Re: RC: Re: RE: buck-o-rama

[Bette Lamore <woa@stormnet.com>]

I agree with Tom here
Not ALL horses are a product of their owners. Some come in with an
attitude; you can see it in their eyes very young. I had one such guy. I
had always said I would NEVER throw down a horse. NEVER SAY NEVER! Did
it on this guy and he changed his attitude--- IMMEDIATE softness in his
eyes once he realized we showed him he was not going to hurt us, but
them neither were we going to hurt him once we proved alpha--- actually
he threw himself down <BG> three was the charm. He grew into a wonderful
stallion and later gelding. Very sweet and we turned him around at 4 or
5 months; but then it is difficult to change habit patterns that are
established over many years. Have to be very motivated to do so, or find
someone who is.
I had a wonderfully sweet 2 year old HAl son who, despite my advice not
to stick him in dressage ring work too young nor too intense and to
alternate with trail work (the Arabian mind); buyer never listened. 
Buyer promised me she'd reward dressage work with trail but from the
time of groundwork at 2, he excelled sooo much at it that trail days
never happened. She had a Hilda Guerney (sp?) devotee training him who
at first told her to never buy an Arab until the trainer saw the video
of his movement.
Well, to make a very long story short, she pushed him. He won not only
in his class as a 3 year old, but came in second in the class above for
which he had not even trained.
Well, one fateful day he exploded in the showring--- he had had ENOUGH!
Then she decided she would send him to a "cowboy" trainer (no offence to
REAL cowboys, you all know what I'm talking about) who inadvertently
made a bucking bronco out of him--- went through 9 trainers I believe---
threw them all!
She called me then wanting to sell him for apitence. I called my friend
Linda Hedgpeth, who is an endurance rider, an ex-reigning champion, a
true horsewoman, and told her to buy this horse. I knew his heart and
what had happened. He was worth the rehab. He had 19 ways to get you off
his back and her husband would call them out!
Well after 2 months we were riding trail together (me on a stallion
half-brother) and after 6 months her very green husband (green rider
that is) was riding him. Linda really had to deal with some stuff
earlier with him, but she said that at their first endurance ride, she
had to stay by the camp all night because she was afraid Bruce Burnham
was going to steal him <BG>
Yes, Bruce, that horse was WOA Magnifico (Niko) and she will continue to
condition and ride him in endurance this year. He is awesome and she
felt he was worth the effort. But then, I knew his heart and what had
happened. If you don't have that info, a horse could have just come in
mean, genetics, an attitude in the womb <G>-- whatever, but perhaps not
worth the risk. Have to weigh everything out.
Bette

Tivers@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 8/13/00 9:53:11 AM Pacific Daylight Time, hblmh@ptd.net
> writes:
> 
> << Good thing we don't view people the same way, a lot of folks would be
>  getting euthanasia.
> 
>  I keep thinking of Mary Twelveponies statement, " There are no problem
>  horses, only problem riders."   A horse reacts because of some kind of
>  stimulation.  >>
> 
> Ma'am, after a couple thousand encounters with individual horses, your
> perspective will change. Mary Twelveponies is welcome to her opinion, but
> it's incorrect.
> 
> ti
> 
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-- 
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians, Home of 16.2hh TLA Halynov
(yes, REALLY!)
http://www.arabiansporthorse.com