Do people have a preconceived idea about your horse?

H

Hovis_and_SidsMum

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 January 2007
Messages
2,711
Location
Lincolnshire
Visit site
I only ask as my YM asked if I wanted her and her friend to take Hovis out on a hack on friday mornng. Normally her friend (male) rides another horse but she gave him Hovis.
Apparently his opening comment was "how come I have to ride the carthorse?" and "great I bet I'll have to keep my legs hard on for the whole way to make him go".
YM had smiled and merely stated he needed to wait and see. She knows that Hovis can out-stride most horses on our yard and is very very forward out hacking!
Following an hours hack the male friend was made to eat his words and meekly asked if YM would ask me if he could take him out again as he'd enjoyed it so much!!

Hovis does look like a big clumpy horse and people seem to prejudge him that he will be heavy on the forehand, need loads of leg or spurs and a whip to get him going. He doesn't at all! My friends TB however looks very flashy, very forward and touch sensitive. Actually she's as lazy as heck, needs loads of leg and spurs to get her going.
Do you find people prejudge your horse on looks?
 
Most people who don't know Ru are a bit wary of him because of his height, particularly when he puts his head up but actually he is the soppiest/quiet horse ever.
 
People look at Bear and think he's an old plod but he's far from it! Just the slightest squeeze and he's on!!
I find it amusing when people automatically think cobs are dopey and laid back!!

Sophie xx
 
I don't seem to suffer too much from this, but then I am male, married and ride a New Forest 'pony', I am therefore completely invisible.

I do see far too many 16.2 + horses being walked around our local hacks, as people have obviously allowed 'flash looks' to overcome their abilities
shocked.gif
But that is another subject.
 
People tend to take one look at Maiden (especially her awful conformation) and think she's a lazy plodding carthorse with no decent paces and no natural talent. Mostly this is true, however it's all the more fun though as although she is a total novice's ride when one is on her back, get someone experienced on board and she can be quite forward! When she was fit (winter 06-07) she was a handful, she is bombproof apart from that she really, really hates pigeons and those big builders' sacks. It always shocks everyone to see me scooting sideways on my big bombproof plod! I also quite enjoyed going to a dressage competition once, no-one thought she'd ever do well at dressage but we actually managed to come second and nearly always came home with some colour of rosette. The time we came second, I walked into the school, told the writer my name, smiled at the judge, then promptly gave Maiden a kick up the backside and we shot into the MOST fantastic working trot she's ever done, very cadenced for a clumpy ID X! The judge told me afterwards that the writer's jaw was on the floor!!
Ah such fun!
grin.gif
 
Someone pre judged my show cob once.....he soon taught her to ride properly and not how she got her warmblood going. Bless him.
 
Its great pleasure proving people wrong isn't it!! My friends 12 yr old daughter is a novice and instead of riding her mums Arab she rides bear out and she loves him, I think they know whos on board!
 
because Frankie has blue eyes he tends to get a lot of pre conceived ideas about him - that he's wild, etc. Only sometimes is he a bit 'spooky'
smirk.gif


he's got a reputation around the horse area where he is kept because the last guy who rode him used to wind him up - he is known as 'Frank the w@nk'
mad.gif
mad.gif


Whenever people say 'Jenny rides Frankie' you should see the look on their faces
mad.gif


I know different
smirk.gif
 
I have a welsh Sec D, he's a bit of a show off and has a bit of character. The other people on the yard call him mad harry, I always feel bad for him cause he's not nasty with it all. Would never barge, or nap. Once your on board he is a dream, I offered one of them a ride on him, she managed 1/2 a 20m circle in walk before she got off saying he had too much power!!! lol
 
When I first bought my tb ex-race mare people wouldnt ride out with me as they thought she would race and be fast all the time and spook at everything...once they took the plunge and we rode out they realised she wasnt and would go at her own speed and happily let horses come past her in canter, in fact she will move over to accommodate!
Also, she may look at things but then go and stick her nose on whatever it is...she was actually often asked to 'look after' nervous horses for hacking as she doesnt react to other horses and will go up to most things for a sniff!
Mind you, she is black and can look quite demonic...which she can be!!!
 
