The Horse Is Never Wrong

[Ash]

Reata reiterated these words to me last night and I have been thinking about them quite a bit this morning. There is great comfort in knowing that the horse is never wrong!

This shifts the responsibility for a "behavior" or a habit completely on to you, and oddly enough, that is comforting. You know you have a beautiful, smart, willing creature on your hands and as long as you keep your mind open to how to most effectively communicate and care for that horse, that horse is 100% trainable.

Yesterday I put my mare in sort of compromising situation and felt bad later about it. I was trimming her in a barn aisle and another horse stuck is head over the stall door in her face and she responded by squealing and stomping her foot. I had a girl hold my horse so I could run and get something and that girl allowed yet another horse to do the same thing, and Ms. Brenna gave the same reaction.

I was concerned that this behavior needed some sort of corrective action but I couldn't figure out how. Of course, I was way too late both times to correct it before what happened happened but I was worried that this experience would effect how mannnerly and polite she is while in the company of other horses.

But because the horse is never wrong, next time I will be all the more ahead of the moment. It is up to me to care for her -- and not the other way around.

[FrancaV]

Nice anecdotal reflection on the "horse is never wrong" principle, Ash. In this case your mare didn't feel as though anyone was "there" to protect her and she did what felt right to her under the circumstances. The horses weren't on equal footing; the other horse was free to do what he wanted, not being attended by a human, but yours was under human supervision so she might reasonably expect her human to deal with the other horse for her. But we humans have to be quick when the horse is uncertain because self-preservation will generally kick in before the horse will allow himself to get hurt!

It seems to me that no matter what the circumstances, it always helps the human communicate more effectively with the horse when the human believes that the horse is never wrong. It changes the whole attitude and feel behind whatever the human may be asking the horse to do. That way the goal is to direct the horse rather than correct him. If he's not wrong there's nothing to correct or punish. This doesn't mean be a wimp; firming up to make the direction clearer and more effective if needed to change the horse's thought, doesn't turn direction into correction. Timing is everything, though, because direction should come before what happens, happens. As you said, what's required is proaction not reaction. If we're not leading the dance with the horse we'll always be late, and then even if we don't intend it that way, our actions become corrections. Thank goodness for our horses' abilities to read intent because they will forgive a multitude of mistakes when they feel that we mean well.

Peter Campbell says that a horse with a human should never move a foot without a request, a suggestion, or permission from the human. Guess what that means? The human must be mentally present ("with" the horse just as much as we expect the horse to be "with" us - partners) in order to either prepare the horse for the request or suggestion, or to recognize the horse's idea to move that foot before he actually does it. While that movement is still a thought, the human has the opportunity to redirect it backwards or permit it to go ahead. Easier said than done....

I often get confused about when to give my permission and when not to. I know that ultimately we'd like our equine partner to be ready and willing to go with us wherever and whenever, no matter how quickly or how often we might change our minds. But it seems a lot to ask of a horse to wait on me forever when I'm not offering him much in return. Like when we stop, at length, to listen to, or talk with another human. The horse might reasonably think we've "left" him, mentally, and decide that blade of grass three steps east is much more interesting.

I've watched many a good horseman maintain the link with the horse - without appearing to do much of anything - even when teaching a clinic. That horse would never feel the need to defend himself; he'd trust that his human had everything under control. I feel that connection and bond with my horse more and more often, but to be able to have that every second I'm with her?? Still working on it ... and working on it.... ;)

[JRW]

I have heard this saying so many times, but I don't think that its true. A horse is wrong when it is acting out of disrespect. A horse that wants to bite you, wants to push you through the gate, wants to pin its ears at you when you take it its hay..... that horse is WRONG. Or at least it is a WRONG answer and the equine should soon find a better answer. When it is really seriously wrong is when the lead mare comes to punish one of her minions when you are standing there and you just about get kicked into another reality. These are all things we all know horses can do.

Donkeys are never wrong, though. Mules are frequently wrong out of a certain quest for excitement. Horses have known to be wrong if you let them be.

