Dumbest thing a supposedly clued-up horse person has told you?

[Feival]

People who use flash straps and martingales can't ride, said by an instructor who's own horse was as stiff as a board, bored senseless, napped constantly and who she was scared to hack out as he pulled like a train.

 

[cremedemonthe]

Whilst saddle fitting and flocking on site at a yard and being quizzed accusingly by a riding school owner in I.O.W. if I had scratched her saddle in my clams when I flocked the saddle!
For those in the know will wet themselves laughing at the thought of this for those who don't know, wooden clams are used to hold various saddlery together whilst it's being hand stitched together such as bridlework.
Why she thought I needed to try to put a saddle in my clams to flock it was anyone's guess and would have been a task in itself to do. What made it worse was her Daughter had been on a saddle making course and had made a saddle (she didn't hold it in clams to flock though I hope!)
On examination of said saddle, the scratch was easily identified as a rider leaning forward to dismount and the zip on their coat had scratched the saddle, never got an apology of course.
Same stables I found horses tied up and left for a few hours with no one checking them at all. Came across a Shetland tangled up in his headcollar and rope with front foot stuck up in the air and was slowly choking himself in the rope, managed to man handle him to freedom.
I was never asked back!

 

[Mike007]

Me; "Did you know that the front brakes arnt working on your horsebox?"
Her: "Oh yes .it gives them a smoother ride!"

 

[Araboo27]

I know a woman who, upon bringing the horse in from the field, won't ride until her horse has had a poo!

 

[Araboo27]

The visiting saddler (there for another livery) who waxed lyrical about how my mare was a lovely example of the Arab breed; such a refined look to her head, what a beautiful face to see over the stable door, etc. They insisted on leaving me their contact details as they had a saddle that would suit her perfectly. Apparently they knew at a glance what size she needed: Arabs were their favourite breed.

The horse in question was neither a mare nor an Arab, and hadn't yet turned three...

I'm intrigued - what breed was it?!

 

[KittenInTheTree]

I'm intrigued - what breed was it?!

Connemara.

 

[Beausmate]

It's not natural for horses not to have shoes. Hokayyy....

 

[hypopit]

While on a yard years ago, a woman who used to change horses more often than she changed her knickers, and spent a fortune on some lovely animals, came back from Hunting and proceeded to whip her horse around the yard. She did this on a regular basis apparently. I only witnessed this the once, as I did not hang around that place for long!

I asked her why she was doing so, she said she had been thrown off a few times out on the hunt! I asked, "Would the horse equate the beating now with what happened two hour earlier"!! she said "Of course"! I noticed the strong bit and the bleeding mouth on this poor mare.
I was told by the other liveries that she was always in the knitting crew on a hunt and the bleeding mouth was due to her hanging on by the reins. Before I left there I happened to have the miss fortune of having to retrieve something from her stable block, and I watched her putting boots on her horse, the horse nuzzled her head and she jumped up and started smacking the horse around the head. I was shocked, "What are you doing"???? "It tried to bite me" was the answer, "I do not put up with bad manners" she said.
What a numpty!!!!! but a nasty, cruel numpty...thats the pity, who thought throwing a load of money about to go show off hunting made her look great.

 

[hairycob]

I left a yard because the new owners hubby was like that. They had just got an OTTB to retrain. Just 4 , last raced the day before they picked it up. Next day he was leaning on the stable door, chatting to her while she did jobs. Horse nuzzled his shoulder. He grabbed hold of it's head and punched it's face hard half a dozen times. Then just carried on chatting.

 

[hypopit]

I know hairycob, I think a lot of people are violent to their horses through being really nervous around them. These people overreact to everything due to nerves, and think they are putting them in their place. It is shocking to see, but the world is full of brain dead people who should not be doing a lot of things, it's just a shame animals get caught up in the middle of it.

 

[JillA]

I left a yard because the new owners hubby was like that. They had just got an OTTB to retrain. Just 4 , last raced the day before they picked it up. Next day he was leaning on the stable door, chatting to her while she did jobs. Horse nuzzled his shoulder. He grabbed hold of it's head and punched it's face hard half a dozen times. Then just carried on chatting.

You should ask people like that why they are so scared of horses, and if they say they aren't, laugh at them. It's the kind of thing you used to see old, stiff, less agile farriers doing, they were becoming scared around horses because they couldn't move fast enough if one over reacted.

