I have been involved with horses for over a decade now, and where you have horses you will always have horse people. Through my years working with, riding, and training horses I have met hundreds of people just like me, and have dubbed them horse people. You see horse people are a breed apart from non-horse people in that being a horse person does not form from wealth or fame, but from a spark that unites us; our love of the equine. Horse people come from all walks of life and exist within all salary ranges, no dollar sign dictates a horse person. We are all birds of a feather. However the main point of this is that in 100 horse people I meet I may find 10 like minded horse people.
The equine world is so vast and unrestricted that often as not the other horse people I meet are vastly different in their horse style than I. Which brings in my point; of every horse person I meet, perhaps one or two will actually listen to what I have to say about the animal we share a passion for. Horse people tend to be stubbornly set in their ways, and refute any suggestion that what they are doing is not necessarily the better way of doing things. From my experience in the horse world this is a sad but utterly true fact that affects nearly 85% of horse people. We are quite literally the most close minded group of animal lovers that I know of. Each person believes that his or her way is the BEST way.
A recent example: On the horse section of a forum I often wander a member had posted pictures of a mare at her barn foaling. The mare and foal were lovely however; the stall was in my opinion much too narrow to be used as a foaling stall seeing as how the mares rump was pressed up on the stall wall and only about 2 feet of free space remained in front of her. All I could think of is if she had gone for a few good rolls in the wrong direction she and the foal could have easily become cast. We have had horses become cast and it take us a good hour or so to get them free, and I was just thinking of a mare in labor cast in her stall. *shudders*
I compliment the foal and the mare of course, and then bring up the fact of the narrow stall. I get a violent and aggressive reply informing me to shut my mouth they have been breeding horses longer than I have been alive. All I can think of when people bring that up is, Just because you have been doing it for years, does not mean you have been doing it right. Of course I hold my tongue and leave the thread, seeing as how I was almost certain she would have gotten a temper and gotten snappy once again.
I have been thinking about this fact lately and taken a personal vow never to be like that, I believe that every time I take the reins I have the ability to learn something new and perhaps something better. I will be learning how to ride until the day I am keel over...dead as a doornail. To me there is always something to be learned from ever ride and from every person I meet. Just wondering if there are any like minded horse people out there
The equine world is so vast and unrestricted that often as not the other horse people I meet are vastly different in their horse style than I. Which brings in my point; of every horse person I meet, perhaps one or two will actually listen to what I have to say about the animal we share a passion for. Horse people tend to be stubbornly set in their ways, and refute any suggestion that what they are doing is not necessarily the better way of doing things. From my experience in the horse world this is a sad but utterly true fact that affects nearly 85% of horse people. We are quite literally the most close minded group of animal lovers that I know of. Each person believes that his or her way is the BEST way.
A recent example: On the horse section of a forum I often wander a member had posted pictures of a mare at her barn foaling. The mare and foal were lovely however; the stall was in my opinion much too narrow to be used as a foaling stall seeing as how the mares rump was pressed up on the stall wall and only about 2 feet of free space remained in front of her. All I could think of is if she had gone for a few good rolls in the wrong direction she and the foal could have easily become cast. We have had horses become cast and it take us a good hour or so to get them free, and I was just thinking of a mare in labor cast in her stall. *shudders*
I compliment the foal and the mare of course, and then bring up the fact of the narrow stall. I get a violent and aggressive reply informing me to shut my mouth they have been breeding horses longer than I have been alive. All I can think of when people bring that up is, Just because you have been doing it for years, does not mean you have been doing it right. Of course I hold my tongue and leave the thread, seeing as how I was almost certain she would have gotten a temper and gotten snappy once again.
I have been thinking about this fact lately and taken a personal vow never to be like that, I believe that every time I take the reins I have the ability to learn something new and perhaps something better. I will be learning how to ride until the day I am keel over...dead as a doornail. To me there is always something to be learned from ever ride and from every person I meet. Just wondering if there are any like minded horse people out there
