Right or wrong...

When I started writing this blog, I wanted it to be different than other "this person is an idiot horse owner" blogs that are already out there.  A number of "those" blogs have become so vindictive and spiteful that they've lost any educational value they might once have had.

I'm all for learning through someone else's mistakes or a good visual of why something is definitley the wrong way - for the human's safety, for the horse's safety, and for the horse's long-term soundness and 'useful life'.  And I will continue to pick out this type of situation as I find them online - remember, if you post it for the world to see, you open yourself up to the good and bad of what everyone else has to say. 

However, I've been thinking a lot lately about "right" versus "wrong".  For example, pick out most any 'commercialized' horse trainer's technique - Parelli, Cameron, Cox, Anderson, etc.  These guys make big money off folks who follow their specific method - and nothing else.  If you, as a horse person, close your mind to everything but that single method - you are shutting out potentially thousands of useful tips, techniques and ideas that might help you.  At the same time, if you simply say, "Oh, that Big Name Trainer is a moron" - you might miss out on one small exercise that will help you with a problem down the road. 

Horses are like people - all learn at a different pace, all grow at a different rate - Suppose you are training 5 three year olds.  You've got three that are basically alike in temperament and conformation, then you've got one that is a full hand taller than the rest, and one that's half a hand shorter than the rest and never been touched.  Obviously, the smallest, least-handled horse is going to take the longest (in theory), since you'll have to start at halter-breaking and work your way up, and the size of the horse indicates she's probably not ready for serious saddle training, anyway.  The tallest, lankiest horse will probably take the second-longest, since in the process of teaching her to walk, stop, turn, she's also going to be learning where her legs are.  It would not be fair to lump all these horses into one box and say, today I am going to do THIS with all five of them.  Tomorrow I am going to do THAT with all 5 of them.

So with that in mind, I'm certainly hoping that I can rise above the "hey, look at this bad horse owner; he did something stupid so he doesn't deserve to own horses" -- and instead, offer a somewhat more redeeming viewpoint that maybe others can learn from.

(And nope, sorry to those who continue to do underhanded trading and the like...you are not exempt from inclusion on this blog.  People deserve to know who you are so that they can make an informed choice as to where their horses end up.) 

Considering a differing perspective

In the black and white world in which many people live, we tend to believe it has to be "our way" or it is wrong. We go through life justifying our actions because that is the way we were taught, that's the way we were raised, that's the way it has always been done -- and we miss out on a whole lot because we aren't willing to stop and listen to a different perspective or learn from someone with a different background.

Many, many horse owners are "animal lovers" in general. They tend to be women, and they tend to be outspoken advocates for animal welfare. They see "save the poor horsie" without considering the animal's long-term comfort or chances for a normal life (i.e. prosthetic legs, severely laminitic, chronic pain). This then translates into a strict "horse slaughter is badbadevilevil" no matter the circumstances, not looking at a case-by-case.

Quarter Horse (trade) - $250 (Westmoreland)

Date: 2012-03-10, 12:26AM CST
Reply to: gbscn-2894278715@sale.craigslist.org ^{[Errors when replying to ads?]}

I have a 5 year old Quarter Horse gelding I would like to sell or trade. Sorrel, 15 hands, green broke. Will trade for anything that doesn't eat. Kill buyers welcome as I need to get rid of this horse and I'm not against horse slaughter. Please respond to this ad. Thank you! 

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This morning, I came across this ad on Craisglist.  This man has been trying to sell this gelding for months.  As in, I recall seeing the same photo of this horse, priced a little higher, back before Christmastime, and several times since then.  The price has kept dropping.  Horse is green broke, he probably likes to buck a bit, and owner obviously has no interest in keeping, training, or making the horse appear valuable in any way.  You are never going to change this mentality.  Given the choice between a bullet and a kill buyer, this type of person will choice the kill buyer every time because he's going to make a buck.  If people want to send their half-broke, half-handled horses to kill, why bother stopping them?  Let the kill buyers have these horses which have already been handled, and possibly ruined for life, by handlers who don't care where they end up.  Turn your attentions to the horses who will never have a chance - those whose owners give them away for free WITHOUT knowing better, WITHOUT knowing where they'll probably end up.  Take on a broodmare for retraining - take on an off-the-track horse and give them a second chance at life away from the track.  In a world where there are not enough responsible give-a-damn homes, why waste your time, money, energy and effort on animals whose owners know full well that the best place for their animals is the kill truck?  

No, my opinion is not the popular one.  But I would rather spend my efforts educating the well-meaning people who feel like they'd rather sell their horse for $150 or give her away to find her a good home -- without realizing that the kill buyers will get her -- than to try to tell a person like the one in the ad that he's wrong and slaughter is evil.  I might as well save my breath, and I sure don't want his half-broke horse he hasn't been able to sell in the past 5 months.  

Early spring in the south...vaccinate!

The warmer temperatures and lack of much cold this year mean that mosquitoes, ticks, and flies will be out early - in fact, I've seen ticks and flies on the horses and dogs already. 

This year more than ever, considering the "bug situation" - there is the potential for bad outbreaks of mosquito-borne illness.  In other words, make sure your horse's vaccines are up-to-date!

Most people will have the vet out to give the routine "5-way" and pull their Coggins before the show season starts this spring. 

If you haven't thought West Nile is worth vaccinating for - this would be the year to re-consider.

There have already been 2 horses in middle Tennessee confirmed to have died of rabies since January 1 - again, if you've never considered spending $18 on the rabies vaccine for your horse - get it done!

And don't forget, spring is the perfect time to deworm for tapeworms - Zimectrin Gold, Equimax or Quest Plus are all deworming products that will kill tapes, in addition to other worms.