"There is no such thing as a 'bad horse.'
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Oh, I am really enjoying this discussion. There is a lot about the idea of FT that I like. I have always tried to get more of a "friends" relationship with my horses than a "master and horse" relationship.
I find it so ironic that many of the NH format promotions use join up, connection, one with the horse, partnership, etc, etc, and then turn right around to use restriction and dominance.
Always, ALWAYS, we try to 'look at it from the horse's perspective and THEIR 'understanding.' While it has been used, (abused) 'ad nauseum,' we try very hard to take a completely 'holistic' approach to give our horse as much as possible a carefree, physically, emotionally and spiritually stress-free life. (I have to refuse quite a number of potential family members and applicants simply because they stall their horse.)
Much of this comes from a greater in-depth Understanding.
And much of that comes from Knowledge of others, (and paying PARTICULAR attention to the SOURCES of 'Knowledge.'
That is why the reading/study requirements, (before EVER using the FT interactives) is composed of internationally renown Equine Ethologists, (versus the self-serving anecdotals of 'trainers').
One of them is Chapter 7 The Horse's World (From Ultimate Horse Care, By Dr. Francis Burton at:
http://www.gla.ac.uk/external/EBF/uhcc7.html I got quite a kick out of Francis lately. He and I and Sandicare have been 'offering a few rebuttals' on the youtube PNH Barney and PNH Catwalk videos. In fact, I made a short video to that effect offering to help Catwalk and Mr. Whitaker, (without ropes or whips or a 'gum twitch').
There are other Equine Ethologists as well, (McDonnell/Mills, Beck, McGreevy, etc).
Possibly the MOST important is the Cloud series documentaries by Ginger Kathrens. I was ridiculed, (?tarred and feathered?) on another forum for suggesting the 'Cloud series' documentaries.
The reason they are required is quite simple.
If all our lives we only had access to automobiles that had been involved in serious accidents, how would we know how to fix them? Until we saw the schematics and the actual model running perfectly BEFORE the accident, we only be 'guessing' as to how to 'fix it and put it back together again.'
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The information about a horse nose works was great. Would you say that the nose is the primary sense for a horse? For example, in dogs the nose always comes first, followed by eyes and ears; in humans the eyes come first followed by touch. I sometimes think that with horses their vision is primary, followed by hearing, scent and touch. It could also be situational, and change depending on the circumstance the horse is in at that moment. I am very interested in your opinion.
As always, we try to put ourselves in the horse's place to 'see the world through THEIR eyes.'
In this case, imagine you were dropped in a dense jungle, (with no weapons) that was heavily populated with large predators. If your sense of smell was as great as the horse's, (and you could smell a lion or tiger LONG before you could see them) how dependent -- how keenly aware would you be to constantly sniffing the air to stay alive?
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My boy appears to stay uncertain until he can see whatever it is that he heard or smelled, and he calms down fastest when he has the opportunity to actually touch and explore.
I rode Able, (Combustion's father) as a stallion. He always 'felt better' about any unique object we came across if we stopped so he could 'paw and sniff it.'
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He's not a very spooky horse, and mostly gets worried because he's still young and has a lot to learn about the world.
How old is he?
Chuck & Kids
Lady, Able, Sundance, Boss & Combustion
( And Rebel & Nikki )