it reminds me of that Mark twain quote where he says "they throw rocks at frogs in jest but the frogs are not in jest they are in earnest." or something like that.
I am for children having silly rowdy fun with horses. I even do that myself as an adult. But I am also for being in tune with my horses and making sure they are having fun also. My donkey curly ray was treated like this by a group of kids about the same age, and they would ride him and laugh when he dumped them, and then afterward give him long soapy baths. Almost every day. Then I rescued him from that life and now he is a nasty mudball cause he will literally choke himself to death with his own halter rather than step onto a washrack, and any time I try to lead him somewhere he acts like he is being marched to the gallows. It takes two people to get him in a trailer for something and you have to lift him like he is a recliner chair or something. sometimes a horse can be of a temperament to give a kid hell back, and thats ok. But sometimes a horse is of a temperament where it gives the horse PTSD i think... or makes it mean, like teasing a dog. I am for getting a horse to do things it doesnt want to do, but I have found its best to not be so forcing about it. The log across the path puzzles me... here we have so much of that naturally on our trails I cant imagine setting up that as an obstacle. janice-- yipie tie yie yo
