Does your horse look after you?

monikirk

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Decided to search out some stubble today on my lovely friesian Lammy with my hacking friend and her mare. All's fine and start of a steady canter side by side - decided to step it up shortened reins and stood up in stirrups and ping horrid pain in my back.
Lammy pulls up so easily and friends mare too. After getting off and trying to stretch out pain I then gave up and scrambled back on to obliging horse who stood as steady as a rock for me. Then he took me home whilst I hung on to side of saddle and a hunk of mane.
He was such a star - all the usual places he spooks or snorts at he stepped on by and then stood for me to slide off dragging my leg over his bum.
Does your horse pick up when your not feeling too good and sense your mood?
 
Yes definitely!! When jumping recently (mare loves it and is rather good at it!!) she can throw in an almighty pop over a fence...I'm now getting used to her huge jump but a few weeks back she really over jumped an oxer and I thought I was a goner, nearly came off one side then the other and finally landed up her next, nearly went over her head and she just slowed up, threw her head up and threw me back in the saddle as if to say "sit up mother, hang tight we are fine" the picked up canter and off we went again! She is fab!
 
Absolutely.

One time when I was grieving for my Mum, M rested his muzzle on my chest over my heart and left it there for over a quarter of an hour.
 
Mine is just starting to learn too. I honestly don't think he knew how to before, he was only 5 and been through a bit of a traumatic time moving from an owner he knew since birth to a different country. But as I say he is just starting too now


Last one used too, well sort of he would be naughty, ie stop DEAD at a jump but then lift his head and neck and dig his front feet in to stop you going over his head or if he ran out he would step under you to stop you falling out the side door.
 
a pony i had when i was about 17 always seemed to know when i needed a cuddle , boyfriend troubles used to result in me going up to the paddock where pony lived with about 8 other ponies, i'd sit on the fence and just watch them while i sniffled lol:o She would always come over to say hello and if i was crying she would rest her head on my chest and just stand there:) she wasn't a particularly cuddly mare the rest of the time.
I also had a GSD that would jump up at me and try and lick my face whenever i had a panic attack:o
the only one of the horses now who seems to be aware of changing moods is my ginger boy, big girl has enough moods of her own to notice mine lol:rolleyes:
 
Pony i ride definatly looks after me, way more than he needs to! ....for example..... last week my uncle was jumping him (he is shared between our families) and he kept refusing, nothing nasty just pushing his luck! i had my lesson and my instructor got me to do some jumps at the end. i have lost confidence jumping after a fall so let's just say i wouldnt have stoped Ben from running out or watever. But he did every jump perfectly no refusing at all! (much to my anoyance!) so i think he must have sensed my nerves and decided to show me it would be fine! Love him soo much :D
 
I believe Genie does. When we were both getting the hang of jumping (her as a green youngster, me as someone who had lost all confidence) I once ended up literally sat behind her ears. Bless her she stood like a rock, and slowly lifted her head and I slid back down her neck into the saddle. Wish we had got that on film as it would have been priceless.
 
Yes, totally. I swear I'd be useless if it wasn't for her 'catching me' when I nearly wobble off! I've always said she carries me around XC, I am merely a passanger who knows nowt. I feel safe, and have endless trust in her. She also looks after my children when they go for a 'walk' on her. Very amazing to watch really.
 
Yeah generally :)

She's not generally the "will really look after you" type but the most obvious change in her was when i broke my ankle and decided to ride her in my cast. she was rock steady whilst i got on, hanging on her heavily. she was quiet as a lamb whilst we rode round with my cast banging her side-none of her usual silliness.
And she was very patient when i got off her slowly and her manners on the ground were perfect.

they definitely know when they need to behave a certain way, even if they cannot understand why they need to.

as her saddle does not fit at the mo, i popped my featherweight little bro on her bareback and led him around the field. she was steady and polite, until we reached a corner and she refused to move. when i turned to look why it was because my little brother had started to slip off the slide and she was not going to move until he was firmly back in place!
 
Depends on her humour. Jumping, she does. She's a very honest little pony that has gotten me out of several sticky situations.
Hacking when I've been literally shaking after an incident and barely able to stay on, she got me home safely when 5 minutes before that was leaping about like a doughnut.

Then there's the times you see the smile on her face as she trots along, puts her head to the ground and split second later, stops dead - to see if you stay on or slide off. I have a couple of times slide off especially when she jumps up a hill and then facing downwards, puts her head down.
 
Absolutely totally!!!!! We are mates!!!!! Mostly...

