change my mind - what controversial/guilty horsey things do you do and not feel guilty for??:)

[maya2008]

I don't find comparing horse herd dynamics to horse-human interactions helpful. Horses have their own language and primarily learn from humans based on reinforcement history.

As a young adult I was absolutely fascinated by herd dynamics and the way horses communicate - body language, herd structure as a result, the way a confident individual can stalk in and easily assume a place up the hierarchy while a less dominant individual has to fight for it etc. Spent hours and hours learning, sitting and watching them in the field, looking at different training methods incl Monty Roberts, Klaus Ferdinand Hempfling etc.

I wouldn’t disagree with other people training them with repetition/reward etc, but I personally find it much quicker and easier to have a starting point that involves language they understand instinctively. Many roads to Rome and all that.

 

[sakura]

Oh, fun!

- I don't use boots on my horse as I find they overheat and cause more problems than they prevent
- I don't believe in stable rugs and I use turnouts indoors and outdoors (and of course I fling them on)
- I don't wash or reproof my turnouts - ever. Sometimes I will brush dry mud off them if they're particularly gross
- My barefoot horse gets a trim when they look like they need it and not every x number of weeks. I use the same farrier I used when shod
- Calling the vet out is a last resort if neither me nor the horse can fix it ourselves (obviously excluding routine vaccines/teeth etc)
- I always tie directly to the ring and do not use baling twine for tying up
- When I took the shoes of my horse, I didn't change anything about her lifestyle or diet
- I clip for convivence

Some of these things may be because I have an ex hunting welsh D who is pretty hardy lol

 

[NinjaPony]

Clip and rug my retired Welsh pony and keep him in at night all year round.

Rarely tie up to do anything unless it involves any kind of cream/medicine.

Kept him on danilon for 12 years, still no harmful side effects in sight.

Give him a treat after turning him out and before bringing him in. Just like magic he became completely reliable to catch…