tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post4156085938214993610..comments2023-10-11T14:32:53.542-06:00Comments on Fern Valley Appaloosas: everybody hurts sometimes,Sherry Sikstromhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15739108723318002627noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-61544897245118720372011-10-23T03:37:56.529-06:002011-10-23T03:37:56.529-06:00Great post, reminds me of when I was younger and I...Great post, reminds me of when I was younger and I was taking my horse out to the field when I remembered I hadn't picked his feet out. I got someone to hold him and ran down to get the hoof pick. I then ran up behind my horse and picked up his back leg! This resulted in me getting a kick in the thigh and it was definitely all my fault! Being in a rush definitely wont help anything!Laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13595833485081969708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-85598190717353863242011-10-21T15:51:39.121-06:002011-10-21T15:51:39.121-06:00This is good - I recently asked mugwump to make h...This is good - I recently asked mugwump to make her old post "Staying safe on the ground" available because it is so important for people to learn.<br /><br />I have a very lucky situation - my horse is not greedy at all and never crowds or pushes me as I bring him his mash. I've never had to make him back off from food, and he nickers but he waits and I feed him a handful as we walk together to where I hang his bucket. If he ever tried to push me I'd have to do some training but he's 26 and never has. I realize how odd this is - most horses push for food when allowed. Yesterday he was especially hungry and we both made it to the stall door at the same time and I thought, "oh here we go, he's gonna push past me!" but oddly, he didn't. He doesn't automatically back out of my space bubble, but he never intrudes it unless invited. Maybe that helps. Every morning and night as he digs in to his first bite of mash, I carefully gather his forelock out of his eyes and put it in the middle of his forehead. The day he looks annoyed at me doing this, well, then we'll work. But for now he just watches me. I think it was Jessica Jahiel who said we shouldn't pester our horses while they're eating, (but if we have to, they should let us).<br /><br />Thanks for the great post.lythahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01719586193059362084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-23917014210782160022011-10-20T14:43:45.954-06:002011-10-20T14:43:45.954-06:00Great post Sherry. I can't really add anything...Great post Sherry. I can't really add anything except about complacency....you couldn't be more right. Complacencey is just another word for "disaster" in the making.Loved your two other posts to. You get so far ahead off me....makes for good reading though.Janicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05925307178219109622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-16269716941461201702011-10-19T15:24:02.984-06:002011-10-19T15:24:02.984-06:00Very well-written post. No matter how much or how...Very well-written post. No matter how much or how little we may or may not know in regards to animals, it never hurts to hear it again and "take it from the top". We never stop learning! Sherry, I would usually take the sage advice from a well-rounded "horseman" over a "trainer" anyday. In my experience, there are way too many people out there referring to themselves as trainers with absolutely no credentials or business calling themselves that...just sayin'<br />That said: there are always exceptions.C-ingspotshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17744931697050670013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-76992770644532712392011-10-19T11:54:05.851-06:002011-10-19T11:54:05.851-06:00A very well written, wise post....something we sho...A very well written, wise post....something we should all think about ALL the time when working with animals.Lindahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07183448760614051130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-77572853606915919492011-10-18T12:54:18.982-06:002011-10-18T12:54:18.982-06:00Also, do an honest and realistic evaluation of you...Also, do an honest and realistic evaluation of your animals. Find someone you trust, who has well mannered creatures, to help you. <br /><br />I have seen too many people hurt by truly bad tempered animals that the owner kept making excuses for, instead of confronting or confining them. Dogs that growl at children, horses that bite or strike when things don't go their way, an animal that is in pain or senile, are going to hurt someone sooner or later if the underlying problem is not recognized and addressed realistically.kestrelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03253025366100154732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-5344754159886455892011-10-18T12:15:11.382-06:002011-10-18T12:15:11.382-06:00Excellent advice and a good reminder not to become...Excellent advice and a good reminder not to become too complacent. I have been a health and safety rep at a couple of workplaces and the experience has helped me look at things with safety in mind (drives my husband crazy!). Having said that, as you mentioned, we are working with beings that have a personality of their own and can be unpredictable. We must always be aware of what's going on around us.Wolfiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04743943656869294788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-85210327556145313012011-10-18T11:52:48.648-06:002011-10-18T11:52:48.648-06:00I