In a message dated 12/24/2007 8:55:41 A.M. Pacific Standard Time,
jspoone@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
If your
horse is dangerous on the trail and you won't train them out of it then
don't take them on the trail where they can hurt people.
Question - our guy is not dangerous - on the contrary he is exceptionally
sweet, well mannered and NOT a kicker. I ribbon him because he is a boy - I tend
to be cautious. Having another STALLION at a vet check be ALLOWED - and he WAS
allowed by his idiot rider - to BITE MY HORSE IN THE BUTT, causing my guy to
take a kick and slightly swipe the P & R person(the bad actor boy got pulled
apparently later on) is not cause for me to punish MY horse. Frankly, the rider
deserved the swift kick - and I will not punish my horse for defending his
person against physical attack. I won't allow any of our horses to start
anything nor to behave aggressively in ANY situation where their person is not
in peril -and so people would say, "then you SHOULD punish them for kicking when
rear-ended by another horse". No, I disagree - because that bad mannered horse
BEHIND me may well clip the heels of MY horse - as happened to my dear departed
mare years ago - her heels were bloodied and painful because of another horse. I
had to wrap and care for those heels for a couple of weeks to fight any
infection. People need to keep their own horses out of the safe space of others,
and not to say keeping out of close quarters because that situation is inherent
in most every equestrian event; rather, a rider has a responsibility to keep his
own mount from being a nuisance or danger to others as much as is possible.
When we take a horse and saddle and bridle it then ride it however and
wherever we want then we also decide what is allowed and what is not, the horse
loses any and all control over his sense of self preservation. Then we wonder
why we have psychotic or unruly or unpredictable horses.....we as their
CUSTODIANS need to be better and wiser accountants of their needs, and how our
TAKING of their instincts affects their responses. In that view, I cannot with a
clear head allow another horse to injure mine - or threaten to do so - and then
punish mine.
