... he became attached to a cricket I caught to use as lizard bait! Named it Bob and everything... he was happy when my trap didn't work and the cricket got away. LOL!

If I was in the position to be horse shopping, I would not be in any hurry this time around. I'd wait until I found that perfect horse. The ones floating around in my mind lately are OTTB's and haflingers. Polar opposites, but what can I say?

I think that you've earned the opportunity to train your own horse from scratch. Have you thought about getting a real young horse like a 3 year old? I've had a look around at the usual horse ad places (equinenow, craigslist) for horses in Oregon. I must say that your selection is not as good as Arizona. Arizona has an overabundance of horses and people trying to sell them. Not so much in Oregon from what I can see. Guess you need to be part of those FB groups (I don't do FB).
 
#1,744 ·
Gotta, I think you should ride a variety of horses, and 'train' for a while. you enjoyed riding Rascal, and helping him. And you have a good way, and a good mind for horses, so 'helping' others, who have 'people problems' would be a good thing to do , for now. It's time to up your own challenges, to step up to the next plateau on life's journey. Or, you can stay where you are. it's just that jsut as soon as we think we are staying in the same place, we are actually slipping back.
 
#1,746 ·
Words of wisdom today from Rebel's owner, a few days after losing her horse.
As devastating as loss is, watching someone or something suffer is worse.
I agree.

(@Alder):
We've both changed.
(@Tinyliny):
Just as soon as we think we are staying in the same place, we are actually slipping back.
That's one of the best things about horses, how much they can change us and teach us. I want to continue to be challenged by horses, to try to find solutions for things that seem very difficult.
The thread about how many horses people have ridden - it's very interesting but also I know it doesn't tell the whole story. How much you learn is not determined by how many horses you ride, but by how willing you are to learn from each horse.

It has disappointed me to learn that some of the most famous trainers out there will reject the most difficult horses, because of the time and energy it takes for a little progress. That progress can make all the difference in the horse's life, but is not worth it to many.
********************************************
Tonight after riding Rascal with Nala I was musing over what makes horses difficult. Rascal has despooked so rapidly that now he can pass almost everything on the beach without worry. I think he spooked twice. He's moving over off my seat and legs, and his "incidents" of throwing in kicks, bucks, etc have gone down from 25 or 30 in a ride to about 10. I'm not having to correct him physically for things because he listens to my voice. If I tell him not to do it, he stops. If I tell him it's all right, he calms.

I could have "let" him gallop today. We did a big, fast canter several times. Except I'm learning it wouldn't be letting him gallop, it would be making him. He has a heavy build and I'm thinking he's going to be more of a 1/4 miler type. He will stay in a trot forever until I tell him to canter. Every time I asked him to go down a gait or slow today, his response was instant. I'd say "OK" before picking up the reins, and he'd drop down usually before I got to contact.

I'm learning he can be trusted going fast on a loose rein and if anything happens I can pick up the reins and he responds. No need to be within quick contact range. He's pretty content to stay within a gait and rate himself until I tell him otherwise. The more comfortable he gets in the environment, the less likely he is to want to rush off with Nala.

I've been treating Rascal for a few days with Halla's leftover ulcer medication. Knowing how Halla's anxiety was through the roof with ulcers, I could guess that curing any ulcer issues could make him far more calm. He's already fine for a strong intermediate rider, I'd say and improving rapidly.

He is so much easier than Halla, and that just shows me how much temperament really does play into things. It's not just about giving a horse trust or freedom, because even though you should try that and keep trying it, some horses are always going take a mile if you give them an inch. I don't see this as a bad thing, but it definitely makes them more difficult. Hundreds and hundreds of times I gave Halla the opportunity to be more relaxed, to trot or canter without rein contact. Every single time I did so, she took advantage and went for more speed. We got along famously, but it was a chess match. Everything came into play; the bit, the saddle, my fitness and balance. She would take advantage of any weakness she found. This was not "evil," it was intelligent and understandable.

