Glens Falls (NY) Online Book Discussion Group discussion

Last year I met a lady who owned a horse. She took me to the stable where she boarded him. It was a whole new world for me. I've often wondered how horses compare to dogs as pets. Dogs react immediately to their owners' every move. How do horses show their excitement and satisfaction when their owners give them attention?

Any horse owners here? Or horse lovers? I'll bet there are plenty. After all, we're located so close to the Saratoga race tracks!

I was born with horses & dogs around & have always had them. I have none of my own now. It's the women in my life that are horse & dog crazy. I was riding before I could walk, but never got the craze. I rode a lot until I was a teenager & found that girls & motorcycles were more to my tastes. I still ride occasionally. We rode around the Shaker Village near Harrodsburg, KY a couple of months ago.

We have 3 horses, a pony & 4 dogs now - soon we'll be getting a litter of Jack Russell puppies. We generally have one litter a year as my wife sells them to make her hay money. Her regular job pays for the normal maintenance, but hay is a big expenditure.

Horses aren't generally pets - not the way dogs are - our dogs, anyway. Our dogs sleep with us & have the run of the house. Like us, they're omnivores.

Our horses are Thoroughbreds, ex-race horses. The pony is an old Welsh my daughter used for games, driving & we generally just hop on whenever we feel like going for a walk, without actually walking.

Horses are prey animals & the Thoroughbreds are very high strung. A windy day can have their eyes bugging out & them jumping out of their skins. They're also about a 1/2 ton.

Good manners are a MUST. No cuddling or jumping up on a person can be allowed, obviously. They nip each other all the time. I still have a scar under my arm from the last time one nipped me. (He found out that is a very bad idea & will no longer try that on anyone.)

Ponies & other breeds of horses can be a lot smarter & mellower than Thoroughbreds. Not all are. They are individuals. They're not as smart as dogs, generally.

They have unique personalities. Cutter, my wife's latest project is a 6 year old. He's a lover & likes lots of attention. Topaz, my daughter's 12 year old is a grouch. (She says he is like me.) Blue, my wife's old horse is a clown. Never go near him with food or drink. He LOVES beer & chocolate chip cookies. He will go to great lengths to take either one away from you.

So yes & no. They're people, but not like dogs are people.

I enjoyed your post immensely, Jim. Loved the part about the horse finding out that nipping you was "a very bad idea". What did you do to convinve him of that? (g)

I can't believe your are a grouch. (g) What does grouchy Topaz do earn the reputation of being a grouchy horse?

How does a horse attempt to get the food he sees you with? I have to suppose he nudges with his nose. Our litte Maltese dog, Romeo, nudges when he wants to be scratched. And when our son's big dog Alice nudges, you KNOW you are being nudged. She is strong and has a big snoot. Pic here: ===>

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL25/9...

I have very little experience with horses. My friend and I rented horses for a few hours when we were kids. My horse knew I was a newbie. He wandered off the path and ate grass while my friend galloped away. He also embarrassed me in front of everyone passing because he was constantly passing gas. I hope they didn't think it was me. I understand that horses can be very gassy.

I often feel sorry for the horses who have to pull tourist carriages on Beach Road in Lake George Village, NY, especially during the hot weather. I hope they give them plenty of water, poor things.

It must be exciting to own an ex-race horse. I'll bet he could tell lots of interesting stories. Reminds me of the book, _Black Beauty_, by Anna Sewell, in which a horse tells of his experiences with different owners. Below is a book-cover-link to the book: ===
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I gave the book to my grandson as a gift. I hope he will read it some day. (g)

When Topaz bit me, I promptly educated him with my foot in his belly while yelling at him. It didn't hurt him at all, but it sure scared him. He lost his appetite for meat after that. Topaz is always grumpy. Has his ears pinned back & generally looks sour. Tries to get out of work, but once he gets into it he's a pretty good horse.

Blue will rip food right out of your hand or pocket if he can. The pocket may go with the food. Very rude. He knows better with us now, but it was tough when he & the kids were young. Like most horses, he likes to nibble on things. Their lips are amazingly flexible & sensitive.

All horses can be exciting, sometimes too much so. I think everyone in the family has spent some time in the hospital due to horse riding accidents. My oldest was very near death for several days after his horse broke its leg & crushed his chest. It was 6 days before he was breathing on his own. My daughter spent several days in surgical ICU for a ruptured spleen. The rest were just broken bones &/or stitches. Still, we ride.

Black Beauty is an old favorite of all of ours along with Misty of Chincoteague. We used to live in Maryland, just south of Lancaster, until last year. I actually met Stormy & Paul when I was about 6, I think. (They may have lied. I liked it though.)

