Facts; Deal with them

Rowreach said:
Oh and ets that some of my horses are shod, and some are unshod, but not one of them is "barefoot"
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I however ride barefoot in summer, and barelegged, and on occasions bareheaded as well. THe horse however goes bareback. But only the ones I can cope with riding bareback - some don't like it and some are too damned uncomfortable and one is just far too big moving for an old lady like me to manage.
 
I am just back from hacking my KWPN. (It can be done;))
However,I must report that when I approached him with his saddle(fitted in Dec'11) he turned away and tried to hide his 17h ness behind a whisp of straw.
I did not call the back lady.
I did not call the saddle fitter.
I did not call an animal communicator......He would rather eat than be ridden,but I have horses so I can ride them. So,although I am aware of my horse's opinions,he does have to suffer being ridden,its his job and a very cushy number it is too!
 
Stencilface said:
3) I wear a treeless saddle, have magnetic boots/rugs and nope, I'm not a nutter
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Any photos... :D

Rowreach said:
There are other ways to train horses than the exclusive use of the clicker (which should be referred to as the +r apparently :rolleyes:)
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lol...it is bandied about a bit... But it's a reference for reinforcement and nothing exclusive to clicker training or that term...
 
I've just thought of one - Don't park in front of my lorry then sod off riding for an hour with your car keys in your pocket ! :mad: (3 times in 2 weeks)
 
1. I don't hit horses. That isn't to say that I never have (I wish I were so spotless) but I prefer to use my brain. I can teach a horse without whacking him, so that is what I do.

2. I occasionally jump the horses from concrete/similar hard substance (I'm not proud of this and don't condone it).

3. I occasionally jump and hack bareback and hatless.

4. I unashamedly eat sugarbeet. Mmm...

5. I ride and compete without owning a pair of riding boots.

6. I love horses who 'misbehave'. That is, I love a horse that is willful, spirited, testing, stubborn, characterful.

7. I unashamedly think that if a horse 'misbehaves' for reasons other than out of character, then it is the rider's fault. That is, it is the rider's responsibility to ensure that the horse is happy and healthy enough to not feel the need to 'misbehave'.

8. 'Misbehaviour' (see point 6) does not justify the rider from abusing their position of authority.

9. Oats can be useful, bran is crap, forage all the way.

10. I'm a turnout fiend. Let horses be horses and all that. If it's not broke, don't fix it: start natural and work from there. If the horse needs shoes then s/he should wear them. If the horse needs a rug then s/he should wear one. If the horse needs a stable then s/he should have one. But funnily enough, many don't.

"Deal with the facts" - What facts?

I'll stop there ;)
 
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AshTay said:
For someone who doesn't want other people's opinions on how to manage your horses and who doesn't care what other people do with their horses, you've racked up an impressive number of forum posts... :p
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But then she has been on here since 2005 ;) :)
 
LOL at a lot of these posts.

I have 5 horses and I don't ride any of them.

I have 5 horses and 4 of them are pasture pets or field ornaments.

I have 5 horses and 3 are fed hay from HAYNETS!

I have 5 horses and 1 is shod.

I have 5 horses and 4 horses have their feet trimmed by the FARRIER!

I have 5 horses and none of them have hay ad lib.

I have 5 horses and they only get their teeth done once a year by the VET!

I have 5 horses and only 2 are rugged.

I have 5 horses and they all get carrots.

I have 5 horses and they all live out during the summer and in at night during the winter.

I have 5 horses and NONE have EVER had laminitis.

One of my horses has about 60 rugs - yes you read that correctly. It doesn't mean that he wears all of them, some are used more than others, some are 'best' ones, at least two he has never worn but I have them just in case.

My 15 year old and 29 year old ponies are never rugged, how cruel am I.

Even worse they share a stable - yes two ponies in one stable, how cruel am I.

My three oldies are NOT insured.

My three oldies do NOT have flu injections.

