Hi,

    The backyard horse is a horse that is owned by people that just want to own a horse or horses as the main purpose for owning them. This woman you are describing is the typical owner of backyard horses, she just has more money and buys more of them. No difference in the amount of horses owned, when it comes to the backyard horse, but the term backyard horse/s is primarily referring to horses owned by a housewife that is in charge of taking care of them, or horses owned by a carpenter, a doctor, in other words horses in the hands of amateurs. In short a horse owned for the sake of owning a horse (pretty horse), which is the main  reason for acquiring it, and what to do with the horse is secondary (they think of something, or do what's regional or popular/fashionable).

     One of the favorite thing women like to do with horses is to make "babies" if they can afford it. Her backyard is just bigger, she goes and gives it a name of a farm (some name she dreamed about since she was a little girl) and breeds horses without even knowing anything about them. Horses do not belong to the group of pets but to the group of life stock. Most people with horses in the backyards are like the old TV show "Green Acres", which in a sense is completely hilarious, but not for the horses. People collect information from the Internet and books of which about 95% is nonsense.
    They pick the info that they like, according to their feelings, and go by that. To collect info about horses from books, magazines or Internet is like going around looking for a religion and then believing in one that is most suitable (favorable), or if they do not find one, they invent one (various theories in religions or the equine world). If you read through my website you will find out that, unlike you, most people will resent what is published and that is because the truth will simply take the people’s dreams away that they had since they were little kids.

    Like when I say that horses do not think, which is resented simply by the fact that if horses do not think we do not matter to them, and we don't. Hence women, and man alike, cannot “love” something or someone if it does not “love” them back. It is all so simple to see. I talk to hundreds of horse lovers and peoples every year, and handle hundreds of horses every year. I talk a lot :), ask questions and I get the facts from them. I relate to people just as well as I relate to horses, which of course the website does not reflect, because the website's interest is not to relate to people but to have them open up their eyes to the truth, which of course hurts. I cannot say in real life to people directly that which I am writing about, most of them would not want me to come back.
   On occasion I show them a think or two, but most of the time I ask questions and listen, or present some issue, like horses do not think and then see their reactions and hear their responses.  I know I cannot convince them and I am not trying, I am just having fun while I am learning about horse-people relations. As I have said, my writings do not represent my opinions or thinking, but are collections of my life experiences.

    You first need to know something about the Arabian horses to understand why they do what they do. Most folks are completely unaware of, or are ignorant to the fact that the original Desert Arabians are not herd horses. Arabs did not raise their horses on plains, fields or paddocks, most were raised tied up to a tent like a dog or were hobbled nearby, hence these horses to some point adopted dog like instincts, among other things. One of those instincts is that many mares (not the stallions) tend to be territorial, and in some cases as much as dogs, they know who their "owner" is, because the Arabs were nomads (Bedouins), they traveled from place to place, hence their home, or better said their sanctuary, was with the person that they belonged to.
    So, it is not about that they do not like you, or that they like her, but it is simply about self-preservation, their place where they get food and sanctuary, and of course they do not want you there. It is somewhat similar to horse being protective of his stall once when it becomes adjusted to the stall as its sanctuary (hence they will often run back to the barn that is on fire) and source of food. Hoses do not comprehend that you brought the food, they only comprehend that the food comes with you to the feed tub, they associate things with other things, in their heads when you come to feed, the feed comes to them, they have no clue you brought it. If and when you do not show up, they will bang on buckets or feed tubs hoping that some food will come out of it.
    I could go on and on like that, but mostly for nothing, because people want to believe that horses poses human qualities that they can relate to, instead of learning the horse's nature and relate to that, thus so much unintentional abuse of these creatures, especially by the backyard horses. In short most horse owners (99.99%) never grew out of their childhood concept of animals and most of them do not want to. As one woman said to me: "Lee I know that what you say is the truth, because I can see everything you say, but please do not tell me anymore, because you are taking my dreams away. Just tell me when I am harming the horse so I will not do that and anything else I do not want to hear". I respected that, because at least she was honest with herself.

    Click the link below about the Arabian horses, which is not provided by the Arabian horse association, or by some Arabian horse lovers or the breed promoters, but it is provided by people that traveled to Arabia. Not written by horse people, but by people that simply were making a research in the origins of various breeds of horses for educational purposes for the veterinary colleges in the Czech Republic some 60 years ago. I've translated it, hence it is not written so well, sorry :( Just about all information about various breeds on the Internet is provided by people that are promoting the particular breed, hence all is positive since most of the website publishing this false info do not want to offend any of the breeders or breed lovers of any breed of horse, while I could not care less what people think of me. One of the most hated articles is "The Old Spanish Horse" because it tells people that there is no such breed as Andalusian horse (another name for the Old Spanish Horse), because the Spanish people themselves destroyed the breed during the European Anglomania. See second link. (Also a translation)

http://stablemade.com/horsecare/horsebreeds/arabian.htm
http://stablemade.com/horsecare/horsebreeds/spanish_horse.htm

    Tip: The horses at the farm will more likely behave much better for the veterinarian if the owner will not be present, providing the vet has some horsemanship attributes. The horses are very aware of the veterinarian being intimidated by the owner (the vet will not crack them couple on the ass if they needed in the presents of the owner), who is obviously very protective of her "babies". The horses perceive that as the owner is brave and the vet is afraid of her. This could also be the problem for you when handling them, because you most likely treat them differently in the presence of the owner then when alone.
   Caution: please do not be aggressive with any horse if you are afraid, because in most cases the retaliation is inevitable, if not instant it could come later, when least expected. Horses (primarily mares), like many other animals, do harbor resentment (not hate). Horses do not miss the matters of the heart. If I find myself in situation like that, I send the owner away or will not work on the horses if I cannot have my way. In nature the fear rules and the brave lead the way, and human pretences find no place, because every horse sees the man's heart.

Lee

    Ps: There is no such thing as spoiled horses. Horses simply adjust and adapt to the environment that they live in, which in return they reflect. Hence I say, by handling other horses I can see what the other people are, it is very easy to see if one has spent considerable time with horses of various environments and is perceptive enough, though most do not see it, because of their childlike concept of thinking and loving horses. In dogs it is easier to see, just ask guys of which many will notice when seeing a woman with her dog walking on a sidewalk and they think or say: "Hey! Look! The dog looks like her!”

Written by Ludvik K Stanek a.k.a Lee Stanek