The scheduled roundup (set for December 1) of wild horses by the BLM has been stopped by a law suit filed by In Defense of Animals and Craig Downer. It’s a legal maneuver which isn’t going to help the wild horses, but will get the “ecologist’s” name in front of the public once again. Could there be a spike in book sales?
It would be much more in the best interests of the wild horses if the ecologist and In Defense of Animals had a plan to let the wild horses be wild, which, of course, they do not…… rather than filing lawsuits which allow the continued growth of herds which the land (and government programs) can’t support.
The suit is based on the 1971 law which declared the wild horses as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the west," which, of course, they are not. The law also specified they “shall be protected from capture, branding, harassment or death.” That’s impossible if at the same time you are going to mandate someone see to it they have adequate food, water and health care.
According to the Bureau of Land Management 37,000 wild horses and burros remain on public lands. At the same time 32,000 wild horses have been removed from the range are being held in government holding facilities---now isn’t that nice place for a wild horse?
Ecologists are supposed to study relationships between organisms and their environment. What most discover is the world is changing, the dedicated range of the west can’t support huge bands of wild horses, and we need to find a way to have a representative herd which could be housed, cared-for and protected. They wouldn’t be wild horses…but neither are the wild horses!
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Show virtually and learn in reality with IPHDA
“How Broke Is Your Horse?” asks Rod Miller.
It’s a question we’re always asking ourselves. (Isn’t that why we show horses?)
Miller has taken the question and turned it into the International Performance Horse Development Association, a fun way to improve your horsemanship, get help from training experts, advance your own training techniques and enjoy big prizes while competing in virtual shows at specific levels of ability.
New and just getting started, I’m betting IPHDA takes off…it’s competition and education in one package, plus the advantages of membership discounts, prizes, and interaction with other horsemen from around the world.
Check it out at www.IPHDA.com
It’s a question we’re always asking ourselves. (Isn’t that why we show horses?)
Miller has taken the question and turned it into the International Performance Horse Development Association, a fun way to improve your horsemanship, get help from training experts, advance your own training techniques and enjoy big prizes while competing in virtual shows at specific levels of ability.
New and just getting started, I’m betting IPHDA takes off…it’s competition and education in one package, plus the advantages of membership discounts, prizes, and interaction with other horsemen from around the world.
Check it out at www.IPHDA.com
Still "no natural" to "horsemanship" and other ideas
Must thank Laurey Hoyt for her comments on "natural horsemanship." (see comments) While I think she has some good points about horsemanship, I don't see how she defends calling it "natural" when there is still nothing natural to it.
Horsemanship is the ability to elicit a specific response to a specific request. Knowing and using the horse's instincts to accomplish that isn't natural, it's just knowledge applied to purpose.
Several things to consider...humans (predators) aren't horses (prey). There's nothing natual about a predator using prey for enjoyment, work, or companionship. It's an unnatural relationship that humans find enjoyable and horses are trapped in. (Good horsemanship tries to make the situation as pleasant as possible for the horse, but it's never the horse's idea of nirvana.)
It's also interesting how "natural horsemanship" practitioners don't seem to take part in competition's which require the horse and rider to respond to a requirement in a specific way. If "natural horsemanship" was truly different and better, you'd think "natural horsemanship trainers" would be proving their claims by simply winning any and all types of horsemanship competitions.
One reader comments in Bowl of Mush that there are a lot of bad trainers out there that have been licensed (in Canada). Of course the comment is correct...there are bad veterinarians, teachers, bad engineers, bad anything and everything that has to be licensed...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to raise our horsemanship levels by requiring some educational standard.
One thing is for sure...if great trainers are out there that are not "licensed" they'd still be great trainers and better off businesswise if they were "licensed."
Finally, Shawn wanted to know about the damage to the horse's knee (torn cartilage) The point being that there are great risks of infection when injecting horse's joints to keep them showing, and that maybe it's abusive to try to keep them going. There is no question Shawn is correct about the risks. The question of using drugs to keep horses going may be a moral issue not just for horsemen, but for veterinarians as well.
When is medicine right and when is it wrong? As long as it is acceptable in competition is will be used.
Horsemanship is the ability to elicit a specific response to a specific request. Knowing and using the horse's instincts to accomplish that isn't natural, it's just knowledge applied to purpose.
