Can someone please explain the whole, 'My horse is naughty, that makes me a good rider...my horse is bigger, that makes me better' attitude?

[ester]

I will never forget the instructions of one external instructor. 'Hold on properly this time'

 

[maya2008]

The ex-RS thing makes sense. This person is an adult but long held ideas can be hard to let go of.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

Meh ? I hate this attitude.

I’ll have a sit on most things, even if it’s a bit of a Pratt. I’ve schooled horses with most vices, I will not get on a confirmed bolter tanking yes bolting no, however I took the greatest pride that most of my horses could be ridden in a school or hacked out by anyone with a basic knowledge of riding.

I like to enjoy my horses, I like calm and having fun. Riding horses that are constantly pulling and bucking and being generally badly behaved gets on my wick after a while and I couldn’t be bothered with one myself. I will school such horses but there has to be an end, I would never buy one and just accept that the naughty behaviour was there for life and brag that I could deal with it all the time. It gets wearing and takes the fun away.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

God, I hope this isn't me. I have a 17.1hh draft.

I think this thread has given me some insight into why an old 'acquaintance' suggested people like me shouldn't have horses and particularly not ones like that. She must link a horses height to it's potential??? After all, her 16.2hh warmblood is a half brother to something

 

[Caol Ila]

Most people (a) don't understand the time, knowledge, and work that it takes to make a horse "easy" and (b) that most horses can be made into reasonably civilized equines with time, knowledge, and work. Ipso fact, they assume that if you never seem to be working very hard at handling or riding your horse, you must be the luckiest person on the planet but probably not a great horseman/woman, because you're never ostensibly dealing with "bad" behaviour.

Take my ex-yard owner, as an example. For a very brief time period, I worked at my barn, cleaning stables and turning horses out. The ground manners of most of these horses were atrocious and I would end up water-skiing to the turnout fields. One day, a horse got away from me because a farmer was moving a big herd of sheep down the road beside the fields, and the horse was not keen on this. Horse was captured but YO berated me, saying I had to lead the horses with a death grip on the lead rope clip just under the chin, not holding it with my hand a foot or so down the rope. I'm pretty sure that this would not have stopped a panicking horse, but anyway, he ended his shellacking by saying, "These horses are NOT like your horse." Which I reckon meant that he believed my horse has some magical powers of goodness that make her handle-able by an idiot -- which he most assuredly thought I was -- but no other horse is so angelic. I doubt he meant that my horse is trained, and his are not.

Take a dressage trainer I once worked for as a working student in upstate New York. He had a barn full of fancy warmbloods that regularly tried to kill you on the ground because no one had ever bothered teaching them not to. Trainer didn't care. He didn't have to handle them on the ground because he had minions for that. I was trying to do a bit of groundwork with one of the worst offenders because I was tired of being dragged around and squashed. I wanted it to yield its feet to pressure, just a little bit. The trainer saw me and laughed. He said (and I kid you not), "These are German horses. They cannot be trained like your horse. They are too smart."

Both these guys are middle-aged men who have been in the horse business for a long time.

And I worked my ass off to put manners on my horse, but it was a long time ago. If you do it right, it stays with the horse their whole life.

 

[palo1]

I have to say that it really makes me grit my teeth when people tell me I am 'lucky' to have such 'quiet' horses!! (They say the same of their 'good feet'...) I don't have huge amounts of money or ambition, nor do I particularly want a ginormous horse that I can't get on and off easily when I am out on the hills but all of my horses are lovely, lively beasties. Their manners, respect and sweetness are down to flipping training, not luck thanks!!

 

[suebou]

My 13.2 27 year old new forest is much more likely to behave very badly than either the well bred 17.1 dwb mare or the 5 year old ex racer........

 

[Mari]

I find it's very much linked to the..... "you're so lucky, your horse is so well schooled/polite/easy" crowd.

Ha ha. I get that. I get told I’m so lucky my horses are so well behave. Yes it just sort of happens by itself when you breed them, break them, train & compete them all by yourself on your own at home.

 

[JFTDWS]

Last year I used my 5 year old as an archery platform for a complete novice who had literally sat on a pony once beforehand.

