Re: kicking..article in AERC news.

[Kimberly Price <PLOUGH1@ix.netcom.com>]

Katja Halfmeyer wrote:

> Did anyone ever experience that a young horse starts giving "meanies" to
> other, strange horses while riding......then, if the rider did not pay
> attention to this behavior, next time the "meanies" might be followed by a
> little "let's-see-if-you-are-threatend-by-my buck-kick" behavior....if the
> rider still does not pay attention to this and does not stop the horse's
> misbehavior at that point, you can be sure that one of the next times the
> horse will try to kick the other horse AND HIT, how should your horse know
> that his behavior is not appreciated if you don't tell him/her?

****yeah, I think this was one of my mistakes with Mystery.....I didn't
discipline him enough when he started this language of threats and it finally
escalated to no tolerance on his part.  We are working on it and am proud to
say he is tolerating more (had a horse actually nip him in the butt last
weekend and he didn't kick).

> How about some sort of lecture at the ride-meeting or an article in the
> description of a ride....maybe a series of stories on ridecamp about
> various events at starts of different rides.....just to give people an idea
> about what to expect and how to prepare....some people might never have
> been around anxious horses....it is an experience for sure!

**** This months AERC has an excellent article about kickers and the potential
for everyone and their mothers getting sued!  After all, we are in a "sue
crazy" country, thats why more and more trails are being closed to us, higher
insurance, etc.  Everyone wants to sue each other!  But it is an excellent
article and I urge anyone who can to read it.

*** Lets focus on SOLUTIONS, not BLAME, and enjoy our horses and each other's
company..ok?!

***Kimberly "darn, it is raining again..."(&Mystery the Morab.."yah hoo!, its
raining again!)
Pt.Reyes, CA