 

[atropa]

While on a yard years ago, a woman who used to change horses more often than she changed her knickers, and spent a fortune on some lovely animals, came back from Hunting and proceeded to whip her horse around the yard. She did this on a regular basis apparently. I only witnessed this the once, as I did not hang around that place for long!

I asked her why she was doing so, she said she had been thrown off a few times out on the hunt! I asked, "Would the horse equate the beating now with what happened two hour earlier"!! she said "Of course"! I noticed the strong bit and the bleeding mouth on this poor mare.
I was told by the other liveries that she was always in the knitting crew on a hunt and the bleeding mouth was due to her hanging on by the reins. Before I left there I happened to have the miss fortune of having to retrieve something from her stable block, and I watched her putting boots on her horse, the horse nuzzled her head and she jumped up and started smacking the horse around the head. I was shocked, "What are you doing"???? "It tried to bite me" was the answer, "I do not put up with bad manners" she said.
What a numpty!!!!! but a nasty, cruel numpty...thats the pity, who thought throwing a load of money about to go show off hunting made her look great.

Wow! How terribly sad for the poor mare

 

[hairycob]

The guy who hit the TB wasn't scared of horses. He was an arrogant bully and it showed in other ways too. He told me the way to sort a bad loader was to hit it around the hicks until it was too scared not to go forward�� . I declined his offer of help and it took a whole 5 minutes to load.

 

[honetpot]

I think the saddest thing is the general lack of understanding of horse (and dog) behaviour and that play fighting is seen by many as aggression and its ok to leave them on their own for hours stuck in an enclosed space.
I used to be on a livery yard where my herd had their own field, other liveries were surprised that they were allowed to charge about without me rushing out to bring them in.

 

[asterope]

The guy who hit the TB wasn't scared of horses. He was an arrogant bully and it showed in other ways too. He told me the way to sort a bad loader was to hit it around the hicks until it was too scared not to go forward�� . I declined his offer of help and it took a whole 5 minutes to load.

That sounds like a recipe for getting double-barrelled... It also sounds like he'd be very deserving of it! What a vile man.

 

[Moomin1]

RI at a riding school I DIY liveried at, "I've noticed your horse puts it's head down before it bucks, if you bothered to use a martingale it would stop it doing that", me ermmmm what??!!
Same RI when faced with a "lazy fat cob" (turned out to be 9 months pregnant!) who wasn't keen on whips, "best thing to do is to ride her in a school full of whips to get her used to them", I advised against this but she apparently knew better, she then toddled off to scatter different whips around the school, thought I best stick around as this was going to end badly, she mounted, rode into the school in trot, horse stood on a schooling whip which flicked up at her, horse bronced, RI came off and got kicked in the head, I grabbed the horse and calmed her down whilst the RI sat there sobbing and complaining I was looking after the horse rather than her, told her if she can shout she's fine but the horse needed my help, I did ring 999 though, after I had untacked

Wow, how charitable of you. I certainly wouldn't want someone like you around if I had an accident.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Wow, how charitable of you. I certainly wouldn't want someone like you around if I had an accident.

Seems ok to me? First thing in the event of an accident is to prevent further harm, so catching the loose horse and putting it away is ok seeing as the RI was conscious. An unsettled horse charging about the school would not be good.

Had the RI been knocked out then the first thing would have been to check if she was breathing, the horse would have to wait.

 

[Moomin1]

Seems ok to me? First thing in the event of an accident is to prevent further harm, so catching the loose horse and putting it away is ok seeing as the RI was conscious. An unsettled horse charging about the school would not be good.

Had the RI been knocked out then the first thing would have been to check if she was breathing, the horse would have to wait.

Personally I don't think untacking the horse before dialling 999 is necessary...Hopefully there was no underlying serious head injury (and yes, people are able to talk/cry/walk about despite some life threatening head injuries.

 

[Mince Pie]

"If you hold the neckstrap - you wont fall off" (WFP's mother - watching me ride a very naughty baby racehorse)
I did hold the neckstrap - the whole time the horse was bucking it's brains out. And as I flew through the air, and straight out through the fence of the indoor school. I still had it in my hand as I peeled myself off the floor and clambered back through the fence...

LMAO!!!

 

[Luci07]

My mare came back off loan apparently with cushings and on a high dosage of Prascend. I struggled to get the vet notes so my vet started again with the blood testing as he said the dosage was approximately 3 X what a horse of my mares size should need.

Mare didn't have cushings. Spoke to the old loaner again. She has assumed cushings due to muscle loss and medicated accordingly.

