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Post by marianne on Jan 4, 2007 9:33:43 GMT 1
I was shockingly unprepared when I bought my own horse :-( I thought because I could groom, tack up, walk trot canter and gallop (riding school horses) I was competent. Yikes! Luckily I had a great stable-neighbour mentor at the yard I was at who was a mine of information and who saved/helped me on many occasions. I've climbed a steep learning curve SINCE owning my first horse and continue to read/question/attend courses whenever I can. I now look after all my horses at home but regularly seek advice from a neighbouring riding school and/or my excellent horsey vet.
I think your idea of quizzing your potential liveries is a good one and the topics very sensible. In case any of them take it the wrong way, how about turning it into a quiz night? Then, those who don't score so highly may be "nudged" into doing some more research?
In France they have various exams "the gallops" which you take with your riding school. They cover both ridden, practical and theoretical essentials. There are levels 1-8 and they don't recommend you own a horse until you've passed your level 7 !!!!!
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lovelylace
Grand Prix Poster
Always remember to ride with your soul, not your hands.
Posts: 4,541
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Post by lovelylace on Jan 4, 2007 11:20:15 GMT 1
Finn, i agree completely that owning a horse ain't rocket science if you are keen to learn and have a bit of intelligence but beleive you me that is rarer than you think amongst people... I have one owner that bought one x race horse, she had no idea that the horse would need its teeth done, no idea about feeding at all...bit far to small, saddle bought for another horse and not fitting properly, she admitted freely to be a novice owner but had no inclanation to read a book..dont even get me started on her inability to train and ride the horse, but that is a different subject all together... I have a fairly NH minded yard, or rather I have a fairly IH minded head so do encourage that sort of thinking, and would obviously add things like barefoot management etc... anyway, I just like people to get a bit of an idea of how to care for a horse properly and to realise perhaps how little they do know...perhaps a bit mean but hey
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wills
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Post by wills on Jan 4, 2007 18:00:04 GMT 1
I think its quite a good idea lovelylace. However you would have to tread carefully, as curly said, you wouldnt want to come across snobby ;D When i got my first pony, i was 11, i knew how to tack up, groom, lead, tie up and yhe basics of riding. I didnt know very much about feeding/worming and only knew a wee bit about shoeing, lucky for me i had a fantastic pony and was at a wonderful yard and i was desperate just to be around horses. I learnt alot just by watching the others and listening, also by helpingout lots, I've learned so much over the past few years from the horses ive had/or ones on the yard, hands on experience is so much more beneficial than a book ;D
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Post by calamity on Jan 4, 2007 18:21:54 GMT 1
You have a very interesting situation there Lovelylace. I bet you could turn this into a real plus by doing something to improve the general knowledge of the group.
What about coming up with a really pretty poster of the rules of your establishment. You could use your list to innvent the rules and regulations. If you make it big and colourful and clear you have an opportunity to really make a difference to those poor horses.
Or.. what about offering a stable management course? You could charge £10 per person and prepare handouts, serve tea and establish a rapport with your owners and sharers. They would love it. Maybe you could make it a monthly group and show them an educational DVD or something.
It would be easier on you in the long run and much better for the equine element.
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Post by jen1 on Jan 4, 2007 18:43:37 GMT 1
it does worry me that things will stay the same for ever though, horses in boxes, being fed copious amounts of unnatural food, and being shod as a matter of the norm or routine, and being kept in boxes for the sake of it, stable management actually derives from the days of when kings and Queen's and the army kept horses, and needed to keep the privates busy, non of it actually devised for the good of the horse, i tend to agree with that centimant, i don't think any horse gives a stuff about how high the banking's are, by all means if you stable it needs to be clean, , when horses take up collecting twigs and fluff and making a bed for them selves in boxes then ill start believing in the fact that the norm is good for the horse, we dont seem to question why we do the things we do, we just accept and defend it, and get conditioned to it,
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Post by eskimo on Jan 4, 2007 18:58:55 GMT 1
I disagree with you slightly there Jen. I believe that you are lucky enough to have enough land at your disposal to be able to create Paddock paradise & keep your horses out happily. Many don't many also have to keep horses at livery yards. I also stable my horses during the night for this very reason. If i turned out 24x7 in the winter i wouldn't have any grazing at all. Barefoot is another suits some not all, having information is the key to making informed decisions. Having someone to give you the options is also another thing. But it is up to each & every horse owner what decisions they come to. I am BHS but im not what you class BHS, i think everyone now has ways of learning more & yes the BHS is part of that. For a start off they have someone like me teaching stable management, so how can things be staying the same. Stable management is something that i personally will never stop learning, i take the information on board then make an informed decision as to what would be best for my horses and the environment in which i keep them. It also enables me to pass on the new ways to other people.
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wills
Grand Prix Poster
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Post by wills on Jan 4, 2007 19:28:22 GMT 1
hmm also have to slightly disagree with you jen1 ;D
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chitori
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Post by chitori on Jan 4, 2007 21:10:50 GMT 1
it does worry me that things will stay the same for ever though, horses in boxes, being fed copious amounts of unnatural food, and being shod as a matter of the norm or routine, and being kept in boxes for the sake of it, stable management actually derives from the days of when kings and Queen's and the army kept horses, and needed to keep the privates busy, non of it actually devised for the good of the horse, i tend to agree with that centimant, i don't think any horse gives a stuff about how high the banking's are, by all means if you stable it needs to be clean, , when horses take up collecting twigs and fluff and making a bed for them selves in boxes then ill start believing in the fact that the norm is good for the horse, we dont seem to question why we do the things we do, we just accept and defend it, and get conditioned to it, Well the other two may disagree but I'm with you gal! The more I read your posts in particular and thinking about how we did things back at home before Uni and comparing peoples input on the forum about bits and bobs I would incline towards saying what I thought I knew is nothing... Perhaps that doesn't make sense lol, but what I mean is you are told something and that is THE way such and such is done and usually there is a reason from the way things used to be done to provide an explanation for your actions. You shoe your horse because... You stable your horse because... Your horse wears rugs because... true matter of fact is without being able to say, excuse me Tom/Dick/Harry - Do you like that bit of metal we nail to your feet? etc we're judging horses by our standards. I know not everyone has facilities or time or money or willpower but I must admit when I get out of University and back into horsing more fulltime I aim to follow jen1's dream ;D It would be very very interesting to see a long length study conducted on all the various things we do, using a horse with and a horse without system seeing healthwise and temperament wise what seems to do the trick.
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