Making it positive for Halla was about letting her have an outlet for energy and speed. Making it positive for Rascal seems to be about balancing his work with rest and letting him relax and slow from time to time. From what I've read about race training, horses work up to cantering about a mile and a half daily, and do half mile or three quarter mile gallops once or twice a week.

Nala and Halla enjoyed doing full gallops for at least a mile, and in the same ride would often canter two to three miles. Also there would be a couple miles of trotting and a couple miles of walking. That's a lot more work than racehorses get, but is also why we did it several times a week rather than each day.

I think it will be a stretch to get Rascal doing that hard of work, mentally. But I'd like the horse I own to be capable of that, and also doing at least a 25 mile endurance ride.
 
#1,748 ·
That’s sort of the point I got to with Izzy-she WOULD do what I asked/made her do, but riding in the arena truly felt like marching her off to her death. Feet dragging, eyes dull, not enjoying a second of it. It is somewhat better if she’s ridden just once or twice a week outside, but she still seems to dread certain routes (I’d guess the hard gravel road is less comfortable than the path through the woods, and not surprisingly she’d rather not go that way). At this point, she pretty much gets to pick what she wants to do and what she doesn’t, and we just stick with the things she shows enthusiasm for. She’s certainly earned that!!

PS-she turns 24 tomorrow :)
 
#1,750 ·
Thank you so much.

Poor Rascal almost didn't make it back home today. It was cold and raining intermittently, so I was thinking about staying warm and a probably shorter ride.

Once Nala and Rascal hit the beach, we cantered a mile and then trotted a mile with some cantering interspersed. As we rounded out mile three with very little walking, Nala's rider thought we could keep going around the point and do our eight mile ride, but I realized we'd had the fastest pace for Rascal so far and thought it best to turn back.
Took it a bit easier on the way back and the last 3/4 mile Rascal wanted to stay walking slow. I told him horses were supposed to speed up on the way home, not slow down. He was down to only 5 bucks or kicks, saving his energy. That was 6 miles and he was beat.

His canter transitions are getting nice. I'm trying to work on getting his head up at the canter. I'd like him to keep a similar posture to the trot, but he wants to canter like this:

That's fine if you're going to lope around an arena, but if you're going over rough ground and stretching into a gallop, you've got to have your head up, looking, and some margin of error for trips. Otherwise you're going a** over teakettle. I let him stretch out at one point and then I was at the end of my reins with no leverage in case Nala decided to put in her 45 mph gallop and drag Rascal along. That would have keeled him off today.
By the end of the ride I had him about here:


We were thinking one of the people who took him and returned him thought he should go with his head curled under in a western saddle. Doubt he adopted that during his track life, but you never know. The first time we bridled him and rode, he went around with his head close to the ground and it took a couple rides to get him to travel with his head up.

I am the worst about running my body on fumes. After work this am at 7, I ate a peanut butter sandwich before going to bed. Slept 5 hours, woke up like a little kid (I get to ride!), forgot to eat and headed to the barn. Rode 6 miles pretty hard, did chores, then my sister showed up at the barn and we went for a three mile interval (faster/slower) run. Driving home after 6 pm, wondered why I felt woozy. "Must be tired." I can never figure out this basic concept that hard work and exercise require fuel more often than every 11-12 hours! My first thought is always that I might be getting sick or need a nap, until last of all I wonder when I previously had food.
 
#1,754 ·
My eating schedule used to be breakfast, a couple of snacks throughout the day (no lunch), and a good sized dinner. That diet doesn't work for pregnancy, I've been having to pack many different snacks for work. And if I'm going to be at the barn for any length of time, I've got to bring snacks. Then sometimes I'll feel hungry but can't eat because of nausea (hello morning sickness! I can't even touch my breakfast :( It's rather exhausting. I miss the old days where I could go hours upon hours without food while exercising, and it didn't bother me at all, so long as I ate a good dinner.

