My man got me a subscription to a horse magazine and I'm still in that period where I am surprised at what I see inside.
The photo of the month was a horse peeing. Germans are not shy about bodily functions in general.
This person (near us!) will buy your horse and slaughter it for you. Horse slaughter in Germany is humane. This is the way it should be in America.
I get a kick out of what they call American. If it looks like a Sports Medicine boot, it goes in the American section of the magazine/catalog.
This is an American style halter based on the fact it has a buckle or two, or perhaps based on the shape of the hardware?
This is the ubiquitous German halter. They use cheek snaps instead of undoing a buckle for haltering. This is what I've seen on every horse I've ridden here. I have not figured out how to drop the halter around the neck when bridling a horse (without taking it completely off).
However when Baasha was a baby we used a cheek snap on him to get him used to more ear handling. It's a nice trick for bridle training.
Then there is an article about leading horses. They compare two different methods for leading a horse.
The first method is what they call Classic leading, the one most of us learned. (Note the panic snap on the rope - this is also the norm here.)
The second method is what they call "Western leading" where the reins or rope hangs down and the horse walks a bit more behind you than beside. This is what caused my surprise - why are they calling it Western? Perhaps because statistically speaking more Western riders are apt to lead this way (?), but they shouldn't call it Western when so many other disciplines do it. I believe the term for it is "light leading" (or did I make that up?)
The horse must exercise discipline and position himself according to the person's movements like a dog who has been trained to heel rather than being continually physically manipulated by a leash/collar.
After having tired arms for years, I've decided this is the way to go. Baasha knows where I want him and stays there. But funnily, if I revert back to Classical leading, the slack eventually goes out of the rope and my arm starts getting used again. HM!
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12 comments:
Very interesting.....I think it's nice to be able to read in German I really missed having magazines while there. Have a wonderful Saturday!
Lytha, thanks for checking out our blog. I look forward to reading yours. The magazine comparisons were fun. Betty and I definitely do the western/light leading with our horses.
Regards,
Dan
Corrales, NM
Very interesting! I like halters with the cheek snaps too, but they disappear around this place.
We're light leaders too I would say, unless we're in a show class.
Neat to see a German horse magazine.
Frau, I cannot read it with 100% accuracy, but I try!
DBCooksey, I have so much to say to you about your Facade post!
Mikey, who came up with the term Light Leading? was it Mugwump? she certainly helped me understand it.
Lytha, I think from what I've heard the "Western" lifestyle/riding thing is big in Europe these days, so I suppose any variation towards it is a marketing plus.
I only have one of those halters with the cheek snap--I got it as a package deal somewhere--and it's the biggest halter on the place, so of course Kate [of the huge QH jaw] gets it usually. It IS easier to slip on and off bridle-style, but you're right, the only way to use it around the neck would be to unbuckle it (instead of unsnap), but that's what we'd do with a "regular" halter, right? I mostly like the other style, because I don't like all the extra straps for adjustment under the chin, and the sliding lead ring.
As for leading, in a way the "Western leading" is more casual, if not quite sloppy. I would never use that for a young horse or one I didn't know would respect my space. But with all of mine, they pretty much know the drill...
Thanks for the look at another cultural perspective.
btw, in that first photo, the horse is peeing, but what in the world is the rider doing? Mounting/dismounting? or exaggerating the whole "getting off the kidneys" thing?
That is a strange picture of a horse peeing and the rider doing who knows what. Perhaps it is an EU regulation and he is following "Your-a-peein" standards?
Back to serious again. As for leading, the loose method would be sold in the UK as "natural horsemanship". If the horse has learned to position himself and follow the handler's movements then it's a trained behaviour - and a good and helpful one. It's a lot safer, not least when leading a horse across rough terrain.
Very interesting post and a review on German Horse magazines. The horse peeing...was that an article about what to do when a horse needs to pee, or was it just there for basically no reason? lol!
The gal doing the "western leading" might have the longest legs I have ever seen a woman before. wow!
~Lisa
evensong: you got it. exactly. western is cool and new, this type of leading is cool, so let's call it western!
about that rider on the peeing horse - my man helped me understand the "cute" german description of it. the chick didn't want to get pee on her feet. aha. right. has that ever happened in the history of riding horses? a horse succeeding to pee on a mounted rider's feet? *shakes head*
WHP: natural horsemanship would be an even better description of this method because it is discipline-neutral. mostly, haha.
Lisa: it was a "picture of the month", not an article.
about that lady's legs, i took the photo from an angle so it appears her legs and the horse's feet are huge. oops!
I 'light lead' most of our horses, but not the spooky one as I wouldn't want him to spook and run into me. Natural horsemanship people tell you that it's better for the horse, as mares would lead them and stallions would push them on from behind, so it's more natural for the horse.
autumn mist, can you elaborate?
i'm really interested in this topic.
(finally able to bully my computer into letting me comment!)
I love your German horse mag posts. So many interesting things, thanks for sharing.
re: leading
I teach horses to lead "classically" at home, but on the trail I generally want them behind me rather than beside me, as our trails are often skinny and *I* don't want to be pushed into the mud/bushes. Toad never did get good at following, but Story and Hana picked it up almost immediately (Fiddle took some extra inforcement of "my dance space v. your dance space"); they not only follow respectfully, but they also actually put their front feet into my footprints on narrow trails.
There's some would say that walking in front of a horse is unsafe, because if the horse gets spooked, he'll run over the top of you, but mine have learned the sacred nature of my space and will throw themselves into a tree trunk instead of into me. And seriously: if they are able to make a choice like that while spooking, I have to question how panick-y they actually are....
WV: pawsh
a footstep-quieting spray or ointment used by kitties. "New PAWSH with extra sneakiness formula!"
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