>>> I thought this study was VERY interesting. Dr. Miller comes to the Big Island for clinics on a regular basis, I have been to his imprinting clinics and have found his methods Creepy. The videos of his imprinting just does not feel right in my gut. Plus really Icelandic foals are one of the most friendliest and curious of all the foals I have ever been around....we allow them to be curious and come to us, that usually happens the first day without any stress or pressure. Just noticed too that no one has commented on this interesting study.
I'm surprised about the comments too, but not the part about Dr. Miller's imprinting methods. We've talked about them before, and I'm not sure that a lot of us use them. I don't. I handle my foals, but not the way he suggests. I too find his methods too invasive. This is the part that surprised me that no one commented on: "What we have discovered is that everything that the foals experience very, very young is something that is then fixed into their memory over the long term," Henry said. "It's evident that we're dealing with a period which is very important for their (behavioral) development."... Henry explained that because horses show affection differently from humans and other domestic animals, using less physical interaction, the early human contact is unnatural and could be perceived as negative. ... "It seems that the best way to establish confidence with a new foal is through good contact with its mother," said Henry. "Clearly, to create a positive horse-human relationship, it's not a good idea to intervene in the natural progression of postnatal events, nor in the early mare/foal relationship." To me that is HUGE, and probably even more relevant to the "traditional Icelandic ways." It's also intuitive to me, and consistent with what I've seen that how the mares interact with humans has to be a HUGE deal to the foals. I know that a lot of Icelandic broodmares traditionally haven't been handled - I have three mares who were that way when I got them. Two of them have had foals here, but I was able to handle the mares during their pregnancies and both had lovely curious foals. I haven't yet bred Angie, and I'm not sure that I ever will. But, intuitively know it's a mistake to breed a mare whom you have to "chase into a stall" for simple farrier and vet procedures and whom is rarely handled otherwise. I've only been on these Icelandic lists about four years, but in that time, I've heard people talk about - no, brag about - having mares so nervous around people that they can't check on them when they are due for fear of upsetting them. I've heard Icelanders brag about finding the foals in the pasture when they were a few days old. I hear about breeders (here in the USA) who use ATVs to move their herds - no personal handling on the day-to-day issues. Remember the other day when I commented that I've never had a horse come here (even from a 10-day-cross-country trip) that was "terrified" of simple things like fences and roads? We hear of too many imports (like the one discussed recently) that are that way. Karen Thomas, NC No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.516 / Virus Database: 269.19.20/1261 - Release Date: 2/5/2008 8:57 PM
