Possibly. But I’ve known at least two adult women, middle aged women, who sat and read out loud to their horses.
[QUOTE=SuzieQNutter;8787133]
Every horse is different. Some I never raise a hand to. I would if they did something nasty and they know that! [/QUOTE]
How in the world do “they know that” you would hit them, if you never did? Someone did.
[QUOTE=Scribbler;8795414]
Possibly. But I’ve known at least two adult women, middle aged women, who sat and read out loud to their horses.[/QUOTE]
In college, I used to set up in the pasture and read textbooks aloud to my guy. He was particularly partial to Christianity and Leisure: Issues in a Pluralistic Society. He did not enjoy Recreation Programming: Designing Leisure Experiences as evidenced by the very large bite mark on the side of the book.
[QUOTE=CaitlinandTheBay;8796103]
In college, I used to set up in the pasture and read textbooks aloud to my guy. He was particularly partial to Christianity and Leisure: Issues in a Pluralistic Society. He did not enjoy Recreation Programming: Designing Leisure Experiences as evidenced by the very large bite mark on the side of the book.[/QUOTE]
I actually used to do this in college too. I sat in my mare’s stall, alternately reading and brushing her (and at times crying) during exam weeks. It was better to learn about organic chemistry with a buddy. 
On the more ridiculous side, my sister left her dog at doggie daycare when we went on vacation one time. The place offered 3 different levels of care, the highest of which included reading the dog a bedtime story every night. I’m happy to say that she did not pay for this service, however.
All I’m going to say is read the OP’s earlier posts…
[QUOTE=Daisyesq;8795448]
How in the world do “they know that” you would hit them, if you never did? Someone did.[/QUOTE]
By that I mean I don’t pussy foot around them. I mainly use positive reinforcement. Uh uh for no and Good boy or Good Girl for yes. I ask. I never order or demand. But when I ask I expect them to do it now. Not next week, next day, next hour, next minute, next stride or next second. Now.
You are teaching a being that does not speak English. I inherently believe that horses want to please you and will do their best for you. They just need to understand what you want and they will do it. It is up to you to find what they understand as you cannot tell them in English what you want. What works on once horse does not 100% work on another horse. You need to find the language that horse understands.
It is also easier to train a horse than it is to retrain.
A problem 2 hours ago with our gelding. Next door have moved the foals. Or should I say HIS foals. He is terribly upset. This means that his mind is elsewhere. It is not on us and that is dangerous.
This is the 4th time it has happened. Normally he is trained to come when called, stand still while you do anything and is good to ride.
This morning he would not even come down for his carrots. That was the first sign that something was wrong. In the past it was that next door sold the mares and foals, the next time that they moved a new stallion in.
We don’t hit. There wouldn’t be any point. It would only upset him more. He has been trained to stand still with a pull and release as per John Chatterton’s teaching. We don’t hold him tight. We hold him loose and when he goes to do anything like run through us, I give a pull and release. When he stands he is praised.
I have now locked him in the cattle yard. It used to take him 3 days to calm down again before he would even graze. I see he is grazing again already well for 10 seconds at a time, but each time gets a little longer.
In the past he has cantered for one day, trotted for the 2nd day and paced for the third day and then back to the normal old horse on day 4, but now too tired to be ridden.
This time maybe it won’t be 3 days as he is not that fit. But that point is moot as he is not in work at the moment so would be having tomorrow and the next day off anyway.
Yes he probably has been hit by other people. He came here after being a racehorse, being bought by someone who sent him to a professional trainer and then sold to a riding school, where he bit one person and kicked at 2 staff.
He has not kicked or bitten anyone here… yet. He has been here about 6 years or so I suppose. 99% of the time he is not like he is today, so hitting him would just be pointless.
As I said every horse is different.
I had a rescue come here. I put him on the lunge in the cattle yard. He seemed okay, so then took him out into the paddock. H decided to make a run for it, but cut across the circle to do so. I had plenty of time to see what he was doing. I dropped the whip. Grabbed the lunge rein and pulled when he hit the end of it. That turned him around to face me.
I then picked up the whip. WELL. I now had a quivering, shaking, scared to death horse on the end of the line. He was sure I was going to belt him with the whip.
I dropped the whip and spoke to him. I went slowly hand over hand up to him so as he could not escape. When i got to him. I stroked him. Gently to start with and then Power strokes from the top of the neck to the shoulder on both sides.
I talked to him. I told him that he was a good boy. He was the most magnificent horse at the end of this lunge rope. He was the handsomest horse in the paddock. All the while stroking him.
He relaxed.
I went back to lunging and I never hit him. His whole demeanor changed. The sun shone out of me. My husband even commented on how his face lit up when I came into view. He would do anything for me and that was because I did not hit him.
People paid their money. Came and took him back. He wouldn’t go in their float. I had to put him in. I had to sadly say goodbye. I never got a thank you or anything and heard nothing about what happened to him from then on.
My gelding Pepper. I had him from rising 7 to when we lost him in his 30’s. I never raised a hand to him. I never needed to and if I did he was the type who it would be detrimental for. The year I retired him he won every single event I took him in.Dressage, Showjumping, Combined Trainings, our gymkhana day. One One Day Event by 66 points. He stayed with me and taught my husband to ride.
I have never heard of people reading to their horses. I have heard in a vet lecture that 100% of horses with radios have ulcers. The theory being that they are a prey animal and prefer quiet. The radio all the time is disquieting to them. I wonder if the same can be said for reading to them. I would suppose it depends on the length of time.
