When I was a teen farm work was a very fulfilling pastime for me. At sixteen I got stuck in a boarding school to teach me to be a God fearing Christian & it was there that I met my first horses. Being around them, getting to really know them brought me a peace & contentment I'd never experienced before or since. Now that I'm forced to make a new life for myself I want to capture that again. As such I'm lookin' for any advise anyone might have on working with them, tricks like how most horses view respect, that sort of stuff.
I find horses to be very noble animals, and like most animals, I feel they can view a threat in a person quite easily and if you've already worked with them then you aren't going to be shy or afraid when you see them again, so they won't smell that and be much more open. They can be shy and timid so you just have to show them respect first and get them used to you. Food always helps and gentle pats make noises at them lol. Rub their big faces. Maybe even let them come to you first. One thing with horses is they are very stubborn and if they don't want to do something then they won't, they'll rather buck you off than have them let you walk down a trail they don't want to lol so the respect lays with you in a lot of ways, they need to feel comfortable around you and know that you aren't going to put them in harms way. All the tricks and stuff, first you need a horse who has that drive because many won't and many horses undergo lengthy training courses and like I said if the horse says no then that's probably going to be it. I feel like they need to be born with that drive, which is why stud breeding is so selective. They're designed and created to breed high driven animals. if you're just in a farm, guy might just have paddock horses and of they're usually to a solo way of life they mightn't ever do things you want them to. Where are you going to work anyway?
Thanks for the reply. As to the work there's a few stables around a town called Bloomington couple hours from where I live. Plan to start there. Eventually plan on heading to Colorado, Wyoming, or some such. Wide open spaces relatively few people & plenty of horse work.
Ask something specific and I'll ask my mom. She's been riding horses since she was, like, five, and has owned one since she was 12. I grew up with plenty of equestrian siblings. Never caught horse fever myself though
I went to boarding school, but it was geared toward "emotional growth". I really gained a lot emotionally, but I noticed that after I left the program I felt really disconnected from the rest of the world. Advanced in some ways and totally left out in others. I ended up using drugs to try and fit in.
Good luck to you. I had some trouble coming to terms with my feelings about having been sent someplace away from home. In the end, I decided to reconcile with my parents and today we're closer. But that took many years. I hope you find your peace with God and with the rest of the world. It can be a rocky road. And it sounds like horses can help you stay in touch, so that's pretty cool!
If you like working with animals, they will always like you. When our daughter was about 5, she had a big crush on dogs and went out looking for them on the common with me. When a woman knocked on our door one day to ask us if our daughter had seen her dog who was missing, Jane went upstairs to to ask her and found both of them asleep on the bed. The poor woman was flabbergasted how a 5 year old girl could have kidnapped her 6 stone rottweiler. After that she went to the common to play with the dog every day. The one thing that you probably know already about horses, is never to stand too close behind them. As they move off, their hind legs kick back and can easily break your leg
I learned about horses early on. As a teenager and even before, about 11, I owned one because having a place in Vermont and being friends with kids who owned horses meant I had one too. They're way smarter than dogs, and decide on there own if you're going to be there rider. If they're ignored by their rider, and I'm not taking about care in the stable and pasture, they'll let you know they're not happy every chance they get. Once I got a dirt bike and spent less time on her, it was a big deal just to get her saddled and bridled up. This led to my daughter becoming interested by 6 years old and her having her own by nine. Her small stature gave perfect scale on her horse, but her skills soon had her riding in competition with adults and riding courses to big for her first horse. I'll never forget how when my ex wife suggested we sell the first horse to offset the cost of the new horse, my daughter said "sure, as soon as we sell betty", our 8 year old lab. They grow on you and become family, damn animals. By now we've got 4, and I spend more housing them than my human family. The payoff is my daughter still loves them and rides recreationally and in competition every chance she gets. My daughter on the two she actually still rides. I personally like the western style competition better, way more fun crowd than the english shows.
I've never owned a horse but have a couple of friends that have. I love horses. I think they are fine, noble animals! Those are great pics, mcme!!! Good luck to you and thanks for starting this thread about horses.
I grew up with horses because my dad had a thing for going to auction and buying them whether they were ridable or not, lol My brother who was 5 years older than me is the only one, out of a family of 7, that really rode. I was too young to do much riding of troubled horses. We had 11 horses and ponies at once so I became friends with them even though I didn't try riding many of them. I'd go out to the pasture or fence and just hang out with them, talking to them and loving on them. I think they are incredible.
