Do people faff too much?

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almrc

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Do people faff too much?

If a horse raises its head up when you put your foot in the stirrop or stand on a mounting block next to it and you know it is not in pain, should you carry on doing ground work and practicing standing over the horse without getting on or should you just get on and go?

If you continue groundwork, how long do you do this for and what if the horse still raises its head? Some people might say that the horses isn't ready to get on. Some might say its what they have learnt.

What it a horse has had a previous back issue that is now sorted and you know its not in pain. If for example, the horse is still raising its head, after lots of ground work, or what if the horse is fine all the time, except for when you go to get on the horse, then again do you carry on groundwork (standing over the horse, leaning, puting foot in the stirrop without getting on) or just get on and see what happens?

Do people faff too much with 'problem' horses when they should just get on with it?
 
depends on horse really,but the more positive moves you make the less stress the horse shows and takes advantage of nerviousness But make sure there isnt a problem and pain related first plenty of pats and positive careful moves will work wonders. think some of us will faff as you put it...me included
 
I think people do faff to much and thats why "problem" horses are created!!

As we all know, 99% of the time it aint the horse thats the problem, but the people that faff!
 
Thats true, especially on a nervous horse, a worrier. I myself am a semi-faffer but its knowing when to cross that bridge and get on with it.

Guido-this is what I am trying to work out.I'm glad you mention it :)

If for example a horse had a back problem and was being ridden, turned away for a year and a half, had back work which totally sorted it, out of pain with teeth/back checked, and ground work (including lots of desensitising, log reining, standing above horse on mounting block, practicing putting foot in stirrop) what if the horse is still lifting its head up, even with different people - well one day it will lift its head up, the next day it doesnt? Of course it could be learnt behaviour, but when do you decided enough is enough and just get on?
 
almrc - if you have a nervous horse I think you have to be overly confident so the horse can take its confidence from you. I dont mean assertive or rough but the horse will be needing a "leader" to tell him/her that everything is ok.

The danger of faffing is that your horse then worries about your faffing, starts doing the same (learnt behaviour) and is just as nervous as when you started.

I dont mean you personally, I`m generalising.

An example is I have a companion mare who had back problems when I got her age 15. She hated being groomed (learnt behaviour to avoid pain)

I got physio to do a lot of work with her and sort things out. Had a much happier horse in the end but still didnt want groomed.
Her behaviour had become a habit.
If I get her in a good mood she will tolerate a little brush but other days she wont.

I know there is no pain and if grooming her was important I would persists and get her through the habit. Lickily for me I dont have to, with the mounting issue, I would persist, probably ignore it, get on and ride!

Hope that makes a little sense
 
Guido, that makes a lot of sense and I am very happy with what you are saying and can relate to it - thank you. Its true that nervous horses need a strong leader. The worrying fact of course is knowing what the horses behaviour was like pre-back treatment and wondering what it will be like now, but it is like a different horse as it has had so much work.

I think you can only spend so long on groundwork before realising, actally theres no more I can do, I just need to get on.
 
I agree, I think if you faff about too much, you can make the horse lose confidence. Sometimes, just getting on with things works better. I'm a faffer round the yard, but out riding, I def try not to or it confuses him.
 
Perhaps the 'faffers' don't have the same authoritative stance on equine behaviour as you guys?
I think it's great to judge other people - I'm glad I'm at a largish livery yard where I have the opportunity to criticise other people constantly, and tell them what I would do differently (and better, obviously).
S :D
 
My trouble is I always think of the 'what ifs' which I know is bad. If a horse used to constantly run off, even when being led and it used to proper pull, set its neck and run - no stopping it (learnt behaviour again) I always worry this will happen once ridden, I do sometimes think this, regardless of all the good work has been done on a horse and the running off has completely stopped (unless in a very scary, worrying situation! but then you can almost predict when it might happen).

Again, getting on with it, like you say is most probably the best way and knowing you have the tools/bit there if needed
 
Shilasdair said:
Perhaps the 'faffers' don't have the same authoritative stance on equine behaviour as you guys?
I think it's great to judge other people - I'm glad I'm at a largish livery yard where I have the opportunity to criticise other people constantly, and tell them what I would do differently (and better, obviously).
S :D
Click to expand...

Shils,

Your dead lucky that you are at a yard where you can do that, I`m not, and its such a shame. Mind you, I make up for it, i spend my days going to random stables just to allow people to hear my wisdom.....and they are always so grateful.

Sometimes I use a tannoy system, allows to be reach more people with my words of wisdom..mind you, the police stopped me doing that for a while... fools I tell you...fools the lot of them!
 
guido16 said:
Shils,

Your dead lucky that you are at a yard where you can do that, I`m not, and its such a shame. Mind you, I make up for it, i spend my days going to random stables just to allow people to hear my wisdom.....and they are always so grateful.

Sometimes I use a tannoy system, allows to be reach more people with my words of wisdom..mind you, the police stopped me doing that for a while... fools I tell you...fools the lot of them!
Click to expand...

I love the tannoy' idea.
Someone once bought me a megaphone for my birthday (seriously) as they thought it would help me teach. The fantastic thing was that it played endless tinny tunes, too, things like Amazing Grace, all known (and some unknown or at least unrecognisable) anthems.
It brought tears to peoples' eyes (before it was mysteriously stolen).
S :D
 
I, personally, am very anti 'faffing' of any kind, in my experience it can make a small problem grow to massive proportions. I believe that every move you do with a horse should be confident and decisive. I wouldn't start something with a horse that I didn't truly believe I could finish.

I used to be a lot more faffy but I have learnt that this very rarely served my purpose and with one horse made him impossible to mount - until a friend who rode for many years saw what he was doing to me... he took him off me and spent the next 20 minutes vaulting on and off him (he was 17 hands - this was very impressive in itself) and then made him stand whilst I got on. I learnt so much just watching how this man handled him. Never using violence or force but just not stopping til he'd acheived what he set out to. NO faffing at all... very impressive and educational and changed the way I handled horses from that day on...
 
I think thats what I am learning now, to be less faffy. Its hard at the time, but on reflection I think its more and more more important not to faff, especially when you know the horse isn't in pain
 
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