Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Today I am thankful just to be sitting upright.  I've been down with the flu for a couple days, and today I'm just barely starting to feel human again.

Got word that the gelding I picked out is the boss of the geldings and makes sure everyone knows it.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear.  I was almost ready to call and tell them I'd changed my mind but that was also when I was puking and didn't really relish the idea of any work of any kind with any horse.  I thought about it and  know a lot of alpha type horses who are not that way with people at all.  Maybe it will mean he's more bold as well, not as spooky?

Gotta get off this computer.  Staring at a screen or trying to read makes me sick.  Which makes for a boring couple days laying in bed.

6 comments:

froglander said...

Hope you feel better!

Paint Girl said...

So sorry your sick. Hope you are feeling better soon!
I kind of wish that my newest Mustang filly was a little more dominant. She is so submissive and it is making it really hard to gentle her. I thought she would be so easy because of being so submissive but was I ever wrong!

Unknown said...

Don't know if this will help but the studiest gelding I ever had was so easy and gently with people. In fact my lead gelding right now, which pushes all the other horses around, is also the horse I will put anyone on. Even very small children. The thing about lead horses is that they also respect leaders. So as long as you are his leader I suspect you will be fine.
Hope you feel better soon dear.

Keechy said...

What would worry me is how he will go with Scout. Some of those dominant gelding can be total sods. Even kill another horse if they corner them. Are you prepared to maybe keep him in a paddock on his own if necessary?

I'm rather a quiet handler by nature. I don't mind a paddock boss but only the types who are the passive leaders as described by Mark Rashid. I don't like bullies and while I can raise my energy to match them if needed, I don't find that restful on a day to day basis. I'd rather have a horse who was looking to get along rather than one that was every day looking for me to show signs of not being enough of a leader. He may not be like that, but it sounds like he might.

I'd be reconsidering him for myself based on those two things but of course we're all different. Only you know what type of horse it makes you happiest to be around every day. Maybe it's a sign you should reconsider the mule idea? xxx

Andrea -Mustang Saga said...

Keechy - You have a very good point there. I thought of that also, and not just in terms of Scout, but Bella as well. We have had one gelding who was absolutely brutal to mares, and we ended up giving him away because it was too much of a pain in the butt to keep separate pastures. I have plenty of room to separate them, but I'd rather not have to. Scout, Tonka, and Bella were the perfect little family unit, and they all loved each other. I want that again. I don't think it's too much to ask for, but maybe not easy to find? I don't know. I'm still thinking on this. Luckily I have some time. Not sure how much though.

I have known a lot of horses who are nasty to others, or just "dominant" who did fine for their people. I'd like to have one that got along in the pasture too though. Maybe I should be looking at younger horses?

Keechy said...

Yeah I'm not a big fan of bullies in the paddock. Even if you keep them separate there can always be that time when they get through a gate or the fence and then you are in trouble. I bought my last mare a companion pony, and she liked the company ok but was too mean to that sweet gentle pony, well above and beyond the need to assert herself to remain paddock leader. It really put me off her. I sold the mare and kept the pony. :) I like my horses to be friends too.