Clearly I am completely hopeless

 

[LittleBlackMule]

There’s two on my yard whose horses would apparently kill anyone else who tried to ride or handle them.. they really do believe saying things like that will make people think they must be incredibly skilled.
It doesn’t occur to them how obviously clueless they are if they haven’t taught their horses manners after 8 years of ownership...

 

[Hairyunicorn]

I'm a long time lurker... So much advice and information on this forum.So thank you very much! Have to add my 2 pennies though.. Horses and ponies are all individuals. Some are just lucky to get patient caring owners that teach them how to behave.. Some unfortunately get self obsessed owners that want to show off as to how good they're riding their misbehaving equines in all sorts of gadgets.. Ignore and carry on enjoying your well behaved horse or pony and maybe feel sorry for the misunderstood equines

 

[Mule]

Big horses mean you're a better rider?? Bring on my draft horses!!

Except I nearly got dumped by a 12.2 earlier so I'll creep back to my fairly useless corner ?

People have commented that way about the beast, they are surprised when I tell them that he gives my little nieces pony rides

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Racehorses are generally very well mannered when in racing. They get a bad rep afterwards because people let them get away with blue murder 'because they are an exracehorse'. That phrase really gets on my nerves! They are intelligent animals, you let them get away with stuff and they will keep doing it!

 

[eahotson]

I find it's very much linked to the..... "you're so lucky, your horse is so well schooled/polite/easy" crowd.

People say that to me sometimes.I always feel that that means that you are obviously a complete novice and don't need a bucker,broncer etc.

 

[Trouper]

Well, like all skills, it is what you don't see happening which is really the clever part. Who ever sees Charlotte apparently move a muscle when she rides - and yet..... For me a horse being hot and difficult tells me more about the rider/handler than the horse. For all of you with calm, well-behaved horses, keep it up. You are the talented ones.

 

[swilliam]

My daughter worked for a year with a 15h horse which came to us frightened of his own shadow. Once she started to take hm out and about, she got quite used to comments like ' he looks very sweet, but he's not really a showjumper'. It increased the satisfaction when she beat them.

 

[wren123]

Actually @Trouper you can see Charlotte giving aids when she rides the various movements, for example look at her body, weight and leg position when she asks for flying changes. Watch her and learn! I used to write for a dressage judge regularly (I kept my horse at her private yard) it is fascinating and you learn a lot.
I haven't owned horses for years and in those days it was the novices who thought 'flashy' horses were better, even my novice husband knows the value of a well schooled quality hunter. I think it is the same now.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

After having a saint of a horse (Doodle), I was always mortified by Topaz's behaviour at a show or actually anywhere lol. 10+ years on we've got her pretty sussed and I love the comments 'you're so lucky to have such well behaved horses' now, well until she does something ridiculous again and I'm back to being mortified. Didn't know I was suppose to big up the rodeo acts, who knew .

 

[little_critter]

In my time it came from you were the one sticky enough to sit on the shittier RS beasts.
But everyone grows out of that don't they?

See I never got a chance to prove my stickability at the RS. Because I was quiet and polite I got plonked on the boring, can't do very much ponies while the gobby kids got to ride the more interesting horses. Having a big gob and a pushy mum obviously worked well in riding schools.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

See I never got a chance to prove my stickability at the RS. Because I was quiet and polite I got plonked on the boring, can't do very much ponies while the gobby kids got to ride the more interesting horses. Having a big gob and a pushy mum obviously worked well in riding schools.

In mine it was you're a short arse you can ride the ponies, and as has been mentioned up thread, smaller is normally naughtier, I fell off a lot lol.

 

[little_critter]

I always wonder how much of it is down to some people's insecurity being felt by the horse.

I was told so many times that a horse I was sharing wouldn't go past whatever. Really? I just expected him to behave and he breathed a sigh of relief and walked on calmly.

Apart from the ninja ducks. No one warned me about them. He teleported!

I had that as a youngster, I only found out after we'd walked calmly past a tractor that the horse I was sat on was apparently terrified of tractors.

 

[JFTDWS]

I had that as a youngster, I only found out after we'd walked calmly past a tractor that the horse I was sat on was apparently terrified of tractors.

