I am way too not feeling going to hunt down the ad right now to grab the text and copy it but if you can't read it from the x-large piccy, it says basically this:
"does not like people, no trainer on earth will make him a working pony, never got over abuse / starvation as a foal ... rescued years ago"
"no comments needed ... only those who need a pasture mate or lawn ornament"
"is a pony so NW pasture must be limited"
(by the way - what is a NW pasture? I read it and thing North West .... but if it stands for something else please enlighten me)
Basically you have a very smart pony that has figured out years ago that if he plays the 'cranky pony' card every time someone wants to do something with him, he gets away with it. This attitude only gets worse over time - heck its just like with kids - and after a while, you have a bugger that basically says "F _ U" every time you want to go play.
I really doubt the whole abuse/starvation thing has anything to do with the way he acts now. I really don't. Starvation cases often don't come out of it hating people - they might have some mistrust issues, but anyone that knows what they are doing can fix that pretty easily - and guess what - you don't even have to take the horse out of his stall to do it!
Its quite amazing what you can accomplish sitting 10 minutes a day on a bucket of grain...
But I digress. We have a pony that needs a home.
He actually still looks unkempt and un-loved.
I so have to wonder in these types of ads how much of it is the dogs-honest truth. LIke I said earlier, you put his spotted butt in a stall for a few days, give him some time to acclimate, then start going in with a basic 10 gallon bucket as a seat - put a small scoop of grain, sweet feed, oats, horse cookies... heck it can be shredded or chopped carrots, apples, and honey for all I care. As long as its some sort of horsey-dessert that they don't get on a daily basis.
Stick your hand down into the bucket and rattle the goodies around. Even if the pony/horse is back in a corner giving you the evil eye - most of them simply can't resist the sound of OATS rattling around that close. Granted it might take a few tries, and this doesn't always work 100 percent. But within a week, maybe within a few days, that pony/horse will be sniffin' your hand or around your body for that treat. And YOUR scent is gonna get mixed up with that goodie smell, and pretty soon humans aren't that bad! Huh! Fancy That!
I learned that technique from a lady I have known for years who's love in life is Classic, traditional type quarter horses. She's tamed many a 'wyld stallyion' with that method, and halter broken babies that way too. (OH JUST TRY NOT to have a baby NOT stick his head in a halter placed strategically between your legs to get at the good stuff! I dare's Ya!)
My point here is that unless this pony has a proven hard and solid track record of sending people to the hospital, there is still hope for him left. And the seller's comment about how "No trainer in the world could make him a working pony'?
I call BULLSHIT! Sarah sent today's and tomorrows ads. Thanks!
But if you look at it another way, the ad is kind of a good thing. I mean, what it says makes it pretty clear that the little guy is not beginner-friendly. Whether or not you or I agree about him being rehab-able, the fact that the seller acknowledges his antisocial behavior means that he won't be hurting any beginner kids who show up at the door with a dollar. Either he goes to an experienced home or he's dogfood. At least no humans get hurt.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, NW = northwest = lots of rain = rich grass = founder. :)
I like Ruth's assessment of the ad. Keeps everyone safe at least.
ReplyDeleteI too call bullshit! Look at his hooves. Looks like he has been handled some- otherwise he would be sporting some serious elf slippers or duck feet.
Or do they routinely shoot him with a tranq dart and knock him down & out to trim them? Nothing surprises me anymore.
@Ruth - that is a very good point, and one I did consider mentioning. However, being in somewhat of a cranky mood last night, I wasn't about to play nice.
ReplyDeleteBesides - I play Devils advocate and post the unpopular opinion, gets a (teeny tiny) debate and discussion going.
We get that 'rich' grass maybe 3 days a year here in the desert? (Actually, its closer to 6-8 weeks) but you get the drift - the rest of the year the grass is more brown than green...
@C-N-J - Exactly my point. This pony can be handled, and he has been handled. How roughly the PEOPLE handled him is up for debate, but somewhere, sometime, he's had a halter on.