Re: RC: Blowing and snorting endurance horses!

[Teddy Lancaster <Teddy@runningbear.com>]

Joane Pappas White wrote:

> Hi All,
>
> Once again the hunting season in Utah is underway and our ranch is a
> Cooperative Wildlife Management Unit (CWMU).  Once again, the endurance
> horses have been "bannished" from the mountain for behavior inconsistant
> with hunting, namely, blowing and snorting!
>
> There appears to be vastly different opinions on the purpose and value
> of this "blowing".  My dressage teacher loves to see Silver blow and
> stretch her neck down--says it is a relaxing gesture.
>
> At endurance rides, all our horses are blowing and snorting (whatever
> you call it) and it sounds more like a communication thing to me but no
> one ever corrects their horse for the noise. If I have made progress in
> getting Falon to stop it, one race surrounded by snorting horses is all
> it takes to get her going again.
>
> Several of the articles on cooling of blood in the horse's head suggest
> some purpose to the blowing.  BUT, the cowboys at the ranch see this
> behavior as rude and illmannered and prefer not to have blowing horses
> around their horses at all.  Their horses are quiet and don't
> blow--unless mine start it!
>
> Since my mare Falon is still in the pasture after her Ty up, I am back
> to Thumper, the quarter horse with an attitude.  Last weekend he and I
> were sneeking through the quakies trying to catch sight of the hugh bull
> elk that lives under the top of Dead Cow Canyon.  Not one time did
> Thumper make a sound.  He loves to hunt and he knew what we were doing.
> At one point, we actually got into a herd of about 50 cow elk and their
> calves. Thumper stood quietly with me playing "cow elk" while the herd
> grazed past us.  My horses would have been snorting and blowing and we
> would never have even got close to that herd much less their bull.
>
> I understand that my horses can and do scare away wildlife but I sure
> miss taking my own horses to ranch this time of year.
>
> Why do we allow our horses to blow?  Healthy habit or Rude, untrained
> behavior?
>
> Joane and the noisy herd
> Price, Utah
>
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HAH!!!  I LOVE it when horses blow!!!  To me they are showing their love of
and awareness of the life around them!!!


--
Teddy Lancaster

American Endurance Ride Conference # 139422
- Member since 1974
6000+ career miles

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