Not only that he always looks after my nervous mates and is always willing to be slow and hang back when others have dashed off especially if it's a nervous nellie on board. He loves everybody.....

Except me... no, when it comes to me, its like "yeah mum, c'moooooOOOoOOOOoOnnnnn!!!!" while I sit hang on for dear life, hat hanging half off my head and lost both stirrups, while he careers off ususally sideways, bucking and neighing a fart out at the same time.

He's trained to come to a sliding stop at "you ******* b****!!!!" while I hit my foo-foo on the pommel.

This was today. Mind you he'd had a week off out on 24/7 grass with no muzzle while i holidayed in the English Riviera. Must find out who sneaked him these drugs....
 
Totally!

The horse I used to share always looked after me.
If i'd had a crap day i'd sit in his stable and sob on his bankings and he'd leave his food (:eek:) and rest his head on my knees so I could used his head as a pillow.

Also if I felt ill/weak he'd be really forward going when schooling, nothing like when I felt ok! Oh, I was nervous about galloping him in the field for the first time for me and him! He was perfect, certainly a great memory!

God love em'! :)
 
Nooo...haha mine does everything he can to catch me out, cheeky bugger :P

Sister's pony though, is exactly that type. Will stand still and wait for her to get sorted if she loses balance..will put his head up if she's tipped forward..slow down if she's going to lose her balance, will jump from anywhere..he's great :)
 
My beau always takes care of me. And anyone else who rides her. I was quite touched at work to get on my normal horse and him be more mellow and easy than usual. I was having a very painful cycle and he seemed to know.
 
G will stand over me if I'm sat down in the paddock/school with his front legs behind my back and his neck and head over me and he keeps watch like a big orange bodyguard!!

This is after he's mooned about like a sap sticking his face in my lap and throwing in an occasional lick or gentle snort, bless him.

Ridden, he doesn't make any effort to look after me as such, he's just naturally a bit of a steady eddy I think :) he completely changed my opinions of chestnuts this boy!
 
Not really, no. Kali is far too busy looking after himself! That said, when he's feeling relaxed and secure in himself he does look after me on the ground (as in doesn't try and sit in my lap every five minutes). Kali's an insecure little boy so does look for an awful lot of help and reassurance from whoever's on top - and if he doesn't get it, he takes matters into his own hands . . . love him to bits though.

P
 
They certainly do!
OH's horse likes to take the Micheal when I ride him, nothing dangerous he just lets me know he is boss and I am honoured to be on his back:rolleyes: When our son was in hospital for 13 weeks waiting for a liver transplant I had to be forced to leave his bedside. OH knew I needed a rest and insisted that I had a weekend at home, my daughters were missing me, and I was missing them. OH handed Sir over to me for the weekend to do what I liked with him. Instead of holding his head out of reach to put the bridle on, usual trick (and still is;)) he put his head down to his knees and held his mouth open for the bit. I had the 2 best hacks I ever have had on him, a total gentleman who seemed to read my mind, when to speed up and when to slow down, no spooks, just totally calm, it was if he was trying to make me feel better. It worked. Sir has also been a star with our little lad, he never puts a foot wrong around him, and when Mini was younger Sir took a fair bit of pulling around by a toddler, he is as steady as rock if Mini sits on him, we used to say we didn't need a baby sitter we could have left Mini in the stable for Sir to look after if we wanted to go out:)
(Disclaimer we never did!!)
 
yes definately! my old pony and I went out for a long all day hack - i got lost it was getting very dark and i was getting very upset; he sensed i was crying and he took us home - he found our way home it took what felt like an eternity but he got us home.
 
Yes definitly!
Mine can be a bit of a sharp knobber sometimes but he always keeps me in the plate. Jumping he's fab, I lost a stirrup once and until I got it back he jumped so carefully with me.
Even when he's scared he tries his best to listen, I think he would be mortified if he hurt me!
Once he was tied up outside his stable, I wasn't in a very sensible position as I was crouching down in a small space between him and the stable oiling his hooves.
Suddenly this dog literally came flying round the corner out of nowhere and scared the life out of us, he proper freaked out but he didn't touch a hair on my head which considering my stupid position was pretty much a miracle!
I was shaking afterwards and he rested his head on me all concerned to check I was ok.
Horses can be silly flight animals but I really think they do their best to look after us.
My late mare was the same, like my boy when the chips were down she was on my side, I don't care if people say 'they are only horses they don't think like us' they do care in their way. :)
 
Definetly, he is an absolute superstar. He'll always try and save the rider is anything happens :) He is also totally forgiving to any error such as jabbing in mouth by accident. Can't imagine easily finding another horse like him :)
 
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