Facts; Deal with them

1.) I don't always agree with you, It doesn't mean I'm wrong:p. I have an opinion, based on actual experience (not Black Beauty/National Velvet films:mad:). I'm a teenager in Accelerated - not a 12 year old in Middle school, I've grown up with horses - I'm not an idiot and thus feel I deserve to have an opinion

2.) I don't follow the mob here on HHO (you know posts always tilt to one side of the argument with everyone just agreeing, and then you always get that one person challenging the public opinion, and of course they consequently get executed for it. I'm usually that one person)

3.) Dear Barefooters
My horse wears shoes
Sincerely,
If it's abusive, how about you walk over some gravel barefoot?

4.) My horse doesn't live out - he's not an antelope. He's extremely spoilt and extremely fat, he also wear rugs (lots of) - he doesn't at all have a "Natural" lifestyle, as long as he's stuffing his face with manufactured horse food, lucerne and molasses (which gets put on his food) - he wont expect a natural life. And he's perfectly happy being part of my evil, unnatural lifestyle:p

4.) I've NEVER played the Parelli games, never will - my horse DOES respect me, I respect him and we're both extremely happy :p

5.) I ride in a double at shows - occasionally in a Top Hat (In SA you're allowed to from Elementary onwards), shoot me. I choose to ride in a Top Hat knowing the consequences, if I fall of and crack my head open that's my problem

6.) I don't jump. Why? Because I don't like it.

7.) I hack. Occasionally. Not DAILY - most of the time I'm found in the dressage arena. My horse isn't unhappy or on the verge of having a mental breakdown
 
1) I also smack my horses and set boundaries. They are not abused. They are quite mannerly and unafraid.
2) Abba makes faces. This is her. She likes her stable and her space. I can walk in any time and do whatever is needed. As a matter of fact she is the most giving and mannerly horse of the bunch. She just likes to pretend.
3) I also handle my foals everyday. There is a difference between correct handling and mollycoddling the cute baby. So when you see my yearling being led in from the field with just a rope around her neck and she stands on her own while legs are hosed off it's not trickery. They just know what's expected of them.

4) tricks of the tarp do not make you a horseman or your horse super special. It just means you do different things with your horses.
5) Mares can actually pee without being in season.
6) I also feed oats to my TB's and TB/Warmblood crosses. Funny how my lot are not the crazy ones. Also while my 2 fatties are not in work, they do survive on a handful of oats and alfalfa with their vits and mins. I'm not secretly trying to starve then. It's only a token as they can actually survive on hay with vits and mins even in winter!

And lastly, I love all horses. Don't care if it's a happy hacker or a GP SJ. They are all special and mean an awful lot to their owners. It's not a competition between owners of whose horse has done more. Relax and enjoy.

Terri
 
1) I have a cob :D (dont really need to add much more to that!!)

2) he also gets a slap if trying to be bolshy

3) I use a halter with a chain through it to lead him with on days when he is being a plank. I would much rather be in control of his humongous head that being dragged by it

4) he is ridden in a waterford gag. & by a child at that.

5) also has a martingale

6) oh & a flash (ducks for cover)

7) the fact that he is ridden in 'gadgets' does not mean that I am ignoring pain. It means he is one strong little bugger & we have found a combination that works, with help from Vet, dentist, back person & instructor!!

8) if I choose to use rubber mats with a sprinkle of shavings this does not make my pony, myself, my dog or my house stink.

9) if I don't ride or have the desire to learn it doesn't make me completely useless!!


Right, off to get my tin hat now..........
 
Just for a bit of fun, a response to you PF, a member of H+H Royalty -

1. If my horse is naughty he/she gets a smack. That way boundaries are set and the naughty behaviour stops before it becomes a problem. I do NOT beat my horses. If you don't know the difference, then LEARN.

- Glad to hear that you do what works for you. From reading this forum for some years, I feel that most posters know the difference between a smack and a beating.

2. I love a horse with a bit of personality, but invading my personal space is absolutely NOT on. If you barge into me, I will LET YOU KNOW this is unacceptable.

- I have never, ever, read a thread where anyone has said they think a horse barging them is acceptable. Maybe you could post a link?