Nothing to do with being sore around the pelvic area and having had her shoes taken off then.

 

[MagicMelon]

I only seem to remember one situation where at PC Camp many moons ago, a novicey mother was helping her young kid groom their pony in the next door stable. I was scrubbing a stain off my grey pony and she looked over and said I should be using "one of these" and she holds up a metal curry comb (the type for cleaning brushes...), poor pony must have had no skin left as she did the whole pony with it every day!

 

[catroo]

One 'experienced' owner thinks horses should either be out 24/7 or in 24/7. She regularly comments to others that the out in the day in for the night or vice versa is cruel as it confuses the horses.

Her two horses spend all summer out and then all winter in, maybe come out of the box for half an hour a day if they are lucky.

Same owner- I offered an old rubber mat I had to put in the front of the stable of her chronic weaver, partly to deaden the noise of shoes constantly scrapping.

Response was - you must be mistaken, he doesn't weave. He's just dancing along to the music! She left a radio playing when she took the other out and she was deadly serious

 

[LittleRooketRider]

What is your source for that statement? I can't find anything which suggests that to be the case - yes, excess protein can result in acidic environment in the system, hence tying up etc, but to convert amino acids into sugars is a bit of a stretch. Not saying it isn't the case but I'd need to be convinced, so what is the evidence? Is this worth a new thread? http://www.vetpro.co.nz/Articles/Protein-+What-+Why-+How.html

Recalling my A- level biology from last year... ( something I branded on my brain to scrape through, but subsequently I've not refreshed)... Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins: there are some amino acids that can also form sugars.

If I've misread/misunderstood what's been said I apologise due to being knackered.

 

[Araboo27]

I only seem to remember one situation where at PC Camp many moons ago, a novicey mother was helping her young kid groom their pony in the next door stable. I was scrubbing a stain off my grey pony and she looked over and said I should be using "one of these" and she holds up a metal curry comb (the type for cleaning brushes...), poor pony must have had no skin left as she did the whole pony with it every day!

Two young girls have taken my metal curry comb and used it on a pony! Maybe I'm old school as I don't see anyone else using them nowadays

 

[Mike007]

Recalling my A- level biology from last year... ( something I branded on my brain to scrape through, but subsequently I've not refreshed)... Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins: there are some amino acids that can also form sugars.

If I've misread/misunderstood what's been said I apologise due to being knackered.

Well done , the education wasnt wasted . mammals are able to not only de aminate amino acids but also use the remaining molecule as an energy source .Mammalian brains use glucose for energy and evolution has ensured that there are pathways to synthesis it

 

[goldenchestnut]

Interesting thread. Seems a lot of people quick to label other folks advice as 'dumb' are none too clever themselves!!!
Reminds me of the old adage 'people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones'!!

Absolutely agree with this.

 

[goldenchestnut]

Read through all of this and can't believe how stuck up some people are about other peoples beliefs and ways of doing things. Alot of the posts are about things novices say and do, so what . They are novices and get things wrong. The people who have been around horses for many years have old school methods doesn't make them wrong or numptys.

 

[Cragrat]

Quite agree Evie.
For example, I use my metal curry combs daily- how else do you clean your brushes???
And I often use them to remove dried mud from hindquarters and necks- very quick and effective. My Tb's don't mind, and they still have all their skin. I don't use it on boney or sensitive bits though.

 

[fatpiggy]

Quite agree Evie.
For example, I use my metal curry combs daily- how else do you clean your brushes???
And I often use them to remove dried mud from hindquarters and necks- very quick and effective. My Tb's don't mind, and they still have all their skin. I don't use it on boney or sensitive bits though.

I regularly used one on the native pony I used to ride. He lived out 24/7 and specialised in rolling in cow poo so the metal curry comb (there weren't any plastic or rubber ones then) was pressed into service.

 

[fatpiggy]

This is a well known traveller cure for colic and it often works. Another variant is to put them in a lorry and drive as fast as you can on bendy roads. I am NOT joking, both these things can work, and were very useful in the days before drugs. A proportion of horse sent to hospital to be treated for colic arrive and recover spontaneously, suggesting that the journey helped.

In America, it is far from unknown for them to drop or allow to drop, a colicky horse in a lorry then physical roll them down the ramp. It can untwist the guts. A last resort maybe but if you have nothing less to try and the nearest vet hospital is a 3 hour drive away (this is quite common) then I suppose you may as well give it a go.