Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Prophet's Thumb Farm: YMMV!


Your Mileage May Vary.

A blanket disclaimer...


   There's a common problem in modern discourse.  Perhaps more common on the Internet.

   When someone expresses a general observation or opinion, some folks hear it as an unqualified statement of an absolute nature applying to every individual case.

   For instance, if I for some reason mention that Mississippi is ranked at or near the bottom in terms of education, some people will think I said "Every single person in or from Mississippi is an illiterate moron!"  And they'll infer that I'm denying that their favorite cousin from Tupelo is the brilliant fellow they believe him to be.




   When it comes to horses, there are very few absolutes.  And there are usually marked exceptions to what few rules there are.

   Some years (okay... decades) ago, I found myself involved with Paso Fino horses.  And I've still got the scars and limp to show for it!  The breeders call it "brio".  Everyone else calls it "psychotic mania".  When farriers got-together, we'd play with the rookies by threatening to spread the word that they were Paso Fino specialists.

   And the very best-mannered horse I ever worked on was a Paso Fino stallion.  Belonged to a little girl out in the boonies who rode him everywhere.  And he gaited quite well, fino and all.  In all the years I shod him, he never so much as hinted at wanting a foot back before I was done with it.  She could drop his rope and trust him to stay put, even with other horses in close proximity.

   So don't take anything I write as a personal attack against you or your horse. 

   If I write that, after seven years of age or so, maiden mares tend to become increasingly difficult to settle with their first foals, there is no need for you to CAP-scream at me that you know maidens who settled just fine at twenty.  I believe you!  Same goes for your "kill-pen to blue ribbons" and "formerly lame, now sound barefoot over rocks" horse stories.

   But a relative few successes don't negate the overall trends and probabilities. 



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