--- In [email protected], "Nancy Sturm" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > > I love that you can clip western reins to a halter, stand right behind his > butt and drive him along a fence. We've driven Tosca from the seat of an > electric wheelchair. I would never have tried it if I hadn't been convinced > in advance that it was safe. > > Kim, I can't remember what your background is, so please forgive me if I'm > preaching to the choir, but please don't try the same thing on a young > any-other-breed horse in training. You might be just fine and you might get > kicked or dragged into the next county.
Don't worry. I've had horses since I was 9 years old, it's been about 30 years. I take a lot of time with all my guys, I can stand behind any of them and trust them not to kick me. There is no way I will go near the back end of any horse I don't know. I was fooling around with a mule last week and he turned his butt, I said to the owner, "I'm not going near his butt" and he said, no, he has kicked at us before. I only made contact with him when he faced me and I could get to his head and shoulder. I trust all my guys not to drag me off either. Basically, if they did get going, I'm just going to let them go, I'm doing this in an enclosed pasture area. My Kentucky horse is really, really gentle also, I don't think she's going anywhere. I did do the same exact thing with Zoe, the mule, right after I worked with Snorri, and she was fine, totally into it, with good stops and everything. I am working with them gently, they are allowed time to figure out what we are doing, they are not scared, and it falls into place pretty nicely. Plus, I've got the treats, for the clicker part, and they keep looking back at me to check in and see when they get their reward. I know there are different individuals in different breeds, but I am finding if I work this way, they respond similarly, I think being hard on any of them, or trying to hurry things up, that is what might make them freak. Kim
