Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> That was a horrible situation Kathy and I am so glad that I knew this problem in my then new horse. I used to get a lot of laughs from onlookers as I often hopped along trying to mount my moving boy. Other than this one quirk he was a wonderful and reliable friend. Jean Gayle Aberdeen, WA [Authoress of "The Colonel's Daughter" Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] http://www.techline.com/~jgayle Barnes & Noble Book Stores
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: Kathy Spiegel <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Jean Gayle wrote: > This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > She sounds like quite a character, Meredith. I think peaches are okay it is > the pit that has. is it arsenic? Horses can find the best way to have > accidents in ways we humans do not seem to anticipate, i.e. like Gunnar > running across the field with the garden gate over his neck. Smart boy > though, he finally stopped and shook it off. Jean > > Jean Gayle > Aberdeen, WA > [Authoress of "The Colonel's Daughter" > Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] > http://www.techline.com/~jgayle > Barnes & Noble Book Stores Cyanide is the compound in peach and apricot seeds ( inside the stoney pits). I have no idea of the fatal dose in horses but a cup of pits ( apricot ) may be fatal in humans. Re tying horses to imovable objects - I had a very bad experience with a beautiful horse who had a fatal flaw that I did not know about-He pulled back and went totally nuts when tied to objects, but not all the time. I had had him for about six months and rode him fairly often, but never tied him for any longer than it took to get him saddled. We had just trailered our horses to the national forest for the beginning of a 3 day pack trip over the fourth of July. He was tied to the side of a horse trailer while we got the gear ready He suddenly pulled back and then went berserk. Even though the lead was tied with a half-hitch- I couldn't get to the end of the rope because of the flailing hooves. I simply could not get between him and the trailer in time to release the lead. The horse broke his leg at the fetlock and then proceeded to completely disarticulate the joint on the edge of the trailer fender. You could see the damage grow with each blow but he would not stop and the lead did not give. He had a nylon halter on. I finally got in with a knife and got out with only one blow to my leg. We had to destroy the horse right there. Luckily no one including the other horse tied to the trailer was seriously injured but it was traumatic. We found out after talking to the previous owner that the horse had a history of pulling back violently when tied to any object but it was unpredictable and he had forgotten to mention it. He felt bad and I felt even worse. With the exeption of that one fault he was a gem and had never given any indication of the fury that could be unleashed when he found he could not get away. I do not know what caused it in his past, we were unable to trace the other prior owners but to this day I get very nervous tying a horse. The breakaway halter or snap is a good idea. There are situations where you cannot safely get to the lead to release even a simple half hitch. I would rather retrieve a horse than put another one down because of an accident like this or worse, have someone seriously injured. Until you have seen a horse in full fury and unable to escape, it is easy to forget how deadly they can be. Kathy
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> She sounds like quite a character, Meredith. I think peaches are okay it is the pit that has. is it arsenic? Horses can find the best way to have accidents in ways we humans do not seem to anticipate, i.e. like Gunnar running across the field with the garden gate over his neck. Smart boy though, he finally stopped and shook it off. Jean Jean Gayle Aberdeen, WA [Authoress of "The Colonel's Daughter" Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] http://www.techline.com/~jgayle Barnes & Noble Book Stores
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 07/27/2000 11:16:29 AM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > I try to remember the rules - when you are tying a horse up with an > unbreakable nylon or rope halter or to an unbreakable post or tree, use a > knot you can untie quickly. Another option is tie baling twine between your rope and the object you are tying to. That way if your knot won't untie (which is common with nylon leads) the twine breaks instead of your horse's neck. Nylon is VERY dangerous to tie with. If you use a halter that does NOT have an emergancy breakaway (there are leather headstalls or velcro ones now) then you really should tie with a cotton rope. Another thing against nylon leads is that if your horse pulls away while being lead and you aren't wearing gloves you are risking NASTY burns from the nylon on your hands. Cotton or leather are safest. Both will break and are easier on the hands. Also, when tying...remember to keep the tie area at head level or higher, and be sure the slack doesn't allow your horse to get to the ground. Kate in CT mom to Baldur