3. Sometimes my horse (LC) is a little *****. He does NOT need his teeth/back or tack seen to (not least because he's not being ridden) He's just a little *****. I'm sure he'll grow out of it, not least because I don't shove a carrot in his mouth when he does it...

- Agreed. Again, I've not met people who suggest shoving carrots in the mouths of naughty horses either on the forum or in real life. You are obviously plagued with numpties.

4. Yes, I'm sure it's lovely to ride SOME horses bareback. PF, on the other hand, is built like a whippet. A skinny whippet crossed with an eel that has been covered in lard. It's not fun, it's not bonding, and it certainly does not improve my balance or seat. I won't do it and that's that.

- It's your choice, nobody as far as I can see is trying to force anyone to try riding bareback. If you WANTED to then you'd sort yourself out some padding, but as you don't then what's the problem? I agree, if you tried to ride your whippet horse bareback with no padding I very much doubt if it would improve your seat. You'd probably walk funny for a while too.

5.Not all horses can be hacked out. PF likes to examine every inch of our route and make personal friends with every animate or inanimate object we encounter. I haven't got all day and I just can't be @rsed. As long as she doesn't do it at a show (she doesn't) I can't be bothered.

- You've said it yourself, you can't be bothered. However, just because you can't be bothered it doesn't mean that - if you wanted to - your horse couldn't be trained to hack out. IF the owner wants to hack out and IF the person training is used to dealing with that, then there are very few horses that can't be trained to hack out. BUT I'm not saying you are doing anything wrong, you don't want to hack out, so there's no problem to solve.

6. My horses eat oats. Actually PF eats oats. She is NO sharper than she has ever been. I will never ever feed cubes or mixes again. Are you sure you know exactly what's in your feed?? Inform yourself. Feed companies will try to sell you their products. Do your own research.

- I don't get this one, people seem to be getting more and more aware of what is in feeds all the time (rather as they are with what we eat). I don't think you are particularly unique in this - or in that you feed oats.

7. If I'm not happy with what my farrier/ vet is doing I will ask questions and I will make suggestions. I am not an idiot, they cannot make me feel like an idiot because I will always DO MY OWN RESEARCH

- Again, I don't get this, the forum is full of people relating how they did their own research.

8. I can see that your horse doesn't track up/is behind the vertical/looks more miserable that Totilas ridden my MAR... don't assume everyone is as gullible as you would like them to be.

- I think you're relating to some personal experiences here, so good for you, you can tell if a horse is moving well.

9. For my family; yes, I do love my horses more than most of you, why do you ask? They are better looking, smell better and make more reasonable demands of my time.

- Love it!

10 Add your own... :)

I'll add a few in anticipation, without even reading replies.

"arefoot doesn't cure everything" - link me to one post that says it does.
"My horse is better off with shoes on" - good, if it ain't broke don't fix it. Don't get paranoid about it, nobody is accusing you of cruelty.
"NH is just common sense." - no it isn't, it's an attempt to translate someone's view of common sense. People will always disagree about what common sense actually is. We didn't spring out of the womb with common horse-sense, and people that think they did are often seen applying human psychology to their horses.
 
1) never feed my horse oats, learnt that this is NOT a good idea ;) :D

2) Yes, I feed my horse lots of treats, he has never bitten anyone though, and his ickle face its just to cute to not feed them to :eek: :D

3) I wear a treeless saddle, have magnetic boots/rugs and nope, I'm not a nutter

4) My horse will not melt in the rain, if he did, he wouldn't be as well covered as he is :D

5) Poor behaviour will not be tolerated, unless its funny, in which case laughter is stifled (or attempts are made to stifle it) and horse is reprimanded appropriately. A growl will usually suffice, if not - pony club kicks normally do the trick.
 
I bring my horses in at night all year round...shock horror!! Some horses like their stable and like a routine. I'm not a bad person because i chuck them in a field all year round (rugged or rugless)

I rug my horses even though they aren't clipped. I'm not stupid and can judge for myself how cold my horses is and what PJ's they need on that night...Check the weather forecast for your area people, just because it's the tropics where you are it's colder elsewhere.

I don't turn out in bad weather which includes snow, ice, thick frost and swamp like conditions...I like seeing your pics of your horses running in the snow but don't look down at me because i don't want to slip over, break a leg (mine or horse) trying to get to the field.
 
