My husband is always telling me... "If you're going to be in the horse business...." To which I always reply, "I'm not in the horse business, I'm in the horse hobby." It has never been my aspiration to make a living off my horses. Do I wish they would contribute a little more than they do? Of course! No one has volunteered yet so I'll keep waiting. Maybe one day...🤞
I like to raise my own. Mostly because it allows me to know them and them to know me. I can give you details about every horse on this place, along with histories of their mothers and siblings. I learn all of their quirks and how to approach each one in a way they understand. It takes time and a genuine interest. Horses know what you know and they know what you don't know and they can and will use it against you. So you better spend the time to learn exactly what you're dealing with.This year, my 1st group of babies are 5. I didn't get to haul or pattern them nearly as much as I would have liked. At present, they still hollar to each other when one rides away from the trailer. They paw in or at the trailer with a lack of patience or attention. They spook at sights and sounds they only get to see in town. All of which are amplified with being fresh and full of grain and silliness. And this is annoying. Very annoying. But you know what? They are just babies.
Thankfully, they have improved even with the limited hauling they've gotten. They all load and unload with ease. Which, is not how we started out. I actually dreaded taking them places because of the loading and unloading issues I might have or the fits thrown at or in the trailer while I wasn't present. But I made myself do it. I forced myself to take them along as frustrated and anxious as it made me. Thankfully, nobody died and they all eventually worked through it, finding I always tried to make their experience consistent, predictable, and enjoyable.
My husband says I spoil them because I always have hay for them, in the trailer or at the trailer. He thinks that what I do doesn't make them learn to load or stand tied without a hay bag in front of them. But I disagree. They are just babies. They are learning. They are flight animals, herd animals, and everything we ask them to do is completely unnatural to them. I try to give them comfort in a way they understand to show them that what I'm asking them to do will not hurt them. Horses thrive on routine, repetition, and consistency. It's the best way I've found to communicate with them and teach them to trust that I won't put them in a dangerous situation. You have to be the boss but you don't have to be a dictator. You want respect, but you must earn it, not demand it.
Just think of a time you were scared. You had to do something alone, or with people you didn't know. You didn't know what to expect or what would be expected of you and how nervous it made you. Now, imagine the person in charge is yelling at you in a language you don't speak, being physically rough with you, and taking you to places you are unfamiliar with. You don't know how long you'll be there, or when you will eat or drink next. Personally, that thought gives me serious anxiety and I'm the one with the big, rational brain.
They need to learn to travel alone as well as, together with their buddies. They need to learn that while we ride away and leave the others, we will return. Same for the ones at the trailer. It's a process. It's by no means easy, but it is necessary and takes a lot of time and repetition. And yes, it's very annoying and stressful.
But, I will continue going to town with my young ones. Hollaring, pawing, spooking.... because how else will they learn? It takes a lot of patience, of which is something I'm still personally working on, a deaf ear, and some motivation to do things that drive you nuts because it's all part of the process. After all, they are only babies.