And at the other end of the spectrum, I sent my established, super-safe hacking pony out with a friend at the end of winter. She came back and said he'd spooked at some scaffolding, but had gone past eventually. I told her he walks past that scaffolding nearly every day of his life and has never looked twice at it before

Ponies

 

[ester]

I was working there every possible hour so it's just what happened when one had been particularly shitty, or there was a new one that was an unknown quantity.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

And at the other end of the spectrum, I sent my established, super-safe hacking pony out with a friend at the end of winter. She came back and said he'd spooked at some scaffolding, but had gone past eventually. I told her he walks past that scaffolding nearly every day of his life and has never looked twice at it before

Ponies

Ponies like new humans to play with! It gives the excuse to do all the dickish things they really want to do but aren't allowed to normally!

 

[smolmaus]

In mine it was you're a short arse you can ride the ponies, and as has been mentioned up thread, smaller is normally naughtier, I fell off a lot lol.

Primary reason I have never once in my life wished I was taller. I have never had so much fun as the days I was getting dumped 3 times in one lesson by a pony I could basically swing a leg over from the ground <3

See I never got a chance to prove my stickability at the RS. Because I was quiet and polite I got plonked on the boring, can't do very much ponies while the gobby kids got to ride the more interesting horses. Having a big gob and a pushy mum obviously worked well in riding schools.

I had the opposite! Kids of the gobby mums had to be treated with kid gloves so they wouldn't cry and upset the horses. If me or my sister came off, mum would look up from her book to check we weren't bleeding and say nothing which was my instructors favourite kind of parent.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Back in the days when I used to ride at our local riding club a lot, a friend offered me a ride on her pony. He was a fairly hot 13.2 jumping pony. I popped a few jumps on him and rode him round the practice field, thoroughly enjoyed him. When I came back to his owner and her friend they were amazed that I hadn't been carted to the gate. Pony hadn't even suggested taking off, but then I did ride using seat and legs and his owner hadn't a clue, it was legs flying everywhere. That pony had once when out on a ride been tanking so she turned him into a gateway, he popped the gate. He was a super pony, went on with a future owner to be a really good jumping pony, think he made JA.

 

[JFTDWS]

Ponies like new humans to play with! It gives the excuse to do all the dickish things they really want to do but aren't allowed to normally!

Oh yes. We had words about it, but there's no penitence for his crimes.

I do often find people project their own expectations onto horses though. I've had other people ride my horses and they've done something a bit rude and I've been mortified and also very "don't bloody let her do that!" Often the response is "oh mine always does that" or "it's normal" and I have to say it's not normal for that horse, they aren't allowed to do it normally and they shouldn't have tried to do it now...

 

[Snowfilly]

In mine it was you're a short arse you can ride the ponies, and as has been mentioned up thread, smaller is normally naughtier, I fell off a lot lol.

I had jumping lessons in a riding school as we didn’t have jumps at home. It worked solely on the better you rode, the younger / more horrible ponies you rode, until eventually you got free rides as a test crash dummy on the four year old that had never cantered in a group before!

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I had jumping lessons in a riding school as we didn’t have jumps at home. It worked solely on the better you rode, the younger / more horrible ponies you rode, until eventually you got free rides as a test crash dummy on the four year old that had never cantered in a group before!

I do remember at the time wishing I got to ride some of the bigger horses and other kids lording it over me a bit, but then I did get to ride more variety. Luckily my parents gave up being worried for my safety when I fell off in my first lesson, bounced back up and got back on, I think it set the tone that nothing was stopping me riding lol.

 

[Flicker]

We had a vet in our area a few years back whose kids had the scruffiest looking ponies imaginable. It was so funny seeing them come off his massive horsebox at shows and PC rallies. But those ponies kicked serious butt! Vet clearly knew horses and bought safe, sensible, talented, hardy little beasts and ensured his kids put the work in with good instructors. I am guessing he probably paid a good load of money for them, but it was still great to see these funny little ponies in the ribbons and the kids overhorsed on the highly bred, temperamental ‘quality’ horses looking on.

That said, the vet’s kids are still riding in adulthood. Many of the kids whose parents stuck them on horses that were too much for them (and some potentially dangerous) have given up. Which is sad.