Filed under: May 2016 | Tags: draft horses, filly, horse training, Small Farming, tie stalls for drafts
May 5, 2016
In just a very short time Abby has learned her place. She has sorted out the pecking order in the pasture. She has bonded with her stall mate Duke. She understands the daily routine and knows where her stall is in the barn. She has a ways to go but she is learning to be one of the big boys.
We had to play around a little for her to learn and understand the command “get over”. It is not a command used to clean stalls or feed. It is a needed command for getting over when in harness and getting hooked up. It is a command when I want the horses to move right or left without moving forward or backward. This knowledge comes in very handy when hooking to a log in a tight spot.
Much of her training will take place in the barn. It is a safe place and no harm comes to her there. She learns that if I am there, she is safe. It helps her to gain trust in me. Again, that trust comes in very handy when something scares her. She will know that no matter what, if I am there, she will be okay. This is just simple foundation, basic training, but well worth the effort. I can prove it, because she will trust me, just like the big boys!
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RicelandMeadows 
Ralph, you are such a good horseman! If only you could take in more, especially the drafts at the rescues. It’s heartbreaking to see a huge draft starved to skin and bones.
Comment by Jacklyn May 9, 2016 @ 10:30 amThank you for your confidence in me. I agree there are some sad cases out there. It speaks to our unwillingness as a society to allow horse slaughter. Many old animals starve to death, many horses are neglected because there is no other option. I, myself, don’t want to eat a horse, but I understand humane slaughter for those you do. This is a touchy subject for us horse lovers that sometimes gets discussed at a restaurant over a meal of beef and pork….I am just saying that horse slaughter has its place in the balance of things. I would much rather know a horse was slaughtered humanely than think of the poor fellow starving to death, alone, standing in a quagmire of his own manure.
Comment by ricelandmeadows May 10, 2016 @ 2:25 pm