I guess Topaz learned his lesson. I wonder if he's grumpy because he doesn't feel well.

Interesting about horses' lips being flexible and sensitive. If you hold a carrot up to a horse's mouth, would he ever bite your finger while trying to get the carrot? I've often wondered about that.

Too bad about the injuries your family sustained from horses. The friend I mentioned in an earlier post had her collarbone broken when she fell from her horse. My mom had a perpetual scar on her forehead from being thrown by a horse.

I had never heard of _Misty of Chincoteague_. I clicked on your link and read about it. I've never been to the island of Chincoteague, but I remember my son speaking about it.

Who are Stormy and Paul?

Topaz feels fine. He's just a grump. Like some people, some horses just don't have a sense of humor.

Horses have taken people's fingers off. It's an accident, but you always need to put the food in the center of the palm & keep your hand flat. They can't see your hand & a finger is just another interesting bump.

Injuries are part of the game - like breaking a leg if you ski a lot. Horses are prey animals & are wired with a panic/flight mode. They'll be going along calm as tea & suddenly burst into action. That's what happened to Erin & she fell under Topaz. His hoof either kicked or came down on her belly & ruptured her spleen. We've all had it happen dozens of times. Often you stay on, but sometimes you fall off & generally get bruised a bit.

Mom raised a bunch of fawns over the years. They were even more skittish. I'd almost swear they could teleport sometimes they'd move so fast & sudden.

Stormy was Misty's foal & Paul was Misty's owner. It's a really great series of stories. Put it on your 'To-Read' list if you get a chance. They're YA books, quick to read.

Jim, I've added _Misty of Chincoteague_, by Marguerite Henry, to my to-read list. That list is getting very long! :) Maybe I can read it with my grandkids. That would be a good thing to do together. I always like to expand their horizons. I wish someone had done more of that with me when I was a kid. My mom did have an old copy of _The Prince and the Pauper_ lying around. That book started my interest in reading.

Thank you for sharing your knowledge of horses and fawns with us. I'm finding it very informative, especially the part about keeping my hand flat, etc., when I offer food to a horse, not that I'm gonna do that too often. :)

Give Topaz a scratch for me. Is that what horses like? Or a pet on the nose? Do they like that? Perhaps an apple is better? A whole apple or a piece?

That would be a great book to read with the grandkids, I would think.

We give the horses 'Horse Treats', generally. The ones we have are some kind of compressed feed with molasses in it. Apples are fine as are the occasional peppermint. I think chocolate is OK in small amounts, but like dogs, it isn't great for them, even though they love it.

It's funny to think of a horse enjoying peppermint. What would a horse do with a whole apple uncut? Would they be able to chomp the whole thing at once? Or do they just nibble small things?

You asked me why I wanted a farm & the reason is I've always lived on one. Of course, when I was 18, I couldn't get away fast enough. It's a lot of work having a farm. There's always something that needs to be done & you never get caught up, but it is very peaceful & beautiful. Lots of wildlife.

Last night, my wife was finishing up in the barn - it was dark & she had the lights on. Suddenly, a Screech Owl flew in just above her head & landed on one of the roof beams. He stayed there as she finished up. She told me about it later, so I went out with the camera & took some pictures. Turning on lights, rattling the gate & taking flash pictures did nothing to move him, although I think he's perfectly healthy. We had a similar experience with a Snowy Owl years ago. Stubborn critters.

Horses will bite the apple in two, slobbering all over your hand, crunch a bit & then get the second piece. It's hard to keep the apple from falling between bites, so they often eat it off the ground. Personally, I cut it into chunks for them. Horse slobber isn't that appealing, especially to wear, although we often do. They often thank you by rubbing their slobbery mouth against you.

I've noticed most people who work with animals a lot aren't as fussy about dirt & stuff as people who don't. Hair & dust are about impossible to keep down to manageable levels in our house. Never wear dark colors to our house. White Jack Russell hair is always on the furniture. It's their furniture too & if a person sits down, well their lap is just naturally made for dog comfort - right?

Jim, about the farm, the words which stand out in your post are "very peaceful and beautiful". Reason enough.

Interesting about the owl. We occasionally see owls at Lake George. I saw one once sitting on a telephone wire on Route 9N in Hague. They don't do much but sit there. (g)

About the horse slobbering, remind me not to feed a horse a whole apple. :)

I've given up the fight against dust and dog hair. It gets cleared away only when it insists on being obvious.

I have a lovely framed embroidery-like sampler which says: "You may touch my dust but please do not write in it."

"You may touch my dust but please do not write in it." I LOVE it!!! Perfect for us. I haven't done any embroidery in ages, but I might just pick up something & make my wife a pillow for her birthday with that on it.

