>>> thats my Jas, and lately Teev. just carry on while i do the goofiest >>> things. with Teev last weekend I realized my left foot is sorta bobbing >>> aginst his side the whole time i ride. But he somehow deciphers it when i >>> give a nudge or a soft cue to go right, also like Jas he has learned the >>> difference between a real kick and a clumsy knock of my foot. amazing they >>> learn that. when I first started riding him he would flatten his ears a >>> little like he was aggravated that i didnt know how to do things but now he >>> is like Jas, has it figured out.
I've had an advantage that most list members haven't - I've met Janice in person. I've seen her ride. But, more than that, I've seen her horses, and I've seen what she's done with some pretty sad cases that she's taken in, and managed to make wonderful, solid citizens out of. I saw Tivar's nervousness and pissiness when he first came here in March 2006, and I saw him get better here with some relaxed ground work, and the ulcer treatment. Still, I sort of expected he would regress at least a little when he went to live with Janice - but he didn't. Certainly not much. And one of the joys of my life was seeing him come back here, about 11 months after he left here, and he's a totally relaxed, happy horse. Janice makes herself sound bumbling and ridiculous - and maybe she's not always the most physically coordinated person. (Like I am...?!!! HA!) But, her horses tell me all I need to know, particularly Tivar, who I know is quite outspoken with his opinions. He loves Janice and he trusts her, and he'd let us know if that wasn't true. All of her horses happy and healthy too. Anyway, her quote above makes me think of something. A lot of us have heard the old warnings that we shouldn't use our legs on our Icelandic's. I've heard some Icelandic's described as "well-trained" but buyers were warned never to use legs on them. Isn't that a conflict in terms? Ok, how can a horse be "well-trained" in any sense if you can't put your legs on him without risking him/her taking off like a rocket? In one sense, most horses have normal riders who will on occasion do bumbling things as Janice described. (Probably ALL riders to be truthful...god knows Cary and I have plenty of those moments...) On the other extreme, we may want to ask a horse to sidepass, leg yield, move over to open a gate on the trail, or we might want to ask for a canter using a traditional canter aid. Can most people do these things without using their legs? Judy often makes the distinction between "cues" and "aids" - we can certainly use our legs to be a natural "aid" in communications. Why would we want to eliminate such an easy and potentially clear form of communication? And most (all?) horses can certainly learn to recognize the difference between a "cue" and a "bumble." If they can't, I wouldn't call them well-trained. They might be "started", but I couldn't consider them well trained. Karen Karen Thomas Wingate, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.16.15/1173 - Release Date: 12/5/2007 9:29 PM