Okay, that is my take on it, but I recognize that I might be wrong myself and I might not understand what "is never wrong" actually means. Are we talking about an animal that has the capacity to make a choice and one of the choices could be much "less right" than another way of behaving? Or are we talking about something else?

Yrs,
JRW

[FrancaV]

A horse that wants to bite you, wants to push you through the gate, wants to pin its ears at you when you take it its hay..... that horse is WRONG.Plenty of people would agree with that, but I don't. [Read on for elaboration.]

Or at least it is a WRONG answer and the equine should soon find a better answer.Ah, but why should he? ;) I ask this partly because I'm writing an article on this very question and I'd love to hear anyone's answers. It's something I've been pondering for seven years now, and I decided it was finally time to try to put my answer into words. If the question gets lost in this thread I may repost in a new one.

Okay, that is my take on it, but I recognize that I might be wrong myself and I might not understand what "is never wrong" actually means. Are we talking about an animal that has the capacity to make a choice and one of the choices could be much "less right" than another way of behaving? Or are we talking about something else?All I can do is tell you what it means to me. You're likely to get lots of different answers! I never find this easy to explain but because it's so important to me I'll give it a try.

The horse is a prey animal, and being around humans doesn't change that. As a prey animal the horse will always choose to do what he thinks is right from the point of view of getting along in life. The human's idea of what is "wrong" means nothing to a horse because he doesn't have the same goals and motivations. Humans do things that are "wrong" (from a human perspective) all the time, without regard to the consequences, for all sorts of reasons. For humans there are many perceived and actual rewards for doing the "wrong" thing as well as the "right" thing. In nature there is ultimately nothing to be gained by the horse in doing the "wrong" (from a horse's perspective) thing; he'll be dinner for some predator. So just because what the horse is doing is not what the human wants doesn't make it wrong from the horse's point of view. A horse snatching grass while being led is feeding himself. A horse bolting for the barn is going to a place that feels safer to him than where he's bolting from. It's up to the human to show the horse that following the human's lead can be a better idea than following his own deeply-ingrained instincts, even in uncomfortable or downright frightening situations. The mutual trust required for this type of partnership (IMO) cannot truly be built between horse and human if the human believes a horse ever wants to do or be "wrong". That is a human trait. On some level it may make us feel better to believe that other creatures on the planet are capable of the same thing.

But it's what's behind the belief that the horse is never wrong that's important, because it affects attitude and intent and results in a completely different approach and presentation to the horse. And the horse can feel the difference. Heck, even people can feel the difference, though you can't be nearly as subtle, LOL. Let's say two bosses receive somewhat substandard pieces of work from an employee. One says, "This is all wrong, you miserable cretin. Do it over." The other says, "Would you have another try at this? Maybe I wasn't clear, but this isn't exactly what I was looking for." Which approach is likely to get a more willing response from the employee?

I don't know if any of that makes sense ... I know I didn't have the same understanding of it seven years ago, but I had a teacher who convinced me, even without complete understanding, that everything would go more smoothly if I simply left "right" and "wrong" out of the equation altogether.

[reata]

Thank you so much Franca.. I will reread your posts and maybe give my take on it tonight .. but I think you have just about said it all.
"The horse is never wrong." NEVER EVER!!!

[reata]

Gosh Franca ya did a good job..
Its a very hard thing for the human to accept that "the horse is never wrong" and I think it takes a BIG change in the human. But to be a better horseman I think the human HAS to make that change..
This "change" to me is what "Good Horsemanship" is all about.. Its looking at situations from a different perspective. Looking at situations from the horses point of view.. Why he does what he does.. As Franca said (in similar words) in his eyes hes not Wrong, hes just surviving.
Horses, given the opportunity, try their hardest to please us. If what they are doing in our eyes is Wrong.. well maybe we have to look at ourselves and our way of presenting our ideas to the horse.. He may just not GET what we are asking for.. and he's trying to understand but now he's Wrong???
Pretty soon he will just stop trying.. and shut down.. sadly so many horses are shut down ..
But what if the human has the attitude "that the horse is never wrong"
The horse is doing something that we don't like and the human asks himself why is he doing that???
As with Ash's first post, the horse is maybe feeling threatened. Another horse is too close and she is scared and she is tied so she can't escape ..
The human has put the horse in this situation.. A horse out in the field hardly ever would put itself in that situation... So who is wrong??.. Surely not the horse..
That is part of the change that has to take place in the human.. To have responsibility for the welfare of the horse. To be aware. To think ahead.
We want the respect of our horses but do we deserve it???

