Re: RC: horse manners on trail

[TddWil@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/24/00 5:43:53 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
brickson@delanet.com writes:

<< 
 Do not let your horse in your control
 threaten another.  I'm talking about ears back, bared teeth, or shaking
 neck.  These require at least verbal discipline.  Threats turn into attacks
 when you let your guard down. .. You CAN control
 this with *consistent* training and even cure it,  over a time the length of
 which depends on how long the behavior has been allowed to occur.
 
 Horses being ridden in a group of strangers will still try to establish
 dominance if their riders allow it.
 
 Consciously using your horse's aggressiveness on the trail to intimidate
 others' mounts is unsportsmanlike and can develop into your horse seeing
 what it can get away with further.
 
 Bridget Brickso >>


Amen to this. It's a pain in the butt to not be able to pass because the 
horse ahead of you lays back ears and bares teeth. Not to mention being 
passed by one like that and having your horse go off the trail. My horse is a 
very calm gelding that will tolerate almost anything, including being bumped 
hard by other horses, but a horse is a horse, and he knows what a threat is. 
We are starting a stallion, and I will be a real hard ass on him about not 
sticking to business on the trail. He has time to interact with other horses 
at home.

                                      Shelly in DE