HORSE MANAGEMENT NEWSLETTER AND MORE!!!
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Topics in this issue:
1) Feature: Primum non nocere
2) Recommended books, videos, and CD-ROMs: Hoof care DVD
3) Fun and educational websites: Deb Bennett article, trimming advice
4) Horsey Humor: Horse 1.0
5) Free item exchange

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Feature: Primum non nocere
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by Stormy May

If riders took the Hippocratic oath required of physicians, the horse world
as we know it today would immediately cease to exist. Primum non nocere -
do no harm.

The best fitting saddle can only achieve one thing, it can evenly distribute
the pressure of the rider and saddle on the horse's back. Horse magazines,
veterinary journals and texts are filled with articles detailing how to
rehabilitate horses from back injuries but the best they can offer in
regards to preventing the injuries is to suggest proper saddle fit and
proper conditioning of the back muscles. The bigger problem is the amount
pressure itself, no matter how well it is distributed, or how well the
muscles are conditioned.

There is nothing benevolent about a bit. Even the best fitted, "mildest"
bit has only one function, to cause pain. This might seem to be a shocking
statement at first glance but that's only because we're used to operating
under a collective illusion. Society tells us that we're doing the best for
our horses. We give them the best hay, supplements, foot care, veterinary
care, we spend thousands of dollars on the best fitted saddles, perfectly
designed bits, spurs of just the right length, and even whips with cute
little hands on them, to give the horse a gentle "love pat" when it's time
to get going.

It's like having an ergonomically correct electric chair or spiked high
heels with a tiny toe cushion. It looks absolutely absurd when we see the
larger picture.

When we are causing pain to another being for our own pleasure, we can never
have the sort of relationship that we're fantasizing about. We have horses
who go where we say, when we say, at the gait we specify. We consider them
"safe" and "bombproof", or perhaps they "need an advanced rider" or "are a
little resistant". We think our horses love it when we spend hours on their
backs, jumping obstacles, running around barrels, venturing out to the wide
open spaces.

All our training has done is turned the horses into puppets, when we pull
the right rein, the head turns right, when we squeeze the barrel, the hind
leg steps over. Is there any room to consider the horse's well-being in
this scenario? "Of course," we tell ourselves, "if the horse is injured or
sick I will get him the best care, I would never push him past his limits, I
love him!"

Now let's take a look at this from the larger perspective, if you knew
without a doubt that you were causing compromised circulation, leading to
pain, numbness, and the destruction of muscle tissue in the horse's back,
would you continue to do it? If you knew that the use of bits and all
traditional horse training methods (including the popular "natural
horsemanship") is based on negative reinforcement, and positive punishment,
would you be so sure that your horse enjoys doing what he's told?

What is your ultimate goal? Is it to win at a horse show, to "have fun" by
going out on a trail ride with friends? There is no doubt a thrill
associated with achieving these goals. History has shown us the best way to
achieve these goals, it's called training. Training for these goals creates
a victim, that victim is the horse.

If a "horse lover" is able to uncover what is at the root of her love for
the horse, she might be surprised. She might discover that all the ribbons,
the accolades, and the hours spent doing "fun" activities that compromise
the well-being of the horse were not what originally drew her to horses. It
is perhaps the most basic human desire that we want to experience love. Do
you want to experience yourself as a kind and loving person, respectful of
all life, a person who has true partnership with another being? Training
will not get you these.

To break through this illusion that we are doing the best for our horses, we
must be willing to reevaluate everything that we currently take for granted.
We must be willing to see things as they are and to call abuse, abuse and
torture, torture rather than cloaking it in euphemisms such as schooling and
correction.

In future issues of this newsletter we will take a closer look at areas that
we must re-evaluate if we humans are going to evolve in consciousness. We
have the potential to evolve from beings who need to control every element
of their external environment in order to feel safe, to ones who feel the
connection between things and who can feel safety even in the midst of
turmoil because they see a larger perspective.

The first step is Primum non nocere - do no harm.

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Recommended books, videos, and CD-ROMs: The Chosen Road video series
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The Chosen Road is a video series by farrier KC La Pierre that gives
fantastic depth in understanding the equine foot. The production value is
not very high but it is more than made up for by the information it
contains. The video series contains four segments including: theory, horse
handling for hoof care providers, performance hoof care, and an actual
dissection of a horse's foot.

