Re: RC: Re: Barefoot/Strasser/fads...

[Howard4567@aol.com]

In a message dated 6/28/01 1:32:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com writes:

> One of the "conditions" of wild horses is that they do not carry riders.  
> Another "condition" of wild horses is that for the most part, if they get 
> sore or tender, they can slow down or quit.  They are nomadic, but they 
> rarely travel at high speed for prolonged periods over difficult terrain.  
In 
> fact, one of the most reliable means of capture of wild horses in the early 
> days was to make them travel for several miles, pursuing them on shod 
horses, 
> until they were sufficiently sore to be able to capture them more easily. 

There's an island, up near Jacksonville, FL, where wild horses roam and live. 
 I went  there one weekend and got pretty close to them.  All I can say is 
they looked awful.  Just terrible!  I wanted to rope a couple and take them 
home cause they all looked like they had been abused.

Ribs were showing, hair was matted, and their feet looked really strange.  If 
this is what natural horsemanship is all about, you can have it.  I want 
nothing to do with it.  My guess is the horses in the wild, at least on this 
particular island, are lucky to live long enough to make it to TEN years old. 
 One of the rangers there told me he is always finding and removing dead 
foals and yearlings.

It might be different out west, and maybe up in Virginia, the Chincoteague 
ponies might be healthy enough to still write about.  All I know is the wild 
horses on this island in Florida need to be rescued and domesticated as soon 
as possible.  

Each horse, just like people, are unique creatures.  I'm sure some can 
perform quite well going barefoot, maybe, even in endurance.  But I really 
doubt if this trend is for most horses; I'm quite certain it's not for all of 
them.

I'm not so sure I want to get caught up in this natural, "in the wild" type 
of thinking, where we start believing that's better than domestication.  To 
me, that's like comparing camping in the woods, sleeping on the ground, with 
no running water, electric or toilet, to living in my house, with the 
AC/Heat, shower/bath, kitchen/fridge and king sized mattress.  I think I'll 
live longer and stay healthier in my house then out in the woods.  I know 
I'll smell better and be happier.

cya,
Howard