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Meredith Sessoms" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Meredith, just one thing for beginners about tying a horse to a tree. I had >an anglo/thoroughbred who wore a very distinctive scar behind his ears where >the halter rope had cut through his flesh as he went wild fighting the tree. Aagot surprised me the other day by slipping out of her nylon rope halter, the kind that is made from one piece. She has never fought her halter before. I was giving her a bath so I had tied it kinda loose so I could scrub around her ears and she was wet, soapy and slippery. She had never fought her halter before - she just backed up, stretched out and braced against it like a little donkey and out she popped! Thank heavens we I had found a large section of scrap carpet to have her stand on to prevent mud and splashed mud so we were under the tracter shed. The shed is within the fence line. I had considered bathing her on he carport because the garage roof is held up by stout metal poles and it is on concrete. But had she got loose there she could have run out into the road. Thank goodness I changed my mind. I try to remember the rules - when you are tying a horse up with an unbreakable nylon or rope halter or to an unbreakable post or tree, use a knot you can untie quickly. My husband just taught me to tie with a half hitch, I find it to be handy knot with those thick colored nylon leads, I double it and leave the looped end behind instead of pulling it all the way through. It tightens instantly when the horse pulls on it and can be untied with one tug. I can't believe it - I'm sitting here at my 'puter, drinking my coffee watching my horse scratching her back on the peach tree. Problem is, she's fenced away from the peach tree! Let me go check this out! She had been eating the tall grass under the tree and slipped under the electric tape fence. She's full of surprises this week, she hasn't slipped under an electric fence in two years! The electric fence is only used to define boundaries within a wire mesh fence and hasn't been turned on for months. Looks like it's time to turn it on until all the fruit has fallen and gone away. She hasn't shown any interest in peaches but I hear they are poisonous to horses. It took a minute for me to convince her to walk under the strand as I held it high over our heads with much kissing and clucking and "It's alright Sweety"'s, although she had to have gone under it with it touching her back! Funny girl! .>>>.<<<. Meredith Sessoms .>>>.<<<. Tooksend Art .>>>.<<<. Moulton . Alabama . USA
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Jean Gayle" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Meredith, just one thing for beginners about tying a horse to a tree. I had an anglo/thoroughbred who wore a very distinctive scar behind his ears where the halter rope had cut through his flesh as he went wild fighting the tree. This was before I got him. He would not stand being tied even for mounting. We did it on the move. But it taught me to use a rubber tire or bungee to have some give if the horse lost control. My two beginner Yearlings just stood and looked at me and never resented being tied. Big deal. Jean Jean Gayle Aberdeen, WA [Authoress of "The Colonel's Daughter" Occupied Germany 1946 TO 1949 ] http://www.techline.com/~jgayle Barnes & Noble Book Stores
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Meredith Sessoms" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >This message is from: "Meredith Sessoms" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >I am refining my 3 year old fillies ground training because without knowing >any better I let her walk a bit more forward than she should with her >shoulder next to my hip instead of her head next to my hip where I want her >to be. She also walks a bit faster than I do so I'm training her to walk >with her head beside me and to back up a step when I say 'Whoa' and we come >to a stop, and just to respect me and pay more attention to me all the way >around. We are taking long walkabouts - 30-45 minutes - over the pasture >every day to instill these things I want to become habit with her. I talked with a horseperson, who has a lot more experience than I do, about the discussion on the list and they told me that sometimes you can handle a horse too much. I'll probubly get this all wrong by the time I get it on paper, but here is what I got from the conversation and it makes perfect sense to me. That most horsepeople never set out to halter train a colt, it just gets done as the necessity arises. When you need to take a colt from point A to point B, you just do it - no fuss, no worry about what position you are walking in. And if he acts up you get after him and he doesn't do it again. You nip any problems in the bud, so to speak. So what I do with my Aagot, who loves to go out with me and who is a joy to goof off with, may not be the best thing for a feisty colt who is easily excited and who will find trouble with inexperienced handlers. And it might not be the best thing for silly Aagot either! A colt may be handled too much which can cause problems! Something to ponder. The red, horned, Beefmaster bull in the pasture next door has left his cows to hang around our fenceline for two days now ... and he just stands there ... watching me ... whenever I bring Aagot to or from her pasture. It's quite unsettling, leading Aagot to the little paddock next to the barn and closing the gate behind us with this megamonster staring at us! He's awfully big when he's no more than 10 feet away. Maybe I don't need to go down to the barn to pester Aagot right now anyways; maybe I have handled her enough this week! .>>>.<<<. Meredith Sessoms .>>>.<<<. Tooksend Art .>>>.<<<. Moulton . Alabama . USA
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: [EMAIL PROTECTED] In a message dated 7/25/00 7:05:33 AM Pacific Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: << I am refining my 3 year old fillies ground training because without knowing any better I let her walk a bit more forward than she should with her shoulder next to my hip instead of her head next to my hip where I want her to be. >> Many years ago I worked at Hollywood Park for Monty Roberts. Just hotwalking. But he taught me some things that I've carried with me throughout my life (and though I know there is a controversy about him, I found him to be a good, kind man). When working with the two year olds, in the flight path of LAX, those jets come down hard and fast and LOUD. Some of the babies would rear, buck, spin, or try to bolt. He taught me that the safest place to be walking your horse is right next to the shoulder. If he tries to kick, he can't reach you (lead rope a foot or two long). If he rears, he cannot come down on you. If he shies, he cannot knock you down and trample you, but will just sort of push you to the side. At the horse's head you are in a more dangerous position, should anything happen. I know fjords are NOT two year old thoroughbreds, and are a bit safer to work with, but old habits die hard.Just my little two cents here, but I "think" you've been subconsciously walking with your baby in the safest possible position! Pamela
