Comments: 64
Tattered-Dreams In reply to ??? [2013-04-17 08:47:57 +0000 UTC]
Aww, I'm really glad this made you want to read the rest ^^
All of them are staying up and they'll remain linked, so the idea was that even if people weren't interested or didn't know about it as it was going, at least they could find it in their own time
The event is actually closed, and a lot of people who took on a Kaimanawa didn't do anything with their horse at all. I believe Nev was going to eventually auction the still wild horses to new owners, but you'd have to ask her to be sure. And I think some people expressed interest in entering another event, but I don't know if there were plans to run one. I'm sorry - I just don't know enough about it, only what Nev's mentioned to me or I've read in the group. Unfortunately, she's been away for a while, so you may have to wait to get an answer. (course, there's nothing stopping you from adopting or creating a wild horse and running your own storyline but I guess that wouldn't have the community feel to it).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tattered-Dreams In reply to RimrockRanchEC [2013-04-17 21:08:30 +0000 UTC]
Haha! That's a relief, then!
Ah, no worries. I get what you mean. I guess it is a bit awkward, though - you have to have a certain amount of knowledge and common sense in training horses to really make a progressive story like this believable, and a lot of people on here I don't think have the actual knowledge they'd need if they were really caring for horses. I know a lot about training, backing and care, but I've never gentled a horse before, so even I think there's areas where Kiwi's story doesn't flow right. I don't know if that made sense - but basically if you don't know how to do the training, its hard to write or draw it, which could be what's caused people to drop the idea.
And I get what you mean about collaborating, but again, if you're being realistic, you can't easily gentle and back two horses together. All the horses Nev designed are unique with their own quirks. Kiwi came to us as highly intelligent, but had no ability to deal with unfamiliar situations, and just freaked out. Other horses have had socialisation quirks, problems with other animals, head shyness, blindness ... the list goes on. You just can't train two horses who are so different to the same schedule, so having your own horse and working alone was more realistic and part of what I originally liked about the challenge - the rules were really malleable and you could form your story as you needed for your horse. Its a good idea to keep people motivated, but they should be motivating themselves if they want to be a part of it (in my opinion) and it could backfire if one of the artists working together lost motivation and made the other lag behind or they had different ideas where they wanted to go with the training...too many variables...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
RimrockRanchEC In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-04-17 21:23:57 +0000 UTC]
yes..xD
Yea, can be very awkward. And I agree that most people on here really have no idea. I have a lot of experience in training, backing and care, but at the same time I had to tame a wild pony stallion for my neises when I was 12 (5 years ago), so for me all this stuff is really easy to draw and write. I don't know, I guess it just depends on the person and their life experiences. ^^
hmm, I can see where you're coming from. I didn't mean training at the same schedual and such though. I ment they just kinda have eachother to ask for advise or new ideas once in awhile? And they can keep eachother updated on how their progressing and any problems they had and how they handled them. You know? I agree with you completely though, that there would be plenty of variables. It was kinda a random idea, so....xD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tattered-Dreams In reply to RimrockRanchEC [2013-04-18 00:05:42 +0000 UTC]
That's exactly what it does depend on - we rely on our experiences when we write or draw to know how things are supposed to work. If we've never done something, it can be much harder to write about. That doesn't always apply when writing fantasy stories though XD (I highly doubt many people know what its like to have magical powers )
Ah, that idea does make more sense - but again you have the issue that in that pair, one or both of you may not know some things, or hit snags with the same area. You could match pairs specifically so each person has a different knowledge base or skill set to contribute, but artists can be picky, and they may not like being paired with someone they've never spoken to. Especially here on DA, if you run into an issue, you can post journals or polls etc to get tips or advice.
I know a fair bit - though I was taught in the UK, so what I know is probably vastly different from someone taught in the States. Different information is all over the place, so for me, I just tell people that if they have a question, they're welcome to ask and I'll give them the best answer I can. Its good to ask a lot of people, though, not just one so that you get more varied information, not just one opinion.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
RimrockRanchEC In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-04-18 00:56:46 +0000 UTC]
Yea..xD Very true.
I wasn't suggesting the collab for everyone..xD Just between you and me. I agree with everything you're saying though, about others here on DA.
I was never really 'taught', I've just grown up around horses my whole life...I rode with an instructor for awhile, but she was veeerry opinionated, and not always as right as she thought she was..sooo, that didn't last very long..xD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tattered-Dreams In reply to RimrockRanchEC [2013-04-18 10:02:33 +0000 UTC]
Oh - I misunderstood I thought you meant running the event and pairing up everyone to train their horses But in a way, I still don't think it'd work. If I don't know something, I automatically go to the internet or my equine books (even my college notes) for answers. If I'm really lost, or I'm trying to bring some light to something, I may look at all of them, just so I have a lot of input, not just a single explanation. I'd probably keep forgetting to ask you about something until I'd looked it up (research is ingrained in my mind XD). And I don't know how much you're into study, but as I mentioned before, its a good idea to not rely on one person's thoughts on something, but get lots of different perspectives for a more rounded idea. But I'll say to you what I say to others, even if you never need it - if you have a random question about anything, just dump it on my profile and I'll answer as best I can. I don't mind people doing that at all (I'm currently helping someone develop a storyline with an unsocialised horse, for instance).
I think that's how most people learn about horses; you ride long enough, or you help on a yard enough and you pick up how things are done and just learn as you go. I've ridden for a long time, too, and I've gone through several instructors now (I ride at the same place I started at, but it's changed hands and staff through the years). Some of them were better than others. But I decided I wanted to study horses, so I did 2 years in college and 2 at university, working on the same student-run yard. The purpose of those courses was to teach you about anatomy, biology, nutrition, behaviour, psychology, rehabilitation, training and a lot of other science/classroom based stuff, but we also had riding lessons and worked on the yard every day. Through all our different tutors, we learned everything from putting on a bridle to bandaging a leg, and all the ways you can do them. Which is why I say I've been 'taught' because a lot of what I know came from college and exams - not just as I went along.
