[drivingpairs] Re: Voice Commands

I never, EVER cluck or kiss to my ponies.      It's a different language to 
the ponies, and they totally disregard it.


They have no concept of the sounds, even though people (like farriers) 
converse constantly with them.  I tease people about persisting with the 
silly sounds after I have already told them not to use them, that the ponies 
won't respond and that I don't WANT them to respond.  Their reaction is 
invariably that they "didn't realize they were [still] doing it," and that 
it's such a habit they no longer even notice that they do it.


For one thing, in my riding lesson days, clucking was not allowed by my 
instructor.  It'll ruin your ridden dressage test, you know!!!  And it looks 
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO stupid at local riding shows to have everyone at 
ringside clucking and kissing for the duration of the short stirrup classes 
(my ponies also get ridden by kids when I can snag some).

Also, I don't want my ponies responding to a cluck made by someone else, 
such as at a show when we are standing around waiting.  They are to answer 
to me, and me only.  I am always amazed and irritated by the public when 
they see the ponies and demand to know their names.  If I tell them a barn 
name (which I don't anymore!), such as "Scamp" or "Melissa," people have 
gone so far as to squat down, pat their thighs, kiss and say things like 
"Come on Scamp!  Come on, boy!" And then they wonder why the pony doesn't 
come running, licking them in the face and wagging its tail!  NO LIE!!!!  So 
now, if I'm driving a pair, I just quickly respond to the name question with 
a slur of "The Barnrats" -- and that shuts them up.  Or I say "Country Roads 
Audacity"  (gotta say it fast!) and THAT shuts them up.  It also helps 
having registered names like Country Roads Impervious, Impetuous, and 
Aspiration.  Say the words fast enough, and the people can't remember what 
came in front!

And lastly, my mouth gets so darned dry by itself that I don't need to push 
matters!

I use the verbal half-halt of "girls..." (including geldings), particularly 
at the halt.  I also have words, all English, some of them made up (or 
inappropriately used, in the wrong context!), for the various trots and so 
forth.  If I call out an individual pony's name, it is almost always to 
chastise the pony for being lazy (or for disobeying by making a face, trying 
to hop into a lope, etc.).  And they guilty pony knows why she's being 
yelled at!

And "Ho" ALWAYS means "stop and do not move at all."  It doesn't mean "slow 
down a little" or "slow down a lot this time" or "almost stop" or "stop for 
three seconds before inching off again" ... it means STOP!!!   AND YOU DON'T 
*** EVEN *** MOVE UNTIL I LET YOU!!!



Laura Crews
Country Roads Farm Welsh Ponies*
Virginia
*and Fancy Rats

"So long as I remain alive and well I shall continue to feel strongly about 
prose style, to love the surface of the earth, and to take a pleasure in 
solid objects and scraps of useless information." -- George Orwell, 1947



"?a story always sounds clear enough at a distance, but the nearer you get 
to the scene of events the vaguer it becomes." ? George Orwell, 1936


Orwell accomplished something few authors have been able to do:  he added 
his name to the English language.

Yet a man and his work are inseparable:  before he was George Orwell he was 
Eric Blair; respect him -- remember discreetly his 100th birthday, 25 June 
2003, and handle gently his little grain of dust.

REMEMBER:  STUPIDITY IS A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE!

_________________________________________________________________
Add photos to your messages with MSN 8. Get 2 months FREE*.  
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/featuredemail

_________________________________________________________
To Unsubscribe, change to Digest or Vacation mode go to: 
http://www.drivingpairs.com/dpmem.html
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Other related posts: