[RC] pros and cons of wild horses - Mary Ann Spencer
Ed,
Always great to hear good news stories about the
BLM horses. Down in TX, it also takes a Veterinarian inspection of your
property. I can guess that someone in past was only pretending to 'use'
the horses for riding. TIME is a 4 letter word and in scarce
supply. Horses DO take a lot of time. I can see some value about the
no human experiences before. But then, what happens when the horse is
herded into a pen by humans, etc??? If was young and as experienced as I
am now, it would be a possible option. Unfortunately, ANY horse can put
you in the hospital. Goal should be to avoid all that. It is
important to remind newbies that the world of horses is not 'easy street'.
I always recommend getting some lessons from a reputable trainer. Doesn't
mean one is heading for the Olympics, just improving one's ability to sit a
horse. Last weekend my gelding acted very unlike himself. I
lunged him until he started listening to me--we were at a place he had not been
before. In past he did not waste any energy. But this time, I took
his pasture mate so the filly would not be home alone. Filly did
fine. Gelding acted up and bucked for the first time ever. Some guys
at the party made the comment that they couldn't believe I stayed on that dinky
saddle for the bucks. I am riding in an old Passier all purpose. The
old lessons paid off. Too often people ride and never get another
'opinion' about their riding. Even instructors have lessons from
those who ride at their level or higher. We have a tendency to think we
are fine as long as we don't fall off. There is always room for
improvement. Wish I could be like Parelli. But my
English mother would say: If wishes were horses, then beggars would
ride. Stay safe, play it safe.
Happy Trails to all, Mary Ann
who doesn't have time to condition for endurance
until after the next trip to Iraq
yes, sandy, you are so right. mustangs are not for beginners!
but then neither is any untrained horse. it does take lots of time,
patience and work to get a wild horse that has never been handled by human
beans ready for trail and endurance riding. i dont recommend it for
just anyone. one of the pros, though, is you get a horse that is a
clean slate, no bad habits, not spoiled by too much human
contact/domestication. i have trained some spoiled rotten horses that
were much more trouble than the mustangs i have worked
with. mary anne, i thought you might find it rather
interesting that i have gentled/trained four wild horses and havent torn down
any fences, havent destroyed any tack, havent had any injuries, and get
this, NONE OF THEM BUCKED! thats not to say that the next one wont, but
then, in the wrong hands, all of the things you mentioned are quite common
with domestic horses too. as for extra costs, when you adopt a
mustang colt or stallion, you get a gelding voucher that is redeemable
for $50 toward the cost of gelding your animal.
but again, i heartily agree that wild horses are not for everyone, but if you
have good horse sense and the time to work with one, you might be surprised
at how well it turns out.
