Thursday, April 12, 2012

Something I May Have Never Thought Of On My Own...

When I dropped my "baby" Fiona off at Brian's- The Washington Trainer- we went over all the basics.  What I've done with her, how she reacted.  If she had ever bucked, reared, pulled back, bitten, kicked, and so on.
He then told me what his routine was when he first got a horse in...walked me day by day through the first week of getting to know you.  Then he asked me a question I'd never really been asked before...
"If I find it necessary, are you opposed to me laying her down?"
I responded with I can't imagine she'd need it, and would like you to call me first...but if it's your only option, then yes.
He told me it's rarely something that needs done, but it is something has done.
I never really thought anymore about it, then I read this blog post.
I've read it twice so far and think I'm heading out to get a copy of that magazine.  If I had read it before I was asked that question, I'm thinking I would have answered differently...

2 comments:

Shirley said...

Perhaps if he thinks it's his only option to lay her down, you should consider a different trainer.

Nikker said...

I didn't ask him what classified as the only option, because I really wasn't familiar with the whole processes. I am in retrospect, glad that I requested he call me first even though I am not sure at that point I'd have said no... Because I knew basically what it was, but nothing else about it... Fiona by no means required this kind of treatment and is finally softening up and learning how to move into the bridle. I will definitely say there will be no laying my horse down the next time I am asked.
I will never use a trainer who uses it as method on every horse...