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Your opinions on some equine management quotes wanted
These quotes are all taken from the same article. I am very, very curious to know your reactions to these—what you think the author’s general stance towards horsemanship is, when the article was written, how applicable his thoughts are in a practical sense, whether you agree/disagree, etc. It would also be interesting to know where you stand in the general spectrum of “Natural” vs. “Classical” horsemanship—pro one side or the other, somewhere in between, somewhere off in another room entirely because the whole debate annoys you, etc.
I am going to come back in a day or two with the article source and my comments, but as I said—I am really intrigued to see how you respond to these quotes first.
There is no doubt that the example furnished by the over-fattened horses in the show ring has given us an erroneous impression as to the bodily condition suitable for the really hard-working harness or saddle horse, and that we err in principle and practice by trying to attain or to preserve by means of heavy feeding the gently flowing contours of such animals. The work-a-day steed is bound to be much lighter in flesh and to be all the better for it, and a certain amount of angularity may be pardoned in view of the increased efficiency it is likely to bring.
Any method that visibly annoys a horse (in any connection) is wrong all through and should never be allowed in use.
Like all inventions, these articles [bandages] are most valuable at certain times, in certain conditions and in experienced hands, but if left to the judgment of the average stableman, they are very dangerous and prolific of detrimental after-effects.
The fit of the harness, saddle, bits, etc., has much to do with condition. If the horse must always work in discomfort he suffers mentally and physically, which reacts directly upon his condition.
Given two horses having the same care, food, etc., both physically able and performing identical tasks, yet driven by two different men—one is always fat, composed, and tranquil; the other nervous, agitated, anxious, and in consequence thin and out of condition. What is the reason? Nothing but the different handling—lack of sympathy, of any horse sense or horseman’s instinct in the driver of the latter.
Perfect condition is not a mere matter of so much food, so much water, a warm bed, a tight roof. It depends, as does everything else in life and in our relations with other men and all beasts, upon the little things, the unconsidered trifles— and lucky is he who has the interest, the patience, the intuition to investigate closely, to discern clearly, and to apply intelligently, for he shall reap his reward in countless ways, and in various associations.
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Comments
Trying not to read Susan’s comment to preserve my own thoughts!
It’s rather old, based on the phrasing and sentence structure. 100-200 years? With that in mind, I’ll refer to the author as a male.
I can’t tell if this is practical stuff without reading the entire article. For example, quote #3 could be extremely practical if preceded/followed up by an example of how the author uses bandages and common misuses he sees.
I suspect the author is a proto-NH fellow, but I could easily be wrong about this - what’s “classical” has changed a lot over the years. I suspect he’s bucking the general trends by advocating whatever it is he’s advocating - better fitting tack, more sympathetic handling, etc.
I suppose I am a contemplative classicist. Many people who practice NH seem to get extremely caught up in perfecting the details of the first steps of horse training, instead of more generally understanding the horse’s nature and working with him to get the desired results. With that said, the whole debate often annoys me - let’s please talk about what the horse is feeling/thinking and what the purpose of our various training exercises is!
On May 26, 2009, Susan said:
I would bet this was written in the 19th or maybe early 20th century at the latest. I think all 6 quotes, with the possible exception of the second, are perhaps a bit romanticized in tone but not inapplicable today. An overfat horse isn’t likely to be as physically fit as a leaner one. Bandages applied incorrectly can cause serious problems (bowed tendons, etc.). If the saddle’s pinching the horse’s back, he may carry himself weirdly and unnaturally in an attempt to avoid pain. Be nice to your horse and attuned to his personality/condition/needs. I think my only objection to the second quote is the use of the word “annoy”...some training aids may “annoy” the horse (particularly when first introduced) but aren’t abusive and their use shouldn’t necessarily be discontinued altogether.
Personally, I guess I’m somewhere in the middle of the spectrum, with more of a tendency toward the “natural” side. Really it comes down to having respect for the animal and garnering respect in return. You still want to place yourself in a herd leader sort of position, as far as the horse is concerned, for safety’s sake (they are SO much bigger than we are), but there’s no reason to be mean about it.
(I’ve been lurking here a while and am very recently a “re-rider” myself. It’s been so fantastic to finally be back in the saddle.)