Fox Hunting

As a child, I was a member of a local fox hunting club. I was only 12, and joined up because at the time, I would have taken any opportunity offered to me that allowed me to do more riding.
I didn’t know it back then, but our hunt club was a “no-kill” organization that used the “drag” method of hunting. Literally, synthetic fox scent was “dragged” across the hunting lands in such a way as to yield as safe but exhilarating gallop for the hunt club members. No actual fox was hunted or killed.
Like I said, I was a kid and really didn’t understand the whole thing. All I knew was it was an incredibly fun way for me to spend my Saturday mornings. Plus, I got to dress up in my formal hunting attire, and put my best tack on my pony. All in all, I have amazing memories of those years.
As an adult, I learned about “real” fox hunting. I learned about its history – that at one time it was considered a legitimate way of ridding a farm of vermin. I also learned about some of the more barbaric practices that came with the capture and killing of a real fox. Take “blooding,” for example, where the first people on the scene paint their faces with fresh fox blood. Or the practice of giving away the fox’s body parts (some parts to the ladies, some for the gents). Pretty icky stuff.
I’m no bleeding heart, but I do believe we were put here to be good stewards of this earth, and that includes treating our animals friends with kindness and mercy. I don’t look down on people who must hunt animals for food. But, I do believe if that is what you must do, it should be done in a way so that the animal does not suffer.
I don’t believe there is a good argument that can be made today for “real” fox hunting. It is something people are doing only for pleasure, and it’s just not right.

Fear of Fly Spray

Once I adopted a little Paso mare who was terrified of fly spray. It took me by surprise, her reaction, since it all happened so fast. She was in cross-ties, and had been standing there quietly while I groomed her and picked out her feet. No problem. Then, I mixed up some fly spray and when the first drop hit her, she went straight up in the air (almost going over backward!). It scared us both to death!
I’ve owned horses all my life, and I’ve seen fear of just about everything: hoses, fallen trees, an overturned garbage can, water, cows and other livestock (like llamas), and sometimes what seemed to be nothing at all. At 33 years old, this was my first horse who was terrified of fly spray.
However, after the little mare – Izzy – and I calmed down, I decided to tackle this fear like I would any other fear: with patience and desensitization.
Patience
I took a deep breath and decided I wasn’t going to try to overcome Izzy’s fear in one day. Since I am impatient and a “go-getter” by nature, believe me, this step is very important. I had to mentally accept that this was going to take time.

Desensitization
I consulted with my sister-in-law (a natural horsemanship expert), and she suggested the following:

1. Fill a fly spray bottle with plain water.
2. Put Izzy on a lunge line where she would be free to run for a few feet.
3. Let Izzy graze and get comfortable.
4. Keep your head down and don’t look her in the eye. Keep your shoulders relaxed and stand so you’re facing her sideways.
5.Start with small sprays of water on the ground near Izzy’s feet. Do this until she doesn’t jump or run away from the water. This could take several sessions. BE PATIENT.
6. Slowly work your way up to spraying Izzy directly with the water. Start with her feet and work up her body.
7. Keep sessions to about 15 to 20 minutes at a time.

Eventually I was able to fly spray Izzy without a problem. It took a total of three weeks.It’s important to remember, when following the above steps, to end each session on a good note. If your horse starts out by running away for five feet, stop the session when you’ve got it down to one or two feet. Give her a treat and talk softly to her. Horses are creatures of habit and association. If your horse associates these sessions with pleasant memories, she will be more cooperative every time you try

Horse: Tool Or Friend?

Horses Friend or Tool?

A question and a half I know but I do wonder! I have a friend with a horse who has no idea what her horses fears or dislikes are; if your horse disagrees with her or fears something poor thing just gets the whip! I mean how would she like it if I whipped her to get her started on her work? Pretty sure she would not. All she worries is about is trophies & ribbons.
My horse is my partner I know he does not like jumping, garlic, muddy puddles etc I also know he loves food & enjoys going on long rides through the forest & going to new places.
I bought my horse to enjoy not because he looks good (which he does). I understand if you want to jump then you need a horse to have the ability but should horses be bought for their colour, conformation, pedigree etc I mean seriously I know so many people that have these top show jumpers (competition horses) that weave, crib, wind suck etc this is not healthy these are man made conditions. We insist on our horse being perfectly turned out. They cant be horses, “can’t go out & get muddy”, “oh no he is going to scar, I will just keep him in or put him in a field on his own” a herd animal on heir own hmmmm and you wonder why horses go mad!
Think about it seriously, people get rid of horses that when they bought them they were fine, after a few months with them the horse turn in a psychotic beast & then have the mordacity to get rid of the horse & say there was something wrong with it! Lets see……….. Ever thought the person was the problem not the horse!
For the record I’m not talking about everyone I just want to get my point across

Today's Horse - Problem Sovling: Loading Your Horse

Hi there,

I found this article on loading horses and thought you might be interested, give me some feed back.

Today's Horse - Problem Sovling: Loading Your Horse: "A day out with your horse can be perfect bliss - or a nerve racking, emotionally draining, confidence shattering, traumatic disaster, and it often depends on how your horse loads!"

Horse Training

My name is Anita, I am a horse lover and I spent most of my free time with my horses.

There are so many different way to go about training a horse, that it’s become more difficult for people to know really where to start.
With that in mind people should really consider doing more research on the many different ways they could go, when it comes to training their horse.
Providing that one gets a really good understanding of horses and where they are coming from; that should in-able individual to make informative choice.
Reading and researching the subject i.e. the Horse should enable people to make informative choices. It is the responsibility of “The” would be horse owners to gather up as much information as possible about the type of horse they wish to own.
Some horses are just not suitable for beginners but there are other that are more suited for them.
Common mistakes that owner makes is getting the wrong type of horse for the work that they require the horse to do, for instance you would not get a Draft Horse if you wanted to jump.
Secondly individuals do not do enough research on what it really cost to own a horse. And that it requires more commitment than first anticipated. You can’t just go of on holiday without making arrangement for their horse.
The realisation is that much of your time is devoted to the care of the horse and what a great responsibility it really is to take care of the flight animal.
There is so much information out there that it can be overwhelming and people just don’t really understand what to do with it.