wonder if any of these tips would work with my h...I wonder if any of these tips would work with my herd of children at work... hmmm.Amihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08353667980806676067noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-76505392538698286632011-10-18T11:44:15.336-06:002011-10-18T11:44:15.336-06:00Another time when you will likely get hurt- when y...Another time when you will likely get hurt- when you are showing off. Watch this, is usually the start of a bad thing. So yeah, watch this, and then please call the appropriate emergency responders for me would ya? lol<br /><br />Great post and good timing. I think we have all been in those situations and no matter how big the stall or pen, when the horses are headed your direction the walls, fencing or space seems to close in. This is not a slow process either.Cut-N-Jumphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10355349642284506192noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-91764098329374741922011-10-18T09:32:07.736-06:002011-10-18T09:32:07.736-06:00Very good post, I may have to post on this too, ca...Very good post, I may have to post on this too, cause its so important and yet overlooked by so many people who want thier animals to love them (and think they would never be hurt by them cause their horse loves them) <br /><br />Safety is very important, and I find its ussually the quietest or tamest animal that will hurt you (especially with cows)Crystalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18035210092855895218noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-78894006734573015142011-10-18T06:59:58.641-06:002011-10-18T06:59:58.641-06:00All very good advice. The only times I've bee...All very good advice. The only times I've been hurt on the ground were when I wasn't paying enough attention or was rushing (and therefore not paying enough attention). And whenever I hear that little voice "this isn't a good idea . . . " I stop what I'm doing and rethink. I do a lot of work with my horses on staying out of my space, even when they spook, and they've all got that pretty much down. I'm also very careful when around loose horses as horse on horse stuff can quickly become a problem with a person nearby.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-78468546940834023912011-10-18T06:32:31.760-06:002011-10-18T06:32:31.760-06:00I loved this post. I haven't been around hors...I loved this post. I haven't been around horses my whole life, but I learned early on that they spook at nothing and to never get ... and I liked your wording ... complacent. 1000+ pounds is nothing to take casually. Thanks for this. There's so much I could learn about them.RoeHhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00131723337404316867noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-82672050560185912042011-10-18T04:33:26.954-06:002011-10-18T04:33:26.954-06:00Perfect timing! As my boarding has changed to par...Perfect timing! As my boarding has changed to partial care, I am the one feeding night feeding almost every day. Last night I noticed some of the bad habits instilled by careless handling from the old place. Pushing me around when I walked into their pen to feed them.<br /><br />Pretty scary situation with a horse as big as Rosie trying to push me around.Jenihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03906855143092978620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-48903405984851217492011-10-18T02:28:49.774-06:002011-10-18T02:28:49.774-06:00Great advise Fern! I too look forward to reading m...Great advise Fern! I too look forward to reading more. Thanks for sharing.aurorahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04731529798233954353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-64061075358236127812011-10-17T23:21:13.690-06:002011-10-17T23:21:13.690-06:00Wonderful post and I appreciate you sharing some o...Wonderful post and I appreciate you sharing some of your own personal mistakes around livestock. So many folks never do, maybe because they don't want to show they are capable of mistakes. But they could help so many others, just like you do, just by sharing and being honest.<br /><br />That said, I love your favorite saying: "if you are in a hurry , hurry home , YOU ARE DONE". <br /><br />So true!<br /><br />One of the safe things I do now, when preparing to feed Apache, is to tell her to move away from the gate and go stand and wait in the area that I typically feed her. I used to just push through the gate and squeeze past her while she crowded me and stole bites of hay from the flake of hay in my arms. I often felt vulnerable and it felt like she was herding me to her feeding area.<br />Now she has to do what I say and wait until I. AM. READY. And I take my time, too. It's good for her to learn some patience. <br /><br />I'm looking forward to reading what you write in your series on how you teach boundaries with horses.<br /><br />~LisaLaughing Orca Ranchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03562627840013868980noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603513755231165590.post-69672297707673509662011-10-17T22:19:58.301-06:002011-10-17T22:19:58.301-06:00Great post- and a timely one too, as we head into...Great post- and a timely one too, as we head into fall and winter, and in more contact with our horses at feeding time. <br /># 3 is tops! Never take things for granted, that's how you get hurt.<br />I might take you up on the challenge and post on this. Let me think about it for a couple of days.Shirleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15454110560303310751noreply@blogger.com