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["Gloria Morris" <gloriamorris59 AT gmail.com>]

Way back when my horse was quite young (he's 12 now), he did the
unthinkable. He attacked a lamb, picked it up and shook it. I was
absolutely irate. I was so irate that when I was done yelling, I
penned him up in solitary confinement and then hauled him to the sale
barn a couple of days later. But at the sale barn, I just couldn't go
through with it. I was in tears when I rode him into the ring and the
bidding was going. In the end, I shook my head and said "no sale." I
paid my fee, loaded him up, and took him back home. I told him that if
he ever harmed another lamb, I'd shoot him rather than sell him to an
unknown fate. And doggone it, he turned out to be my livestock
guardian! What did it? I don't know. Did my chat do it? Did the
punishment? Or what? But he took care of those sheep like they were
his band of mares. He chased off coyotes and dogs. He herded the sheep
away from perceived dangers. They ran to him when scared, knowing he
would protect them. He not only never harmed a lamb, he stood guard
over a ewe while she gave birth, holding the rest of the flock at bay
(I normally penned up my ewes prior to giving birth, but I missed the
signs on that one). I cannot say that I'm a horse whisperer. I trained
him from a colt, but still, how it penetrated into his psyche that he
should allow no harm to come to the sheep, from himself or anything
else, is beyond me. I could never train another horse to do what he's
done for me since that day. It is amazing what (and how) animals can
understand things sometimes, though, isn't it?

Gloria

On 12/19/06, Robert Walton <waltonrp AT gmail.com> wrote:
> > I said
> > > that we
> > > appreciated her protecting our farm but it would be appreciated if
> > > she could
> > > do it with less barking. My husband thought I was nuts--and I felt
> > > pretty
> > > looney, but figured what the hell.
>
> A few months ago when my LGD was killing Chickens and Guineas, I had a
> similar conversation with her. I figure either that or some of the
> other work I did with her or a combo of the two worked.
>
> I talk to all my animals, goats, chickens dogs, etc. It's not some
> silly new age thing, I was just brought up to do that.
>
> Rob - Va