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Dear List,
This is from Alex (and Sollyskur and Gillyn) in hot sweltering VA
(but it does cool off at night)!
The only time I leave halters on any horse is when I'm within sight,
and that doesn't mean in the house buried in the computer, it means standing
outside. I never have trouble catching pastured horses. Every morning I go
greet every horse with apple or carrot treats while putting on fly masks and
fly spray. To those who are thinking "Aha, that makes them nippy," here is
my solution: each horse knows his or her allotment (two or three pieces) and
then they don't look for more, as this is a daily routine. If they are
persistent,
I hold my hands up, like a holdup and say "That's it, no more!" They know I
don't "lie," I mean it. So they quit with the begging. Fly masks make an
excellent halter substitute for leading from pasture to pasture. The only
horse I have that
resists being caught, when riding is definitely in his future, is an
appaloosa,
who was formerly a Civil War re-enacter's horse, and being caught used to mean
going into battle, with cannons and sabers clashing. It all depends how they
are
conditioned, doesn't it? It is very good advice to sometimes "catch" them
just to
give them attention, grooming, and then let them go again. This way they never
know what to expect and will be reacting in a much more positive way to the
sight of you appearing with the halters. My Fjords practically shove their
noses into
the halters aggressively. Just that way, Techla used to run me down when being
loaded onto a trailer, she was so eager to go to the next adventure, as she
had had many positive experiences in showing, driving clinics, endurance
rides, etc.
Conditioning is everything. Halters are dangerous when left on
unattended horses! Don't take chances. Find another solution.
Try to stay cool. A good suggestion for the horses is to strap a hose
with nozzle set on fine mist to the fence with a bungee cord so they can come
stand in the spray voluntarily. Even the ones that don't actually get wet,
benefit from the local cooling by evaporation.
