 |
Re: [RC] Horses and "fun" - pat holsebekeOh I sooo disagree!! My horses have fun and we play on a regular basis. One of thier favorite games is chase. It started when short on time I would go out in the pasture and chase them with a lunge whip. At first they didnt know what to think and then they figured it out. I would hide behind the barn and they would try to sneak by and I would jump out and they would all run like crazy with tails high and snorting like mad. They would run all the way to the front of the pasture then try to sneak up on me and when I jump out the whole thing starts over. The young ones will keep it up longer than the older ones who will drop out when they get tired. It was a good way to make sure everyone got some exercise when I didnt have time to ride. They also play throw your feeder over the wall. Some times I find everyones feeder in someone elses stall. My horses can put thier heads over the stalls so they can do that. Even the 27yr old has done this. Each one is different but Joey my big quarter horse will follow the tractor any where it goes and gets in the way because he likes it. Mirage teases the others to get attention then they chase him. I can see my horses out my window and if the neighbor horses get running they all love to get involved. I know my arab, Mirage loves his distance rides because he gets so excited and cant wait to get down the trail. We think of our horses as family so maybe thats why we are so intuned to them. We also do everything to make thier lives as comfortable as possible and they in return try to please us. Our big guy even gives kisses when asked. We only have 5 so maybe a bigger herd might be harder to get to know as individuals but they are just like big dogs. You just have to pay attention. Pattie H. --- Nikki McCormack <neyska@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote: Ok. I don't know that horses understand the concept of fun. I am sure they can enjoy things in the sense that a full belly is comforting to them and a romp with a playmate gets the blood flowing. I did my first 50 last weekend and, as I said on another group, "I could not have done it without my horse, and he sure as heck would not have done it without me." That said, when we condition on the same old trails, my little Arabian gets bored and drags along and I really have to push him. He always gets in the trailer and he always does it because that is what he is trained to do, but he does not seem to get much out of it. At the 50, he was forward and willing the whole ride, even when we were close to the end and he had gone further than ever before, even when we lost sight of all the other horses and it was just him, me, and our usual riding company, my husband and his horse. I won't say he was having fun, but he sure was willing and eager to discover the new trail. So maybe they don't have fun, but, at least with my horses, they sure seemed to like it when they have someplace new and different to see. I would never, ever, intentionally hurt my horses, but I do think one must consider the balance between quality and quantity. A well managed endurance horse is healthy and fit (doesn't that lead to longer life, barring accidents?) and they sure get more stimulation than most pasture ponies. I imagine some horses would prefer life without such stimulation, but mine seem to thrive on it. NikkiAERC M33800 / PNER 3782 / NSS 44146 ____________________________________________________________________________________ The fish are biting. Get more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing. http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
|