Members having both Greys & Horses

[Talon]

I am hoping to have a discussion with members that have both horses and greys. We have had horses for over 30 years, and having greys for the past 7. I have found such similarities in the two. Whenever a friend who has no experience around horses and doesnt understand them, but has a grey, asks about my horses and their behaviour, the best way for me to describe it is.....they are just like a grey.

 

Some of the similarities I see are:

 

Scared of new things.

Very nervous around new people, new situations, etc.

Want to be kept on a fairly predictable schedule.

Need daily attention and exercise.

Can't always trust them completely.

Watching their body language is most important.

Getting a horse to trust a human after being abused in any way shape or form takes as long as a grey coming from the same situation.

Takes time and patience to overcome the baggage they come to you with.

They tend to bond with one person.

Wll NEVER forget the human that was mean to them.

They both have the FLIGHT instinct when spooked or scared of anything or any situation.

(horses run for their lives, birds fly for their life).

They are herd and flock creatures who bond.

They grieve when they lose a member.

 

Most common.........EXPENSIVE PETS!!!

[Ray P]

My dad was a blacksmith so I have been around horses all my life and have had my own horses.

Your list is correct and the last thing (OH BOY EXPENSIVE) You hit the nail on the head.

A sick horse cab suck you dry faster than any grey.

You can buy a cage for a grey but you build a barn for a horse

A grey will fly around the house, but a horse you buy lots of land just so they can walk around and eat.

You put up a fence on that land so they do not get out and on to the road and get hit. OH the insurance you need.

A grey you just close the cage door.

In January when its 15 below zero you still have to go out in the cold to feed and water and than in the cold you clean stalls.

I will take a grey, amazon, cockatiels a dog a cat any day of the week. But I do love horses.

[DawnMM]

I have both too and definitely agree with your list. We definitely have to watch the body language on our Chief. He's a sneaky bugger and stubborn as all get out...just like Buddy! LOL

[chelseaB]

Interesting thoughts Talon! I have both also, have had horses for 40+ years, owning a cattle ranch they are a necessity. I have a mare who I purchased as a 2 yr old who is now 29yrs old & is still a very useful team member here! She was diagnosed with navicular disease at 9 yrs old & I was told that she might have 4 more useful years. Well, 20 yrs later she is still going strong! Thanks to excellent farrier skills ( $$$$ ) she is very comfortable drug free. I agree, their behaviors are very similar to greys, but I think that with time the horses become much more predictable. Since Biscotti is my first grey, I don't have a lot of comparison but his body language seems much more subtle than the horses or actually his behavior reminds me of a young colt who hasn't been handled much. Could be that I am still learning to "read" grey parrot.