Man honks horn, shoots fireworks, runs chainsaw OPM Opium Horse

[MusicEvryDay]

@opiumhorse Well you definitely know more about horses more then me :) thanks for the info!

[MusicEvryDay]

@opiumhorse Haha, okay to clarify my statement, I mean what happens it there's a forest fire and not a little backfire? I hope the horse runs!

That's what I meant ^.^

[opiumhorse]

@MusicEvryDay I often burn off the pasture the horse is in, along with the rest of the herd. I will burn out the ravine that runs up the middle of their pasture, & often will burn out where they have finished with their hay bales. They do not fear fire, but if the smoke becomes too much for them, they will move away from it. I actually know of a barn fire that claimed the life of one horse that was terrified to run through the smoke, while the other knew not to fear it & calmly walked out.

[MusicEvryDay]

yeah, but what happens when that backfire turns up in blazes? i hope that horse will be running by then!

[opiumhorse]

@MusicEvryDay I guess I don't understand the question/statement? Do you mean something catches fire, or that someone's vehicle backfires multiple times?

[Mistweaver001]

Be sure to let us know when you release your book.

[nutter666f]

why isnt your website working? was going to take a peek

[opiumhorse]

@nutter666f The gentleman who was shooting the video footage, and building the website ended up in a different career, so I have had to stop production (for the moment) on the DVD. I am close to finishing a kindle book, however, since I want to share my experiences with people.

[opiumhorse]

The countdown has begun! My first book should be available for download from Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble within the month! You can read it on your iphone, droid, kindle, or nook, and even on your PC if you download the right app from their sites.

[KissedBySnowProduc]

HAHAHAHAHA GOTTA LOVE THE PART WHERE U SCREAMED! laughed my butt off! gorgous horses

[SuperMazorquero]

congratulations to you and you horse then.

[SuperMazorquero]

that horse is deaf

[opiumhorse]

@SuperMazorquero It amazes me that people can't tell the difference between the two horses in the video, or see how the horses react to the sounds, but aren't afraid of them.

[Thewildponygirl]

PET your dog!! he gave you happy tail & you ignored him!

[opiumhorse]

@Thewildponygirl She got patted in the footage we didn't use in this video. Feebe, she's a girl btw, gets a lot of attention, she just wanted some more right then. It is cute to see her competing for attention with the horses. One of her favorite things to do is to take a bath in their stock tank, which aggravates them to no end...

[KingsBlend1]

hehe how many horses where injured due to opium od?

[opiumhorse]

@KingsBlend1 OPM stands for Other Peoples Mistake, so it is a compliment to horsemanship. "Opium" is the joke that helps people remember what we are talking about, in actuality, we are making fun of the people who make horses they way they are by treating them harshly, abusing them. The goal is to help people understand how horses think and why they react to things the way they do.

[possum2u]

It is just dangerous these days not to have a horse that is desensitized like this!

I always thought that the key to it all is to have the leadership role with your horse if they trust you,like they do if you do ths type of thing with them then when the unexpected happens they won't respond by fleeing they'll take their cue from the leader (you)

[opiumhorse]

@possum2u Agreed, and adding a knowledge of the horses bodylanguage and thought process helps, so that you know what a "gee, I have no idea what you want me to do" expression looks like, or fear, which is often confused with anger. I find doing this to be very rewarding.

[possum2u]

I like the way you think OH I subscribed to you!

[opiumhorse]

I consider one test to be one of the biggest signs that my horses trust me. If I notice that one or more of them are lying down, resting, then I approach quietly talking to them. Most horses rise, even while their owner is at a distance. If the horse is aware that you are coming, and you are calming whispering to them, the longer it remains lying down, the more the trusts. I have horses that will allow me to do everything but touch them, and others that remain lying down no matter what I do.

[opiumhorse]

I have done this with two of my horses in the last week, and both remained lying down, even allowed me to guide their head down to the ground, leaving the horses completely prone, and from a predators standpoint, completely at my mercy. I then gently loved on both horses, and my other horses came up and smelled me and the horse I was petting to see if everything was all right. My colts learn to trust me by seeing the level of trust their elders have in me.

[possum2u]

I never thought of that as a test before see I learn something new from you everyday!

I have done this with horses and I know it's because they trust me but I never thought of it as a measure of how much

pretty cool

[opiumhorse]

I do a lot of off the wall things with my horses.  I often tie my horses along the inside of my yard to let them mow the fenceline that I would otherwise have to weed-eat. I will tie the younger horse with a short lead, so that he/she cannot become tangled in the fence or leadrope. Then I take the older, more mature horse and tie it nearby, with enough slack in the leadrope that they can get tangled. The older horse knows that if it becomes tangled, it should wait patiently until I get there.

[opiumhorse]

I do this type of thing with all my horses, and soon, if they do happen to become tangled up in something, they have learned to wait until I come to the rescue. One extreme instance was where I came out and found one of my horses had been tangled up in the fence all night, but had stood patiently until morning. He nickered loudly at me and I went over and untangled him. I had never thought my simple technique would come in so handy, but I am glad I put in the time, otherwise he might be dead.

