Elia Neal

What I know about horses is that if you put any two horses together, or a horse and a person together, one of them is going to be the herd boss. That is just the nature of herd dynamics. I am an advocate of providing the most natural living conditions we can for our horses, and being as kind in their treatment as possible. and you can do this and still be the herd boss. Horses that are afraid or are in pain do not learn well and do not gain confidence or trust. There is a balance. You can develop a partnership that keeps both horse and person safe and comfortable. To work around a half-ton or one-ton animal without having his understanding and respect would not be safe or even really possible. My horses serve me, and I serve them.

Elia

Hi,
We are looking toward relocating to Oregon or Washington, and I am interesting in any opinions as to preferred areas for livestock grazing (horse, cow, goat), as the creatures are coming with us. It would be nice not to have to irrigate pastures in the summer, so eastern Washington and Oregon may be less desirable, I presume. Our research is more focused on Cascadia than eastern WA or OR so far, still trying to find some balance between no rain and too much rain! Anyone care to weigh in on this?

Thanks so much.
Elia

lyla moore wrote:Is anyone else raising guinea pigs and/or rabbits for their dogs? Do you feed whole or process? My beagle loves rabbit he occassionally catches on his own.

I have thought about raising rabbits, as it would be nice to disconnect from the WalMart (or Aldi) chicken quarters; but have wondered if it would be worth it, or if it would just feel like One-More-Thing-to-Do. When my dogs catch a rabbit, I just split it between them... no further processing. They are large dogs, and the bunny halves disappear with no fuss -- fur, bones and all.

I know this is an older thread, but if anyone wants to chime in here on the raising of rabbits... or maybe that should be a new thread of its own.