People don't pre-judge the mare on her looks because she is a standard ISH type. However, at our old yard she had a difficult time of it because people didn't like her old owner and so were mean to her (I know, how disgusting people can be). She got a reputation as a biter and a 'stroppy mare' - also partly the old owner's fault as she was hopelessly 'outhorsed'. However, now that I've moved her to our new yard where nobody knew her, everyone thinks she's just the sweetest thing and likes that she's very vocal (she's always whinnying and nickering) and you know what - she has just gone from strength to strength.
Amazing how the perception of the owner affects the treatment of the horse!
 
Yes, and they get my 3 all wrong! Emmy looks like a little speed demon, but is the slowest walker ever. Touchy looks like a typical draught, and is very low on confidence, so is quite sharp, and Sov is assumed to be a nutter, yet he is the most gentle sweet horse you could meet!
 
I know what you mean. H is a heavy cob x and does RDA which belss him he is a donkey for, what they don't understad is he is not like it all the time. When he is hacked out he is a nightmare, bolts, bucks, sets the pace and generally plays up and relaxes.

they never seem to believe me until one of the yard workers saw it for her self when I rode out with her !!
 
Not sure if people have any preconceptions about my pony but I think that drivers sometimes slow down more for me when I go out with my YO on her 17.3 hh warmblood because they assume she is taking a child out with her as my pony is only 13.3hh. They often look at me a bit funny when they draw level with us and realise that the "small child" is actually a middle aged woman.
 
I have highlands as well as Finella, and it often surprises people how forward going they are, they've always had to keep up with racehorses, so stride out meaningfully.
 
Star is a fell pony and people seem to think they are ploddy and quiet to ride, however he is the total opposite! He is VERY forward going and responsive, and is probably one of the fastest horses on the yard
laugh.gif
He also gets called "she" a lot because of his long mane
tongue.gif
 
I moved back to my old yard a few weeks ago, and nobody wanted May in their field as a horse she once went out with went down in the field - so they presumed she kicked it
shocked.gif
She has never kicked in the field in the 3 years I've had her!! She ended up going out with a group that has one in it with a bad reputation, who she is now best friends with and there have been no issues at all!

Then this woman was overheard telling her kids not to go near that 'nasty' horse when she was in her stable - but one of the little girls (only about 3yrs old) had come over and May was nuzzling her and the little girl was giving her kisses, the mum came over panicing, and had a stroke and said 'oh, she's nice really'
 
Yes people do have preconcieved ideas about my horse, sadly they are generally right!

I tell them he's an arab. and they think 'loony horse'
I say he's a chestnut arab and they think'uh oh TOTAL loony horse'.

And then they see me riding him out and he's showing off some complicated dressage moves to a queue of people at a bus stop, or having a nervous breakdown in the lane because he heard a sparrow fart two counties away.....and all their preconceptions are confirmed.
 
Yes people get pre conceived ideas about Inky usually when im at a show thats not for miniatures. I get the "ah isnt he cute" and then they bend down in front of him. When i tell them not to they look at me as if to say "why ever not, he cant do any harm he's too small?" People think because he's small he is "sweet" however he is still a stallion with "hormones" and will, if he gets the chance, try and bonk your back if your not careful!!! LOL!!
grin.gif
 
We do seem to have a nack for buying excitable looking horses that are complete plods.

My mum has got a connemara, and whenever we meet people they say 'I bet he's got a good jump' or 'He looks like a fizzy sort'. Little do they know that he demolishes jumps and higher than 2' and is the easiest horse in the world to hack - he just doesn't seem to know what gallop is!

Our donkey is a typical donkey though - he's only 10 hands but he can drag a fully grown man and CANNOT be ridden by children, he terrifies them
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top