Too many horsey people, not enough real horsemen

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FionaMc

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Just watching this film on Horse & Country: http://www.horseandcountry.tv/episode/billy-johnson

It just reminds me how much I love finding old traditional horse books and how much more sensible they always seem. I think we're often too soft on our horses these days, nanny-ing them and not really treating them like horses. Wish I knew more people like this man!
 
Can't see the link but yes I agree ... too many people apply Human emotions and thoughts and nanny their horses too much .... remember they are horses and still after all the years of us keeping them in stables etc still have very strong 'wild natural instinicts' I am not into - for want of a better word - natural horsemanship etc etc etc but good old sensible horsemanship that comes with listening, learning and applying good old common sense. I have a RS and try and pass on these little nuggets of information that I have been given, learnt and experianced.
 
I agree with your title, but also think that some of the ' old ' ways can be a little harsh by today's standards and it has nothing to do with being ' too soft ' on our horses.

Personally I think that a true horseman has that deep rooted understanding and love for the horse and a common sense approach to things. It is true that alot more people keep horses today because thay can afford too but not necessarily because they have the knowledge to look after them properly.

I have owned horses for over 40 years and started off keeping them in a field with a load of cows. Bran mashes and jute rugs were all the rage then. Purpose built livery yards and menages were few and far between! I've seen training methods, clothing, feeding and veterinary treatment etc, advance dramatically as well as horse management.

I don't believe that we are too soft on our horses but I think it's more of a case of horses being forced to live in over crowded and un natural situations. Too many yards have little or no turnout, people over tack horses their horses, clothe them in ridulous fluffy gadgets and luminous rugs and think this is the norm and so on.

I believe too many people treat their horses as disposable accessories and that's a sign of our times.
 
TicTac said:
I agree with your title, but also think that some of the ' old ' ways can be a little harsh by today's standards and it has nothing to do with being ' too soft ' on our horses.

Personally I think that a true horseman has that deep rooted understanding and love for the horse and a common sense approach to things. It is true that alot more people keep horses today because thay can afford too but not necessarily because they have the knowledge to look after them properly.

I have owned horses for over 40 years and started off keeping them in a field with a load of cows. Bran mashes and jute rugs were all the rage then. Purpose built livery yards and menages were few and far between! I've seen training methods, clothing, feeding and veterinary treatment etc, advance dramatically as well as horse management.

I don't believe that we are too soft on our horses but I think it's more of a case of horses being forced to live in over crowded and un natural situations. Too many yards have little or no turnout, people over tack horses their horses, clothe them in ridulous fluffy gadgets and luminous rugs and think this is the norm and so on.

I believe too many people treat their horses as disposable accessories and that's a sign of our times.
Click to expand...

I agree with you.x
 
Hey, I thought the old adage 'you never stop learning when it to comes to horses' was the most popular 'old' horsemanship saying? ;)
 
I agree to a large extent with this - I love my horse and indeed all horses but people do apply human emotions to them and this can cause problems, not just when people are too soft on them but also by misunderstanding them, for example;
''my horse is been sooo naughty he's really taking the pee maybe I should get a new saddle, behaviourist,calmer for him''
''erm no love the problem is that he's been shut in his stable out of the rain all week, stuffed full of treats, corn and supplements and now he is jumping out of his skin...take him for a brisk trot and he'll be fine....''

Sure we all like to pamper our animals - that's why we have them, but at least respect them enough to let them be horses.
 
TicTac said:
I agree with your title, but also think that some of the ' old ' ways can be a little harsh by today's standards and it has nothing to do with being ' too soft ' on our horses.

Personally I think that a true horseman has that deep rooted understanding and love for the horse and a common sense approach to things. It is true that alot more people keep horses today because thay can afford too but not necessarily because they have the knowledge to look after them properly.

I have owned horses for over 40 years and started off keeping them in a field with a load of cows. Bran mashes and jute rugs were all the rage then. Purpose built livery yards and menages were few and far between! I've seen training methods, clothing, feeding and veterinary treatment etc, advance dramatically as well as horse management.

I don't believe that we are too soft on our horses but I think it's more of a case of horses being forced to live in over crowded and un natural situations. Too many yards have little or no turnout, people over tack horses their horses, clothe them in ridulous fluffy gadgets and luminous rugs and think this is the norm and so on.

I believe too many people treat their horses as disposable accessories and that's a sign of our times.
Click to expand...

You've actually articulated how I feel about the whole thing much better than I did originally.

Incidentally - have they actually stopped making canvas turnouts now?
 
Nail on head Tictac. I too remember jute rugs - with wool blankets under them in cold weather that had to be folded with the corners turned back under a surcingle then the jute rug on top with its surcingle. What a palaver it was! Then again we didn't rug horses then nearly as much as we do now.
 
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