The world is full of opinions. The horse world is over flowing with them. And in many cases if you don’t agree with this opinion or that opinion then you are considered stupid.
I get called stupid on a regular basis. Mostly by people who don’t drive at all, drive very rarely or don’t even own horses. It’s amazing to me how everyone and their brother is a professional on Facebook.
I drive about 5 times a week. Our typical drive is 5 miles. Sometimes we go 4 miles and sometimes we go 8. Basically we drive a lot. I am not a professional, anymore, but I am using my equipment quite a bit. I am out exploring and pushing the boundaries…
I have A LOT of opinions about things. Harness. Carts. Boots. Ponies. Driving trails. But I realize that they are just that. Opinions. There are many ways to get to an end result. Though there are some hard and fast facts, they are few and far between. And people who say their way is the only way are fooling themselves and you. (This blog will be VERY unpopular but I am getting so tired of people making others feel wrong because they do things differently.)
Over time and with more practice I often change my opinion about things. I carefully watch my ponies when I’m driving and then make adjustments to make their job easier. I am always questioning things. Trying new things. Being flexible.
I was told that a saddle with a tree in it would be best for the type of driving I do. It would provide stability for my mini and make her job easier. But my mini is very wide. The tree is narrow. It caused pressure points and did not make her job easier because it blocked her shoulder. I spread it as wide as I could and got a wider and longer back pad to help. Then I turned to the treeless saddle (The MaraFUN harness) for my two geldings. I just recently ordered a treeless Comfy Fit saddle as well and can’t wait to give it a try! I think Sky will be happy with it.
I decided to try the SuperFlex collar, which is the same thing as a Euro Style collar. I have heard so much negative about these collars. Actually until I got my own I already decided I did NOT like them. It was going to be too hot. It covered too much on my pony. It was going to make pulling the cart even harder and wasn’t necessary.
**This style of breast collar is absolutely NOT appropriate for a low line of draft. It is soft and pliable and not designed for logging, harrowing or any vehicle that has a low line of draft. BUT for my Hyperbike and my easy entry cart it is actually quite wonderful. Zorro loves it.
Does this mean you need to rush right out and buy it because it will change your horse’s life forever? NO! It just means that if something isn’t working and you are wondering about it, it’s worth it to try something different. Don’t disregard it just because someone else said it was a bad collar type. I’m so glad I decided to give it a try.
Same with Soybean meal. I have been 100% against anything with soy in it for so so many years that it was very hard for me to wrap my mind around feeding soybean meal. But now that I am and I’m seeing such positive changes in my ponies I am so glad I changed my mind. **Please don’t confuse soybean meal with anything with soybean hulls. These are not the same at all. You can go HERE to read more about the changes I have been making in my ponies diet.
Some people really frown on the Hyperbike and I get comments about that often as well. I’m so happy I don’t listen to them as I love my bike and so do Sky and Zorro. (Mikey isn’t quite sure about it yet! LOL!)
I have always been a leather snob but I am so glad I saw the benefits of the Comfy Fit and the MaraFUN harnesses. I have zero plans to go back to leather… though I do use leather driving lines. Mine are padded at the hand end and so soft and comfortable. Plus they are beautiful! (I’ll add them to the website soon.)
So basically what I am saying is it’s fine to have opinions. It’s totally fine to share them! It’s fine to do things your way, if your way is working. If things aren’t working then it’s fine to try something different, new or even frowned upon! You may end up being pleasantly surprised.