ridecamp@endurance.net: Re: ridecamp-d Digest V97 #526

Re: ridecamp-d Digest V97 #526

Karen Allnutt (allnutt@blue.weeg.uiowa.edu)
Mon, 11 Aug 1997 09:12:21 -0700 (PDT)

>
>Date: Sat, 9 Aug 1997 20:32:13 -0700
>From: "Mike Sofen" <miksof7@gte.net>
>To: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
>Subject: Re: Vosals...& Bits, etc.
>Message-Id: <199708110327.WAA01541@smtp.gte.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit
>
>Well this thread has certainly punched some buttons out there in horseland.
> Rightly or wrongly, almost every horseperson will defend their opinion
>especially when they weigh it against their experience, or the experience
>of their neighbor, or the latest article in Reader's Digest. Is this bad?
>Nope. Have I called anyone bad or wrong? Nope. Have I told people to
>stop using curb bits? Nope. This isn't a judging contest, this is a
>discussion of appropriate bitting and technique.
>
>So what's the story here? It seems like we have half a world that believes
>in bits, and the other half that doesn't. Both halves have working horses,
>so both sides are based on "facts", and both are right. Right?
>
>Why are so many people so fearful of "losing" their bits?
>
>Here's my Opinion of The Way the World Works According to the HORSE:
>
> - All bits eventually cause me pain when my rider pulls hard enough.
> - Pain is supposed to "catch" my attention (like whipping) so that I
>behave "correctly". I might be having a bad mane day and that extra pain
>my rider just delivered simply pissed me off. Now when he asks me to
>change gaits I'm going to either stop dead in tracks and hope he goes
>sailing over my head, or I'm going to buck 3 times. I'll decide which when
>he cues me.
> - If I don't react to a certain pain threshold, then my rider increases
>the pain until I do react. Unfortunately, as an instinctive creature, I
>can't always tell what I'll do when I react. Since I really do prefer NOT
>hurting my rider, I may do something self-destructive instead, like running
>head first into a wall. At least I'll get some stall time for a while.
> - My rider is confident that I am under control when I have a bit in
>mouth. In reality, I'm behaving because it usually takes less energy. My
>rider's illusion of control is a byproduct of their fear of me. My
>positive behaviour (aka control) is reflection of my own desire to have a
>human partner.
> - I can run through any bit they can stick in my mouth, if I wanted to or
>needed to. However, I really hate going in circles. (oops, that one
>slipped out).
> - My favorite rider is the one who listens to what I'm trying to tell them
>- when I'm scared, when I'm bold, when I'm proud to be in the lead, when
>that tree stump jumped up out of nowhere, when I'm tired (really tired and
>not faking tired). My favorite rider understands that I'm not a machine
>with gear shifts, but a living creature with a will and an intelligence of
>my own. I am unpredictable and will sometimes behave rather poorly. That
>is the risk my rider takes when he sits on me. In return for this risk, I
>offer to selected riders the highest animal/human partnership available on
>the planet.
>
>Happy Sunday, Ridecamp.
>
>Mike Sofen
>
Mike, you definately stirred up a hornet's nest with your comments and I
have enjoyed reading everyone's opinions.

As an owner, trainer, and rider of a mustang, your last comment about the
hypothetical 'favorite' rider rings the truest for me. Does anyone
remember the Horses Prayer? I think we often forget that our horses are
1000 pound individuals that can unintentionally kill us ( I have personally
known of two rider fatalities, both due to circumstances - remember there
are no guarantees that you will live to be the 'average' age). Even so, I
hope to have and ride horses until I die.

In a disposable world, the quality and length (commitment level) of our
relationships, be they with man or 'beast', determine the quality of our
existance.

Happy Trails

KcA


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