Make sure to take care of yourself, it's important! The kind of eating habits you are keeping, along with the intense amount of exercise you do, could hurt you in the long run. But you know that, you are a nurse. :wink:
 
#1,756 ·
Good advice about fueling up. I definitely need to be better about it. In my case there is a combination of disliking shopping, disliking cooking, and therefore having nothing good to eat around. It's not that I don't like to eat, but I'd prefer having a mother that would make me food and pack me a lunch.

A teen who used to come ride Amore with me would bring snacks for us to eat at the barn. Sadly, the teen had to take care of me instead of the other way around. Too bad she grew up and went off to college, now I'm often hungry again. Some of my coworkers bring great snacks to work and give me some. There is some kind of mothering instinct that never goes away, for some of these who like to feed other people. My sister is this way. Sometimes she drops off food for me at my work. It is this type of codependent behavior that reinforces my apathy toward thinking ahead and bringing food for myself. Plus my DH was a complete bachelor until age 34, and was raised by an absentee mother. He always had to fend for himself when it came to eating, which is good since I have no motherly instincts of my own to feed other people. I do make food for us regularly, but only when it is absolutely necessary. :smile:

Some places we've traveled were notable for being difficult places to find food, especially Western Australia and Iceland. The easiest and best places to find great food were Ireland and Hawaii. I can't recall one time we went to get food in Hawaii where it wasn't spectacular. And the breakfasts in Ireland could keep you going all day, if you didn't feel sick after stuffing yourself and then driving around the winding roads for a few hours.

Thinking about travel because we're leaving in a couple of weeks for a trip to Japan that will last about 3 1/2 weeks. We will probably see some interesting native horses on Miyako island and Ishigaki.

It is going to be an amazing trip, and we are planning to visit some remote islands such as one called Aogashima.


Time to fulfill some of my DH's passion, which is travel, since my horse passion is fulfilled all year round. As we travel I hope to have time to think a lot about what my horse future brings.

At the barn some of the horses have been in trouble. Rascal, Leo and Buddy are in the field next to Sizzler, Penny and Pinky. Penny is the giant, young drafty mare and she is another example of desensitizing gone wrong. I've seen this several times now, with foals raised by fairly experienced horse owners. The owners are very concerned about exposing the young horses to everything in the world that might frighten them. In this way, they overly desensitize the horses and teach them that nothing in the world can ever harm them. This creates horses that are very difficult to keep in fences. You can wrap them up in tarps and ride them anywhere. They are fearless. But they also require tons of pressure to get them moving and often destroy their living environment.

Penny is four years old.
The trouble is that Penny has been playing hard with the geldings across the fence, along with Sizzler her cohort. They have snapped the wire fencing three days in a row. Today the only thing they could do was take the wire down and let the whole mob roam together.
Rascal looked exhausted coming into his night pen this evening. They must have been very rowdy and played hard. It looked like the barn owner had put up a double fenceline so the horses can't reach each other to play fight. Hopefully that will work. Penny might just charge through anyway.
 
#1,759 · (Edited)
A teen who used to come ride Amore with me would bring snacks for us to eat at the barn. Sadly, the teen had to take care of me instead of the other way around. Too bad she grew up and went off to college, now I'm often hungry again.
:lol::lol:

The owners are very concerned about exposing the young horses to everything in the world that might frighten them. In this way, they overly desensitize the horses and teach them that nothing in the world can ever harm them. This creates horses that are very difficult to keep in fences. You can wrap them up in tarps and ride them anywhere. They are fearless. But they also require tons of pressure to get them moving and often destroy their living environment.
.
No, sorry, I think it's just the draft types. :lol: I often call them bulldozers because coming through fences is part of the package. Seen many Irish Cobs and Haflingers that go to this category, and at least one of them was still light to ride and one of them rather nervous and reactive. The person who keeps my horses now has one that previously has had a hobby of coming through everything.

Previous workplace's farrier breeds Percherons and he uses electric fencing for bulls.

**

I hate cooking with passion! Sometimes I just eat cereals. I could live on pizza. My partner is the opposite, he spends hours cooking... :icon_rolleyes: But nothing for me because we don't eat the same food.
 
