[ACinATX]

I don't know how good the rest of you are at trimming hooves, but I'm so good I can do two horses in 28 seconds.
It helps to let them eat, makes it go faster.

LOL. I can do two horses in 2.8 hours. Not quite that bad, but almost. But my guys are learning patience at least.

 

[ACinATX]

I suppose to a certain extent that you are right. Some "holes" are only holes if they affect the discipline you ride. If I am a trailer rider it's not a "hole" that my horse can't piaffe. But there are other holes that are just holes, and I don't think you can argue otherwise:

1. Horse can't lead
2. Horse can't be tied
3. Horse can't trailer
4. Horse doesn't pick up feet for picking
5. Horse can't handle the vet or farrier
6. Horse doesn't stand still at mounting block

OK fine, you can be like, well, a horse doesn't have to lead because I trained it to just follow me; or a horse doesn't need to be tied because I will always hold it; or I don't care if my horse doesn't stand still at the mounting block because I ground mount or I just like to jump on real fast or whatever. But IMO those are basic things that every horse should just be able to do.

You are a much more experienced person than I am, so obviously feel free to disregard. But I do think they are holes. Maybe I'd even go further, like, horse can't canter with a rider. Again, maybe you will never canter so you don't care, but that seems like a hole to me. Horse can't canter both leads. If you're going to be only trail riding maybe that doesn't matter?

And then I suppose there are things that some people consider holes that most wouldn't. I would consider it a hole to have a horse that didn't come when called. Horses being horses, of course they won't always come when called, but a horse should know my voice and come most of the time. I know a lot of people who have had horses a lot longer than I have, and they still go out to the pasture and catch their horse every time; I have to admit I don't understand why they do it. Maybe some horses just will never come? Man, there's nothing like calling your horses and having them come cantering up to you! Well, not so much when the ground is muddy and you're worried maybe they can't stop in time LOL.

I'll stop talking now...

ETA: Actually, no I won't stop talking. I taught my chickens to come when called. If I can teach chickens to come when called, surely most people can teach their horse to come when called. I really don't understand why they don't.

 

[ACinATX]

Not too long after we got Moonshine, she was living on a 150-acre ranch, maybe 200 acres. It had a creek that was lined with trees and another big pasture behind that, a big mesquite thicket, a small forest, and lots of small hills. We had gone to meet the vet out there. It took us over an hour, in 100+ temperatures, to find her, and that was with us split up. At that time, she would actively run away from people, I guess because she had some bad associations. I had brought a big bottle of water that was mostly frozen solid ice, and by the end of that hour the water had all melted and been drunk, and I was feeling a little light-headed. I said, Never Again. I will train this horse to come when I call, so I did.

But I don't want to hijack this thread. Maybe I'll start my own, asking about it. Who has their horses come when called and who doesn't?

 

[ACinATX]

Our female cat has decided the floor in front of the refrigerator is warm and has taken to sleeping there.

Our old cat started doing this because he was cold all the time. We got one of those cat heating pads that he could sleep on and he LOVED it! It took a while for him to figure out, but once he did he was all over it.