Do you consider yourself knowledgeable?

[sandr]

Just curious as Showjumper put up about a mare she viewed a day or so ago, and everyone put comments about she was lame, badly put together, i think Bossanova said her cannon bones where shocking or something, and i just kept thinking to myself, I don't see it!!!

There have been other incidents where people have said similar things, and that saddles don't fit, or horse is unsound, or something, and i have no idea!!!

If it is VERY obviously lame or is obviously badly put together i see it fine.

I'm not ashamed to say i am still fairly novicy on these things, and ask for help pretty much every week. I know enough to keep my horse happy and healthy, but compared to most on here, i don't consider myself knowledgeable at all.

 

[MrsMozart]

The joys of the horse world, you'll always be learning

.

I know some things, have no idea about others, and am always open to suggestion (which I may or may not take

). I read a fair bit, and research any subjects that are of special interest to me.

 

[the watcher]

I know what I know, but maybe more importantly I know what i don't know. I'm pretty good on tack and fit, OK with daily care, don't mind dealing with wounds, fine with handling difficult horses on the ground but won't ride them and not expert by any means on conformation or more tricky veterinary problems, when I am happy to call my vet.

There are very few people who know eveything there is to know!

 

[Nailed]

I agree with mother hen. I know what i know and i know what i dont know.. Im good with lower leg conformation, ailments and first aid.. but im rubbish.. REALLY RUBBISH at saddle fits, RUBBISH at bits.. i aint got a clue!! lol But i coud tell you if a horse has bad feet at 60 paces lol.

In that post you mentioned.. I actually liked the horse very much, and do think tht some of the comments were a bit unfair. (I like his daddy too Ladys Tralee Raj, STUNNINg! )

Lou x

 

[arwenplusone]

lol - I do consider myself knowledgeable BUT the more I know, the more I realise I actually don't know....

 

[Ezme]

I'm with mother hen, I'm good at what I'm good at. I'm good at confo, picking out unsoundness and I have reasonable knowledge of tack and a freakish memory of breeds! But, worming.... I'm shocking, horse first aid like poltices, nope! I'm not good with showing type stuff. This is mainly because although I've been around horses since I was 9 I have never had my own, just horses who I treat like my own! lol

 

[Lou23]

I consider myself to have common sense with horses, i can see when they are lame, not quite right but always ask for advice from more knowledgeble people or even as a backup to what i'm thinking.

No good at conformation, unless it looks awful.

Even my YO, who i would say is extremely knowledgeble is still learning new things

My brain is like a sieve so that doesn't help me either.

I always ask for advice and I'm happy to say i don't know alot but my horses have always been happy and i know i can ask advice/help from more knowledeble people and more importantly i know who NOT to ask.

 

[bhpride]

I know nothing. My knowledge is truly dreadful, I can't even muck out a shavings bed, can't bandage, know sod all about conformation etc, wouldn't pass a BHS stage one and you wouldn't want me running a yard near you. Took me four hours to plait a horse - never again.

It doesn't bother me though and I'm not interested in learning about anything other than everything about schooling of course. I know enough to keep a horse healthy and have the common sense to keep a horse happy. I don't need more than that

.

I've always been very lucky with horses I've bought (always unvetted), they've always been good horses with no issues, genuine and always sound for the time I've had them. I knew Tia was something special before I bought her and she's a star

intuition is a blessing and it's all I got

lol.

 

[Booboos]

I am always weary of people who claim to be very knowledgeable and very experienced, they usually turn out not to have a clue!! There are so many things to know about horses that it's so difficult to call yourself 'knowledgeable'.

As for the horse in the earlier post it did look lame to me in the video but I am crap at conformation so I didn't have an opinion on that.

 

[moodymare1987]

I Know a bit, but I Will say when I do not know something. I wont guess I will just say I dont know.
A lot of people do not like to admit they do not know something but I will, no shame in it either, would rather admit I do not know than try guess like most try to and cause problems.

 

[sandr]

You sound *exactly* like me!!!!

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

I'm not knowledgable but more importantly i don't pretend in any way to be.
I am learning all the time and enjoy learning new things.
I am a novice from the top of my hat to the bottom of my boots and i'm the first to admit it.

 

[Dubsie]

I don't know too much, but I like to think I have enough common sense to get by, and I know enough useful people such that I can ask should I need help/opinion.

