Pics

[tracey]

Not really considered livestock this day in age, but had to post them for Jack


This is Quiet Storm, Darling's (dd) mustang that we adopted in May.







This is my more recent aquisition, Sunny. She's still not halter broke.

[cat chloe]

Your mustangs are utterly adorable! What darlings. How old are they and what gentling techniques do you use? I have a mustang, too, but he was horribly abused for a decade before my mom's friend rescued him and then gave him to me. I made some great headway with him, but I don't think he will ever trust humanity after what his first humans did to him. He's happily at pasture now. Have you ever heard of Ga-wa-ni Ponyboy? www.ponyboy.com

[Shirley]

Oh they are beautiful!! Thanks for sharing the photos.

[tracey]

Cat, I have to admit I don't really 'follow' anyone in terms of technique. I just do what comes naturally to me, working in a quiet manner. Quiet Storm was a yearling when we got her, Sunny is two.

Sunny was actually adopted out to someone else at the same time we got QS, but they didn't do anything with her. So, while she's calm enough in the paddock, she doesn't want to be handled. It's been quite the process! She managed to get her halter off at one point, and then she got the lead rope off. I'm able to brush her neck on the left side, but she won't let me walk over to her right side. She's a challenge, but the mustangs are so worth it! Very smart, they are.

[Jack]

Gidday

Well they reckon horse steak is really nice so perhaps you should fatten them up a bit and give it a try.

[Boots]

They have a short head, don't they? Where has that breed come from Tracey?

Jack you are a nutter... Surely you don't have to eat everything!!! You want me to parcel up some old boots and you can make that magic soup the settlers used to eat?

[tracey]

Boots, they're feral horses, so a mix of different breeds. The government did DNA testing on the different herds so that we know which horses or types compose each one.

Sunny is from a herd made up mostly of ranch horses. In other words, they're the horses that helped create the American Quarter Horse. Quiet Storm's herd is largely Thoroughbred type, cavalry horse descendents, and some ranch horses. Aside from her smaller size, she has a real Thoroughbred look to her when she's shed out.

Other herds, such as the Kiger herd, have tested very closely to the original Spanish horses that were brought over.

Jack, here in the US there's a huge controversy as to whether or not people should eat horses. It's very close to illegal for Americans at the moment, and they're very close to shutting down all US slaughter houses (which ship to places such as France.) Personally, I don't see any difference in eating a horse or a cow or a dog...meat is meat. I do take issue with the inhumane ways slaughter is handled, especially for horses, as they're much easier stressed than your typical meat animal and we've only had three slaughter houses for horses in the entire country. Makes for a very stressed out and often injured animal by the time it ships 1000 miles!

[Annpan]

Tracey

They are the most beautiful horses I have ever seen. - I don't really like horses but yours are truly gorgeous

[tracey]

Ahhhh, thanks Ann Pan!