herd bound

["jsalas" <jsalas@tampabay.rr.com>]

Lauren, My yearling colt Dinero, left his mother in the back pasture while he headed to the front pasture at 3 days old. He is so sure of himself and not afraid of anything. I think he was born with that. His mother is rock solid.I have a horse who was raised in a herd and not handled at all until he went to the auction at 5. His name is Odd Todd. He has never been like that. All horses want to be in the herd. It is the ones with more confidence that will leave. One summer, my trainer Wendy and I took Odd Todd and Odie to our local trails. At that time I could not leave any horses that I would be riding with. Todd would rear, spin, paw, whatever it would take to get back to the other horses. So Wendy and I went to the trails and would ride trails that were separate, but close enough that Todd could see Odie. Then we would get farther apart and they could only hear each other. Then we would take totally separate trails, ride for 10-15 minutes and meet up at the end. It took a whole summer but it worked. I think you are right in thinking that going from home to home will have some impact on your horse's behavior. However, as long as she knows she can always count on you being where ever she it, she will always have the confidence to do what you ask. Horses (and kids) lose confidence in themselves when we adults let them down. So be there, be consistent, be kind and be forgiving. Easier said than done. Lisa Salas, The odd Farm