#1,758 ·
These food comments are so funny @gottatrot and @Hondo. I love everything about shopping for food, growing food, cooking, eating. I'm not a super social person but stick me in the middle of the kitchen with my friends all around me, so I can be focused on the cooking but still part of the conversation, and that's one of my happiest places. I definitely am one of those people who likes to take care of others through food. And that's good because my husband has the metabolism of a 13 year old boy and we often joke that he's a "hard keeper" and needs to have food in front of him at all times :rofl:

That said- I don't think of myself as mothering at all (hence why we have no plans for kids, which is definitely the right choice for us). BUT, I will take great satisfaction in feeding anyone who shows up in my kitchen. Wish you weren't so far away, I'm always looking for someone who wants to be cooked for!
 
#1,760 ·
I totally hear what you're saying about cooking, gottatrot. I frequently forget to eat because I simply don't enjoy the process of preparing my own meals.
Boyfriend had a stint as a chef, which compounds that issue, but he's almost never home, these days. First world problems.
Maybe get little "snack packs", or fruit? They're convenient, and only require one stop in the store.

How exciting that you're going to Japan! Boyfriend and I are casually talking about a trip in the future. And three weeks?! That'll be wonderful! What all do you have planned?

I had never considered that about desensitizing, but I do see videos on sale ads all the time of horses swathed in tarp, getting slapped with socks, walking through tubes.... My question is when a horse will ever encounter any of those things? xD I have always treated desensitization as a "deal with as it arises" kind of thing. I'm not sure if that's the right answer, but such is life.

Hope you're doing well <3 I love your updates!
 
#1,762 ·
@gottatrot and all,

I thought about you talking about Rascal throwing bucks sometimes between gaits, at least early on.

I was reading about a horse being hyper specific on what it saw. A barn from one direction was or could be an entirely different object from another direction. And it was related that horses had been tested on recognizing objects when they were re-oriented or rotated.

It was said that they do not categorize barns as we do but each barn is not only specific but specific at a particular angle.

The author went on to say that a saddle at a walk had a very specific feel that was altogether different at a trot or a canter and that was often or at times the cause for bucks at gait changes.

Sounded interesting.
 
#1,763 ·
@Hondo, the fences are electrified! But I believe they could be turned up a bit higher. Regarding hyper-specific responses, I think that is true for a lot of horses. Rascal does not seem that discerning, so I am believing right now it has been a combination of body issues, insecurity and inconsistent handling/riding that gave him these habits.
Amore, on the other hand had to be desensitized to every new saddle at every gait. She could tell you that every type of saddle and pad does feel different, and it moves differently at every gait.
@egrogan:
So funny about your husband being a hard keeper. Luckily mine is an easy keeper. I think you're right, feeding people is probably not related to being a mother. I just think of it that way since my mom fed us so well.
@Zexious, hope you get to go to Japan. I'm not the trip planner but I hear it will be something like 3 days in Tokyo, 1 on Hachijojima, then to Aogashima for a day. Then Kyoto for 3 days, down to Kyushu (driving around) for 3 days, then to Okinawa for 2 days, then to Miyako, Ishigaki, Taketomi, and Iriomote for a few more days. Last time we went north from Tokyo, to the snowy top of Hokkaido. This time we are going down to the tropics.
@Fimargue, You are probably right about the bulldozer personality being unrelated to the horse being desensitized. It brings to mind a friend training a draft horse that was a bit spookier than the norm. She thought she had him going fine with dragging things until one day he spooked at the board behind him and took down part of the barn and went through three fences.
My Arabs could spook severely and yet a string across their path would still stop them cold.

Something I've noted is the wide range of responses horses will have to desensitization. I believe it's always good to do the minimum and expose a horse to things. Many horses will become accustomed to facing new things, learn how to get courage from the response of the rider and gain a boldness that applies to many other things they haven't met yet (Rascal). Many horses will build on each experience.

