Manage

​I might have known. It was Merril’s turn to pic a word at random from the dictionary. Her finger fell on “manage.” We thought that’s good. I thought, “I can handle that.” But we discovered there were two words “manage.” The one her finger fell on was “training of horse. Trained movement of horse; riding school.”
Doh. It was time for me to go bravely where at least one person had been before. Actually I do not mind paying out on Merril. I know it is just a matter of time and my time will come. I’m just making hay while the sun shines.
It seems there is a whole world out there. Titles from Google included “An introduction to horse management.” “Managing horses – Innovative digital horse management solutions.””training.gov.au – AHCLSK417 – Manage horses for stock work.” Say wot?
I rode a horse once. Well that is what it looked like. It basically did what it wanted and I was on the back. My place once abutted onto a place where horses were kept. We opened the gate one time and let them into the back yard. Thankfully I managed to get them out again. They were big. Each the size of a shopping centre. Well maybe not. But they were big.
As usual Wikipedia had a big article on horse management. There were like, chapters an all. Some chapters were broken into parts. Like 6.3.1 Methods of deworming or 6.4 Dental care.
I have seen on tv horses being groomed and living in fields with proper fencing and being in stables. But horses are a social lot. There are exceptions (stallions and mares about to give birth.)
They are often seen in herds. Like in the Man from Snowy River. They like company. If there is not another horse around, they have been known to befriend other animals.
Wikipedia told me horses need fresh water. Not like birds as our water bowl testifies. Sometimes it is a while between water changes. That does not worry the birds. They seem to swim in or drink anything. No wonder there is bird flu – as opposed to bird flew which is what most (but not all) do.
A healthy person is often called “as healthy as a horse.” And measures of speed are “horse power.” But there is a downside to being a horse. Their legs have heaps of bones but they are light and the blood flow has a lot to do with their hooves. That is why when a horse breaks its leg in a race they are put down. A horse’s leg is hard to repair.
I do love horses. Someone we know is a part owner in one that has been doing really well. Someone else we know was part owner in one and although that was months ago when I asked how it was going, I was told it was probably still racing in the event I enquired about.
Managing horses is a whole other world. They are not to be got on a whim. They take looking after. If they are not going to be left wild, they need to be managed (I wanted to get the word "manage" in again.)