[drivingpairs] Just a Name

Unless I am seeing a bad handling display in front of
me, bad horse behaviour from a horse who has been to
an "expert" I try not to say anything on methods.  As
Tamara mentions, there are many ways to arrive at a
nice finished product.
  My grampa was a farmer, wore overalls, dirty hat,
sold a lot of horses.  He was well known locally for
his horse training and the good animals he turned out.
 These days he would be frowned on heavily, not
allowing horse enough "freedom" to self train.  Some
of his methods were fairly rough and ready, like tying
up hard and fast while horse self-trained.  Methods
were results of years in handling unbroken horses from
the West.  Some things he learned growing up. 
Knowledge then had much less finesse than now, had to
get horse trained, whatever.  He certainly didn't
abuse them as was fairly common for his time.  Took
time to gentle them, get them accepting. His horses
needed to be usable, fairly safe for the buyers to
manage.  His horses would work off the voice, put to
any kind of equipment, in or out of the barn.  They
drove and rode, you could put the little  kids on them
too for a quiet ride.
  My great-grandfather on the other side was also a
farmer, horse dealer.  He was the salesman, buyer,
while his wife actually did most of the training of
young stock, until they were ready for the work Teams.
 She did all the Driving and Riding horses they sold. 
She made ALL the sale horses look easy.  "How hard
could he be?  That tiny lady is driving him." Horses
were the extra cash crop, bonus money or helped make
payments when the crops didn't do well.  They counted
on repeat buyers, so horses sold needed to be reliable
over time.

  Then there are Cowboys.  Another name, spoken with
reverence or derision.  There are some Cowboy hat
wearing people I would gladly hand a horse to, while
others I would run off the farm and sic the dog on! 
Farmer could also have terrible handling and training
methods, ruin horses.  I know those kind too.
 
  Yet what I can admire, other folks don't even see. 
A way of dressing, hat and boots, his own belief in
himself, does not make the person a horse person. 
George Washinton was a farmer, renowned horseman,
known as a breeder of good horses.  John Lyons, Tom
Dorrance, Ray Hunt, all known as Cowboys, have a great
reputation for being a good hand with a horse.  All
used same good horses for many years, trained many
other good ones. 

Those who make critical judgement remarks usually
don't have any reason to be judgemental, they are not
that great themselves.  Many get fixated on parts of
horse, bend, extension, forget the WHOLE animal.  I
think it makes them feel superior, throwing the
terminology about.  They NEED to feel superior
whatever they are doing.
  We could just work to improve our driving instead of
critisizing others.  Guess I am lucky, most folks I
meet are not so critical.

I actually don't care much for Heinke Bean's book. 
You can all GASP now!  Few followers are going to show
the way she wants, in drop pole with yoke, to a LIGHT
antique, in CDE, even doing only Dressage.  The width
of singletrees on evener is HUGE, way over wheel
width.  Horses have a lot of room to move between the
traces.  Getting the bend she wants Single, in long
shafts is pretty hard on a horse.  Then there is the
breed differences, few drive her style horse.
  I do think the book ideas have helped improve driven
Dressage,  Expectations are much higher than years
ago.    
  It is a great idea book in a perfect world.  Maybe
not as realisticly achievable her way, as everyone
thinks in our CDE sport.
  However if you disagree about the book, methods or
skills, YOU are the bad person.  I think it is kind of
like the Emperor's new clothes, everyone says book is
wonderful so they aren't out of step, appearing to be
unknowing of the greatness written.  It must be great,
EVERYONE says it is!

Kathy Robertson   

> 
>          I have felt for many years that there is an
> incredible snobbery 
> (for lack of a better word) toward the folks and
> horses that were trained as 
> "working" animals...never have I heard "farmer" used
> in such second 
> class...or lower...ways as when it comes to _some_
> modern drivers of one 
> horse meadowbrooks....
> 
>              it's like I wish I could grab them all
> up and  say "you 
> know...there _was_ driving before Heike Beans book
> on the matter" <g> I have 
> seen people worry so much about bend and extension
> and being "on the bit" 
> that they forget things like "whoa"  "come back"...
> conditioning up to a 
> certain job and standing quietly for what could be
> an hour....
> 
>                 the old timers  may not have had the
> silly hats and fancy 
> carriages  but they did know horses as animals they
> worked every day...and 
> finding one to visit with could be the best  part of
> ones  driving career
> 
>               Tamara in TN 


__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around 
http://mail.yahoo.com 
_________________________________________________________
To Unsubscribe, change to Digest or Vacation mode go to: 
http://www.drivingpairs.com/dpmem.shtml
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Other related posts: