Cyd & Panda jump big
Sunday, 1 May 2011
Monday, 14 March 2011
Friday, 11 March 2011
Sunday, 6 March 2011
The Importance of Body Language
Readers asked - I have one horse. Whew! Otherwise I would have to get another job. Horses are beloved but they are expensive to keep. Anyway, there are over 30 horses boarded at the stables where I ride, so I have my favorites and bring them treats as well as my own.
Readers asked - My horse is named Panda. That's her stable name or nickname. Her show name is Ebon's Pandemonium. It's a brilliant name because she was at onetime quite black and white like a panda. Also, horses are named after their sire and hers is Lepanto. Thirdly, she is mostly calm and mannerly.
Communication - There is a statistic that only a small percentage of human communication is verbal, and we subconsciously register the larger non-verbal component to complete the picture. Horses, too, have a sophisticated non-verbal communication system, and because we are predators and they are prey, some of our usual methods of communication won’t work. We need to observe them carefully and communicate so that they can understand. For instance, most actions around horses need to be calm and flowing, no quick, random movements and avoid direct eye contact. Approaching a horse is like sidling up to the bar in an old-time saloon. Keep your eyes down, aim toward their shoulder and not their head, and keep your chest closed and non-threatening. Speak quietly and pat the shoulder. Remember that horses flinch when a fly lands on their coat, so their skin is sensitive through the hair. Walk around her rump keeping your hand on her back so she knows where you are. Keep close so she can’t wind up and kick out. This may sound silly and elaborate, but it doesn’t take long to make it a habit and keep yourself and your horse calm.
Readers asked - My horse is named Panda. That's her stable name or nickname. Her show name is Ebon's Pandemonium. It's a brilliant name because she was at onetime quite black and white like a panda. Also, horses are named after their sire and hers is Lepanto. Thirdly, she is mostly calm and mannerly.
Communication - There is a statistic that only a small percentage of human communication is verbal, and we subconsciously register the larger non-verbal component to complete the picture. Horses, too, have a sophisticated non-verbal communication system, and because we are predators and they are prey, some of our usual methods of communication won’t work. We need to observe them carefully and communicate so that they can understand. For instance, most actions around horses need to be calm and flowing, no quick, random movements and avoid direct eye contact. Approaching a horse is like sidling up to the bar in an old-time saloon. Keep your eyes down, aim toward their shoulder and not their head, and keep your chest closed and non-threatening. Speak quietly and pat the shoulder. Remember that horses flinch when a fly lands on their coat, so their skin is sensitive through the hair. Walk around her rump keeping your hand on her back so she knows where you are. Keep close so she can’t wind up and kick out. This may sound silly and elaborate, but it doesn’t take long to make it a habit and keep yourself and your horse calm.
Sunday, 27 February 2011
Dream Jobs For All
Last evening my husband inadvertently gave me the text for this blog entry.
Apropos of nothing he asked, "If you could do any job right now, what would it be?"
"Ride a horse," I replied without a second thought.
"Can you make a living just riding a horse?" he countered.
"OK, I'd be a mounted police officer."
Being a challenger he couldn't help himself from asking, "You'd write tickets and carry a gun?"
"No," I replied. "I would just ride around the park."
That sounded perfectly sensible to me, but to stop his laughter I asked what he would do.
"Dream up advertising campaigns," he confided.
How banal, I thought!
Apropos of nothing he asked, "If you could do any job right now, what would it be?"
"Ride a horse," I replied without a second thought.
"Can you make a living just riding a horse?" he countered.
"OK, I'd be a mounted police officer."
Being a challenger he couldn't help himself from asking, "You'd write tickets and carry a gun?"
"No," I replied. "I would just ride around the park."
That sounded perfectly sensible to me, but to stop his laughter I asked what he would do.
"Dream up advertising campaigns," he confided.
How banal, I thought!
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Clips, bathes, loads
Clips, bathes and loads is a phrase seen in ads selling horses. It means "this horse is accustomed to handling". It is impossible for a person to push a horse around or restrain a horse with only our small weight. Instead we rely on training to get the response we need. We train good manners and in horses they serve the same purpose as good manners do in people - they make life easier.
A horse with good stable manners is an excellent companion. A horse with poor or no manners is a danger to himself and his handler. Aside from the safety issue is the service consequence. A poorly behaved horse may have trouble finding a farrier and since hooves need trimming or shoes need replacing frequently, this is a problem. The farrier doesn't need the aggravation when there are plenty of mannerly horses needing treatment. Same goes for health checkups with the equine veterinarian. Of course the horse docs have the pharmaceutical option to overcome bad behavior, but what owner wants to pay extra for sedation for simple exams?
As for sale attributes, a horse accustomed to handling will tolerate the sound and feel of clippers trimming up his coat; puts up with standing in the wash rack for soaping and hosing down; and will step up into a horse trailer without getting in a lather. Then it's off to the horse show where good manners and fancy riding win ribbons!