 

[fatpiggy]

In my experience, there are alot of people out there who have read a bit on the internet, or heard someone else mention it, then go around spouting it as fact and that they know all about it. Give them something practical to do and they are very quickly exposed. I had to wait YEARS before I got my own horse and I spent that time reading, watching, asking questions and practicing as much as possible - I learned bandage tension on a table leg! I have a particular interest in all things veterinary and my vet is always happy to discuss things in depth (whether my horse is suffering from them or not), but I'm not the remotest bit interested in doing tail plaits. If you are wise you will never stop learning, although I am very wary of "trends" and like to see something works properly for myself before I adopt it in any way. The other thing I have noticed is that people do know about things, but not in any great depth and do not question why you do or don't do something, or why conformation can affect the way a horse goes. I used to watch the teenage kids on my old yard poring over various horsey magazines, but when I looked more closely, all they were reading about was quick-fix gadgets and the horses for sale in the back pages. They just didn't want to know about anything else. Shame.

 

[bhpride]

[ QUOTE ]
You sound *exactly* like me!!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

see, we are not alone lol

 

[dressagecrazy]

I agree Booboo's, a novice rider i teach called me a wealth of knowledge the other day. I turned a said im far from it, it's taken 20+years of soaking this much up & it will never end as things change & move on so much.
Im also crap with Confo always have been not afraid to admit it, im also not brill on seeing very slight lameness. But Im never afraid to ask questions & never afraid to say i don't know something. Which is rare amongst horsey folk around this area, im sure it's seen as a sign of weakness

.

I have dealt with problem horses & on occasions put them back on the right track am i an expert, no way!! Im ok with feed, bitting & i can spot a bad fitting saddle quite quick, Im ok with a far bit of minor/ major vet problems & im confident of knowing when to bow out & call a Vet. Fact is i never will be Knowledgable on horses as there is so much to learn, which is why i like horses so much you never stop learning.

 

[Kenzo]

I think you learn through experience, every day you learn more and more about your own horse let alone somebody elses but the longer you have had various horses, including the bad uns, the more you know what to look out for because you have have had first hand experience of it. I only know what I have owned and what my parents have had....thankfully we have have had a lot of good horses and ponies and not (touch wood) had too many problems in which case I freely admit to there is hell of lot I don't know and would never give advice on something I'd not had first hand experience with. Hence my post months ago about choosing a bit for a horse that is used to a myler which was not dressage legal, only had horses in snaffles and doubles so my experience in bits and problem mouths is very limited.

I don't tend to comment too much on people adds (as to what is confirmation ally wrong) I just say either yeigh or neigh (for example if I'd buy it) because you could be terribly wrong and it could be detrimental to someone's advert (and if people are wrong, then obviously its a bit unfair on the seller) as photos and videos could be very misleading in some cases, not all of course and if something is on 3 legs then of course it needs pointing out before someone wastes a hell of lot of money.

I could bet my bottom dollar that if everyone on HHO posted videos of there horses being lunged, trotted up or ridden etc more than half of them would be lame in some way and some of those people would just be agreeing with the first person that spotted it! .....if you get what I mean.

I do think HHO has some very experianced people and do offer some great advice and we are all lucky to be able to exchange views and experiances.

 

[DW Team]

I would not say I am knowledgeable but I have been around horses and ponies since I was 18 months old. I know enough to look after my own animals and will pass on information if asked. If I need help or advice I turn to my YO as although 11 years younger than me she knows much much more. If she can't help she will put me in touch with someone who can.

 

[milliepops]

[ QUOTE ]
lol - I do consider myself knowledgeable BUT the more I know, the more I realise I actually don't know....

[/ QUOTE ]

absolutely - the same applies to riding - the more you learn about how to ride a horse *well*, the worse you seem to be as you are more aware of all the stuff that you aren't doing

 

[Cyberchick]

Completely agree with comments on here. I by no means know everything, no body does. I'm fairly knowledgable about things that concern me or have in the past, so for example feeding. With my other horses I have never really had a problem yet with this one I have to be careful what I feed for temperament but trying to keep weight on etc. I have learnt so much in the last few years about this.
Also, the opposite, I sometimes know more than I think I do. Someone will be talking or I look at something. I will have my own 'opinion' in my head but I wont ever say anything unless it was neccesary because I dont want to look stupid or get involved then I find what I thought was right and it's like "cool, I knew that".