I regret not making a DVD of me learnig to cat h my naughty pony twenty years ago. I would today be a millionaire as I, all by myself, discovered that if you push the horse awAy then remove eye contact and ignore the bugger it want to know what you're doing and will be caught!
 
Oh where to start?! I have video evidence of dafthoss and I abusing our poor ponies with pony club kicks, pony beating sticks and spurs if they won't go forwards. I'd rather he learnt some manners, thanks.
I took fergs for 5 hours of a 7 hour hack in dh's dressage saddle which has never been professionally fitted to him. The following day I forgot his saddle and rode him in j's instead - they both fit interchangeably. Shoot me now...
Both our horses had hoof left after about 9-10 hours of hacking and roadwork this weekend despite being barefoot and apparently rob needing shoes...
I feed the highlands straw and only straw. They're still easily a 3 by condition score. When they go over that I reserve the right to use any means available to me to help them diet. No matter how mean that makes me.
I weigh nearly 20% of fergs body weight and he seems to manage just fine... In fact, he's carried 20st without caring...
I'm summer I ride bareback, barefoot, in shorts and sometimes hatless...
Unlike people round here, I don't think a hack lasts half an hour and I do think it should always involve canter, preferably plural and gallop...
I've trained my ponies to rear and do tricks. They aren't actually dangerous and can be ridden safely by others...

The list is endless. Within reason, there is more than one way to skin a cat and provided you aren't jeopardising your horse's wellbeing I don't care what people do...
 
I have just snorted my tea all over my keyboard. Is there a janitor in this thread who can come clean it up for me? I am busy watching my NH DVD :D :D :D :D

1. I don't actually have a NH DVD, I have lots of books by lots of different riders and I have read them all but I haven't put any of them into practice :p
2. My horses are very expensive ornaments and will never be competition horses who earn their keep.
3. I have never had a saddler out to fit my saddle (to any of the numerous different horses I have used it on). I have not had my horses teeth done in the nearly 4 years I have owned him. He has never met a chiropractor / acupuncturist / physiotherapist / massage therapist / psychotherapist (I can't think of anything else that ends in "ist"
4. I do strange things with my horse and he is non the worse for it. I bath him in the middle of a rain storm and then grin to myself when he goes and rolls in mud, I spent hours cleaning his rugs then took them in to get mended and then they sat in the shop for a year cos they weren't needed and it turned into a funny joke with me and the repairer, I hog his mane using scissors and then laugh hysterically at the mess I made before I rug him to hide it :D
5. My horse will only walk freely to the end of the street and is prone to having panic attacks (because that tree over there is fully hiding a horse eating monster) and I am super thrilled with him because he walked 30m away from the paddock before heading home again, and if that is the only ride we have for months he will have 'earnt his keep'.
6. I refuse to let anyone else ride my horse because the people who have offered or that I know are not capable of handling him. I am quite sure that if I sold him there is a 50/50 chance the person I sold him to would be better suited to him but I just don't care cos he is a very pretty expensive field ornament who is no doubt currently spooking at the shadows cast by the trees in his paddock:eek:

I can relate with some points, i have heaps of books, I have bathed horse in the rain, i have heaps of rugs, and rarely use them, in the end we all have the right to be slightly obsessive, pedantic, eccentric or whatever you like with our ponies, in our own way.
 
I have been know to use draw reins ( retires to bunkers )
I also use traditional saddle with a tree and have a traditional saddler check the fit four times a year in between I bung one of various pads under the saddle I don't think the answer if your saddle does not fit is a treeless.
I clip my horses all over including legs.
Sometimes I keep them in the stable all day because I don't like them getting dirty.
If my horse is naughty I give it a bloody good crack with the dressage whip as soon as its naughty rather than check the saddle teeth back remove the shoes first
I could go on but better go and do some work .
 
1) never feed my horse oats, learnt that this is NOT a good idea ;) :D

2) Yes, I feed my horse lots of treats, he has never bitten anyone though, and his ickle face its just to cute to not feed them to :eek: :D

3) I wear a treeless saddle, have magnetic boots/rugs and nope, I'm not a nutter

4) My horse will not melt in the rain, if he did, he wouldn't be as well covered as he is :D

5) Poor behaviour will not be tolerated, unless its funny, in which case laughter is stifled (or attempts are made to stifle it) and horse is reprimanded appropriately. A growl will usually suffice, if not - pony club kicks normally do the trick.