A horse with good stable manners is an excellent companion. A horse with poor or no manners is a danger to himself and his handler. Aside from the safety issue is the service consequence. A poorly behaved horse may have trouble finding a farrier and since hooves need trimming or shoes need replacing frequently, this is a problem. The farrier doesn't need the aggravation when there are plenty of mannerly horses needing treatment. Same goes for health checkups with the equine veterinarian. Of course the horse docs have the pharmaceutical option to overcome bad behavior, but what owner wants to pay extra for sedation for simple exams?
As for sale attributes, a horse accustomed to handling will tolerate the sound and feel of clippers trimming up his coat; puts up with standing in the wash rack for soaping and hosing down; and will step up into a horse trailer without getting in a lather. Then it's off to the horse show where good manners and fancy riding win ribbons!
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Curiosity Enriches Life
Even though horses are constantly aware of potential threats, they are curious animals. Flighty horses will run away and look back at things that intrigue them, while calmer horses will stand still and look, and cautiously approach that unknown object.
Sometimes horses don't want to be caught in the paddock because they know that someone is going to get out a saddle and expect them to work. They'd rather laze around. If you are not skilled with a lasso you can waste a lot of energy chasing a horse around a field. But, if you sit or stand quietly inside the gate with your back to the horse(s) they will eventually be overcome with curiosity and come over for a look. If you wait long enough they will be slobbering down your neck and rasising your hair with their breath. Moving slowly it's possible to slip a rope over their withers and they belong to you. Avoiding work is forgotten and they are ready for your joint adventure.
Horses have taught me that curiosity enriches life.
Sometimes horses don't want to be caught in the paddock because they know that someone is going to get out a saddle and expect them to work. They'd rather laze around. If you are not skilled with a lasso you can waste a lot of energy chasing a horse around a field. But, if you sit or stand quietly inside the gate with your back to the horse(s) they will eventually be overcome with curiosity and come over for a look. If you wait long enough they will be slobbering down your neck and rasising your hair with their breath. Moving slowly it's possible to slip a rope over their withers and they belong to you. Avoiding work is forgotten and they are ready for your joint adventure.
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Matriarchal Equines
In natural herds, one mare is the boss deciding when to move on to greener pastures, settling disputes among the younger horses, modeling the way for foals, and at the lead when danger threatens. Stallions have the scut job looking out for sources of alarm, fighting off the bad guys as well as potential challengers from within, and bringing up the rear when the herd moves.
Domesticated horses still follow their ancestral ways in a modified fashion. They are usually segregated into separate, possibly contiguous, mare and gelding paddocks with stallions banished to breeding farms because of the ruckus they cause in the herd. Each grouping has a hierarchy with a leader and everyone naturally falling into their assigned place. This hierarchy is visible when horses stand by the gate waiting to be taken back into the stables in the late afternoon. Those who "cut" the line are bitten or kicked. Same thing on trail rides. The young are initiated into horse etiquette early and there seems to be some tolerance by the adults as they learn. Horses have excellent memories which is one of the reasons we can train them. They are lifelong learners. Why else would a person get on the back of a 1000 lb animal with trust issues?
Domesticated horses still follow their ancestral ways in a modified fashion. They are usually segregated into separate, possibly contiguous, mare and gelding paddocks with stallions banished to breeding farms because of the ruckus they cause in the herd. Each grouping has a hierarchy with a leader and everyone naturally falling into their assigned place. This hierarchy is visible when horses stand by the gate waiting to be taken back into the stables in the late afternoon. Those who "cut" the line are bitten or kicked. Same thing on trail rides. The young are initiated into horse etiquette early and there seems to be some tolerance by the adults as they learn. Horses have excellent memories which is one of the reasons we can train them. They are lifelong learners. Why else would a person get on the back of a 1000 lb animal with trust issues?
Monday, 21 February 2011
RSS Feeds
It will take some time to find sites of interest with RSS feeds. For instance, Practical Horesman does not have an RSS feed as far as I can tell. Guess it will just have to be a link.
Permission to write about horses
This is great! I've been given the go-ahead to blog about horses.
"I’ve often said there’s nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."
Quotations by Will Rogers
This quote has also been attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and other famous people. Regardless of it's origin, it's true and applies to most people who strike up an acquaintance with horses.
Horses are prey animals, and it's easy to forget that fact because they are so large, but everything from a plastic bag blowing in the wind to a cougar crouching behind a rock demands the same alert attention and flight response. Run and stop moving when you've forgotten why you're running is the method by which horses have survived for millennia in the wild, as working animals, and also as pampered pets. As a result of their status as prey they have trust issues and that's the space where humans can use their higher intelligence to make friends with horses.
"I’ve often said there’s nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse."
Quotations by Will Rogers
This quote has also been attributed to Teddy Roosevelt, Winston Churchill and other famous people. Regardless of it's origin, it's true and applies to most people who strike up an acquaintance with horses.
Horses are prey animals, and it's easy to forget that fact because they are so large, but everything from a plastic bag blowing in the wind to a cougar crouching behind a rock demands the same alert attention and flight response. Run and stop moving when you've forgotten why you're running is the method by which horses have survived for millennia in the wild, as working animals, and also as pampered pets. As a result of their status as prey they have trust issues and that's the space where humans can use their higher intelligence to make friends with horses.
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