The number one problem with our education system is that it is mandatory.
The idea of "no child left behind" is a major reason we don't get modern and improve our educational system, but continue to "dumb it down" to meet "traditional, old school" thinking.
Spending more money has never made our educational programs better, yet every year the government spends more and more, and the level of education goes down. We keep doing the same thing and expecting to get a different result.
We need to change traditional thought from "mandatory" education to "opportunity" education.
We need to spend less "forcing" education on those who will not accept it, and use the money to provide education to those who want it.
We need a system which says: every person, young and old, shall be given the opportunity to learn, to earn a high school diploma, to earn a college degree, or to take advanced studies.
We have thousands and thousands of very very smart young people. They need opportunity.
Any one who wants to go to school should have the opportunity...and we should spend money to see to it that that student gets the education he or she is willing to work to achieve. And let them choose what to study: There are at least 10 intelligences that we know of...communication skills and math are not the "only" measures of a person's abilities. Music is an intelligence, athletic ability is an intelligence, consider entrepenural and salesmanship skills. Give anyone who wants to follow his or her passion the opportunity...they don't need to know the multiplcation tables..they need to know where to find a calculator.
We have thousands and thousands of persons who don't want "schooling" and we should not be "forcing them into an educational system they don't want to be in".
If a kid doesn't want to go to school, get him or her out of the school. Eliminate the discipline problems, stop the learning disruptions caused by persons who don't want to be there. Allow teachers to work with the students who want to learn instead of spending a great portion of their time keeping students in the seats so the district can college average daily attendance funds.
And don't tell me we have to keep these students in school or they will be a burden on society...horse feathers...in most cases they'll end up being less of a burden because they'll find something they like to do and they'll do it...and very possible be extremely successful. If not, they won't be any more of a burden than they already are.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Do You Really Believe It"
If you believe some trainers’ claims they can sell you the secret to “tame and train” your horse in just six hours…..
If you believe the claim some trainers can cure 19 of your horse’s worst behavior problems in just 7 days….
If you think you can do with your horse what the horse expo clinicians are doing in their “show”…
If you think you can buy a secret “horse powder” which “cures” more diseases than any other known medicine…..then George Strait and I have some ocean front property in Arizona we’d love to sell you.
In fact if you believe one self-proclaimed trainer’s claim that he can teach you to train your horse not to “crib”, then we’ll throw in the Golden Gate Bridge free.
I can’t believe anyone would buy anything from these “magic bullet” sales pitches offered by people who haven’t proven they can train a horse to eat hay.
If they can teach you to train your horse to stop uncontrolled bucking, cribbing, biting and kicking in just six hours, or cure 19 of your horse’s worst problems in 7 days, why aren’t they so busy training horses that they don’t have time to waste your time?
Because they can’t!
They sell their “magic” to people who haven’t got a clue about horse behavior, health or training. Any horse lover with a horse that bites, kicks, engages in uncontrolled bucking and has 19 other behavior problems has more of a problem with herself than she has with her horse.
If you buy into any “instant” or miraculous” training of a horse, you need Bill Engvall to present you with one of his “signs.”
Horses’ responses are “instinct” or “habits made or in the making.”
You don’t train “instinct”, and it takes years to make the correct responses into habit. If you don’t believe that, why do you think “world champion horses” continue to be in training year after year?
All of the magic claims don’t surprise me now that I’ve had a chance to look over some survey results.
In an industry where “knowledge” is THE key factor, 75 per cent of those who consider themselves “professionals” have had no formal education relating to their “profession”.
This statistic doesn’t just apply to horse trainers…it applies, unfortunately, to riding instructors, stable managers, breeders and tack store sales personnel. Considering the survey report, it isn’t surprising that horse owners consistently report having “trouble finding a good trainer.” According to respondents, a “good trainer” is one who knows more about a horse than just training. A good trainer should know about nutrition, equipment, behavior modification, health and disease and stable management.
And respondents think a trainer that also gives lessons should have had some formal education in “how to teach.” The techniques of effective teaching don’t include standing in the center of the arena yelling, “Heels down, shoulder’s back.”
