This is a thread for discussion of the article, Horses As I See Them By Ian McMurchy. i am a horseman that uses horses to hunt and i bet i get at least one story like this from the greenhorn bushwackers that think that hunting is easy and fun the truth is that hunting is hard work and we do it because we love it and the horses that i use love it to (as long as you leave them in camp with plenty of hay)and we have great names for them to foxy (hellbitch), or Ramsieys (puss in boots) and Misty (migrane) the names that we use for friends are not in parithesies the names that we use after the trip are. but there all gentle and i let my kids ride them but my kids are probably better friders than most of my friends. i also have a welsh pony named danny that is a pain to steer and likes to be in charge but you can shoot off of him and he can pack out just about as much as any full size horse.
"There's nothing better for the inside of a man than the outside of a horse". - Pat Parelli. Mine are my partners. There are knotheads, but we don't keep those around. A man has to recognize that humans and equines process stimulate quite differently. We are predators. Our eyes face forward, we eat meat and smell like it, our response to threat is to engage. Horses are prey animals. Their brains are split and both halves have to be trained. Their fright flight instinct is their response to threats. Visually they don't perceive the world as we do. Gain their trust and they will carry you through thick and thin. Break their trust and you are on your own. Take the time to learn to think like a horse and communicate in their language. Trust and respect are the foundations of leadership. Relationships with horses are like any other. You get what you give. Many still subscribe to the old cowboy ways. Most bad horses are made and not born.