Roll in the Grass - horse rolling oil painting illustration

6 X 8 Oil on Canvas Panel $115
SOLD to a Virginia Collector

Caught Dandy rolling in the grass this past summer - she sure enjoyed getting that itchy spot scratched. You cannot watch a horse stick all four legs in the air and not laugh. It's impossible. Once fatty PJ got stuck momentarily upsidedown and I thought I was going to laugh my guts out!
Had another saddling experience with Dandy today, and like I expected, we had a bit more attitude. No real bucking, just aggravating kicks at me as I made her run around the round pen, change direction and speed up and slow down. We both were pretty pooped after 20 minutes, but the results were great. This time I left the halter on and tied the lead rope to the saddle horn - just tight enough to prevent her from lowering her head to eat. THAT made her mad at first, but then she paid attention to me.
I never let my horses graze when they are tacked up - it shows them that I am the one in charge, not them. But don't worry, they get rewarded later - after they have stood patiently tied for 30 minutes.
Consistency is the key to training a horse AND raising children. Both depend on rules that they can rely on, and it's not cruel to enforce them - fairly. I have found that the best way to train horses and children (and even husbands) is to make good behavior easier than bad behavior. This does NOT mean I don't believe in corporal punishment - if a horse bites or kicks me, they get it back from me twice as bad. A lot of people make the mistake of treating a horse like a dog, and I can attest that that never works. Most horses need a leader and respond best to someone who acts and behaves bossier than them. That doesn't mean you have to have an alpha personality to be a good horseman, but it helps....
Proverbs 14:26
He who fears the LORD has a secure fortress, and for his children it will be a refuge.

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