I spent 40K in vets, rehab, physio etc fee's on one of mine.

My show horse is ridden in a double bridle AND spurs in the show ring.

I punched my stallion on the nose when he bit me so hard he drew blood.

I think Reiki is a load of codswallop, as is spiritual communication - "your horse has a traumatic weaning", yeah right how often do you hear that old chestnut!
 
If you go out on the roads without hi-viz, then it will be harder for drivers to see you, and saying, 'If they can't see my horse they shouldn't be on the road anyway', will not make it any less messy should they go on to hit you, and in the event of this happening it will be you and your horse that come off worse. This is a FACT.

If you don't give some signal of thanks to drivers that slow down, be that with a smile, a hand signal, a nod of the head or a giant thumbs up, you are an arrogant tosspot who deserves to develop chronic piles. This is also a FACT.

Just because you own a pony does not mean the entire world must revolve around you. Griping on about fireworks, flags on cars, dog walkers, people with spook-creating hats (ok, maybe not the last one but I bet it happens:p) and so on does nothing for the reputation of riders generally and you would be far better off spending your time looking for ways to deal with such things rather than moaning about them. This is yet another FACT.
 
Tinypony said:
Just for a bit of fun, a response to you PF, a member of H+H Royalty -

1. If my horse is naughty he/she gets a smack. That way boundaries are set and the naughty behaviour stops before it becomes a problem. I do NOT beat my horses. If you don't know the difference, then LEARN.

- Glad to hear that you do what works for you. From reading this forum for some years, I feel that most posters know the difference between a smack and a beating.

2. I love a horse with a bit of personality, but invading my personal space is absolutely NOT on. If you barge into me, I will LET YOU KNOW this is unacceptable.

- I have never, ever, read a thread where anyone has said they think a horse barging them is acceptable. Maybe you could post a link?

3. Sometimes my horse (LC) is a little *****. He does NOT need his teeth/back or tack seen to (not least because he's not being ridden) He's just a little *****. I'm sure he'll grow out of it, not least because I don't shove a carrot in his mouth when he does it...

- Agreed. Again, I've not met people who suggest shoving carrots in the mouths of naughty horses either on the forum or in real life. You are obviously plagued with numpties.

4. Yes, I'm sure it's lovely to ride SOME horses bareback. PF, on the other hand, is built like a whippet. A skinny whippet crossed with an eel that has been covered in lard. It's not fun, it's not bonding, and it certainly does not improve my balance or seat. I won't do it and that's that.

- It's your choice, nobody as far as I can see is trying to force anyone to try riding bareback. If you WANTED to then you'd sort yourself out some padding, but as you don't then what's the problem? I agree, if you tried to ride your whippet horse bareback with no padding I very much doubt if it would improve your seat. You'd probably walk funny for a while too.

5.Not all horses can be hacked out. PF likes to examine every inch of our route and make personal friends with every animate or inanimate object we encounter. I haven't got all day and I just can't be @rsed. As long as she doesn't do it at a show (she doesn't) I can't be bothered.

- You've said it yourself, you can't be bothered. However, just because you can't be bothered it doesn't mean that - if you wanted to - your horse couldn't be trained to hack out. IF the owner wants to hack out and IF the person training is used to dealing with that, then there are very few horses that can't be trained to hack out. BUT I'm not saying you are doing anything wrong, you don't want to hack out, so there's no problem to solve.

6. My horses eat oats. Actually PF eats oats. She is NO sharper than she has ever been. I will never ever feed cubes or mixes again. Are you sure you know exactly what's in your feed?? Inform yourself. Feed companies will try to sell you their products. Do your own research.

- I don't get this one, people seem to be getting more and more aware of what is in feeds all the time (rather as they are with what we eat). I don't think you are particularly unique in this - or in that you feed oats.

7. If I'm not happy with what my farrier/ vet is doing I will ask questions and I will make suggestions. I am not an idiot, they cannot make me feel like an idiot because I will always DO MY OWN RESEARCH

- Again, I don't get this, the forum is full of people relating how they did their own research.

