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RE: [RC] Issuing and Heeding warnings (was: Biting horse) - heidiFor those who believe the warning was enough I ask again. Would that simple warning be acceptable if the horse in question is a stallion? Why or why not? Kathy I strongly suspect that had the offending horse been a stallion, we would now be in the midst of another great anti-stallion debate on RC, instead of the one we are having. Yes, indeed, owners of stallions are held to a higher standard. If a rider were to move into my stallion's "personal space" despite a warning, I would absolutely be considered irresponsible if I did not respond by moving him to a distance that kept the encroacher out of harm's way. While I agree that those of us who ride stallions SHOULD be held to a high standard, my belief has always been that ALL riders should be held to that same high standard. If you bring a horse to a ride that has "issues," it is up to you to know that horse's "comfort zone" and to enforce it, even if it means moving out of a space where you were "first" when someone who does not know your horse does not respond as you deem appropriate to a given warning. I have ridden stallions who were just fine when people crammed in around them at feed, water, or VCs--and I have ridden stallions who were not. The former still require my alertness, but I could "chuckle" at them if they so much as flicked an ear at another horse, and they were reminded that I was present and in charge. The ones that were not yet to that level of training were simply removed to a point that fit their "zone" until others had cleared the area, even if it meant that I lost trail time. The latter are still "trainees" IMO, and my responsibility not only to the public but to them is to make sure that they have an event as incident-free as possible, all the while reinforcing what kind of behavior is expected in such a setting, so that they will eventually become like the more seasoned fellows. Truly, one should have this level of responsibility toward the public as well as concern for the long-term training of the horse, regardless of gender--but Kathy makes a valid point that if this had been a stallion, we would be hearing a whole 'nuther tune here... Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 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!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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