Old School Horsemanship
If horse is too fat…… feed it less
If horse is too skinny ………….. feed it more
If horse looks good………. feed it the same
If the saddle doesn’t fit….. try a different one
If the saddle fits ……….. use it
If horse is sick……. Ring the vet
If horse is well…… leave it alone and don’t go looking for trouble
If horse is too cold …….. add a rug
If horse is too warm …….. take off a rug
If the horse is sweating and warm….. clip it
If horse isn’t sweating and doing little work….. don’t clip it
Horse needs to be shod…… shoe the horse
Horse doesn’t need to be shod….. leave it until it does need it.
Horses ears are forward ….. it suspects you have treats or it likes you
Horses ears are back and teeth bared……. It doesn’t like you, it’s a narky sod or its going to eat you.
New School Horsemanship
If horse is too fat…… either convince yourself that round is a shape and ignore all suggestions that horse is fat (he is just big boned!) or panic and try to starve horse in four weeks while spending a fortune on horse nutritionalist to help you do so.
If horse is too skinny ………….. Panic buy every weight gaining supplement on the planet. Put horse on expensive diet recommended by an internet randomer. Expect results in 2-3 weeks time.
If horse looks good………. fret and worry every five minutes that it might not be or stay the perfect size, buy endless supplements to keep it exactly how it is.
If the saddle doesn’t fit….. pay someone a fortune to come out and tell you that you need a custom made €3000 saddle that they will provide you with so that they can then charge you for fixing it every few months too. Constantly fret about muscle wastage and ill-fitting saddles
If the saddle fits ……….. get someone to check it just in case. Pay them a fortune to come out and tell you that you need a custom made €3000 saddle that they will provide you with so that they can then charge you for fixing it every few months too. Constantly fret about muscle wastage and ill-fitting saddles
If horse is sick……. Panic, ask advice of randomers on the internet, panic again, watch horse get worse, eventually call the vet, second guess vets opinion, ask internet randomers again, eventually follow vets advice.
If horse is well…… look endlessly for things that might be wrong and spend a fortune trying to find out what they are
If horse is too cold …….. fret and worry about how many rugs the horse should be wearing, what weights they should be and who is going to take them on and off every few hours because the temperature went up or down a degree.
If horse is too warm …….. fret and worry about how many rugs the horse should be wearing, what weights they should be and who is going to take them on and off every few hours because the temperature went up or down a degree.
If the horse is sweating and warm….. over analyse for days on what type and shape of clip to give the horse because how on earth will you make sure he is not too warm or not too cold and now after clipping how on earth will you know what rugs to put on him!?
If horse isn’t sweating and doing little work….. but he will look nice clipped won’t he?
Horse needs to be shod…… what type of shoes? How often will everyone else’s horse get shod? Ask advice of randomers on the internet
Horse doesn’t need to be shod….. panic about whether it needs to be shod
Horses ears are forward ….. the horse loves you dearly and has a deep Bella and Edward twilight-esque relationship with you that is rare and wonderful
Horses ears are back and teeth bared……. Horses aura has changed color and he is trying to convey an important message…. and he might eat you
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Equestrian Reality 
Most amusing. Not sure if best bit about saddles or about asking strangers on the internet.
Nice – and pretty accurate. Note how “New School” supports consumerism – buying stuff, tricks, gimmicks, … from Podhajsky, “Throughout the whole of this stage of training [the early stages where the horse is learning to move with the rider’s weight AND to move correctly to remain under that weight] the fact that correct movement is essential to all training must be kept continually before the rider’s eye. The uninitiated will find it difficult to recognise progress in this stage, but the serious rider will feel it. A serious rider is one who will not think of adopting all sorts of tricks which would harm his four-legged pupil in order to astonish his spectators, but will recognise that his task lies solely in the education of his horse.” (from “Complete Training …”, p. 99-100)
very true Bob I always say we live in ‘Generation Now’ and a lot of new school horsemanship feeds into the quick fix mentality. Truth is you can’t buy a solution.
Well, in 40+ years of being a professional in the horsey biz I must say there have always been both sides. As knowledge and science have advanced, it’s given us more choices and possibilities that sometimes can be confusing. That’s a given in everything from light bulbs to religion. Some people care, some people care to an extreme. But if they like horses, they can’t be all bad right! Crazy most times, but still horse people! Do the best you can and just relax. Heels down people.
Bruce La Chiusa
Thanks Bruce. Your right once the horses well being is at the centre of what we do, we can’t be doing too badly!
Oh yes! Common sense prevails !
thanks for the link!
Hi, I’d like to use this post “Old vs. New” in a newsletter I send out to our membership. I think they would enjoy it. I tried sending you email but it wouldn’t go through for some reason. We are a non-profit group trying to build equestrian park in Central Mass. You can check us out at http://www.neeca.org Please let me know if it would be okay to use this? Thanks very much, you have a great site.
Hi Caroline, Thanks a mil for the message delighted you enjoy the site. No problem to use the piece once the website is listed with it and credited as the source. Thanks!