[opiumhorse]

Another time I came home and found one of my horses had gotten tangled in baling twine from around a giant round bale and was dragging it across the pasture. It seems my daughter had hollered for them to come get their grain, and that giant ball and chain was not going to keep him from his dinner! When he saw me, he let out a plaintive, help me nicker, like a colt toward his mother. Needless to say, I slammed on the brakes and went to his rescue, having not seen him until just then.

[opiumhorse]

That kind of trust has prevented so many injuries, to both my horse and myself and I really want to share this kind of thing with the world. If horses will trust us this much, when we only put in a few hours a week, what could we achieve if we spent more time with them? American Indians, Mongolian horse archers, and American cavalry practically lived with their horses and reported relationships that most people have thought to be myth...

[possum2u]

this pretty cool ,I have never had a horse that wouldn't spook at something!

most of them have been pretty solid but there always seems to something that they haven't experienced and of course nobody ever knows what that is until their horse finds it!

[opiumhorse]

@possum2u I agree. Most of the time, we take the approach of wait and see. I prefer to teach the horse, the way I would a soldier or employee, how to handle it before hand. A really neat byproduct of this type of training is that when the horse does encounter something it hasn't before, it knows to look to you for the answer. At the end of the day, what else could you ask for?

[opiumhorse]

@possum2u  Case in point, I let the young horse you see me clapping around out earlier today, and he was eating along happily while I was raking leaves. Something thumped in the distance, and he trotted around the corner, to make sure I wasn't alarmed by it. He had never heard the particular noise, and I am not sure what it was, but all he wanted to know was if I thought it was alright. He came right up for me to pet him, and then began to nibble grass and watch me rake leaves.

[opiumhorse]

It is a real thrill to develop that kind of a relationship with my horses.

[opiumhorse]

Had something interesting happen the other day, rode down to the local branch of my bank on a Saturday morning, and tied off across the street. This is a custom I have had for several years, and the building across the street has a hitching post of sorts built into a large sign. Anyway, my horse is very used to this, and happily nibbles at the grass while I go inside. I came out and walked a hundred yards away to a gas station for my customary cup of coffee.

[opiumhorse]

I was in and out in moments, but was dismayed to find a potential disaster about to happen. Had my horse suddenly panicked, and spooked? No, a guy in a pickup truck with really loud exhaust was sitting in the street, as close as he could get to my horse, revving his engine loudly. Now, to his credit, and true to his training, my horse was standing there, patiently waiting for the test to end. The guy continued to rev his engine, which hurt my ears even as far away as I was.

[opiumhorse]

My horse was standing there, looking into the truck at the guy, and although a little nervous, none the worse for wear. I have a special whistle that I use only with my horses, and when I whistled at him, my horse turned and nickered a greeting, obviously happy to see me. I continued to walk toward my horse, watching the driver, when then spotted me, and from my garb, realized that I was the horses owner. He waits until I am close, but not close enough to stop him...

[opiumhorse]

then backed up and threw his truck into a wild turn that took him with within just a few feet of my horse. The whole situation was far from funny, but his reaction at my horses reaction was priceless. My horse just stood there, stepping slightly to one side, a little concerned, but again, none the worse for wear. As the dust settled, I rubbed my horse down, and verbally congratulated him on his being a good boy, and acted like this was just one more bit of training. Sadly, it was.

[thespambully]

Wow, just saw that you had posted some comments. I have always wondered why people do that. A friend of mine says it is because they don't think horses belong out in public, and that they almost feel like they are doing us a favor by doing what they are doing. I can see that, kind of, but am more apt to believe they are just jerks who want to see us or our horses get hurt. Congratulations on a well trained horse. BTW, which one of your horses was it?

[opiumhorse]

The large sorrel with the small blaze and no socks. He has been with me over five years now, and is my pride and joy, let me tell you. The younger one, Blade, is coming along nicely and may actually surpass his herdmate.

[opiumhorse]

We have been going through the video footage for the past weeks, every time we have a moment, and are getting closer by the day to having the first video completed.

[riskysamiol]

This horse is deaf, not trained

[thespambully]

Yes, obviously the horse is deaf... it reacts to the scream, then to the car horn... you one smart feller... umm, and notice it is shown with two different horses, one with white socks all the way around, and a big blaze on his forehead, the other with no socks, and a tiny blaze...

[TheBitdefender]

Yes, watch the ears, watch how the younger horse reacts as he screams, by laying its ears back, then the older one raises his head when the horn honks.

[opiumhorse]

No, the horses are far from deaf. :-)

The body language of the horses tell you that, as the other two mentioned. Do you work with horses a lot? We are considering producing a video on horse body language.

[thespambully]

Okay, so your horses are used to fireworks, and screaming, and clapping and car horns, I can see all of that, it is very practical, but what is up with the chainsaw?

[opiumhorse]

Years ago, I had a guy fire up a chainsaw as I was riding past, and while my horse handled it well, he did spook. I resolved then and there that I would eliminate many things that my horse would spook to, that way encountering them in the course of a ride or competition wouldn't be a problem. I recently had someone do a fly over with a helicopter at a horseback event, and while my horse looked to me for leadership, he didn't panic, which I can't say for everyone elses animals.

[TheBitdefender]

When are you going to have your website up and running? How much are they videos going to cost? Will you be offering more than videos?