Re: RC: Re: Breeds

[RhndLev@cs.com]

You've been lucky, Pat.  My first Arabs were well-bred on paper anyway, had 
good conformation, but were not at all NICE.  I spent hundreds of hours with 
the first taming her and teaching her manners, watching John Lyons and Pat 
Parelli videos and trying those techniques on her, etc, etc.  After three 
years, I could easily handle her in situations she was used to, but EVERY new 
situation or thing required starting all over with the entire de-spooking 
process.  [Her full sister was the same way.]  Then one day, when I thought I 
had the horse thoroughly de-spooked, she charged my children with her teeth 
bared and ears laid back.  My children were standing at the fence line 
feeding the other horses grass and doing nothing threatening.  I paid 
$6500.00 for the mare and sold her after she charged my kids for $500.00 and 
still feel like I ripped the person off.  The person I sold her to, BTW, says 
that Dancer is the best behaved Arabian that she has ever dealt with.  

On the other hand, I agreed to give a retirement home to a Raseyn 
granddaughter and have never regretted it.  She is great with my kids and a 
wonderful friend.  My Padron Psyche daughter has a wonderful disposition and 
is very mellow.  I'm leasing a line-bred Gulastra mare and while she is a 
little hot, she doesn't have a mean bone in her body.  A good horse is a good 
horse.  The problem I've run into with the Arabians is that too few breeders 
now think that disposition matters and/or certain halter trainers are 
encouraging psychotic behavior in the horses.

Rhonda and Special