>>What I described would be used when the horse
>> has a steady resistance on the line....the horse is pulling. ....
>>not for when the horse is jerking and the snatch technique
>> applied when 'the horse is about to hit the end of the lead'.
>>Timing the execution of the 'snatch' would definitely be the
>>key for success, no doubt.
>>Tami McAdams<<<<

Just the other day I was asked to hold a horse for a young lady. The mare was
very pushy and fussy and jerking on the lead, even bumping me with her head.
She had been dragging her owner and others towards grass all afternoon. She
fussed on a loose lead for a few seconds, and then pushed her shoulder into me
and headed off to my left flipping her head and jerking on the formerly slack
lead. I must admit that I did "snatch" or "jerk" the line as the mare was about
to jerk me. My timing was okay because the mare stopped trying to jerk away
from me, and was easier to hold. I was not proud of what I did, but
self-preservation kicked in. I have seen this horse push into a person leading
her hard enough to physically knock them out of her way.

On pages 346 and 347 Bill discusses pushiness. On 347 he says: " That pushy
sort of horse needs a person to think about blending in with him, or letting him
drift, or helping him to go. Just any way you can get with the feel of that
horse when he leaves, is all. A person ought to leave a place for some
experimenting in part of this, too, that's for sure. If you can blend in with
the horse for better results, it's best for him when you can find that place.
When you go together from there, why that word 'pushy' wouldn't have to be
mentioned again."

I would like to learn how to better handle these situations where a horse gets
pushy. Am I thinking correctly that being able to feel of what is going on
mentally with the horse important in determining the response to pushiness? The
sentence ***Just any way you can get *with the feel* of that horse when he
leaves, is all.*** struck me as saying something very important. Getting with
the feel of a pushy horse seems to be a lot harder than getting with the feel of
a worried horse...at least for me, anyway. Not that a pushy horse can't be
worried, too, but a horse that needs to move its feet feels a lot different from
a worried horse that needs to shove a person around. It seems like the fear is
more on the surface of the one, and is buried under mild aggressiveness in the
other. But...blending in with aggressiveness? How does that work? Is that
what Bill is talking about?

Looking forward to feedback...Janie

Jane Ann Forbes
Out~Back Farm
526 Salem Church Road
Cumberland, Virginia 23040

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