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Meredith Sessoms" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >This message is from: "Sue Harrison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >Hubby was out working with Storm tonight and had a chain under his chin (He >refuses to budge or else wants to throw his head and go where he wants) >without it. They didn't do too badly except Storm would attempt to bow his >neck and take off if he could. He also tends to crowd. When standing he >takes the leadline or chain ...whatever he can get hold of...into his mouth. >If you take off the leadline and attempt to lead him with just the halter >he will try to bite...(while refusing to move. ) I was told by a trainer that, and I believe John Lyons also goes by this rule, that if they do something hurtful and on purpose to you, you have three seconds to make them think their world has just ended without really hurting them. Biting definately comes under that rule. It's no more/no less than their own mother would do. It won't do just to swat at them or smack them, mine thinks that is just a game. With a serious biter, I'd carry a bat with a popper on it every time I handled him until he found out I was not going to stand such behavor. Look in the archives about biting, there has been a lot written on the subject, and some of the posts might help you with your bad boy. I am refining my 3 year old fillies ground training because without knowing any better I let her walk a bit more forward than she should with her shoulder next to my hip instead of her head next to my hip where I want her to be. She also walks a bit faster than I do so I'm training her to walk with her head beside me and to back up a step when I say 'Whoa' and we come to a stop, and just to respect me and pay more attention to me all the way around. We are taking long walkabouts - 30-45 minutes - over the pasture every day to instill these things I want to become habit with her. Something like this - but maybe 10-20 minutes, unlil he learns some respect for you - including lots of stopping and starting, tying him up to a tree and making him wait on you for a short spell before you start walking again, turning circles, and leading from both sides might help get the fellow in line. Something that helped me when I was training Aagot to lead properly when she was a wee yearling was to carry a dressage whip in the hand away from the filly, when ever I started off and felt her hesatate for even a millisecond I cave her a tap on the rump which packed just enough suprise to keep her with me instead of her playing 'silly filly'. This allowed me to lay off hauling around on her lead which is something you want to avoid as much as possible, because you want them to move out like somebody, not to lolly-gag around beside you. Last night ... it was so-o-o cute ... Steve and I went on our walk with me leading Aagot, two wag-tailed Labradors leading the way and two of our cats, Khyber and Splash, who came along for the entire trip. It was so funny watching those cats take turns bounding through the grass behind us, panting and crying 'little lost kitty'! .>>>.<<<. Meredith Sessoms .>>>.<<<. Tooksend Art .>>>.<<<. Moulton . Alabama . USA
Re: fjordhorse-digest V2000 #198
This message is from: "Sue Harrison" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >The old "boot'em" > around tactics just don't cut it anymore! I keep telling my students that if > you want to move a fjords quarters around, pretend you are a fly landing on > their side. They notice RIGHT away, whereas, when you push and muscle them, > they want to re-vert to being horsey sumo wrestlers with you, and push INTO > you. The same applies to backing, etc. always ask as lightly as possible. >> Hi Karen: How does this apply when you are leading a very bossy yearling with a mind of his own? Hubby was out working with Storm tonight and had a chain under his chin (He refuses to budge or else wants to throw his head and go where he wants) without it. They didn't do too badly except Storm would attempt to bow his neck and take off if he could. He also tends to crowd. When standing he takes the leadline or chain ...whatever he can get hold of...into his mouth. If you take off the leadline and attempt to lead him with just the halter he will try to bite...(while refusing to move. )He got his mouth slapped tonight for the open mouth act. ...when "I "attempt to lead.. he .tries to nip and refuses to budge unless I slap him lightly with the leadline and pull...then off we go with him trying to go too fast and get the upper hand. After that, I decided I had better let my husband do the training. We just wonder what is the best approach with this. We have had horses for years but none have acted exactly like this guy. He just does not want to lead without balking and being headstrong...tho much much better to handle since he was gelded in May. At least now he can be controlled. When we finished his little training session, he ran to the barn and in his stall. (There were mosquitots bothering us all) We made over him after and gave him treats. Any suggestions anyone? He does back up well. (: Sue in N. B. (Desert Storms mom}
