Re: Matach made in heaven

[SandyDSA@aol.com]

Sorry - but all anthropomorphizing aside, no  horse knows he is drop dead
gorgeous - lots of MEN think so, but horses have no such "thoughts". Sometimes
it SEEMS like they do. Neither is my one testy horse in a "foul mood". They
are just horses - rective, with temperament differrences - and hormonal
changes. Horses' behaviour is a product of both environment and genetics. A
stallion who is very vocal is simply loaded with testosterone - and other
things! In addition, careful discipline that works beautifully for one may not
work for another. Our stallion - who has IMPECCABLE manners, sometimes will
spot a known companion in the line for vet check and let out a whinny.  A
brief verbal reprimand keeps him from extrapolating on his discourse! On teh
other hand, we have seen numerous stallions who not only scream incessantly,
but leap and rear and spin and barge into other horses. Differences in
management as well as hormones tend to determine how well or poorly behaved
that a horse - even a mare - ultimately is. I have seen people smack a
stallion's privates for whinneying, and I have seen individuals who think it
hysterically entertaining to encourage their stallion to spin and wheel and
rear in the line. With all the grey area in teh middle of appropriate
discipline, I can't imagine why either of these human behaviours is ever
carried on.

In the end, a badly behaved stallion is a turn-off to us, since we can't
possibly know if it is genetic or bad management - or BOTH! By the wya, a
badly behaved mare or gelding is also a turn-off, just generally not as risky
a horse to have around as the boys. As added protectoin against the unforseen,
even with our docile stallion, we insure him heavily - the whole smack!
Sandy