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When everyone is looking ahead to the new year, I find it comforting to reflect on the old...what we did, what we learned, etc....a constant re-evaluation. When that is done, then it is time to look ahead and set goals. Early in 2011, we counted noses and noted....20 horses! Twenty individuals with Sparky, the only stallion since gelding the other, Cracker, a group of mares, and a group of geldings. Now this may seem like a lot of horses to some and a drop in the bucket to others, but it is a number that has a story or a lot of little stories.
The first would be about the stallions Sparky and Cracker. Sparky, a solid black, very hairy fella is easily manageable and willing. He has also been the dominant stallion here. The boys have been together off and on over the years since their import days and he has always been the BOSS. Enter the mare, Molly! Molly had a distinct preference to the Boss man! She has been bred to him several times and always produces a lovely foal. During several seasons we have bred her to other stallions, live and AI....she absorbed each time. Eventually, we bred her to Cracker (one more time) and had to keep her on Regumate for an extended time to keep the foal. And from that breeding we now have Ftizwilly, who like the preceding foals resembles his Dam's markings, but with his Sire's athletic build. None of this is unusual, just interesting. My guess is it had everything to do with natural selection and her choice of the dominant stallion! But we are not a wild herd here, so we played with Mother Nature.
The horse is intelligent, and some instances, more so than the humans caring for them. Just consider, the difference in the way really good horsemen begin training today as opposed to years ago! Horse were considered a means to an end. Except for those who rode the range and were isolated, most men treated them as expendable objects. Due to the necessity of the horse for transportation, laws were put in place punishing horse thieving. That was for the benefit of men not horses. In recent years a generation of men have stepped out to prove that the relationship between horse and man is a two way street. A little like moving to a foreign country and having to learn the language. We are closer to learning and understanding the language of the horse than ever before and the learning goes on. Some days, I think to myself, wish I had known this when raising my children. There is no cruelty in the horses mind and it may surprise some to know there is an incredible measure of discernment. When you take words out of the conversation, every thing else is more important..
The first would be about the stallions Sparky and Cracker. Sparky, a solid black, very hairy fella is easily manageable and willing. He has also been the dominant stallion here. The boys have been together off and on over the years since their import days and he has always been the BOSS. Enter the mare, Molly! Molly had a distinct preference to the Boss man! She has been bred to him several times and always produces a lovely foal. During several seasons we have bred her to other stallions, live and AI....she absorbed each time. Eventually, we bred her to Cracker (one more time) and had to keep her on Regumate for an extended time to keep the foal. And from that breeding we now have Ftizwilly, who like the preceding foals resembles his Dam's markings, but with his Sire's athletic build. None of this is unusual, just interesting. My guess is it had everything to do with natural selection and her choice of the dominant stallion! But we are not a wild herd here, so we played with Mother Nature.
The horse is intelligent, and some instances, more so than the humans caring for them. Just consider, the difference in the way really good horsemen begin training today as opposed to years ago! Horse were considered a means to an end. Except for those who rode the range and were isolated, most men treated them as expendable objects. Due to the necessity of the horse for transportation, laws were put in place punishing horse thieving. That was for the benefit of men not horses. In recent years a generation of men have stepped out to prove that the relationship between horse and man is a two way street. A little like moving to a foreign country and having to learn the language. We are closer to learning and understanding the language of the horse than ever before and the learning goes on. Some days, I think to myself, wish I had known this when raising my children. There is no cruelty in the horses mind and it may surprise some to know there is an incredible measure of discernment. When you take words out of the conversation, every thing else is more important..
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