Comments on: Bum scratching!

By: kim miller

kim miller — Sat, 11 Jul 2015 10:56:48 +0000

I have a large pony (about 13 hands) she is so awsome. She has been rubbing her mane and tale until its really needed to be cut all the way down her neck. Does that mean she needs to be wormed?

By: Jo

Jo — Sun, 26 Apr 2015 03:54:11 +0000

My stallion doesn’t want to be fooled with when he’s eating but the mare and fillies don’t mind.

By: stefne

stefne — Fri, 10 Apr 2015 15:23:40 +0000

Thank you Suzie for your kind horse focused communication. It is reassuring knowing horse whisperers are out there making the world a better place for a few lucky and magnificent creatures without human ego in the wings just waiting to make the animal wrong and handler right! -Stefne

By: Anne

Anne — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 17:15:30 +0000

I love all the tips and comments. Having grown up with horses, my Dad always taught me to have respect, to be calm and never be loud and aggressive in my attitude. I am almost sixty and I still hold the firm belief that horses like humans come in different packages and personalities and each one needs to be treated accordingly. Some are so quiet one can trust a newborn with and others are so strung out it seems they feel a gust of air is going to kill them. We as their guardians have to learn their messages and treat them accordingly and teach them what we want and expect from us. For me it takes four main letters and they are a constant in my life – QGPT – QUIET GENTLE PATIENCE TIME. With those four things one can be rewarded with a lifetime of trust and love – what more can a girl want from her horse? 🙂

By: Dawn

Dawn — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 14:07:04 +0000

How did you go about having your older Mare put down?

By: Suzie

Suzie — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 13:35:43 +0000

I was told it is disrespectful to groom or be in my horses space when they are eating. I believe whats true for one horse is not true for all. I pay very close attention to my horses body language, I have learned over time what they enjoy and what they do not prefer, as they have learned from mine. My horse like their bellies rubbed when they are finished eating. I found this to be very relaxing for them. I love to see their eyes droopy and them licking their lips. This is also very relaxing for me. I have never been to a therapist, probably because I live with horses. When I am working with them, I reward them with scratches in their favorite places and soft talk. When I get not so good behavior, they do not get the scratches, but I still do the soft talk. Sometimes you have to pay close attention for the try, if they try but do not understand what I want, I don’t push them because they will only get frustrated and may remember it as a bad experience, so I let them know I appreciate that they tried and try to find an easier way to show them next time. I do not pretend to be a professional, far from it, we continue to learn from each other. I only know what makes me and my horses happy. Suzie

By: Ray

Ray — Thu, 09 Apr 2015 13:16:45 +0000

I’ve been in the company of horses for sixty-five years and the one thing I have learned is each one is an individual and needs to be treated as one. There have been things I’ve done to or allowed from one horse that I wouldn’t think of doing to or allowing from another.

Keep in mind when you allow a particular behavior from a horse, could someone else handling him in the future misinterpret the behavior as negative and punish the horse. If you’re certain you will always be his handler, it doesn’t matter.