[Ag-eq] OT question

[Nella Foster]

Jody:

I love shepherds for the same reasons you do!  My dog Tye is quite 
protective of me, but when I worked for the Humane Society I used to take 
him to schools with me and he would let 90 kindergartners pet him.  Once I 
took him to a school for special needs kids and he was incredibly gentle 
with them.  I remember one little boy who was in a wheelchair, mostly blind 
and nonverbal.  Tye very carefully laid his head in the boys lap and then 
gently licked him on the hand.  The little boy laughed out loud and started 
feeling of Tye's head.  Tye did not mind that he was poked in the eye and 
ears, he just stayed very still.

I've had both mares and geldings and prefer mares, but know that many people 
like geldings.  Some mares can get moody and difficult to handle when they 
cycle; they cycle every month like women!  You may never know when other 
mares cycle.

A few years ago I saw a cute saying that went: You can tell a gelding; you 
can ask a stallion, but you must discuss it with a mare.  I really think 
this sums up the differences!

I have 2 molly mules (mares) and 1 john mule (gelding) and the girls are 
usually a bit more difficult.  Jack is pretty much the same, no matter how 
long it's been since I rode him last.  The girls are much more likely to 
test me and be a little unpredictable.

I still prefer the mares; I guess I like the challenge!  I know a lot of 
trainers that recommend geldings for a persons first horse.  I think there 
are good and bad with both.

Nella






----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jody W. Ianuzzi" <jody at thewhitehats.com>
To: "'Agricultural and Equestrean Division List'" <ag-eq at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 8:41 AM
Subject: Re: [Ag-eq] OT question


> Hi Peg,
>
> It is the versatility of the shepherd and their intelligence that is so
> wonderful.  That same police dog who can take down a criminal can visit an
> elementary school and they can be totally trusted around small children.
> The training for a police dog makes a game out of taking down the bad guy.
> Think of it as martial arts training for dogs.  Just because a person has 
> a
> black belt doesn't mean they are vicious and dangerous to be around.  I 
> sure
> hope that black belts aren't perceived that way since I have two of them.
> <GRIN>
>
> One of my earliest experiences with shepherds was when I was riding in the
> car with my mother down a four lane highway.  Traffic was stopped in all
> directions while a shepherd ran frantically in circles barking at the cars
> to stop.  The dog was protecting a toddler who had ridden their tricycle 
> in
> to the  road.  It didn't stop barking until the toddler's mom had come out
> to rescue the toddler.  I had two German Shepherds while my kids were
> growing up.  They were like nannies with my kids.  They would play hide 
> and
> seek together and I never had to worry about the dogs hurting my kids.   I
> remember one day our daughter was about three and she tripped and fell on
> our dog so hard she knocked the wind out of him.  I gasped because I 
> didn't
> know what he would do.  Well, he just licked her face as if to say he knew
> she didn't mean to hurt him.
>
> Shepherds like all large breeds are prone to hip dysplasia but breeders 
> are
> x-raying hips and having dogs OFA certified.  The hip joints can be 
> shallow
> and cause problems and that is what the test is looking for.  I would 
> never
> get a shepherd whose parents weren't OFA certified.
>
> I think shepherds, pit bulls, Dobermans and Rotweilers get a bad rep 
> because
> of the bad ways people train them.  It isn't the breed as much as it is 
> the
> people who ruin them just like the cruel person who kept your poodle 
> locked
> up in a cage.
>
> As for horses, this might sound silly but since I was ten years old I have
> wanted a Quarter Horse Palominos.  I am going to hold out until I find 
> one.
>
>
> What would you all say is the biggest difference between a gelding and a
> mare's personalities?  I have heard mares can be bitchy.
>
> JODY
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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