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No Respect

2K views 14 replies 9 participants last post by  LadyLark09 
#1 ·
Hello,

I decided to make my first post a rant.

Rant's Topic:

No Respect

Now, I know that this is one of the "rarer" forms of disrespect, but I still think it is wrong.

Once you properly train a horse, they will faithfully carry you however you please.
The long hours spent in the rain, sun, or snow. No matter the weather, it didn't stop you from working hard.
From the most horrible mishaps to the most fulfilling breakthroughs.
From the little moments you cherished to the big picture you worked toward.
From the barrels you raced to the meadows you walked.
Yet, at the end of the day, some call it, "Just a Horse."

Please remember to respect the horse. They are not just 'some replaceable object'. You will never find another horse like yours - ever. You may find one similar, but never the same.
 
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#3 ·
Palomine said:
However this has nothing to do with respect in terms of horses.
Yes, it does. A horse is suppose to respect you and you are suppose to respect the horse.

Do you not show respect to your horse?
Respect comes in many forms.
Respect means to show admiration (dictionary) to some[one/thing].

Palomine said:
And there will be many good horses throughout a person's life, in many different ways.
I never said there won't be other good horses (sorry, double negative). I said, don't take your horse for granted.
 
#4 ·
I agree respect works both ways.

I am so tired of hearing people talk about their horse has no respect for them. My question is what have you done to show respect for your horse?

A lot of the things people do that is considered ok in the horse world would be called battery in the human world, and people would be arrested for it. Yes horses beat up on each other, and they hurt each other, but we are not horses, we have higher thinking and should be able to work with the horse not go around picking fights with it.

Do we need to whack them sometimes for dangerous behavior to protect ourselves from harm sometimes sure, but who caused the dangerous behavior in the first place, who taught the horse it is ok to behave dangerously towards humans? Who put themselves in a dangerous position and made the horse feel like he had to defend itself, or his resources?

If you ask and your horse says "no" are you really asking?

If you want your horse to respect you, you need to respect him first.

I guess I had a rant too.
 
#5 ·
I agree respect works both ways.

I am so tired of hearing people talk about their horse has no respect for them. My question is what have you done to show respect for your horse?

A lot of the things people do that is considered ok in the horse world would be called battery in the human world, and people would be arrested for it. Yes horses beat up on each other, and they hurt each other, but we are not horses, we have higher thinking and should be able to work with the horse not go around picking fights with it.

Do we need to whack them sometimes for dangerous behavior to protect ourselves from harm sometimes sure, but who caused the dangerous behavior in the first place, who taught the horse it is ok to behave dangerously towards humans? Who put themselves in a dangerous position and made the horse feel like he had to defend itself, or his resources?

If you ask and your horse says "no" are you really asking?

If you want your horse to respect you, you need to respect him first.

I guess I had a rant too.
At the risk of being reminded that horses are not people, I will add that that we often make allowances for other people's actions when in MHO people have the reasoning ability (or should have) to control there actions. Horses on the other hand react negatively because they either don't understand or have been conditioned to resort to bad behavior. Some behavior definitely needs to be corrected immediately but there are many issues that can be corrected with more respect and understanding of the rider/handler.
 
#8 ·
I bopped a horse on the nose today when he tried to bum rush me. There was nothing I 'admired' about his behavior at that time. I don't think he admired me too much either but he sure walked nicely after that.
That to me sounds like someone who knows what they are doing and knows the horse they are working with. Probably neither of you gave it a second thought after the correction was made.
 
#7 · (Edited)
For example:

Respect a horse's sensitivity. A horse can feel a fly land on him. Yet, some people yank or have constant contact becasue they have not learned to cue the horse properly.

For example:
Respect a horse's hearing. A horse can hear the softest of sounds. Yet, some people yell demands at the horse with no tone.

It is like water.

It holds life (drinking) and death (drowning).
You need to respect it, but not fear it.
You need to work with it, not against it.
The struggle will pull you under.
The teamwork will let you reach your goal.

Horses live in the moment. We think about past, present, and future.
 
#10 ·
If I came up to you and put my hand on your arm you would feel it and not flinch, if I came up amd with the lightest of touches, tickled your arm, you would move it away.
I always think this is a poor analogy. Look at how two horses can have a kicking match and really boot into each other and walk away as if nothing had happened.

Do I respect horses? I guess I do, I have always seem to them before I see to myself, I feed them, work them, tend to their needs.

Do I take any nonsense from them? You can bet your bottom dollar I do not.
I have written earlier about a cob I am breaking, today he decided that he wasn't going to comply. He knew only to well what was wanted of him and that was to walk down a leafy lane, he has done it before. He threw a hissy fit amd a right royal temper tantrum.
I let him have his tantrums, when he threatened to kick me he got a good what for, he knows better than that. He was not showing me any respect and I was certainly not going to make excuses for his bad behaviour.
I demanded that he showed me respect, he was not going to get mine until he did.

I want a horse to work with me through thick and thin. If I let him have his way, as in not going down the lane, then he is never going to show me respect.
 
#9 ·
I agree with those who have said that the word "respect" means a lot of different things.

Taking care of the horse one has by providing it with proper care (food, water, shelter) is respect for another living being in terms of good animal husbandry.

I think respect can also mean making sure a horse that wants/needs a job has a job. In my opinion, if I purchased a horse and it just wasn't a good fit, but that horse was safe for another rider and was young enough to continue with regular work -- and enjoyed that regular work -- it would be respectful to that horse to find it a better home with a different rider rather than keeping it as a pasture pet. Some horses just do better emotionally when they have a job.

Along those same lines, I think its respectful to listen to one's aging horse and decide when it is fair to give the horse its retirement -- lazy days in the pasture and the sun and a merciful end of life if necessary when the time comes.

When we're using "respect" to talk about working with horses and communicating with them, however, I'm with the group that believes that it's important to remember that a horse *is* a horse (in other words, not a human) and therefore communicates differently than we do and expects different things out of relationships than we do. In my opinion, it's respectful to study horse behavior and "speak their language" when building a relationship with them and riding and training them -- demanding, as they would in their own herd, respectful and safe behavior while we are working with them -- no more and no less pressure or correction than is necessary to get the response we want, just as they would with other horses.
 
#14 ·
Half our world is war torn or starving. A third of our women experience domestic violence and it seems that racial discrimination and violence is growing.

I think many horses are treated with more "respect" than many humans.

I think someone along the line coined the respect word because it sounds nice and makes sense to people. We think, oh respect that's something and we definitely want that. We can definitely demand respect.

But the definition you shared, while true for the word isn't quite true for what we do for horses. Horses have no concept of admiration.

The reality of horses is dominance and submission. Two words that don't sound nearly as nice as respect. But we don't have mutual respect for each other, horses and humans. Horses are not equal with us or each other. You are either more dominant than your horse or more submissive. There is no middle ground, and I know that I will do anything I have to in order to keep my dominance.

I do believe humans, for the sake of all living things, should always try to be as ethical and moral As they can. I am committed to that. I think it is those ethics that dictate how I am to horses, using minimal force and always kindness. Always taking care, that ensures their well being.

If we truly respected them in all ways we wouldn't buy and sell them. We wouldn't own them, use them.
 
#15 ·
The word 'respect' has different definitions for different people, it's all relative to perspective.

Regardless of faith or politics, most people can at least agree to "treat others as you would have them treat you", and this can apply to horses.

I am a firm believer in responsible discipline as well though. It's a balance.
 
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