| Fred Mau, owner of Trail Horses of Colorado, Inc., subjects his pleasure-mounts-in-training to all sorts of horse-unfriendly environmental hazards when he gets them ready for clients, usually empty-nesters who always wanted to ride.
He calls it "Real Life Training", and it includes introducing the horse to hazards of the trail - streams, bridges, fallen trees, wildlife - and hazards of modern life. The modern life hazards include shopping malls, car alarms, splashing fountains, you name it. He uses more
experienced horses to help calm the less experienced ones. And he insists that his clients spend quite a bit of "quality time" with the horses they are considering before trailering them home. Result? Happy campers, on both horse and human turf. |