I think you might be a nutter - you WEAR a saddle!
 
1) No way is right for all horses. Whatever suits that horse, goes. So I have horses that aren't shod, and horses that are. Horses that are rugged, and horses that aren't. Treeless and treed saddles etc...
2) Boundaries are important, and the undisputable fact that I'm in charge is the most important of those. So long as everyone understands where the line is, and the consequences of crossing it, we all have a lovely time. I've never had it take more than a few weeks (usually takes a couple of days) for those boundaries to sink in, and I enjoy my herd of well mannered beasties every single day as a result.
3) A well-trained horse misbehaves because something is wrong. There's a whole list of possibilities, but it's not that hard to figure out if it's pain and where, or if it's lack of turnout/herd issues/feed/lack of exercise etc. A less well-trained horse will misbehave for the above, or because it's confused, doesn't respect the handler, doesn't like its work etc. Again, not impossible to figure out what's going on and fix.
4) Horses are not machines. They have personalities, a sense of humour, they get excited, and worried about things. Subduing them into a robot-like creature isn't nice or fair. Yes they should behave, but within that, a little spark is a good thing.
5) Sorry, but you're not a good rider because your horse misbehaves and you stay on. If you were GOOD, then your horse would be nicely mannered and listening to its rider, or at least improving every day in that direction.
 
I regret not making a DVD of me learnig to cat h my naughty pony twenty years ago. I would today be a millionaire as I, all by myself, discovered that if you push the horse awAy then remove eye contact and ignore the bugger it want to know what you're doing and will be caught!

^^^^^^^

Me too, my daughter was amazed that I could do this when a couple of years ago I did it to catch her pony. Itsn't it what we used to do in the 'old' days. Nothing new about it at all.
 
:):) Nice one PF.

*I breed to sell :eek:

*I ride my horses in curb bits, they share saddles, saddle pads, bridles and rugs.

*Everything lives out, all year round, in snow, ice and -20C is merely inconvenient, not the end of the world.

*Yes I will use my hand, or the end of a rope, or whatever, on them if the need arises. I am not a "there, there, norty ponio, don't bite mummys' face again will you?" kind of person, sorry.

*I weigh 120lbs soaking wet, some of my horses weigh 1300lbs, I use a chain if they pull or fart about, they learn, I have well behaved horses that are not head shy.

*I handle my foals from day one, every day and it has not ruined them.

*I will put a horse down rather than keep it as a field ornament on drugs to mask its' pain.

*Oh, and I feed oats as well, to everything I own, in a pile, on the ground.

*Lastly, my mantra is that there are many ways to skin a cat, my way not be yours, or yours mine, but, if the end result is the same then it really doesn't matter how we get there.

:)

Are you me? :confused: Apart from the 120lbs bit ;)

I've only recently started lurking more regularly on here and have been scared to say I've never had a saddler out! Or that my Fylde saddles go on more than one horse, quite happily - and some of them have even won big(ish) prizes wearing them. I have a 3yo warmblood who has lived out most of his life and only had a rug on so we know he will wear one (just in case) he is thriving out in the sheltered field with his 27 year old granny (who I also bred) who now wears a rug as a concession to her advancing years :)

Also, I have a sucession of two tone stable rugs, that are made up from the front of one rug and the back of another stitched together - and you know what; my 25yo peculiarly shaped welsh D/hackney mare doesn't mind, she isn't embarassed in the least! They are the first rugs she's ever needed and she's very cosy...

(Mind you, I thought my 'hobby' rider friend who has the latest everything matching and new rugs each season was going to have a stroke when she saw her :p )
 
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Wow..some people have enough beef to take up cattle farming! Amazing how emotive we all r about our own horse sense.