There is nothing wrong with the skills and talents of those who are winning at the highest levels of competition. Such horsemen and women are certainly professionals and they have the records to prove it. The problem is, there are so few of them.
Of the survey respondents, 75 per cent, including the professionals, want to have a horse business in one way or another, so they are trying to sell you something. Yet combined, 78 per cent of them have not participated in any kind of horse education program.
Eighty-two per cent of those who consider their horses a hobby have never participated in any kind of educational program involving horse health care, hoof care, equine nutrition, horse conformation or the legal aspects of owning a horse.
Before you buy, ask to see some education credentials…and if not education credentials then a proven record of success doing what he or she says he or she can do.
Don’t be embarrassed to ask; if you don’t stand up to the claims, you’ll fall for anything!
If you believe the claim some trainers can cure 19 of your horse’s worst behavior problems in just 7 days….
If you think you can do with your horse what the horse expo clinicians are doing in their “show”…
If you think you can buy a secret “horse powder” which “cures” more diseases than any other known medicine…..then George Strait and I have some ocean front property in Arizona we’d love to sell you.
In fact if you believe one self-proclaimed trainer’s claim that he can teach you to train your horse not to “crib”, then we’ll throw in the Golden Gate Bridge free.
I can’t believe anyone would buy anything from these “magic bullet” sales pitches offered by people who haven’t proven they can train a horse to eat hay.
If they can teach you to train your horse to stop uncontrolled bucking, cribbing, biting and kicking in just six hours, or cure 19 of your horse’s worst problems in 7 days, why aren’t they so busy training horses that they don’t have time to waste your time?
Because they can’t!
They sell their “magic” to people who haven’t got a clue about horse behavior, health or training. Any horse lover with a horse that bites, kicks, engages in uncontrolled bucking and has 19 other behavior problems has more of a problem with herself than she has with her horse.
If you buy into any “instant” or miraculous” training of a horse, you need Bill Engvall to present you with one of his “signs.”
Horses’ responses are “instinct” or “habits made or in the making.”
You don’t train “instinct”, and it takes years to make the correct responses into habit. If you don’t believe that, why do you think “world champion horses” continue to be in training year after year?
All of the magic claims don’t surprise me now that I’ve had a chance to look over some survey results.
In an industry where “knowledge” is THE key factor, 75 per cent of those who consider themselves “professionals” have had no formal education relating to their “profession”.
This statistic doesn’t just apply to horse trainers…it applies, unfortunately, to riding instructors, stable managers, breeders and tack store sales personnel. Considering the survey report, it isn’t surprising that horse owners consistently report having “trouble finding a good trainer.” According to respondents, a “good trainer” is one who knows more about a horse than just training. A good trainer should know about nutrition, equipment, behavior modification, health and disease and stable management.
And respondents think a trainer that also gives lessons should have had some formal education in “how to teach.” The techniques of effective teaching don’t include standing in the center of the arena yelling, “Heels down, shoulder’s back.”
There is nothing wrong with the skills and talents of those who are winning at the highest levels of competition. Such horsemen and women are certainly professionals and they have the records to prove it. The problem is, there are so few of them.
Of the survey respondents, 75 per cent, including the professionals, want to have a horse business in one way or another, so they are trying to sell you something. Yet combined, 78 per cent of them have not participated in any kind of horse education program.
Eighty-two per cent of those who consider their horses a hobby have never participated in any kind of educational program involving horse health care, hoof care, equine nutrition, horse conformation or the legal aspects of owning a horse.
Before you buy, ask to see some education credentials…and if not education credentials then a proven record of success doing what he or she says he or she can do.
Don’t be embarrassed to ask; if you don’t stand up to the claims, you’ll fall for anything!
Friday, April 16, 2010
Any Fly Control is Good!
Here’s a great tip for keeping flies out of your barn and out of stalls.
Drop four pennies in clear plastic bags half-filled with water. Seal the bags and hang them at barn entry ways and just outside stalls.
Flies may start to come into your barn, but they’ll turn around and leave.