My horses do not always do what I want them to do .. I am constantly trying to improve myself and my communication with the horse so he will understand better what I would like .. Its hard work for me.. but the rewards are great..
My horses are never WRONG!!!!...:eek:

[Weebonilass]

Franca,

Thanks for this :) I was taught as a youngster that the horse is never wrong and it's been hard over the years to find a group of people that believe the same way.

My gelding when he first came to me was very, very defensive. He had the attitude of do onto others before they can do onto you. He always gave warning, but sometimes that warning was as subtle as a shift of weight. It was up to me to recognize those "whispers" of his because a kick which would land would soon follow. Can't tell you how many people thought it was wrong of me not to kick him back. But how could I when he warned me?? I learned quickly to see what happens before what happens happened with him.

I have to confess that I often take his beautiful behavior now for granted, but it seems that when I forget too much, something will happen that will show me that the fighter he was is still there and he could go back the other way fairly quickly if he felt I wasn't being fair. It's humbling to know that even when I'm wrong with him now, he still trusts me enough not to revert back to the behavior that was there before and could be him again.

I respect his wishes and I agree that just because I want him to stand still doesn't mean that he should have too. I've watched him in the field and he's not one to stand under a tree for hours on end, he's almost constantly in motion. I attribute this to his more dominant personality. Of course three or four hours in a clinic with Joe Wolter and he was more willing to just stand around... at least until the cattle showed up.

[FrancaV]

Yes - if the horse is unable to follow the human's lead for some reason (he doesn't understand, or he's afraid, or following the human in the past hasn't worked out well for him, etc.) whatever he does instead is right. For him. People often think that when a horse does five or six different things instead of the one thing the human wants, the horse is being "evasive" - trying to find ways not to do what the human wishes. This is so wrong!!! They should bless this saintly horse because he is trying - he's searching for the response that feels right to him and it's up to the human to let him know, "That's it!" or, "That's not it - try again".

A horse that persists in just one undesirable response hasn't changed his thought and may not be trying (yet). Often this is out of significant fear or because in the past a human has inadvertently rewarded the undesirable behavior by giving up and releasing before the horse changed his thought. (I know I've been guilty of this - sometimes I lack the stamina to hang in there with the horse through his trouble and I give up on him too soon. I file that under Human Error and do my best not to repeat the same mistake with the same horse. Teaching the horse the "wrong" (from the human POV) thing is reversible with patience, but it's more work than it would have been if said human had sucked it up and stayed with the horse the first time.)

Writing about this makes me think of my own struggles and successes and you're right - the process, the "journey" - is incredibly rewarding. I am totally thrilled with where my horse and I are right now. Yes, there are riders competing in major events on 6 y.o. horses who might look at what I'm doing and think I haven't accomplished a whole heck of a lot. But my goal is not to get around a course of jumps clean and in record speed, or to perform a perfect dressage test or reining pattern.

