Whether or not you were born into a horse family, this is for you. I'd like to offer some perspectives to consider.
Horse Knowledge
I didn't grow up in the horse world. I got my first horse at 13 years old. My dad is a grain farmer. My mom had horses in her past but not since my sisters and I were little. I wasn't born into a family that had the horse world lifestyle. Clint grew up in a horse family. We've had many discussions about everything horses and really learned a lot about each others knowledge and where it came from. There's things he learned just growing up that he thought everyone just knew, that I didn't know. There's also things I had learned, that he didn't know. I had to seek out and learn a lot of things on my own. Because of this, for a long time I had a feeling of not fitting in, not being good enough, or just general lack of confidence. Even after all these years, that feeling can still try to creep back occasionally. The horse world can be hard and sometimes mean. There's a thing about horses though, they can be great teachers. No matter which background you came from, there's always more to learn. So this is a reminder to be kind to fellow horse owners. If you find yourself being critical of another horse owner, maybe they didn't have that horse world advantage and would love to learn something new. Besides his upbringing, Clint has experience cowboying, rodeoing, training, showing(english too), and as a farrier. Besides a horse owner, I'm a constant learner and have education and experience on the vet med side and am a LVT. I also have experience on the holistic side of vet med, so that brings a whole other perspective. We can all learn something from each other.
Horse Value
I'm not talking monetary value. I really lucked out with my first horse, a well broke 6 year old grade gelding. He was my world. That horse had such a significant impact on my life. I owned him the rest of his life, 20 years. He's buried at my dad's farm. He was invaluable to me. He was the one and only horse I owned that 20 years. My intention when I buy a horse is always to keep it forever. Have I bought and sold horses that didn't work out for me? Absolutely. But the goal is always to find the one that's gonna stay permanently. I learned Clint had a very different perspective than me. We were talking about my mare, who had an injury a couple years ago. I was having issues with her, which presented as a behavior when riding. He considered it a training/behavior issue at first and I argued with him that something was wrong and I needed to find the source of her pain. He asked me the hard question. What if I couldn't find it? What would I do with her, as if I would sell her and send her down the road because of this performance issue. He was shocked to learn that my mare is not going anywhere, ever. I will keep observing, looking, and listening. I will keep evaluating her and maintaining her best I can. I think too many owners get frustrated and horses get sold and passed around because, a. The behavior isn't always considered to be a sign of pain. b. It is but a veterinary exam may come up with nothing and more diagnostics are needed but maybe not available, not offered, or not pursued. If you are struggling with your horse, I feel for you, I've been there. We are advocates for the well being of these animals. Follow and subscribe to our mailing list for more horse health content. Reach out if you'd like to chat about your horse and the wellness options we have to offer.
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