Several things to consider...humans (predators) aren't horses (prey). There's nothing natual about a predator using prey for enjoyment, work, or companionship. It's an unnatural relationship that humans find enjoyable and horses are trapped in. (Good horsemanship tries to make the situation as pleasant as possible for the horse, but it's never the horse's idea of nirvana.)
It's also interesting how "natural horsemanship" practitioners don't seem to take part in competition's which require the horse and rider to respond to a requirement in a specific way. If "natural horsemanship" was truly different and better, you'd think "natural horsemanship trainers" would be proving their claims by simply winning any and all types of horsemanship competitions.
One reader comments in Bowl of Mush that there are a lot of bad trainers out there that have been licensed (in Canada). Of course the comment is correct...there are bad veterinarians, teachers, bad engineers, bad anything and everything that has to be licensed...but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try to raise our horsemanship levels by requiring some educational standard.
One thing is for sure...if great trainers are out there that are not "licensed" they'd still be great trainers and better off businesswise if they were "licensed."
Finally, Shawn wanted to know about the damage to the horse's knee (torn cartilage) The point being that there are great risks of infection when injecting horse's joints to keep them showing, and that maybe it's abusive to try to keep them going. There is no question Shawn is correct about the risks. The question of using drugs to keep horses going may be a moral issue not just for horsemen, but for veterinarians as well.
When is medicine right and when is it wrong? As long as it is acceptable in competition is will be used.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Thanks for the good suggestions
Thanks for the good suggestions on the knee problem and question of how best to handle the lameness...use of drugs or no drugs.....I'm checking out many of the therapies mentioned...and complete turn out for 6 months or more.
All comments greatly appreciated...as are your opinions...
All comments greatly appreciated...as are your opinions...
Monday, November 23, 2009
Caught in the drug enigma
I'm stuck in the middle...what to do about drugs? I'm against their use to keep a horse performing...but now I have a horse that needs to have his knee injected.
When I bought him I was told he needed the knee injected once every 5 or 6 months...as it turns out, he's going to need to be injected every 5 to 6 weeks...BIG DIFFERENCE! (I thought I could get him sound enough to show without drugs.)
I'm trying to get him sound enough to show by rubbing the knee with arnica (a pure substance that has healing properties), using "sweats" and physical therapy exercises......he's getting better, but it is also getting pretty obvious if I intend to show him, I'm going to have to inject his knee.
I can't inject him to show him and stand by my call for a ban on drugs to keep a horse showing when he shouldn't be....so now, I'm stuck in the middle. What to do?
When I bought him I was told he needed the knee injected once every 5 or 6 months...as it turns out, he's going to need to be injected every 5 to 6 weeks...BIG DIFFERENCE! (I thought I could get him sound enough to show without drugs.)
I'm trying to get him sound enough to show by rubbing the knee with arnica (a pure substance that has healing properties), using "sweats" and physical therapy exercises......he's getting better, but it is also getting pretty obvious if I intend to show him, I'm going to have to inject his knee.
I can't inject him to show him and stand by my call for a ban on drugs to keep a horse showing when he shouldn't be....so now, I'm stuck in the middle. What to do?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Cahill's newest online course
Teach your horse to do flying lead changes with the help of world champion trainer Nancy Cahill.
Train for Western Riding is the newest www.horsecoursesonline.com equine study course.
Cahill is the trainer of multiple world-champion horses, AQHA Horse Woman of the Year recipient and 5-times coach of the AQHA Youth World Cup team. In her online course, she takes the student through the basic maneuvers required to establish the foundation needed for a smooth, fluid change of leads. Cahill breaks the lead change down into its simplest parts, so the student can master each step, and then feel complete confidence when asking the horse to perform the advanced maneuver.
The 10-lesson course includes Cahill’s DVD Precision Western Riding.
“We want the student to take all the time needed to get a perfect lead change,” Cahill said. “Rushing a horse or trying to force the lead change are among the worst things you can do,” Cahill cautions. “We never want a horse to become confused or afraid of the maneuver, and that’s why it is so important the horse learn the maneuver the correct way.”
Train for Western Riding is the newest www.horsecoursesonline.com equine study course.