I know for a fact that many highly-trained dressage horses can't be taken out on the trail without freaking out. I've heard it from the riders themselves - they don't want their horses to be calm in all situations because they think the horses won't have that extra "spark" or "fire" when they perform. Phooey on that! My goal is not to accomplish "one" task perfectly but to create a horse-human partnership that is capable of going anywhere and trying anything, whether they've ever been there and/or done that before or not. Whatever a "finished" horse is, I'm not sure I want one because I don't ever want to stop learning, and I don't want the journey ever to end. (Hence my sig. ;))

[FrancaV]

I respect his wishes and I agree that just because I want him to stand still doesn't mean that he should have too. I've watched him in the field and he's not one to stand under a tree for hours on end, he's almost constantly in motion. I attribute this to his more dominant personality. Of course three or four hours in a clinic with Joe Wolter and he was more willing to just stand around... at least until the cattle showed up.LOL! Yep, nothing like several hours at a clinic to teach a horse that value of standing still. And nothing like a few cows to get his attention and remind us that whenever we think our horse is utterly exhausted that may not necessarily be the case.... But I bet your guy will have a rather different reaction next time the cows come in. :)

I like hearing about your horse and how you've gotten along with him over the years. You're so lucky that you were taught early on that the horse is never wrong. Kids are sponges - they learn fast and absorb all sorts of ideas (hopefully good ones) with open minds. It's much more difficult for people to change their minds about something they learned as kids later on. That's what so many people struggle with.

I wasn't taught the horse is never wrong when I was a kid. But I also wasn't taught much that I liked about horsemanship either, so that when I returned to riding it was a relief to be shown something different. In a funny way it's a blessing I didn't get a lot of instruction when I was a youngster. I may have dodged a big bullet there. Horses came back into my life at the perfect time - when my life was organized to have a horse and there were people around who had already found what I was looking for and were willing to [try to] teach me. I have little time or inclination for regrets about the many horseless years - I don't know how happy I or those horses would have been. I have the perfect horse for me now and I wouldn't change a thing.

[red]

One thing that has helped me more than anything is a little bit of advice that one of my mentors shared with me..and that is this: "he does not get personally involved" with what the horse is doing...there is no wrong in the horse, but that sure does not excuse him from being a thinking animal... he makes his choice based on what is easiest for him..make the right thing easy...the right thing, of course, being what your bidding is for him at that particular moment.. you offer the horse a better deal, and he takes it or not...your job is to set him up so he can find it, and wait until he makes it. I read with interest, JRW's comments about being in a situation where she might get kicked. Siting the example of the lead mare, dolling out her responsibilities, as leader of the herd...the horse makes no distinction she will rarely intrude on you, but as she moves the underlings around, you might get some fallout.she doesn't give a rats ass if you are there or not..her agenda is to move them out..should you fail to read her intent, you get hurt. When you opt to enter a herd dynamic situation, unless you ARE the lead mare, or have enough presence and energy to light up a city, your ability to read the herd is paramount..understanding that it is not about you...when we humanize the horse, we take from him, the esscence of his "horseness"..you don't see the harm of this way, until it is to late..because you have already weakened your postion, and demeaned his. Finding a balance is key.
This is where I get cranked about some of the clinicians who teach people behaviors, and when the horse does not follow suit, the person does not have the tools to respond in a manner that protects himself, and honors the horse. Both can end up in harms way.
To say the horse holds the mirror, is an understatement..he doesn't care who you think you are, he knows who you really are..and he will tell on you.n
I hate when that happens...lol
I wonder how many of us, on this path have been bitten or kicked, in recent memory? Interesting. Perhaps Rays simple advice...THINK...is the most underated word in this whole deal...at one clinic I attended a middle aged woman asked him how come her horse bites her...and he said "why are you in the way?

[Mares Tales]

Wow, some really good replys to this thread. I`d like to stand upon what others have already said.

Nope, the horse is never wrong and the farther I get on my journey the more I realize how true this is.

