April 27th: A Most Unusual Evening in the Company of a Tiger Named Maximus

Marti Szczur

 



A most interesting field trip last night.


Near Ocala, there is an Endangered Animal Rescue Sanctuary (EARS) https://earsinc.net. It was founded in 2001 as a not-for-profit organization “that exists specifically to provide excellent living conditions for previously malnourished, abused and even abandoned big cats and other domestic and exotic animals.” Sue Nassivera , who is the Director of the Sanctuary, and her husband, David, are friends of Claudia and Bill Parkhurst (my hosts this month at their Forever Spring farm.) While I would have loved to have a tour of EARS, the weekly tours are on Saturday mornings, when I am training at Linda’s. However, Sue and David have a Siberian tiger named Maximus, who was born at EARS, and they raised him as a cub, and Max happens to live with them at their house.  

 

Claudia and Bill invited me to join them for an evening visit at Sue and David’s house, which is when they have relaxing time with Max. Yes, in a wire protected enclosure, but beautifully designed with lots of outdoor rooms, in a garden setting, and includes a swimming pool. Plus, his enclosure includes an alcove in Sue and David’s bedroom, so Max gets to sleep in his own bed close to his human buddies and the 3 family dogs. No odor at all, since Max swims daily, and the enclosure is kept immaculately clean. I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures, as Max was not on display, but just enjoying the company of his owners and their friends. Male tigers live solitary lives except during mating times, and Max is neutered, so his dating days are over, and a companion tiger would not be welcomed.

 

He is huge and gorgeous and calm and graceful. Such a privilege to be in the presence of such a majestic animal. He is very attached to Sue and David, but while they are able to pet him, scratch and rub him when he leans against the wire fencing, they never enter the same enclosure space with him. He is still a huge wild animal, who would likely never mean to hurt them, but could accidently do so. 

 

Quite a special encounter.  BTW, the photos are from other sources, but you can see how gorgeous he is and his digs.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

May 1st: Last Day of Immersion

Marti Szczur
Image
Last lesson day of my HHHL immersion month was focused on reminders about my position (a never ending journey of learning, made even more challenging as my body parts age :-) and challenges of  beginning to improve lateral movements. Key to leg yields is having horse straight, as well as my body with quiet hands and legs. Look where on rail I want to end up, so I have a focus. And, softly direct with outside rein, while only correcting for straightness with inside rein, if needed. Hands together and use elbow and shoulders (torso) to control direction. It should be easy and fluid. Riiiiight. Shoulder-in was easier for us, and again, remember to keep my hands quiet. My torso is in same direction as Toby’s shoulder/head and leg aids are subtle.  Haunches-in is not easy for us. It was difficult for Toby to bend around my leg and place haunches in while bending. It was hard for me to keep my dang legs long. This will be an area for improvement. Luckily, the lesson was videoed, so I can go
Read more

April 14: A Bit about Bits

Marti Szczur
Image
Rainy morning, so we had a Theory Day, while Toby dried off in a stall with hay to munch. The theme was “bits.”   There are two types of bits … those used for direct contact or indirect contact.   A direct contact bit (e.g., a snaffle) is used for lateral flexion and power (which comes from horse taking the bit. Also allows for horse to become round in back and flex.) Considered “direct” because w hen you apply pressure to the reins of a snaffle bit, the horse feels the same amount of pressure in their mouth.     An indirect contact bit (e.g., curb bit in Western and in English double bridle) is designed to be used when you want to gain more vertical flexion, straightness and elevation. . Single curb bits are designed to be used for riding with one hand, not two hands, as they are not designed for lateral flexion movements. The curb bit is considered “indirect” because  it is a leverage bit , meaning that it multiplies the pressure applied by the rider. Unlike a snaffle bit, which appl
Read more

Fourteen Years Ago

Marti Szczur
Image
 March 18, 2022 Fourteen years ago, I got a new horse, whom I named Toblerone ... Toby for short. He was a youngster ... an enthusiastic 4 year old. Full of spunk and ideas of his own. I had just retired, and Toby was to become my old lady horse. My horse objectives were evolving from wanting a horse with whom to compete to wanting a safe horse to enjoy whatever kind of riding I wanted to do. While I had ridden since a 6 year old and had been fearless with my own spunk in my younger days, I was now a young 62 and brand new to being a student of the “natural horsemanship” approach to training and riding horses (versus the more traditional, frequently rigid, Calvary-originated approach.) In the first decade of  the 21st century, “Natural Horsemen”, who had always been around, but viewed as mystical “horse whisperers,” became more available to the general horse community. They began to created easy-to-follow programs and took their philosophy and program on the road. There are lots of def
Read more