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Being in the horse business, and specifically working
with "problem" horses and their owners I learned the value of a good horse. A good horse is sound in mind, body and spirit.....a
hard combination. Not only are genetics a huge part in that, but how the horse was raised and handled is equally as important.
When searching breed and bloodlines, you can find alot of very nice horses on paper. Unfortunately, very nice horses
can be ruined very quickly in many situations and it starts in how they are raised. This was a big problem I was running into.
The horses were either spoiled or handled inappropriately which made them difficult to deal with. Alot were not raised in
groups or herds, and did not understand what proper leadership was; this made my job very difficult and not much fun. It was
not much different than training someone elses' problems, I was frustrated.
I did find some very high quality Lusitano
and Lusitano crosses that were raised wonderfully. In herds on lots and lots of varried acreage, with proper socialization
and interaction with people. These horses are not cheap - $14,000.00+ for a purebred weanling and $8-10,000.00 for partbred
weanlings. To me, it was well worth it.
Those horses were a dream to work with but I realized soon, after sending
many clients that way, that most people cannot see that much value in it or really cannot simply afford it. Buying a weanling
at that cost is a long term investment, as then you have to care for it for three years before you even get any riding done,
then at that point, you are looking at more $$$ to get training. That is not realistic for many people. I knew there had to
be an answer....
Quite by mistake, I saw an add for the Kiger mustang in a Western Horseman magazine. At the time,
I was looking for a horse for my husband, Eric. After calling and getting some videos, soon our first Kiger was delivered
at our door. She was an amazing creature with so much savvy.......everything a horse should be in my eyes. The way she used
her body balance and her thought process was like nothing I had ever been around before. She opened my eyes.
Of course,
once we started owning them, our clients became interested. The problem came when these horses where delivered, they were
still semi-wild and most unhandled. While this is not issue for us, this became very hard for people and they soon became
discouraged. Even with our help, they did not have the skill or knowledge to deal with a REAL horse and what they are about.
On a whim, I was fortunate to buy a very nice Kiger
stallion. At the time I did not have grandeous visions of breeding him, I just wanted a really nice horse. You can see where
that went...
Eric was against breeding these "mustangs", as he knew what it took to get them to where people could
really handle them and be safe. One we had, Zorro, was extremely difficult and this left a bad taste in Erics' mouth on the
whole deal. I know it was hard for him to sit back and wait for things to fall apart, as he just knew they would. Even the
few master horsemen that helped me along the way (or TRIED to help) said "what the heck does she was another one of those
for??" But fortunately, I am the type of person that once I am told I can't do something, I go full bore into doing it.
My
vision was and still is to produce a genetically sound horse (mind, body and spirit), that has wonderful gaits to ride (trot
and canter), has a high level of trainability, is versitle and athletic, has a high bonding factor and is easy on the eyes.
Now, once we got that down, they had to be raised right for success and what did that mean?
That meant they had to be raised like a horse (what
a concept). I stuck to what was most natural to them as I could. Raised in herds, which meant with the stallion for protection
and obedience; other foals to play with for age appropriate learning; older siblings to learn acceptable behavior and other
horses to learn proper socialization. AND a willingness on my part to make changes when something was not working.
I
am not into any of the imprinting (many people have many versions or many definitions anyway). While I like to be present
at birth, I want that baby up and nursing on its' momma to get the legs strong and the internal organs working right away.
I also want them to bond correctly as that is what is so important for the future of that foal. Holding them down causes way
to much stress on them in my opinion and there really is nothing you do at that point that you cannot do later when you an
interact with the foal and teach them at their pace. I have done it both ways and I am here to say there are no positive differences.
I also knew that selling foals would be disasterous. Most people do not have the knowledge and understanding it takes
to raise a foal properly. Then they have to rely on what others are telling them and later hire a trainer to start them under
saddle, which is the place where most horses are ruined. I did not see a high success rate in doing that for my goals: raising
a real partner for someone to enjoy and get along with.
I am fortunate enough to be able to keep my foals until they
are under saddle. We have the skill to start them correctly and to place them with owners who match not only their skill level,
but temperment and personalities. We have a program that supports and helps that along the way too.
I keep working
toward my Vision. Picking only high quality mares and outside stallions to cross with as well as with Charro. Genetics is
first on my list, followed closely by the ability to pass on those genetics. Strong social skills and a solid work ethic are
important factors to me too. That old addage "pretty is as pretty does" means alot to me.
As for Eric........well,
he is a beliver now. He often remarks on how he can't belive I pulled it off. The difference one generation from the wild
makes all the difference, yet keeps so much of it - what a combination.
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