Horses are wired for survival........what a horse does is always and somehow connected to his need for staying alive. He has no game plan, no agenda but to do that one thing:......LIVE. Horses are never out to get someone, nor are they wanting to make fools out of us.......the fools we become are ones we have made of ourselves because we did not understand the nature of horses. I`ve made a fool out of myself countless number of times but........I learned from it and then got on with making a fool out of myself for something new. (I have to laugh to myself when I see people smurking when someone else makes a mistake with their horse. I think....well if you haven`t made mistakes, then you haven`t learned much...simple as that. If you are trying, you are going to make mistakes. Of course if they keep making the same mistakes, perhaps it`s because they are scared. When we are scared, sometimes we turn off our brain, just like the horses do. We have to come from a place of okness to really use our brain. See the similarity to what our horses have to put up with? You have to be able to put yourself in anothers shoes, horse or human. THAT is what makes a really good horseman IMO)

People get into trouble with horses because they do not realize one simple thing....a horse does not always understand what our plans are for him, he lives in the moment. Humans sometimes expect him to know, maybe because they have done something before and he acted in such a way, or that he has so much experience and they take it for granted that the horse already knows what the humans plans are. Horses can not be programmed like computers, we have to prepare them in a way thats fitting to THEM. What seems as plain as day to a horse, can be a very different picture to a human and visa versa. What we need to do is see life through the horses eyes, feel what it`s like to be in his skin; his nervous system is different than ours and we feel that we have more control over our enviroment so we come from a more confident place. He knows that he needs to depend on us to keep him safe otherwise he will be very insecure and rely on self preservation and when he has to do that, it`s not a good thing and can be dangerous for the soft, breakable and small human in his way. It`s not the horses fault that the human got hurt, it`s the humans fault for not understanding what the horse was thinking and why he had to react at the time and in the way he did. And never never put yourself ABOVE a horse in importance.....you will find very quickly when your feet are no longer on the ground and your butt is in the saddle just how little real control you have unless you have some understanding, some connection and communication with that big four legged critter you are sitting on.

The responsibility for our own safety rests right on our shoulders; a horseman must learn to THINK! They need to learn to think about what they are doing with an animal much different than themselves( prey vs. predator) but in so many ways similar (thinking breathing decision making animal), think about how to prepare the horse for what we expect him to do (what happened before what happened happened), think about how to set things up to succeed. Think about how is the best way for that horse to understand us and see the logic in our request (givng them time by letting them search and release to reward the slightest try), think about how the horse sees and relates to the world around him (herd instinct, self preservation)........and on and on.

No, the horse is never wrong.

"What I am trying to teach you most people don`t even know exists." RH

My own take of what Ray was speaking about in that sentence is.....he is speaking about the true nature of horses, how they feel and react to their world, how nature has wired them to survive and how most people only come from where THEY are as humans without any consideration or thought of what its like to be a horse.

If a person fails to be aware enough or fails to try to understand the animal that they are working with, well, then that`s THEIR shortcoming, not the horses.

Finally,
The End.

[JRW]

I think I finally figured out what you are saying:

The horse bears no moral responsibility for doing what comes natural to horses.

Is that what it is about? Well, that sounds like a good thing.

Does this imply that horses do or don't make choices?

JRW

[FrancaV]

I read with interest, JRW's comments about being in a situation where she might get kicked. Siting the example of the lead mare, dolling out her responsibilities, as leader of the herd...the horse makes no distinction she will rarely intrude on you, but as she moves the underlings around, you might get some fallout.she doesn't give a rats ass if you are there or not..her agenda is to move them out..should you fail to read her intent, you get hurt. When you opt to enter a herd dynamic situation, unless you ARE the lead mare, or have enough presence and energy to light up a city, your ability to read the herd is paramount..understanding that it is not about you...when we humanize the horse, we take from him, the esscence of his "horseness"..you don't see the harm of this way, until it is to late..because you have already weakened your postion, and demeaned his. Finding a balance is key.Absolutely! And I would like to add to this if I may .... When I am not around, I want my horse to be a horse - to be able to take care of herself and of her "herd" if she's the lead mare wherever she lives. I can't be with her 24/7. If I'm not there to make the decisions then she needs to make them or she may not survive. Where am I going with this? What you said - if my body is in that herd but I have not made it clear to my mare that she's with me now and I'm leading the dance, well ... if I get stepped on or knocked over while she's handling something, that's my fault, not hers. I should have gotten the heck out of the way. I love to hang out at the fence and watch horses be horses. It's up to me to let my mare know if I'm suddenly doing something different. People are so good at being physically present with horses without being mentally present. A horse's natural self-preservation instinct will never let him do such a dangerous thing unless a human has taken the horse out of him.