I will never hit a horse,
The horses I work with all learn boundaries and manners
I believe it is up to each owner to set their own ethical boundaries, what I think is fine others might think is cruel. It's so subjective, we can all only try and figure out what makes sense to us.
I recognise the importance of physical issues but think focussing on them too much often misses out behavioural aspects that should be improved.
Good trainers make it look easy, and don't hAve to discipline, struggle, etc often.
I really don't care about mud on my own horse and would rather spend more hours in the saddle and less with a brush.
Jumping helps everything!
Your best riding tool is Ur brain.
These r my somewhat controversial statements! X
 
I NEVER slap my horses.........but I do bite them.kick them,barge them with my bum if they should forget their manners,which is very rare.
I do have rope halters,but rarely use them.
I have sat on my Appyxknab.....at 18months:eek:
I have also taught the above some silly tricks.
I don't rug and they live out. If the very expensive KWPN is too muddy,I don't ride.
I think horses hooves are very different to our feet and therefore quite capable of running over gravel without shoes. I am also aware that my own pathetic pink feet would adapt to running on gravel if I did this every day.
I am a bit odd:D
 
1. If my horse is naughty he/she gets a smack. That way boundaries are set and the naughty behaviour stops before it becomes a problem. I do NOT beat my horses. If you don't know the difference, then LEARN.
2. I love a horse with a bit of personality, but invading my personal space is absolutely NOT on. If you barge into me, I will LET YOU KNOW this is unacceptable.
3. Sometimes my horse (LC) is a little *****. He does NOT need his teeth/back or tack seen to (not least because he's not being ridden) He's just a little *****. I'm sure he'll grow out of it, not least because I don't shove a carrot in his mouth when he does it...
4. Yes, I'm sure it's lovely to ride SOME horses bareback. PF, on the other hand, is built like a whippet. A skinny whippet crossed with an eel that has been covered in lard. It's not fun, it's not bonding, and it certainly does not improve my balance or seat. I won't do it and that's that.
5.Not all horses can be hacked out. PF likes to examine every inch of our route and make personal friends with every animate or inanimate object we encounter. I haven't got all day and I just can't be @rsed. As long as she doesn't do it at a show (she doesn't) I can't be bothered.
6. My horses eat oats. Actually PF eats oats. She is NO sharper than she has ever been. I will never ever feed cubes or mixes again. Are you sure you know exactly what's in your feed?? Inform yourself. Feed companies will try to sell you their products. Do your own research.
7. If I'm not happy with what my farrier/ vet is doing I will ask questions and I will make suggestions. I am not an idiot, they cannot make me feel like an idiot because I will always DO MY OWN RESEARCH
8. I can see that your horse doesn't track up/is behind the vertical/looks more miserable that Totilas ridden my MAR... don't assume everyone is as gullible as you would like them to be.
9. For my family; yes, I do love my horses more than most of you, why do you ask? They are better looking, smell better and make more reasonable demands of my time.
10 Add your own... :)


*like* :D

(I will probably get shot for this but...)

Barefoot is not always the answer!!

and this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^








im so sick of reading my horse is lame cue......... "take its shoes off"


not always the answer!!!!!!!!!!!:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
I bathe my horses eyes and nose with warm water, I don't like washing my face in cold water so why should he, deal with it OLD MAN (someone I knew who constantly had something unpleasant to say about what I did with my horse).
I ride when I feel like it and if I want them to be field ornaments they can.
I groom them in the field in summer if I am not bringing them in.
I ride the fat cob bareback, work riders raise their eyes in horror whilst they hang on to theirs because the fat cob is white and i mean persil white and he could be a ghost, it is so funny!!!!!
 
I think horses hooves are very different to our feet and therefore quite capable of running over gravel without shoes.

Both my unshod horses quite voluntarily canter along a sharp gravel track without ever being footsore or unwilling. This is the highand who's never had shoes in his life and the cob who was shod for 12ish years - and never went on a special diet or preparation regime for barefootedness either :D
 
1) No way is right for all horses. Whatever suits that horse, goes. So I have horses that aren't shod, and horses that are. Horses that are rugged, and horses that aren't. Treeless and treed saddles etc...
2) Boundaries are important, and the undisputable fact that I'm in charge is the most important of those. So long as everyone understands where the line is, and the consequences of crossing it, we all have a lovely time. I've never had it take more than a few weeks (usually takes a couple of days) for those boundaries to sink in, and I enjoy my herd of well mannered beasties every single day as a result.
3) A well-trained horse misbehaves because something is wrong. There's a whole list of possibilities, but it's not that hard to figure out if it's pain and where, or if it's lack of turnout/herd issues/feed/lack of exercise etc. A less well-trained horse will misbehave for the above, or because it's confused, doesn't respect the handler, doesn't like its work etc. Again, not impossible to figure out what's going on and fix.
4) Horses are not machines. They have personalities, a sense of humour, they get excited, and worried about things. Subduing them into a robot-like creature isn't nice or fair. Yes they should behave, but within that, a little spark is a good thing.
5) Sorry, but you're not a good rider because your horse misbehaves and you stay on. If you were GOOD, then your horse would be nicely mannered and listening to its rider, or at least improving every day in that direction.

