March 8:

IS YOUR HORSE A  HIDER OR A SEEKER?

Remember the game hide and seek?  Horses play this game too.  Since Horses Never Lie, it is interesting to see what they do, if they are loose in their pasture, or if they are loose in your yard with no fences.  My wife lets her two mares loose on the obstacle course or the driveway when the front gates are closed and oddly, when she is ready to go get them they seem know and come find her.  These horses are Seekers...they are always watching for her and seek to find her when they see she is looking for them.  We have other horses who were given to us, and most of them are Hiders.  We don't let them loose to graze around the property...and even when in a pasture they don't seek the humans, in fact, one grey mare still hides.  People did this to them.  People turned curiosity into fear.  And once this happens it is very hard to change a horse's mind.

February 29:

After 3 1/2 years Al has contacted us and offered to pay.  Instead we asked for the photonic torch back (barely worth what he owes us) and get the names of the people he gave 3 of our "rescue" horses to.   We feel they may be in jeopardy.  The economics of horses is UNBALANCED:  unlike dogs and cats, they sort of create their own demise by being large and expensive to keep.  and since many of the rescues are full, people don't know where to turn for help.  Why don't the vet schools and universities who have FUNDING for things take in some rescue horses (and not to do research on them! except  feeding studies.)

What about the other companies that make money on horses... like the feed companies?  Hello...major feed companies... you make millions of dollars selling food that, according to the industry experts quoted in this report, is substandard,  compared to Seminole and other premium brands. THE REPORT:  US Equine Market, August 2009,  published by Packaged Facts.   (my wife wrote this 300-page report so I know what's in it.).  If you email her I am sure she will send it to you!

When it was "new" It sold for about $4000 a copy but since you are all horse lovers, she would send it to you for free, just so you can read about the companies you are doing business with.  Plus now it is "old" and worth less.  Kind of like how some people treat their horses.  and their cars. AND THEIR HUSBANDS! 

Anyway:   If a product is substandard, but priced about the same as premium products, guess what those economics tell us:  that's right:   a higher profit margin.

Why aren't these companies helping the horses that they "used" for profits for decades?  Why aren't they starting foundations?     Why don't they offer a donation to horse rescue facilities with each bag purchased?  I am talking about sizeable donations, not bags of feed here and there.  These are the questions you people should be asking when you go to the store and buy your horse feed.  You can go the company websites to see how much they are actually donating to equine rescue facilities and other charities.  BUY FEED FROM A COMPANY THAT GIVES BACK..TO THE HORSES...

Also you may want to ask why some feed companies have ingredient labels sewn on the bags.  The answer may surprise you.  Maybe in a future NewsFlash I will tell you.  It is in the report, and the companies who do this complained to the publisher about it. INTERESTING....isn't it.  Lying and cheating is everywhere, you just have to know where to look:  Advertising, marketing, politics, and the list goes on.

re AL:  AL ****, RIVERVIEW/PLANT CITY, FL
We are waiting for you to give us the names of the people you gave our three rescue horses to, and waiting for the return of our photonic torch (in lieu of paying us the money you owe us) per our Feb 18 Newsflash:   YOU SHOULD PAY US THE MONEY YOU HAVE OWED US, FOR THREE YEARS!  We transported your horse, we changed our schedule to accommodate you, and we took in your feather-plucking bird... You neglected to mention he was also a biter.  SMART BIRD.

Feb 18:
I was talking with my friend Sam in TN the other day.,  I got to thinking about Sam, because Buster McLaury was on his way to our place to teach a clinic.  Sam used to come and teach clinics here, too.  We talked about this and that, and found ourselves discussing the definition of INSANITY:  "DOING THE SAME THING OVER AND OVER, AND EXPECTING DIFFERENT RESULTS."

We know a lovely woman in TN who literally taught her new gelding to buck "online".  He finally threw her off and she gave him away.  Another gal here in FL  was doing similar stuff with her new mare and before things got too out of hand, she changed her pattern and her expectations and that mare is a different horse, almost overnight. 

I wonder if the horses think some of us people are insane.  I know this:  A horse cannot trust a leader that they perceive to be stupid, or insane, or one that they do not respect.  To a horse it is black and white:  no grey.  They either trust/respect you or the don't.  Respect is not about domination or MAKING a horse do something.  It is about honesty, fairness, and integrity.  That earns trust and respect.  In society, as well as with our horses. 

PS:  AL ****, RIVERVIEW/PLANT CITY, FL YOU SHOULD PAY US THE MONEY YOU HAVE OWED US, FOR THREE YEARS!  We transported your horse, we changed our schedule to accommodate you, and we took in your feather-plucking bird... You neglected to mention he was also a biter. SMART BIRD.

Apology to Parelli People: The email that was forwarded accidentally by my wife's friends.... you know... women.. .always multi-tasking....
That email did not apply to students who want to learn. Students of the Horse who wish to learn are always welcome here. The email was about Parelli (and other) Instructors. We have certain clinicians. Buster, Mark, Wendy, Buck, and others who are invited to come here. many have not been invitd back. Maybe we will tell you who they are and why...another time.... let's stick to this now:

Most instructors, in my opinion (what do I know.... I barely made it thru high school) are not of the horse. What does "of the Horse" mean to you? I had it wrong for 40 years! I will tell you in future updates, and at the end of those new flashes Albert Einstein's theories will prove it. Even stubborn/brainwashed/know-it-all horse people cannot argue with Albert Einstein! (mainly because he is dead... but I know some horse people who would argue with him anyway!). I rest my case. For now.

I came across this by accident. Learning how to browse my computer, or the internet, or whatever you modern folks call it nowadays, I seem to find stuff as if by magic. I can never get back to each place, and really who would want to, I reckon travelers in search of knowledge rarely go back to places. So I decided to collect the most fascinating "treasures" as I pick my way down the trail , like a horse. You know, that is the way to go thru life, pick your way down the trail, without a destination. That is when you end up in the most interesting places....

I found two trainers "yip yapping" about people who use red ribbons in their horses' tails and it reminded me of a story:

Well, here is my two cents: The nicest mare I ever saw had a red ribbon tied in her tail. Man oh Man, that mare..she was being ridden at a Ray Hunt clinic maybe 7-8 years ago. You couldn't see that the rider was even riding that mare. People were a'weaving at the trot and even the canter..you know those Ray Hunt clinics where more people get bucked off in Horsemanship than the Colt Classes? Well not on this day. That gal riding that mare with the red ribbon...they were the happiest pair in that ring of 25 riders, they were both smiling. It didn't matter if other horses hit them straight on or sideways. That mare never missed a beat. Those idiot riders rode right up on the mare with that red ribbon in her tail. I expected the explosion of the century. NADA. So afterwards I had to ask her "Ma'am: You have the best trained, happiest, most relaxed horse in the arena today. Why do you have a red ribbon in her tail? The gal said: "so in case one of those idiot riders crashes into me and they get kicked, I can't get sued". And she walked off...with her mare, both of still smiling from their ride. Now I know why they were smiling. You know what I learned? When you ask a question of your horse, and you expect an answer, you will likely get that answer. But it may not be the answer you want. Be careful how you ask a question.