Bombproof Horses!
Written by: Larry Nault, Fusion Training & Our Diamonds Ranch
With the nice weather coming around, so are the phone calls, emails, and ads, all asking for the same thing:
Wanted, horse, MUST BE BOMBPROOF!
Believe it or not, I actually have had people get upset with me when I tell them there is no such thing. If a horse is bombproof it is only because he hasn't been exposed to the right bomb. Take for instance a friend of ours who had rode the same horse for 15 years without a problem. That horse was exposed to everything it could possibly be exposed to but on one fateful day it stepped over or around a wasps nest, got a few stings in the nether regions and KABOOM! it went into bucking and running, its rider (with more riding experience than most will ever have) hit the ground, shattered a hip, broke his back, and is permanently injured. That horse would have met anyone's definition of bombproof - but he wasn't.
People who shop for bombproof horses remind me of those women who are out there shopping for the "perfect" man (and vice-versa). They go on and on endlessly to friends and family when they have found that perfect partner, marry that partner and then weeks later (at least you hope it takes that long) guess what happens. You find them in a coffee shop whispering to their friends - "Oh my God!!!! He leaves crusty underwear on the floor and expects me to pick them up and wash them!!" or "Can you believe it? She spends 3 bloody hours in the washroom every morning making love to her hair dryer and make-up kit! What's a man supposed to do?". Not long after that comes the inevitable "No matter what I say or ask he/she won't change!!"
You're laughing, I know, because you know its true. (It might even have happened to you.) The sad thing is this people (at least in most cases) spent more time shopping for and checking out their "perfect" partner than any of us will spend evaluating a horse and look what they ended up with.
Horses, just like that perfect partner, also have a mind of their own (and no I will not enter into the debate about whether that mind is better than any man's or woman's). That means that despite any training or experience that horse had in the past may have embedded some good thought processes and problem solving skills into that horse but inevitably it will come across a situation that it is uncomfortable with or afraid of, its own mind will take control despite anything you do, and the horse will explode. It may be a little explosion. It may be a large explosion. It doesn't matter which (unless you are the one on the horses back). What matters is that there is a bomb that will set off each and every horse. It doesn't matter how much time you take evaluating the horse. It doesn't matter what the seller tells you. All you can do is hope that you and your horse never come across that particular bomb.
If you are one of those people selling "bombproof" horses - shame on you. Buyers deserve fair warning and not to be lulled into a false sense of security. Be honest and up front and save us all a headache. "THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A BOMBPROOF HORSE!" Even better (and I know its a shameless bit of self-promotion) put a link to this article on your website or print off this post and hand it to potential buyers and save yourself a long explanation.
Reprinted with permission: ©Larry Nault - 2010 Larry is a farrier, farrier educator, and co-founder of Fusion Training
