j p lundstrom wrote:What does Marilyn think about it? JP
Well...since you asked!!
Marilyn thinks it was written by someone who doesn't have a clue about horses. The first thing I noticed was calling the horse IT throughout, which is a pet peeve of mine. If you don't know an animal's gender, always say HE.
One blatant mistake encouraged in the article is hitting a horse in the mouth for biting. That never works and never stops a bad habit. You control a horse with your body language, not with threats, shouts, or hitting. You don't shove or push, and you never expect a horse to understand human emotions. They don't.
They are prey animals. They only know two emotions—fight or flight. Hitting one in the mouth for biting will not change that bad behavior. You stop a horse from biting by putting your hand firmly on his mouth and pulling his head toward you so you're looking in his eyes. They are scared of eyes because their predators look them in the eye before attacking. You firmly, without shouting, tell him NO! Be consistent with this. He will associate biting with you being a predator, and he will stop. You never reward bad behavior with a treat. I use clicker training on all of them. They do what you ask, you immediately click your tongue and give them a small treat. I personally keep a pocket full of sugar-free grain and they get a couple of grains for a job well done. You'd be surprised how eager they are to please when they know they will be rewarded. It makes training much easier.
I laughed out loud when the article said if a horse kicks you, kick him back. Again, that doesn't work. A horse that kicks does so out of fear. Remember...they know 2 emotions...and fight and fear are the same thing. If you get kicked, it's because you have not gained the horse's trust, so you can only blame yourself for it. Kicking a horse does nothing but make the situation worse.
Okay, I didn't mean to rant. But there's so much more to being around horses comfortably and safely than what this article covered. I've successfully owned and trained horses for the last 60 years, and I've never been bitten by the same horse twice, nor have I been kicked by the same horse twice. Patience and understanding are always needed. You become the 'lead mare' in your herd of horses and control them with your body language.