Read more about it here:

http://www.equinepodiatry.net/books.html

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Fun and educational websites
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The following is a link to an article written by Dr. Deb Bennett and Dr.
Robert Hoffmann in 1999. It traces the origin of the species Equus Caballus
around the globe as it branches into the subspecies responsible for the
variety of horses we see today from drafts to miniatures. It also includes
valuable explanations and diagrams of the horse's locomotive system,
explanation of genetics, behavior, and reproduction. It's more exhaustive
than any encyclopedia reference I've seen about horses.

http://www.equinestudies.org/knowledge_base/mammalian.html

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Find out more about farrier KC La Pierre and his hoof trimming methods here:

www.equinepodiatry.net

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Horsey humor: Horse 1.0
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Dear Tech Support:

Recently I purchased and installed Horse 1.0. I soon noticed that this
program appears to have numerous glitches. For instance, every time my
computer boots up, I have to run Feed 5.3 and Water 7.1. Many times I've
been in the middle of writing an important document, and a window will flash
telling me to run Clean Stall 2.0. This program also contained applications
I did not wish to install, such as Manure 8.5, however they auto-installed
with Horse 1.0.

Applications such as Vacation 2.7 and Free Time 10.1 can no longer run,
crashing whenever selected. Possibly the worst is that Horse 1.0 has
attached itself to programs like Finance Manager and MS Money, with folders
added such as "Monthly Shoeing" and "Winter Blanket". Periodically, I'll get
a reminder telling me to send a check to the manufacturer of Horse 1.0 for
the aforementioned items.

I have tried to uninstall Horse 1.0 numerous times, but when I try to run
the uninstall program, I get warning messages telling me that a deadly virus
known as "Withdrawal" will infect my system. Please Help!!!!!


Dear User,

Your complaint is not unusual. A common misconception among users is that
Horse 1.0 is a mere "utilities and entertainment program." It is not- it is
an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its' creator to run everything! A
warning will soon be imprinted on the box.

Since you have already installed Horse 1.0, here are a few tips on how to
make it run better. If you are annoyed by the applications Feed 5.3 and
Water 7.1, you may run C:\HIRE HELP, however this will cause another folder
to be added to financial applications, labeled "Staff". Failure to send
payment to "Staff" will result in Feed 5.3 and Water 7.1 being run again on
startup.

A note of caution: NOT booting up your computer for several days isn't the
solution to avoiding Feed 5.3 and Water 7.1. You will find that, when you
boot up your computer again, a nasty virus called "Colic 4.2" will have
attached itself to important documents and the only way to rid your computer
of Colic 4.2 is by purchasing and installing "Vet 10.1", which we admit is
extremely expensive, but crucial. Otherwise, Colic 4.2 will cause
irreversible damage to the operating system.

Finally, it is important that you run C:\Carrots and C:\Scratch Ears on a
fairly regular basis to keep the application running smoothly. If you have
any more questions, please call our toll free number.

Sincerely,

Tech Support

Author unknown
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Free item exchange
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**FREE**FREE**FREE**

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

Submit your free horse-related items or services here. If you or your club
has items they are willing to pass along to a new family, this is a great
place to list them. Listings can come from any part of the country, or even
overseas!

Free items may include but are not limited to:

riding clothes
rally equipment
horse-related games and toys
tack and training equipment
blankets, wraps, halters
books or magazines
horse-related artwork
and of course...horses and ponies!

The recipient may be expected to handle any shipping costs.

Please provide a phone and/or email contact with each listing. Items will
be listed in the next HM Newsletter and will not be renewed unless an
additional email is sent asking for the listing to be continued.

So...clean out your tackroom and make room for more stuff!

To submit your items, simply reply to this email or write to:
stormy@... .

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Call for submissions
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Help make this newsletter the best it can be. Do you have any issues you'd
like to see addressed here? How about ideas for recommended products, books,
or videos? Want to submit your own article, or a question for the questions
and answers section? Send them to: stormy@... and I'll keep a log
of topics and articles for upcoming issues.