Sorry - that was way, way long!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
RimrockRanchEC In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-04-18 22:43:26 +0000 UTC]
yea, true..xD
Yes, very true. Most of what I did gentling and backing my neises' pony was just guesswork and instinct, so I can relate.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
RimrockRanchEC In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-04-18 23:12:44 +0000 UTC]
yea..xD
Taking on a fully wild horse is actually much easier than working with troubled horses. You train in one of two ways..either through fear, or through trust. It's natural for humans to train through fear, because of us being predators. But once we get past that, we realize it's smarter to train through trust. With a fully wild horse, they're herd animals. Take them away from the herd, and all they want is a herd. Our job is to be that herd for them. Through trust and respect, we become that herd.
But with a troubled horse, or the like, you have to back all the way up and earn trust, then fix problems, then back up again and do it over cuz they start to question what you just taught them..Much harder. xD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tattered-Dreams In reply to RimrockRanchEC [2013-04-19 00:01:20 +0000 UTC]
Hmmm, I guess that's another way of seeing it. The only thing is, true wildies - though they have no provoked fear - will have some fear simply through ignorance. They don't recognise people and as animals who take flight before fight (usually) what takes time is building that understanding.
You'd guess I'm impatient, but that's not it, either. I just like working with distrusting horses more than I like the very slow progress with an unassuming horse. Think of it another way, maybe - with a wildie, you can screw it up. Bad memories stay with horses far longer than good, and one mistake could ruin weeks of work easily. With a horse that's already been mistreated or backed wrongly etc, maybe it's a harsh thought, but pretty much anything you do or how you go about re-establishing them, its not going to be as bad as what they've been through and one small mistake isn't likely to stand out in their mind as much.
This is the kind of thing that makes sense in my head, but I can never get across sensibly before it starts to lose all meaning XD
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
RimrockRanchEC In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-04-19 00:24:49 +0000 UTC]
yea. And TBs, they go from being some of the best horses, to the absolute most horrible to work with.
It's all a matter of opinion.
Thoroughbreds are, in fact, what finally made me have to leave my riding instructor. We got into an argument about them when she said all they were good for was running fast and turning left...I got pretty peeved...:/
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tattered-Dreams In reply to RimrockRanchEC [2013-04-19 00:56:21 +0000 UTC]
Exactly.
Hmm, see, I'm not the best person to talk up TBs with. I think more of them than your instructor; if you train them right, from the right age and are aware of the strengths and weaknesses of the breed, there's no reason they shouldn't make nice riding horses. But my issue comes in when you take them from a race track. I've seen enough and worked with them enough to know that reschooling a racehorse is not an easy feat, and a lot of the time, they don't result in good horses. Steeplechasers have better chances, some people think, because they're at least taught to jump, but flat racers have it ingrained into their minds before they're even 2 years old to just gallop. Trying to break them of that horizon vision can send them spiralling - a lot have little idea how to canter on the left lead, let alone organise themselves on the right.
I actually thought a lot of an ex racehorses I rode in college. He had failed on the track so he was rebacked early on and though he did get a bit strong in the open, he was capable of working properly. Another ex racer we got on the yard we had to literally teach to canter. He stumbled around like a baby on the left lead, trying to balance between a trot and the gallop and on the right he'd be all over the place, not knowing where his legs went. Granted, he was probably an extreme, but you'd be surprised the number of racehorses who are never taught to use a right lead.
Then there are the really bad ones - My friend had an ex racer who went totally off the rails. She was a sweetheart on the ground, and she worked beautifully the first two times I rode her. But then she'd decide out of nowhere she wasn't going to do it and throw these massive bucks that no one could sit to. No matter what we tried, something just seemed to be broken in her mind and we couldn't get through to her.
Yeah...Nice horses, but science, breeding and genetics have pushed them to the brink and they're getting weaker than they are stronger. I'd never write them off as a breed, but I'd never own one myself and I'm really wary of working with one from the track. Definitely not my kind of horse - but other people swear by them, and I'm not going to be the person to tell them not to; any horse is a risk so you may as well take that risk with a horse you love.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
RimrockRanchEC In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-04-19 01:12:48 +0000 UTC]
I agree with everything you just said. I'm generally not a TB kinda person, but at the same time, I realize that it's not their fault. We, the humans, breed them and train them to be that way. They've had no control over that. It's all about which horse you're working with. Every horse is different, just like every human is different. It just depends on the person, and on the horse.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
ElreniaGreenleaf [2013-03-16 17:38:36 +0000 UTC]
Oh they both look so wonderfully content! ^^
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
bubbIies [2013-03-15 11:58:27 +0000 UTC]
Awww, I love this. c: <333 I like how you finished it off, really sweet.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tempest-Stables [2013-03-15 11:19:41 +0000 UTC]
It's a shame I only just started watching you when you finished the story. e-e Still, I like the style of the picture!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Tempest-Stables In reply to Tattered-Dreams [2013-03-15 13:56:02 +0000 UTC]
I'll hopefully get the time at some point, but I've got a lot to do at the moment s: Only just setting up my stables so I've got a lot to do there, then there's college work and stuff. >>
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
MissDudette [2013-03-15 04:15:31 +0000 UTC]
Awww, what a wonderful story. You go Alex and Kiwi! This is like, great ending.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
| Next =>