Re: crops

["Tracey" <tracey@tbt.co.za>]

San, in a perfect world, we would all have perfectly-behaved, happy little
horses.  Unfortunately, Toc came off the race track at age 4, was then
gelded (and it looks like they didn't get it all), had someone try to beat
him into submission, was used in a riding school, not properly fed and
finally wound up with old "kill 'em with kindness" here.  All-in-all he has
developed some pretty nasty habits over the years.


I am bound and determined to break him of these habits, but I can't do this
unless I take him out in company.  I do not BEAT my horse when he
misbehaves.  He'd kill me if I so much as tried.  However, if he so much as
looks like he's going to have an argy bargy with the horse next to him, a
smack on the shoulder will change his mind.

Yes, my horse is aggressive - hopefully the hormone injections will tone
this down - but I can and do control this aggression.  I keep him away from
other horses, adorn his tail with ribbons, and warn anyone coming near us.
The other option is only to ride him alone, which won't solve the problem,
will it?


This is a delightfully funny, affectionate, loving and talented horse, whose
aggression towards other equines is a result of excess hormones and having
been raised in the artificial environment of the racing yards - weaned at 6
months, put into training, stabled for most of the first four years of his
life, trained to compete against other horses - and not because he is
inherently "bad".


Please don't write off horses like this.  You might lose a potentially great
horse by doing so.


Tracey
-----Original Message-----
From: SandyDSA@aol.com <SandyDSA@aol.com>
To: harpy@io.com <harpy@io.com>; ridecamp@endurance.net
<ridecamp@endurance.net>
Date: 28 August 2000 05:58
Subject: RC: crops


>In a message dated 8/28/00 8:16:14 AM Pacific Daylight Time, harpy@io.com
>writes:
>
><< My mare can get very aggressive (especially when she's tired) and
sometimes
> a swat and a 'quit!' will get her attention when a simple 'quit!' won't.
>  >>
>
>Not trying to be an irritant here but any horse of ours who might meet this
>description wouldn't be allowed out in public until this changed.  I can't
>find pleasure in owning a horse who is aggressive let alone want to compete
>on one, and I surely don't want to be near anyone else's who is aggressive
>either. IMHO.
>san
>
>
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