Other horses will see every new thing as a potential hazard, and find minute differences in things that are not obvious. Three water buckets might all look different. Getting touched by a stirrup might feel different than getting touched by a rope or by a branch. This is Amore.
Rascal had five ocean waves hit his legs, and now he has generalized that all waves are fine. Amore after being exposed to many hundreds of waves, still sees each wave as different, and must decide if each individual one is hazardous.

The boldness or support of the rider is separate from this response, as I react no more to Amore than to Rascal and each paints their own view of life.

************************************************
Rebel's owner has been out for several rides since her mare passed away, and is bonding to Penny. We took Rascal and Penny out for a sunset ride this evening.
(By the way, I ran out of the house, stopped and went back to grab a bar to take along and eat, thanks to our discussion here).


Such a big mustang.

Without Nala, the green OTTB and four year old were steady and staid. For the first time ever, Rascal did not buck ONCE, did not kick out, and the two of them only spooked in place about three times. To very scary things, I might add. Children shot out at us from behind a bush, shrieking, something popped loudly on the beach, and we were getting passed by cars in both directions at once.

I think I contacted the bit about four times, and everything was on a loose rein. Our cantering was rhythmic and steady, with no one trying to gain speed. It seemed like anyone could have ridden Rascal today. We even had the horses standing still on the beach several times.


Riding as Nala does is challenging for Rascal, and I could tell he enjoyed himself a lot more at a slower pace and with a more mellow friend. He might do well as a "pick up" ride horse, for the weekly casual ride plus friends who want to tag along. If he stops bucking and keeps going along on a loose rein, plus continues rapidly getting accustomed to all kinds of scenery on the beach, I'm thinking he will be a fine horse for any regular rider very soon.

How far he has come was highlighted when Penny's rider spoke up as we approached the beach. She said we could just walk if I wanted, and didn't need to go in the waves or do anything that might set Rascal off. I believe the last ride she went on with us, Rascal had only been out several times. She was surprised to hear Rascal was completely comfortable trotting and cantering with other horses now, and could go in the ocean without a qualm. In fact, we were the ones steadying Penny, and led the speed changes throughout the ride.
 
#1,767 ·
@Fimargue, You are probably right about the bulldozer personality being unrelated to the horse being desensitized. It brings to mind a friend training a draft horse that was a bit spookier than the norm. She thought she had him going fine with dragging things until one day he spooked at the board behind him and took down part of the barn and went through three fences.
My Arabs could spook severely and yet a string across their path would still stop them cold.
Lordy. :icon_rolleyes: The joy of strong horses with no self preservation instinct.

Came to remind me of the worst of the worst ... Big Irish Cob with big feathers, and the most nervous, uncontrollable horse I have ever known. He once spooked and went through the fences sending fence posts flying and part of that actually pierced the BO's leg. He was slightly better when he found a bigger friend he could hide behind and be with that friend all the time, but farrier days were sometimes interesting. Sometimes when you touched the feathers he would just stomp like mad. And if he didn't want to stay still, well you can guess how fun that was.

Talila would absolutely freak out if something touched her legs. She had so much holes in her training for having been a riding horse that also competed.
 
#1,764 ·
Very educational post!

Wanted to comment on the electrical fence. You may know all this already but it takes only a very little weed or anything slightly conductive to weaken or turn off the fence by shorting out the current.

I use a test meter that has lights that show stepwise what the voltage is, 2K to 8K. I also have a low voltage indicator right by the main people gate that will flash if the voltage drops below a certain point.

One day it was flashing and I inspected the fence with a fine toothed comb and found nothing. The charger is connected to the solar storage batteries and it turned out the corrosion at the battery alligator clips had weakened the voltage below the indicator setting.

I use an 8,000 volt charger but in dry weather may have only 4,000 volts or less. Ground rods are important also.

A 2,000 volt charger that I have can become useless in very dry weather.

Unless a horse is panicked, I'm doubting they would go through properly functioning electric fence. I bumped my forehead accidentally on mine once and went completely down. Other wise it's just a very strong jolt.

My horses will bring their chin to within 3-4 inches but they will not touch. Dragon doesn't even test it anymore since I began leaving it on 24/7.
 
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