Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Hi Laney -
Thanks for the advice. I do appreciate it - and I will follow it! I'm no 
professional and I've only done this a couple of times - still learning as I 
go! It's hard because in my area there are several professional trainers 
(Quarter Horse people) who feel compelled to give me free advice - most of 
which involves pointing out all the things I'm doing "wrong" because I don't 
believe in "showing my horse who is boss." I am a non-confrontational person 
and I would rather let my horse learn by setting up a situation where he CAN 
learn than to force something on him. But I've been told I'm treating him 
like a baby and taking too long. Sigh. They've been telling me the longer I 
wait to saddle him the harder it will be - but to be honest, I like doing 
groundwork (it's fun) and I love the beginning of a relationship where me 
and the horse are still getting to know each other. I just didn't want to 
wait "too long" and mess him up - but I realize now the only way to mess him 
up is to get in a hurry. So - I"m not worried about what they tell me  - 
after all, he's not a QH - he's MY horse! :) Thanks for reassuring me -
Jen


> From: Laney Humphrey <laneyhh@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> To: Jennifer Adam <jatatahoe1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> CC: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [RC]   probiotics?
> Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 20:47:10 -0700
>
> Listen to your vet!  Your horse is still a baby and he's had a lot of 
> changes in his short life.  You have nothing to loose and everything to 
> gain by going slow with him.  Grass and hay and lots of them, as well as 
> lots of attention on the ground from you will produce the kind of horse 
> you're hoping for before you know it.  What's your hurry to get him 
> saddled?  He is the perfect age for lots of ground work.  Believe me, the 
> more of it you do now, the more you will thank yourself for years to come!  
> I remember reading somewhere that an underweight horse starts adding fat 
> internally before they start looking better on the outside. If that's true, 
> it's another reason for being patient.  His hair coat surely grew while he 
> was under the stress of capture and holding.  So he may not have a great 
> haircoat til the next one comes in.  It is hard to slow down, especially if 
> you come from a show background but, as a Spanish Mustang owner, I can tell 
> you that slow is way better than fast with mustangs.  They are not horses 
> that can be forced into a mold; they are very sensitive but rarely show it 
> and they have unbelievably strong self preservation instincts.  For all 
> these reasons, do your horse the biggest favor of its life: go slow.  Use 
> this time to really get to know this special horse and figure out how to be 
> a partner with him.  The gift he will give you is to allow you to learn to 
> shed the 21st century human demand for everything right now.  As my farrier 
> says, "be on horse time, take as long as it takes and you'll come out 
> ahead."  It's hard to do but if you can allow your horse to give you that 
> gift, you will be rich for the rest of your life!
> Laney
> >

_________________________________________________________________
Express yourself instantly with MSN Messenger! Download today - it's FREE! 
http://messenger.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200471ave/direct/01/


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp
Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp

Ride Long and Ride Safe!!

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=