>>> Sometimes they just don't give you warning. I don't zone out when I ride, no way, no how. I get on horses that I don't know, go out to peoples houses and ride and teach, and sometimes the horses just don't give us the pleasure of knowing that they're going to do something stupid.
Hmmm, you get on horses that you don't know, and they don't give you warning...What was it that Nancy and Wanda talked about recently - that owner/"consumers" don't often appreciate the TIME trainers need to spend with horses to do a good job? Why are these people calling you? To work with problem horses? I think if you don't know the person or the horse, you should always assume there might be a few "undisclosed issues." That's why we do ground work with the horse - to build a relationship with this particular horse. That takes some time. What "we" (me, Laree, Judy, Susan, Wanda, Nancy, Kim to name a few) have been talking about is working with a horse/horses for the long-term. Working with our own horses, or in my case, a few horses that may EVENTUALLY be sold, but whom I'm treating as my own as long as they ARE my own. I don't think it's the same thing to talk about getting on a strange horse, and saying the horse gave you know warning before it bolted. Possibly, the horse gave YOU no warning if you hopped up as soon as you met him, but I darned betcha he/she has given SOMEONE some warning prior. (It's probably a big clue that the rider isn't the one up and has called for help.) And maybe he/she gave you warning, but if you don't know the horse, how could you be sure you understood what he/she was saying? But, if you want to be a crash test dummy, go ahead...I just hope you're wearing the helmet that is so rarely on your head in the pictures you send in. Karen Thomas, NC -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.4/702 - Release Date: 2/25/2007 3:16 PM