I don’t know why, but some say the water and pennies create a “prism” effect which splashes light in hundreds of directions all at once. The light reflections are supposed to cause flies difficulty in seeing, which is a “danger” signal to them.
Drop four pennies in clear plastic bags half-filled with water. Seal the bags and hang them at barn entry ways and just outside stalls.
Flies may start to come into your barn, but they’ll turn around and leave.
I don’t know why, but some say the water and pennies create a “prism” effect which splashes light in hundreds of directions all at once. The light reflections are supposed to cause flies difficulty in seeing, which is a “danger” signal to them.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Faculty member to AQHA Board of Directors
HorseCoursesOnline.com faculty member, Cathy Hanson was elected to the American Quarter Horses Association’s Board of Directors at the breed association’s 2010 annual convention. AQHA is the world’s largest breed association, registering more than 100,000 new foals each year.
Hanson instructs Preparation for Competition and Showmanship in Hand for the online equine studies programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies or Professional Certification as a horse trainer or riding instructor. The trainer of world champion show pen trail horses, she is currently preparing a new course, Train a Trail Horse which will be available to students this fall.
Honored as AQHA’s 2007 Most Valuable Professional, she is a past president of the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association and currently serves as its Youth Advisor. An author and clinician, her training facility, Hanson Quarter Horses, is headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Hanson has been a member of the HorseCoursesOnline.com faculty since 2005. HorseCoursesOnline.com is the leading provider of online equine study curriculum for colleges and universities worldwide, serving more than 4,000 students. The online courses are self-paced and students are afforded the opportunity to work one-on-one with award winning instructors with proven records of success in the fields they teach.
Hanson instructs Preparation for Competition and Showmanship in Hand for the online equine studies programs leading to a Bachelor of Science in Equine Studies or Professional Certification as a horse trainer or riding instructor. The trainer of world champion show pen trail horses, she is currently preparing a new course, Train a Trail Horse which will be available to students this fall.
Honored as AQHA’s 2007 Most Valuable Professional, she is a past president of the Pacific Coast Quarter Horse Association and currently serves as its Youth Advisor. An author and clinician, her training facility, Hanson Quarter Horses, is headquartered in San Juan Capistrano, California.
Hanson has been a member of the HorseCoursesOnline.com faculty since 2005. HorseCoursesOnline.com is the leading provider of online equine study curriculum for colleges and universities worldwide, serving more than 4,000 students. The online courses are self-paced and students are afforded the opportunity to work one-on-one with award winning instructors with proven records of success in the fields they teach.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Speed Kills, Slow Down Your Training/Care
Speed kills.
It’s a common phrase among race horse trainers.
It can mean “rushing a horse’s training” causes injuries. It can mean a horse that runs too fast early in a race will have nothing left for the finish. It can mean too much speed by any horse is going to end in physical breakdown. And physical breakdown for a horse can mean the end of a career, a lifetime of lameness, euthanasia.
Speed kills.
Yet we exalt speed constantly.
We glorify the capture and “competition-training” of a horse in three days, praising the clinicians’ horsemanship skills, when in actuality they’ve done nothing but “flooded” the horse into submission. A horse can be subdued in three hours, yet all horses require a “lifetime” of training.
Farrier competitions are not about the balancing or understanding of the horse’s hoof, but about the speed with which a shoe can be shaped and tacked into place. Farrier competitions are about the speed of using tools, not about time and consideration for a healthy hoof.
When a horse is suffering joint problems or other aches and pains, there’s a rush to get the horse back into competition and we “hail the supplements” that allow us to continue a “speedy” destruction.
We know speed kills, so why don’t we slow down?
For most of mankind, life and the world are about faster, higher, stronger, longer.
When we’re young, everything is about speed. We can’t wait to get there, have this, enjoy that. We don’t want to do one thing at a time; we want to do 10 things at once.
We want to jump on our horses (bareback because we can’t take time to groom and saddle) and race to the far end of the property. We don’t have time to “stop and smell the roses” because we are too busy rushing to accomplish nothing.