This is where I get cranked about some of the clinicians who teach people behaviors, and when the horse does not follow suit, the person does not have the tools to respond in a manner that protects himself, and honors the horse. Both can end up in harms way.It's scary when it's not made crystal clear that the skills a clinician teaches over the course of one clinic are only a tiny percentage of that clinician's toolbox. Over years of working with perhaps hundreds of horses he's acquired a lot of tools, and the experience to know which one to grab for. Some of 'em may be dusty and buried at the bottom of the box because maybe he only had to use those once before, but if he's any good he knows exactly where each tool is when he needs it. (Still working on that....) It's the clinician's responsibility to tell those watching that they always need to be ready to change the plan - find a different tool - because the one's he's given them that are working now may not work tomorrow. The job that needed a simple nail today may one day require a bolt. But beyond that there's only so much a clinician can do. You and Mares both said it: people need to THINK. You don't throw common sense out the window just because a clinician showed you something that worked with one horse in a particular situation at one particular moment. It may work next time and it may not. You've got to be able to tell if it's working, first of all, and if it isn't you've got to try something else. If the right tool's not in your box and you don't know how to make one there's no shame in asking someone else. People needn't be too proud to get good help!

To say the horse holds the mirror, is an understatement..he doesn't care who you think you are, he knows who you really are..and he will tell on you.n
I hate when that happens...lolHeh heh. The horse always tells the truth. But I'll bet your horse has said plenty of good things about you, too. It's cool when your horse starts telling the eagle-eyed clinician that you're starting to become a good partner.
I wonder how many of us, on this path have been bitten or kicked, in recent memory? Interesting.I'll "bite". ;) I've been bitten by a horse (a filly, not my own) only once, about four or five years ago - from behind, over a fence as I was walking away. Oh yes, you could say I wasn't mentally present at the time.... I was bitten once by a parrot for the same reason. I've never been kicked. But every now and then I do get stepped on, last time was July 6, 2006. Time before that was July 9, 2005 (the other foot). Spooks, both times, and my foot was in the way. No need to remind me that July is coming up again real soon.

Perhaps Rays simple advice...THINK...is the most underated word in this whole deal...at one clinic I attended a middle aged woman asked him how come her horse bites her...and he said "why are you in the way?Classic Ray Hunt.

[FrancaV]

Does this imply that horses do or don't make choices?Horses make choices. Part of having a good partnership with a horse, I think, is to let him have choices to make. When he makes a choice it's his idea. When you encourage the choice that fits your plan, your idea becomes his idea and he'll feel a lot better about that than he will if you try to "make" him do something by removing all other choices.

[FrancaV]

Horses are wired for survival........what a horse does is always and somehow connected to his need for staying alive. He has no game plan, no agenda but to do that one thing:......LIVE. Horses are never out to get someone, nor are they wanting to make fools out of us.......the fools we become are ones we have made of ourselves because we did not understand the nature of horses.Oh, how I wish everyone understood this. I don't know if it really can be explained, though, because assigning human traits to animals is not rational; it comes from the emotional side of human nature. The idea that horses have no hidden agenda can be presented, but it's something people have to think about and feel for themselves before they can accept it as truth.

if you haven`t made mistakes, then you haven`t learned much...simple as that. If you are trying, you are going to make mistakes. Of course if they keep making the same mistakes, perhaps it`s because they are scared. When we are scared, sometimes we turn off our brain, just like the horses do. We have to come from a place of okness to really use our brain.Ugh. I can't tell you how much I wish that weren't true! They say fear is a good thing, that it helps keep you safe. Well, a little fear goes a long way. If it creates understanding and respect that's one thing, but if it paralyzes the brain that's quite another. I do not like being afraid.

