Can I get his vocal cords taken out???

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Lollii

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Can you have a horse's vocal cords removed?


I have taken my warmblood boy to a 'stressage' comp this evening, I must admit that this is not our fav discipline and we/I only do it because I wanted to practise the HN1 for a horse trials event coming up soon.


Anyway, we have been practising all week and even had a lesson (!) we had been improving and I had remembered the test which is a major plus for an old gal like me!

I did feel that we were getting somewhere but this evening as we went into the arena but ... my sometimes clingy ned screamed and screamed to any other horse within a 10 mile radius! (no other horse was returning his calls) He would not concentrate, I could have sobbed into my hot chocolate!

Afterwards, he stood at the trailer looking at me as if to say "what have I done?" he was as a quiet as a lamb - bugger!

But ... I did get the first place rosette (54%) - but there was only me in the restricted section - so I came 1st out of ... one - very sad!

I am going to have to ask in a later post what I can do as I need something to make him concentrate, and in EVERY test I do my comments are that I need to ride between leg and hand more, but I think I do .... but I must be doing something wrong .... Big Sigh !!!!!
 
That is a bit extreme! Mine was like that but by getting him out to anything and everything, he now thinks it is boring and has settled a lot.
ETA - Removing his vocal chords wont stop him feeling tense and clingy so only for your benefit really. Work on getting him more focussed on you.
 
I'm guessing that you mean this as a joke as he will still be tense, not concentrating, looking as if he is calling out etc. He'll just not be able to make a sound. I know that they used to sever the vocal chords of bull-fighting horses so that when they screamed if gored by the bull the audience wouldn't have to hear it. I think constantly taking him out until he learns to settle at competitions is probably a better idea.
 
Yep... the op is called a Hobday and they used to do it on donkeys a lot
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But it wont stop him calling..... just no one would be able to hear him
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Just to say..... I do realise you are being flippant
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Or at least hope you are
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My Dutch boy is also exceedingly vocal - quite capable of bellowing into my ears as I tack up and shouting to the entire neighbourhood to announce that he's out on a hack!!

Seriously though, he is also a bit 'stressy' and I have found that once the initial shouting has been done he settles down OK...... until he sees a horse 3 fields away that may need to know he's coming by!
 
I was joking about the vocal cords!

Although I expect I would have done if I could yesterday!

I wish he would settle, he seems to get worse when I'm actually doing the test, afterwards he shuts up!

I would love to get him concentrating on me, but he just won't listen to me when he is like this....
 
My mare was like this Lovley at home & would scream at anything that moved during a test. Including when the judge nodded at her. I'm afraid they only way she imprved was by going to lots and lots of tests, so she became as relaxed at comps as she was at home.
How old is your boy. My girl was at her worst between 5 & 7 once she hit 8 she really calmed down and settled down & we then goit the fabby work at comps out of her that we got at home.
 
I wish he would settle down but he is 10 now!

He always does it but I don't do that much dressage so it doesn't matter so much when we are sj or xc, he calls all the way around the course, everyone knows it is me going around!

But he was a lot worse yesterday a real plonker!
 
You just have to keep going to every competition you can find to try and get him thinking that it's something really mundane and nothing to stress about. If possible do two classes, my boy is a bit stressy but is always better in the second test, but months of going frequently and the first test is less of an ordeal as well. What about some lessons at the venue so he feels more at home there?
 
I have had clincs at the venue that I went to yesterday, he has been there loads of times.
I also take him out a lot as we do loads of RC stuff, I have to take him on his own as he clings to any horse I take with me, and usually he calls a bit, but he was just getting worse last night, and you can imagine doing a test with his head in the air just screaming & screaming at nothing! it was horrible!

Shall I just give up doing dressage? but then I need to to do a ode at the end of the month - oh I don't know!
 
Don't take anyone with him and go alone, should sort that out

I cannot take 2 of mine together as otherwise they a) make me deaf with yelling and b) don't concentrate at all!
 
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