I remember visiting the Shire Horse Centre in Devon as a kid. There was a farrier’s demonstration with some old West Country character nailing shoes onto big ‘uns. At one point, the Shire horse started to rest its weight on the farrier’s back as he was bending down. He gave it a great almighty crack on the flanks with a 2 foot long rasp file, It didn’t even flinch, just straightened up a bit!
Stratobiker… All the monty/Pirelli stuff is dominance by a different method. Watch monty start from scratch , he chases the animal round the ring until it submits and wonders what the thing is that chasing him … From there on in its a case of the horse submitting to the tasks being asked … Knowing and trusting that monty by the nature of not being to outrun him at the start is the dominant one.
It may not be physical hitting, but it’s dominance.
I’m tote sick of this: some of the posters here are just talking a bunch of pony. Some people will see something entirely innocent and scream blue Red Rum because they don’t know any better. They’re champing at the bit to take offence to something, but those who know the SP will see things for what they are: the treatment that is appropriate depends on the situation. It’s horses for courses.
There is a battle of wills going on for sure, the other half has a horse and he’s known to be a right b’stard with strangers but he follows her around like a puppy, just treated with lots of kindness and with him lots. What I have seen a lot of down at the stables is tiny teenage girls leading 2/3 horses around no problems at all and yet their owners struggle with them. Calm confidence and lots of contact seems to work well. As for the ‘highly strung’ horses there’s the impact of the feeding they are given which plays merry hell with their digestive system and temperament as a result.