Re: RC: Re: Re: Re: uh-oh, Insulted Farrier

[CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com]

In a message dated 7/18/00 4:24:06 PM Pacific Daylight Time, 
michrowe@frontier.net writes:

<< I am not against smacking the horse with a hand when it helps.  How about
 with a rasp?  In either case, if it makes the horse progressively more
 resistant to the farrier, doesn't that mean it's best to find a better way
 before there is a REAL problem horse? >>

The secret is to know when to slap and when not to.  Once in awhile, an older 
horse who flat knows better will squirrel around.  One sharp smack, and they 
say "Yes, sir!" and stand like a rock.  OTOH, this is no way to TRAIN a horse 
that does not yet know what proper behavior is.  The secret to being a 
horseman is knowing the difference.  My farrier will literally spend hours 
with a youngster, and will get the job done with no fight picked and no hide 
missing from either party.  He is a magician with a leg rope, letting them 
work at it with no fight until it is no big deal, and then he can generally 
trim them without it.  (I'm a firm believer in this, anyway--can't begin to 
list the times that being rope broke has saved various of my horses from 
serious injury--and myself as well, when I've accidentally ridden into 
hazards hidden in brush or grass.)  Within a few trims, they are very 
accepting and generally quite well behaved.  But if one of my older, broke 
horses is an idiot, I'd prefer that he get one good swift reminder--even with 
the flat of the rasp.  With the broke ones, hissy-fits are rare, but it only 
takes once to correct the behavior, too!  In the years that I've worked with 
my present farrier, I'm sure I could count the number of times he's whacked a 
horse on one hand and have fingers left over--but I've never seen him do it 
on a horse that wouldn't understand the form of discipline, either!

Heidi