When we start to get a little more serious about our horsemanship we start looking for all the short cuts to success.
Videos are going to show us how a horse can go from green to a championship, and it’s only going to take one hour and 20 minutes. (We seldom read about horsemanship, training and health care because reading is too slow, and everyone knows you can’t learn horsemanship from a book.)
We’re going to go to the weekend “expo” and see seven different clinicians each of which as the magic bullet, carrot stick, down-under wand, resistance free bridle, be good halter and clicker tricker.
Or we’re going to take private lessons and speed up our arrival at “expert” in riding and training. And if this instructor should fail in getting us to the top, then we can quickly change to someone else; there is never a shortage of speed merchants.
But there will come a time when you will know that speed kills.
And then you will no longer be impressed by speed.
Instead, you’ll be impressed by the art of horsemanship practiced over a lifetime.
You’ll be pleased by the fact no horse’s training is ever finished; there is no need to rush. You’re never going to complete the journey, so you can enjoy the ride.
Whatever you want to teach your horse, whatever you want to accomplish, it isn’t going to get done in a day, or a week or even a month. What you can teach, what you can accomplish today is a tiny bit more understanding by your horse. And that’s enough.
Slow down! Speed kills!
It’s a common phrase among race horse trainers.
It can mean “rushing a horse’s training” causes injuries. It can mean a horse that runs too fast early in a race will have nothing left for the finish. It can mean too much speed by any horse is going to end in physical breakdown. And physical breakdown for a horse can mean the end of a career, a lifetime of lameness, euthanasia.
Speed kills.
Yet we exalt speed constantly.
We glorify the capture and “competition-training” of a horse in three days, praising the clinicians’ horsemanship skills, when in actuality they’ve done nothing but “flooded” the horse into submission. A horse can be subdued in three hours, yet all horses require a “lifetime” of training.
Farrier competitions are not about the balancing or understanding of the horse’s hoof, but about the speed with which a shoe can be shaped and tacked into place. Farrier competitions are about the speed of using tools, not about time and consideration for a healthy hoof.
When a horse is suffering joint problems or other aches and pains, there’s a rush to get the horse back into competition and we “hail the supplements” that allow us to continue a “speedy” destruction.
We know speed kills, so why don’t we slow down?
For most of mankind, life and the world are about faster, higher, stronger, longer.
When we’re young, everything is about speed. We can’t wait to get there, have this, enjoy that. We don’t want to do one thing at a time; we want to do 10 things at once.
We want to jump on our horses (bareback because we can’t take time to groom and saddle) and race to the far end of the property. We don’t have time to “stop and smell the roses” because we are too busy rushing to accomplish nothing.
When we start to get a little more serious about our horsemanship we start looking for all the short cuts to success.
Videos are going to show us how a horse can go from green to a championship, and it’s only going to take one hour and 20 minutes. (We seldom read about horsemanship, training and health care because reading is too slow, and everyone knows you can’t learn horsemanship from a book.)
We’re going to go to the weekend “expo” and see seven different clinicians each of which as the magic bullet, carrot stick, down-under wand, resistance free bridle, be good halter and clicker tricker.
Or we’re going to take private lessons and speed up our arrival at “expert” in riding and training. And if this instructor should fail in getting us to the top, then we can quickly change to someone else; there is never a shortage of speed merchants.
But there will come a time when you will know that speed kills.
And then you will no longer be impressed by speed.
Instead, you’ll be impressed by the art of horsemanship practiced over a lifetime.
You’ll be pleased by the fact no horse’s training is ever finished; there is no need to rush. You’re never going to complete the journey, so you can enjoy the ride.
Whatever you want to teach your horse, whatever you want to accomplish, it isn’t going to get done in a day, or a week or even a month. What you can teach, what you can accomplish today is a tiny bit more understanding by your horse. And that’s enough.
Slow down! Speed kills!
Monday, March 1, 2010
Who's to Blame? We are, when we vote
545 PEOPLE
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them...Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits. WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equate to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits...The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them...Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits. WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does. You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equate to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits...The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party.. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ, it's because they want them in IRAQ. If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.
Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese
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