--- Karen Thomas <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> >>>> especially people who do not know a lot about horses, even
> some who do,
> will treat foals almost like a big dog, forgetting that those foals
> will get
> a lot bigger and stronger, very fast, and what you could do safely
> at 2
> months old, you can not do at a year old......
>
>
> How much does a two-month-old foal weigh? 200 pounds, or 300?
> More? How
> many people are really THAT dumb? I think newborn foals are
> probably the
> MOST dangerous until they are a few weeks old. They are born with
> totally
> blank slates, no real awareness of their bodies, but even a newborn
> foal can
> injure a human pretty quickly. MAYBE I'd stand a better chance
> one-on-one
> in a wrestling match with a newborn, but one misplaced little hoof
> can
> easily damage an eye, or inflict a pretty good head injury.
>
> If a person is stupid enough to play with a foal like it's the size
> of our
> little pug puppy, then maybe that's just natural selection...of the
> humans.
> I really believe the intelligence level of this list is a little
> above that.
>
>
> Karen Thomas
> [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Karen I was not referring to people on this list, but just people in
general....as breeders we get a lot of people and their children
interested in Icelandics, as we have given lessons here....and I
believe that people are intelligent. However people can be ignorant
about how to handle foals...and people need and should be taught.
People do the strangest things with baby horses. As Farriers we go
to so many places, barns, breeders, etc...and they way most people
treat their baby horses is not the way I would ever treat mine.
Real Life Examples from Real life Horse People
(Some of them Professionals)
Colt and its 1/2 draft Dam kept in a 12 X 12 stall for 30
days.....(owner did noit want the baby to get hurt)
On our day of shoeing their we convinced her to let out the foal and
its dam.....Sally almost got injured by the chaos that insued....The
owner is a Professional who makes her living by giving riding lessons
and working with disabled children, and is certified.
To this day you can not handle that baby in a safe way.....the owner
is scarred of it.
Filly allowed to come into owners home and eat off the counters...
Professional Polo Player
Round Penning foals at 60 days for a half hour at a time
(Professional trainer who does futurity on the mainland)
Parents allowing their children to hand feed foals as much as they
want untill the child is pushed over and crying
Parents treating a foal like it actually knows what the Dam knows
about giving into pressure, and expecting the foal to do the
same.....
Not touching the babies ever ever and expecting the farrier to be
able to trim a colts feet a 1 year old. HA!
Grabbing and holding down a filly at 6 months to put on a halter.....
I myself have been kicked by a 3 day old foal here, our first one (it
was a Arab Icelandic cross, A Mistake in the fences from the ranch I
picked up my first Icelandic from) She kicked me, so I turned my
butt to her and kicked out myself, I never had a problem again, I
used horse launguage and she could hear it.
People do Stupid Things.
Skye
~~~~Fire Island Farms~~~~
Breeding Quality Icelandic Trail Horses
Certified Farrier Services
'Natural Balance' Shoeing and Trimming.
Founder, Navicular options for your horse.
808-640-6080