People get into trouble with horses because they do not realize one simple thing....a horse does not always understand what our plans are for him, he lives in the moment. Humans sometimes expect him to know, maybe because they have done something before and he acted in such a way, or that he has so much experience and they take it for granted that the horse already knows what the humans plans are.It kind of pushes my buttons when I hear someone get angry with a horse and say something like, "He knows what he's supposed to do, he's just being a butthead."

"What I am trying to teach you most people don`t even know exists." RHGoes hand in hand with, "The first thing you need to know is the last thing you learn."

This is a great discussion. Thanks, everyone, for chiming in!

[red]

I got kicked in the chest 18 years ago, by a 5 day old foal I had to doctor...he had a stick stuck in his cornea, and he had to have eye goo gel stingy horrible medicine, 3 times a day, "until it was gone".. I had my daughter administer the goo, while I held him, arm around his chest, arm around his. Job done. I stood up, stood still, and as he shook off, he backed up one step, instead of trottin back to his mama, and fired on me...with purpose, and intent, I might add, and I did not see it coming, even tho I was standing right there, lookin at him...it just never occured to me the little guy would make a statement...got me good, too. That was the first, and only time I have ever been kicked..never been bit.

love,
red

[Scout]

A filly born at home... her first day on earth I went into the stall to check on things -- she landed a kick to my collar bone. She would stand with her butt to mama's side (mama had a healthy sense of self respect) pounding on her with those hind feet. Later she got foal scours and I had to load syringes of pepto bismol into her by myself. I can scarcely stand the smell of that stuff today!

A young talented aggressive gelding. I was on crutches after coming off of him. I'm crutching out to the barn with the horses turned out. He gallops past me, swerves into me and kicks me in the thigh. Really hurt my feelings -- have always been close to my horses...

Pecking order expressed. I understood my place in the herd.

[reata]

I can't remember the last time I got kicked LOL I think it could have been about 25 years ago while I was painting a horses feet black for a show.. I remember something about Hoof black all over my face and arm !!!
But I do remember the last time I got Bit.. It was by the head mare in my little herd. She can be a nasty mare to the other horses.. I had just given the herd a bale of hay and the head mare was munching away at it .. I was trying to share it round and was bent over in front of her.. one of the other horses came a little too close and I could see her expression change as she started to rush at him and told him GIT!! He went but my poor ASS was bent over in front of her so she bit it!!! BIG TIME!!! OMG!!! (____!__#_)
It went every colour imaginable and I couldn't ride for over a week!!!
LOL I did think for a moment the mare was VERY WRONG but I guess it was my own silly fault. I saw it coming and never did a darn thing about it .. :eek:

[Mulie]

It took me a while to come to understand this. For awhile I knew it sure wasn't my horses that were never wrong. Then I figured it must be true because people I respected said it. But I would still find myself thinking, why is this horse being such a knothead today? Indicating I really didn't understand the concept at all. It took a mule to teach me that the horse is never wrong. LOL. One day it just kind of hit me in a flash of intuition or something, although I'd sure turned it over in my brain for a long time before that. It's funny but when I took her out on the trail today I was kind of preoccupied with mulling over some of the comments I'd read about this. I really wasn't paying her much mind at all. She started snatching at grass, which was a behavior I thought we'd taken care of. I started to get annoyed, but then had to laugh at myself. I think she figured, Well if you're not "with" me, I'll just amuse myself.

[FrancaV]

It's funny but when I took her out on the trail today I was kind of preoccupied with mulling over some of the comments I'd read about this. I really wasn't paying her much mind at all. She started snatching at grass, which was a behavior I thought we'd taken care of. I started to get annoyed, but then had to laugh at myself. I think she figured, Well if you're not "with" me, I'll just amuse myself.LOL! Spoken like someone who totally gets it. The leader of the dance checked out so the backup stepped in. "Heck of a job, but someone's got to do it ... mmmm, this grass is good." :D