***standing ovation***

very well put
 
Just for a bit of fun, a response to you PF, a member of H+H Royalty -
Royalty? I doubt it, but if you say so...

I was going to address your points individually, but then I remembered that I don't really feel the need to justify MY opinions and they way I treat MY horses. What you do with YOUR horses is your business and that was the whole point of this thread. You do it your way, I do it mine. Sometimes I think people are idiots.
 
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nothing to do with this post but wanted to share it with you like minded level headed fellow riders - out riding the cob on day up the road, along comes 20 racehorses trotting flat out behind me, cob gets a bit excited wants to join them, they of course do not slow down to a walk and carry on trotting flat out going past me well i decided forget being polite and let the cob show them what trotting is all about, and he can trot, well we left them all standing, yup the big fat cob nothing like a refined racehorse left them behind, never had a bad word from them again about big fat cobs.
 
Oh i like this thread
A few from me :)

1. Yes i am too soft on my horses sometimes
2. My horses do have a saddle fitter, dentist, physio etc because i want to do the best i can for them
3. No i don't feed my horses ad lib hay, they're fat
4. I do feed them treats
 
Oh where to start....

My horses will be firmly reprimanded if they are arses. Simples.

My horses are sometimes arses. See above. Simples.

I research feed. They are fed what I then believe to be right. Give me advice, but accept that I might not take it. If that is going to upset you, don't give the advice.

My horse will go just about anywhere anytime and be reasonably well behaved. I have done this. Even when my knees were knocking, I got on and rode. I have the result :D

Having said the above, my horse is a flight animal. I do not presume to have changed her instinct.

I will harp on about wearing hats. Unless you are a hermit it is not personal choice - a brain injury affects everyone around you, including your horse. I speak from experience.

I'll rug or not rug my horses dependent on their individual needs. Ditto shoes/no shoes.

I read up on many 'different' approaches to horsemanship and pick and choose what I need.

I don't ride bareback as I'm now too old, fat and creaky.

I will use our local 'horse whisperer' as he can get my horses to do things that I can't. He's better than me. Simples.

I will often put my horse's naughty behaviour down to the saddle. She's fussy about it. Fine by me.

I know my horses. I know when I've made mistakes. I'll say sorry to them and try harder to get it right next time.

I give my horses Polos. My horses don't bite. If they did, see top comment. Simples.

I'll use whatever tack and bit the horse/rider needs to be safe and comfortable.

I hack on the end of the buckle. My horse spooks by taking a step to the side. I won't stop that no matter what length my reins. She does not, so far, bob off.

We use high viz. I will continue to rant about those that don't. Not bothered about you if you feel you're invincible, but I care about your horse. For those that don't use it on the roads - it's a bit of a bobber isn't it when a stranger cares about your horse more than you do :cool:

Um. Think that's all for now :D :D
 
Royalty? I doubt it, but if you say so...

I was going to address your points individually, but then I remembered that I don't really feel the need to justify MY opinions and they way I treat MY horses. What you do with YOUR horses is your business and that was the whole point of this thread. You do it your way, I do it mine. Sometimes I think people are idiots.
Oh, and to clarify, I wasn't saying YOU are an idiot. But some people just are. And yes, I know a LOT of them.
 
Royalty? I doubt it, but if you say so...

I was going to address your points individually, but then I remembered that I don't really feel the need to justify MY opinions and they way I treat MY horses. What you do with YOUR horses is your business and that was the whole point of this thread. You do it your way, I do it mine. Sometimes I think people are idiots.

For someone who doesn't want other people's opinions on how to manage your horses and who doesn't care what other people do with their horses, you've racked up an impressive number of forum posts... :p
 
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