>>>> i'm neither a beginner horsewoman nor, after a year, a new owner.
>>Umm, I'd say that you are indeed a new horse owner, in my book. I believe I can say that, as I am not a new horse owner, having owned horses for 15 years, and having ridden for over 30. That's kind of my thinking too, Robyn! Gosh, when I joined the lists, I felt like a newbie (still do sometimes!) because I'd "only" owned horses for 15 years at the time. It was downright amusing to see how many lectures I got about how I should "educate myself" because I'd only had Icelandic's a couple of years. What was sooo funny about it was that I went and looked at the websites of many of the ones who were lecturing me. I remember one had only owned horses about 5 years, and the rest for less than 10. I still feel like a newbie sometimes because I hang around with people who've had horses maybe 25, 30, or 50+ years, compared to my "only" 19 years. I like hanging out with folks that have seen more than I have though - it helps keep me from getting complacent. I think it took me about 5 years to even feel like the "green" was wearing off of the "green newbie" so I could only be a plain old newbie. And I've heard so many people say that when they owned horses that they boarded, they had a whole 'nuther wave of being a newbie to go through once they brought their horse home. Dealing with ALL the decisions of horse ownership often doesn't hit home until you are forced to make ALL of the decisions. I pity anyone who feels like they are experienced after only a year. How can you learn, if you don't know what you don't know...? It also puts the arguments of such a person into perspective. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED] No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.484 / Virus Database: 269.13.2/985 - Release Date: 9/2/2007 4:32 PM