Cahill is the trainer of multiple world-champion horses, AQHA Horse Woman of the Year recipient and 5-times coach of the AQHA Youth World Cup team. In her online course, she takes the student through the basic maneuvers required to establish the foundation needed for a smooth, fluid change of leads. Cahill breaks the lead change down into its simplest parts, so the student can master each step, and then feel complete confidence when asking the horse to perform the advanced maneuver.
The 10-lesson course includes Cahill’s DVD Precision Western Riding.
“We want the student to take all the time needed to get a perfect lead change,” Cahill said. “Rushing a horse or trying to force the lead change are among the worst things you can do,” Cahill cautions. “We never want a horse to become confused or afraid of the maneuver, and that’s why it is so important the horse learn the maneuver the correct way.”
Friday, November 20, 2009
Another bowl of mush
The two most important aspects of equine welfare—education and licensing of trainers and handlers and the use of drugs to keep horses participating in events have been ignored (once again) in the new National Equine Welfare Code of Practice.
“Get Real” American Horse Council and all the breed associations which have quickly endorsed the “vanilla spin” code which is completely useless in any way to protect the welfare of horses.
Every horseman says he or she is “committed to the dignity, humane care, health, safety and welfare of horses in all activities.” Everyone is going to claim to be “committed to responsible training techniques” and that “all training should be done with the maturation and ability of the horse considered”.
Who would endorse “excessive discipline” methods? No one!!!!
So “get real” and address the real problems…lack of education, no educational standards, no licensing and the use of drugs to keep horses going when they should no longer be participating in competition (or for recreation for that matter).
“Get Real” American Horse Council and all the breed associations which have quickly endorsed the “vanilla spin” code which is completely useless in any way to protect the welfare of horses.
Every horseman says he or she is “committed to the dignity, humane care, health, safety and welfare of horses in all activities.” Everyone is going to claim to be “committed to responsible training techniques” and that “all training should be done with the maturation and ability of the horse considered”.
Who would endorse “excessive discipline” methods? No one!!!!
So “get real” and address the real problems…lack of education, no educational standards, no licensing and the use of drugs to keep horses going when they should no longer be participating in competition (or for recreation for that matter).
Thursday, November 19, 2009
No "Natural", Just Horsemanship
If “natural horsemanship” is the philosophy of working with horses by appealing to instincts and herd mentality, then every trainer I’ve ever known is a “natural horseman.”
“Natural horsemanship” certainly isn’t new, and it definitely isn’t what today’s “self-labelers” would like you to believe; today’s spin is that natural horsemanship is all love, tenderness and bonding. Get real!!! It is absolutely not that!
A horse’s instincts are based in fear, not love, tenderness and bonding; so horsemanship is not “appealing” to instincts and herd mentality, but the manipulation of those instincts to produce the responses the horseman wants.
You can drop the word “natural” since nothing we do with horses is “natural” for the horse.
The most vocal would have you believe “natural horsemanship” started just a few years ago with Buck and Tom. Get Real! Horsemanship using the horse’s instincts was recorded by the Hittites (an ancient people of Asia Minor) in hieroglyphic inscriptions between 1700 and 700 BC.
If you are going to work with horses, then “get real”, quit “romanticizing" and let’s do the things that benefit horses instead of pandering to your ego by calling yourself a “natural horsemanship trainer.” I’d like to see some credentials instead of some “made up” title.
“Natural horsemanship” certainly isn’t new, and it definitely isn’t what today’s “self-labelers” would like you to believe; today’s spin is that natural horsemanship is all love, tenderness and bonding. Get real!!! It is absolutely not that!
A horse’s instincts are based in fear, not love, tenderness and bonding; so horsemanship is not “appealing” to instincts and herd mentality, but the manipulation of those instincts to produce the responses the horseman wants.
You can drop the word “natural” since nothing we do with horses is “natural” for the horse.
The most vocal would have you believe “natural horsemanship” started just a few years ago with Buck and Tom. Get Real! Horsemanship using the horse’s instincts was recorded by the Hittites (an ancient people of Asia Minor) in hieroglyphic inscriptions between 1700 and 700 BC.
If you are going to work with horses, then “get real”, quit “romanticizing" and let’s do the things that benefit horses instead of pandering to your ego by calling yourself a “natural horsemanship trainer.” I’d like to see some credentials instead of some “made up” title.
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