LOL - I'm sure she'd treasure it if you embroidered it, Jim. (g) So... you do embroidery too? Amazing.

You could always print out the quote and frame it. I've done that with several of my favorite quotes, adding some small images.

Guess where I found that framed quote... in Chappaqua, NY, at a gift shop. The gift shop was named after Horace Greeley, if I remember correctly. He had a home there and was editor of the NY Tribune.

I don't think the store is there anymore because I can't find it online. Maybe they re-named it. Anyway, now that the Clinton's live there, my sampler takes on greater significance, for some strange reason.

Not much embroidery but I've done a little. I have one embroidery that I framed. I made the frame out of some birch I had left over from a log cabin I helped rebuild. I had to make all the window frames from scratch & the scraps were too nice to toss.

I sew, knit & crochet some too. While I do all the sewing at our house, my skills are minimal. I fiddle as needed or get the whim. I made the curtains for my bedroom & some pillows, but one of our dogs ate all the latter. I have my grandmother's sewing machine. Now she could sew. She made clothes & stuff.

I get bored easily, so if I have something around to do with my hands while watching TV or talking, I'm happier.

I'm sure the sampler is happier in its present company. ;-)

Jim, you are incredible. I suppose you maintain your own vehicles too. I thought my husband was Mr. Fixit, but you surpass him. But wait... he cooks and shops... do YOU? LOLOL

PS-Don't ask me what I do... Not much of anything. (g)
I don't know how I get away with it. :)

I maintain the tractors & change the oil on the cars, but my next door neighbor owns his own garage & has all the tools that are needed now. I find it too convenient to let him have the keys, fix it & return it to my door step that evening.

Marg does the shopping & I don't even know how to use our new dishwasher. Too many buttons (this coming from a systems engineer, I know...). I do cook occasionally, but Marg's in charge of feeding all the beasties - me included. She does the laundry, we both ignore the iron & both do vacuuming/dusting/cleaning when we can't ignore the dust rabbits any more.

For our 25th wedding anniversary, instead of going on a cruise, we bought the place in KY & wound up getting separated for 6 weeks. (She & Erin had to finish the school year in MD.) We were both amazed by it. We take for granted what the other one does.

I had to call her up to find out what size clothes I wear. I had no idea. I had to walk her through some of the bill paying. I KNOW we both have done both before getting married. Neither of us is stupid, we just got to trusting the other to do the job so entirely that all thoughts of it went out of our heads. It's a real eye-opener.

I highly recommend it for all couples. Get separate houses for a month. You have a whole new appreciation for your spouse. Of course, then she moved in & rearranged all the cabinets so it took me a month to figure out where everything was again!

Sounds like you both have a good division of chores between you.

I'm supposed to do the cleaning and clean-up jobs. I'd rather do that than cook because the former can be done when one finds time, but cooking must be according to the meal schedule. Our division of chores seems to work for us. I do appreciate all Ed does.

Moving can be a traumatic experience. Articles get lost and new routines must be learned. Light switches are in different places. They aren't found automatically until some time passes. Even transferring from a vacation home and back again each year isn't easy.

Your neighbor must be a big help.

Truly enjoyed reading through this discussion.

I was raised on a farm, come from a family of farmers, and am still just "a country girl at heart" even though we now live in Phoenix. Some of my best memories from childhood are horseback riding with my cousin and friends. Had several ponies when I was little and they can be truly onry! I remember being all dressed to go to a birthday party and a pony we had just gotten, got out of the pasture. We chased that silly thing forever, through the cornfields, etc! I remember always feeding the ponies sugar cubes which they loved!

Through the years we have raised several 'wild' animals who were orphaned or something. I raised two baby fawns when my boys were little. One was orphaned when it's mother was hit by a car; the other was found swimming in a lake and boaters picked it up out of the water and brought it to the office where I was the manager. They should have left it alone because then they couldn't remember exactly where it was they picked it up at. So I raised that one too.

Raised a wild baby bunny after the dog rustled up a nest and killed all the rest of them. I remember Daddy saying, it will never live. By golly it sure did live, though it never tamed down much and we released it on Easter Sunday which was very memorable!

My granddaughter who is 3 now lives on the farm with her parents right next to my mother. She is always excited to go see 'Bridget' a miniature horse that my cousin has! Give her a few years and her MiMi (me!) will get a pony for her too!

Thanks for bringing back wonderful memories!

Cindy, thanks for sharing those wonderful memories with us. It's amazing what you've done for those animals. Bless you.

Cindy wrote: "I was raised on a farm, come from a family of farmers, and am still just "a country girl at heart" even though we now live in Phoenix. Some of my..."

