tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post4875972523407988047..comments2023-09-30T09:36:58.950-07:00Comments on Eight horses - One winter.: Right from the beginningTomhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00910638296158895501noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post-88274767310656078692009-01-14T15:41:00.000-08:002009-01-14T15:41:00.000-08:00HI All Susan has joined the Blog..I have enjoyed r...HI All Susan has joined the Blog..<BR/><BR/>I have enjoyed reading so much these like minded folks.<BR/><BR/>Interesting comment regards damaged kids.. and affecting them.. but often too late ( If I read it right) if not life changed by aged 12-13.. personal experience says often we and other animals get on with life as a protective layer.. and try to fit in and think we are doing OK.. it is later when something comes along that upsets us more then we had protection from that rears its head again..<BR/>I see horsee reacting in the same way.Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00520307455529566192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post-64824077652899900662009-01-06T12:00:00.000-08:002009-01-06T12:00:00.000-08:00Like the photos on your new look web site!Like the photos on your new look web site!Junehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07872443707032639341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post-49661107895037068232009-01-06T01:29:00.000-08:002009-01-06T01:29:00.000-08:00The herd varies. Some years it includes the stalli...The herd varies. Some years it includes the stallion, but some years if the mares need a break we have to put him with other mares. At the moment this years two foals are in a group of ten. Them, their mums, two yearlings, one of which is the elder sister to one of the foals, and four riding horses, three of which are mares and one gelding.<BR/><BR/>So here's how we wean - we've done it like this for years and it works really well. Around springtimee, if the mare is in foal again, she will wean last years foal automatically. If she isn't in foal we just take her out and stick her in a field with plenty of grass in and a few other horses, quite often the stallion if she is going in foal again. The foal has the entire herd to support him, nothing has changed except his mum has gone. Honestly, pretty much every time there is no drama whatsoever.tom909https://www.blogger.com/profile/03379818222923297356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post-46730902953678789462009-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:002009-01-05T07:35:00.000-08:00What kind of herd to your young ones live in? Do y...What kind of herd to your young ones live in? Do you allow weaning to happen naturally in that context?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post-31725030484990407852009-01-05T03:10:00.000-08:002009-01-05T03:10:00.000-08:00Hi Ben. This is interesting - I was reading an art...Hi Ben. This is interesting - I was reading an article about these kids that had been kidnapped to be turned into soldiers - the guy was saying that as long as you rescued them before they were 12 or 13 they had a good chance of being rehabilitated, but after that age they were pretty permanently damaged. There's another interesting thing related to this too (it may be rubbish) but I have heard that whatever happens to people around puberty time kind of fixes a lot of how they are. I don't know if this is the place to explore this (I guess it's not) but I'm guessing that the power of those feelings of growing up combined with what's going on at the time kind of defines the character a bit - simply put, why do some people prefer blondes etc.<BR/>This fits in pretty well with horses I reckon. If you think about hand reared foals - they are virtually impossible to normalise I'd say (there's always one exception - wait for it), and we have one mare that I know for a fact was badly overhandled as a youngster, till she was three, and she finds it really difficult to remember I don't want her all over me. she gets it sorted but then forgets, over and over.<BR/>So in answer to your question, I'd say we have lost nothing by not getting involved too much in the youngsters almost until they are ready to start work. I do think walking them about a bit is good, get them to see traffic and so on - really based on the same theory that if they see it's ok when they are young hopefully it sticks with them. In the first couple of years I reckon just do worming, leading, trimming feet, loading (which is leading) go for a few walks with another horse, see a few cars and tractors, and that's about it. If you buy a youngster and it's a bit bargy then a bit of single line work can help sort out the boundaries and who moves who, but can't really see the point of doing any more than that.Tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00910638296158895501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5552381844835898156.post-27542390495853275452009-01-04T17:27:00.000-08:002009-01-04T17:27:00.000-08:00Your last paragraph there is interesting- in terms...Your last paragraph there is interesting- in terms of the horse's young life, what is the approximate timeline in terms of human intervention in their lives and what happens at each stage?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com