 

[E_Lister]

I'm so glad that you are all saying there are things you don't know, I was starting to worry I was abnormally rubbish! I am not knowledgeable to a huge degree about anything (apart from maybe how to look after individual ponies I have been around for several years) however I can ride to a reasonable standard and I know enough about on the floor stuff that I can pick up on larger problems and I am very willing to ask for help if it is something smaller or something I didn't notice. Conformation wise I know almost nothing and tack fit wise I know about the same. For me, I am happy constantly learning and as long as I feel confident in what I am doing that is enough for me

 

[shadowboy]

I do not know all that much really, whenI think about what I do know I realise I know very little in comparison to what there is to know! However, I know enough to look after horses, both my own and other peoples and to teach. Imalways trying to gain more info and regularly grill the EP, dentist, chiro etc...

 

[Halfstep]

It depends on what. I'm good on conformation and lameness and, general horse health, but that's because I've been unlucky enough to learn through experience! But I know nothing at all about breeding, because I've never had first hand experience of it. I know about dressage bloodlines because that's what interests me, but nada about eventing or SJ ones. I'm completely ignorant about showing and wouldn't know a hack from a riding horse. I can watch someone ride on the flat and over jumps and help them with their position, but because I've never evented I would not feel able to comment about XC riding. And I know how little I do know when confronted by a true expert like my dressage trainer, who may well know everything

 

[Gentle_Warrior]

my saying is "I know what I know, and keep quiet on the rest"

 

[LankyDoodle]

I wouldn't call myself knowledgeable, but I have plenty of common sense and love to learn and research things. There is plenty I know nothing about with regards to horses, and lots I know plenty about.

This time last year, I knew very little about laminitis, apart from the common sense stuff. Now, I could probably tell you everything you need to know about it.

I don't know a great deal about saddle fit, tbh, but I am happy to get a saddle fitter in regularly (and I do), and I can see when a saddle fits shockingly bad, and I know how to tack up properly.

I get by and my horses are happy and healthy. What I don't know, if I need to know it, I will find it out!

 

[SunSmile]

QR

I know enough to keep my horse healthy and happy. I also know that there is a whole load i dont know about and i am constantly listening and watching others and asking questions in an effort to learn more.

 

[Riverboy]

I'm learning all the time, and sometimes surprise myself with what I know, but the honest truth is its always a learning curve - a massive one, and the best bet is to ask for advice.

If I hear something interesting I'll ask about it, read about or try it (if appropriate). There is always something to learn and the most exciting things about horses is how much they can teach us about themselves and ourselves...

I try to avoid giving too much advice, but if asked I will - as if noone helped me up be without a paddle!!!

 

[hussar]

The longer I'm around horses, the more I realise I don't know - and I've been around horses 40+ years ... And there are so many new ideas, new theories, new discoveries - no one can keep up with them all.

As others have said, the things I 'know' about are nearly all connected with my own horses' ailments/problems over the years. I've had to find out about feeding poor doers, and good doers; about abcesses, navicular and tendon injuries; I can spot most lamenesses now but couldn't confidently say whether it's foot-related or higher up. I know a bit about several supplements and feeds, etc. I can deal with some behavioural problems, like not loading. Currently I'm learning about managing grazing, this being only the second year of being responsible for my own pasture.

The things I don't know would fill a book...

 

[PennywithHenry]

I don't consider myself particularly knowledgable.

I have common sense, which I think is one of the most important things, I also know what I consider to be important, basic first aid, handling in various situations etc. As for feeding, I know the do's and don'ts, and I look into the feeding of my horses etc, but tbh, I couldn't tell you the best way to put weight on, say. a 17.2hh laminitis prone hot headed horse prone to tying up and choke, as I don't have one. Likewise, I can sit to my mare and handle her during during FANTASTIC displays of acrobatics, but wouldn't consider myself good enough to ride someone elses horse nor would I advise.

But, I don't care particularly how knowlegable one considers themselves to be or not to be, as long as they're prepared to take on board advice etc if required.

 

[annret]

I am very much a novice but I do always ask for advice and listen to other people and lots of people ask me for advice in return. I think sometimes that having a common sense approach and erring on the side of caution - as most novice owners do, in my limited experience - is far better than some older/'wiser'/more cynical owners who throw their horse out in the field when lame with tons of bute & wait till it's sound without getting the vet out at all.

I did think the horse in question looked slightly lame, tbh, and wasn't keen on hind-leg at all - and before I'm told it's because I was agreeing with everyone else, I only read the opening post and didn't comment the thread.

I have read every book I can lay my hands on and have had problems that have been resolved with my horse, so advice i offer is from my very limited experience but whilst I'm a terrible rider & far from knowledgeable on the care front also, I'm able to admit that and so have the help I need and know when to take and when to ignore advice.