Wow, we have a very similar story, Cindy. There are a lot of great memories & while we just have a small, 'gentleman's' farm now, it's enough room to keep them going. A lot less work too, although the commute to work is long. My job requires a city to work in.

Joy H. (of Glens Falls) wrote: "Last year I met a lady who owned a horse. She took me to the stable where she boarded him. It was a whole new world for me. I've often wondered how horses compare to dogs as pets. Dogs react immedi..."

Joy, As a dog lover from he age of four ("Mummy mummy pleeeze can we have a dog!!") I have had a lot of good friendships with dogs. I always wanted to develop a similar relationship with a horse. It never quite came off (though I have, several times). I think because I'm always still a bit frightened of horses, although I've ridden since my teenage years, owned and showed horses. They're big and strong and you're sitting on their back! And as the horse itself is a prey species, it's built into its mentality to be scared. Not a good combination.

On the brief occasions I achieved a real partnership with a horse - one particular occasion when I rode a round of small jumps - it was enough to show me how brilliant it can be. He was enjoying himself and so was I and we were both doing our level best to achieve something. Together.

I love the work Monty Roberts does. To have the patience, empathy and knowledge to develop that kind of relationship with a horse is absolutely fantastic. Watching him at work really is like watching a magician.

Jim will understand the reference! (Can't post to Good Reads without a plug for Cloak of Magic....)

By the way, I would have to say that one of my favourite books of all time is Black Beauty. Especially when you think when it was written, it is an outstanding work of imagination. I read it again recently, and still remember sitting in bed when I was about 13 with tears pouring down my face when Ginger died....

Sue

Hi Sue,
Thanks for the interesting post. I can imagine the grand feeling of being in partnership with a horse at the same task, doing a round of jumps. I always wonder how much horses enjoy what people make them do. I guess you can tell from their eagerness to perform.

It was fun reading about your experiences with horses. BTW, I have your book on my to-read list. I've heard wonderful things about it.

I think you defintely know when a horse is a willing partner or a conscript! My kids had a pony called Dillon, small, tough, and full of native cunning. He was a real character. Because the girls were quite young ( and we don't have much money or land!) I used to ride him too.

I trusted him absolutely with the kids when they were riding over the fields - he never did anything he thought would be dangerous. But he would play up something dreadful in the indoor school: because he was bored!!! He was a terror. But he lalways loved jumping, and as soon as we put up a jump he tank off round the school and leap over it.

Once, he did this with my daughter at such speed he slipped going round the school and went down on his side. Fortunately my daughter was thrown clear and neither pony nor rider were hurt. But Dillon didn't half learn a lesson! He never did that again.

I also had a Connemara/Thoroughbred cross who was the complete opposite of our beloved Dillon. The most accident prone horse I've ever come across. Stubbornness of a Connemara and the brains of a Thoroughbred.

Hope you enjoy the book. Being a "fake history" it does have elements of the saga in it so - having noted your comments about casts of thousands - I'll be interested to see how you get on with it.

Sue

I would love to know the personalities of different horses, as you do. I often talk about the different personalities of our dogs. So the feeling of closeness must be similar.

When I was teaching elementary school years ago, I came to know the personality of each student fairly well. I often wondered if their parents knew the intellectual side of their minds as well as I did. Because I monitored their learning so closely, especially when correcting their papers and working with them individually, I felt that I knew how well their minds worked.

Let's face it, living things are interesting! :)

And so are books. Yes, I hope to get to read your book soon and meet your myriad characters. (How many are there?) Have you checked my to-read list lately? It's growing by leaps and bounds. I'm sure I owe that to Goodreads good influence. I just sent my husband to our newly enlarged library to pick up 2 more books. :)

Can't wait to hear what he says about the new library.

Nice chatting with you, Sue.

"Brains of a Thoroughbred" = Retarded Chicken
At least, that's what I tell my ladies & I'm only half joking. They can do the strangest, most brainless things.

Ponies, on the other hand, can be extremely smart. All ours have been characters. Most are escape artists. When we first met, Marg had a Welsh pony who wandered the farm at will. Put him in a stall with the half door shut (making it a 4' jump from a stand still) & if he felt like leaving, he did. Needless to say, 3' post & rail fences between fields were 'suggestions' not obstacles. Tying him unattended meant he either untied the shank or chewed through it, whether cotton, nylon or rubber. If he hadn't been so cute & good to ride, he probably would have been shot.

Jim, I didn't know thoroughbred horses could be stupid.

You've reminded me of our dog, Romeo. He's an escape artist too. When we first brought him home, I barricaded him in the kitchen. He got out every time. Had to buy a crate until he was trained.

Marg's pony sounds like a character.