--- In IceHorses@yahoogroups.com, "Janice McDonald" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> He tried to pass. I scolded. whack. > > So what instinct is that? I'm sorry, I just have seen it too much... > horses do act bratty, and sneaky, with each other, and with us. Its > almost comical. it is comical. to me :) > > Like Jaspar snatching bites of weeds on the trail. If I unwind the > crop from the saddle and put it on my hand, he stops. If I put it > away, he starts. what instinct is that, the trail munchie instinct :)
You have a great ability to bring space to a situation:) I think I understand what Leslie is saying, I think, and I also understand what you are saying. I think it could be both ways. This really made me laugh because, having owned ponies for so long, I know exactly what you are talking about. My childhood pony would get his chance and bend his little knees, go under the single rail arena and rub kids off of his back, never did it to me, but I was ready. I believe I recall him trying to rub me off under tree limbs, never happened, I was ready. He did buck one child off, I told her to stop it! He did not like it when she was pretending she was a cowboy, whooping and swinging her arms around, when she didn't listen to me, Sequoia took care of her, or really took care of himself and dumped her. That pony, ditched me in the middle of the San Diego river, we got in the water, he got all slippery and wet and then saw his chance, he got rid of me and bailed, went home to his corral. Believe me, Dari will do what he wants if I am not after him, if he sees the chance, he will go left, when I want to go right, ponies are always plotting. The instinct part, I just think it is dangerous to blame the horse for a lot of things, like bucking, like any of their behavior really. It's one thing to see that they can give input, and I think Leslie lets the horse have plently of input, but we've seen how many times blaming the horse, when really if we fine tune how we relate to them, they will do better, still allowing them to feel their fears, to give input. It's somewhere in the middle for me. Kim