8. I can see that your horse doesn't track up/is behind the vertical/looks more miserable that Totilas ridden my MAR... don't assume everyone is as gullible as you would like them to be.

- I think you're relating to some personal experiences here, so good for you, you can tell if a horse is moving well.

9. For my family; yes, I do love my horses more than most of you, why do you ask? They are better looking, smell better and make more reasonable demands of my time.

- Love it!

QUOTE]

This is very true! Well said.

Im sure a lot of people were thinking the above whilst reading the OP's thread ;)
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MissMistletoe said:
Tinypony said:
Just for a bit of fun, a response to you PF, a member of H+H Royalty -

1. If my horse is naughty he/she gets a smack. That way boundaries are set and the naughty behaviour stops before it becomes a problem. I do NOT beat my horses. If you don't know the difference, then LEARN.

- Glad to hear that you do what works for you. From reading this forum for some years, I feel that most posters know the difference between a smack and a beating.

2. I love a horse with a bit of personality, but invading my personal space is absolutely NOT on. If you barge into me, I will LET YOU KNOW this is unacceptable.

- I have never, ever, read a thread where anyone has said they think a horse barging them is acceptable. Maybe you could post a link?

3. Sometimes my horse (LC) is a little *****. He does NOT need his teeth/back or tack seen to (not least because he's not being ridden) He's just a little *****. I'm sure he'll grow out of it, not least because I don't shove a carrot in his mouth when he does it...

- Agreed. Again, I've not met people who suggest shoving carrots in the mouths of naughty horses either on the forum or in real life. You are obviously plagued with numpties.

4. Yes, I'm sure it's lovely to ride SOME horses bareback. PF, on the other hand, is built like a whippet. A skinny whippet crossed with an eel that has been covered in lard. It's not fun, it's not bonding, and it certainly does not improve my balance or seat. I won't do it and that's that.

- It's your choice, nobody as far as I can see is trying to force anyone to try riding bareback. If you WANTED to then you'd sort yourself out some padding, but as you don't then what's the problem? I agree, if you tried to ride your whippet horse bareback with no padding I very much doubt if it would improve your seat. You'd probably walk funny for a while too.

5.Not all horses can be hacked out. PF likes to examine every inch of our route and make personal friends with every animate or inanimate object we encounter. I haven't got all day and I just can't be @rsed. As long as she doesn't do it at a show (she doesn't) I can't be bothered.

- You've said it yourself, you can't be bothered. However, just because you can't be bothered it doesn't mean that - if you wanted to - your horse couldn't be trained to hack out. IF the owner wants to hack out and IF the person training is used to dealing with that, then there are very few horses that can't be trained to hack out. BUT I'm not saying you are doing anything wrong, you don't want to hack out, so there's no problem to solve.

6. My horses eat oats. Actually PF eats oats. She is NO sharper than she has ever been. I will never ever feed cubes or mixes again. Are you sure you know exactly what's in your feed?? Inform yourself. Feed companies will try to sell you their products. Do your own research.

- I don't get this one, people seem to be getting more and more aware of what is in feeds all the time (rather as they are with what we eat). I don't think you are particularly unique in this - or in that you feed oats.

7. If I'm not happy with what my farrier/ vet is doing I will ask questions and I will make suggestions. I am not an idiot, they cannot make me feel like an idiot because I will always DO MY OWN RESEARCH

- Again, I don't get this, the forum is full of people relating how they did their own research.

8. I can see that your horse doesn't track up/is behind the vertical/looks more miserable that Totilas ridden my MAR... don't assume everyone is as gullible as you would like them to be.

- I think you're relating to some personal experiences here, so good for you, you can tell if a horse is moving well.

9. For my family; yes, I do love my horses more than most of you, why do you ask? They are better looking, smell better and make more reasonable demands of my time.

- Love it!

This is very true! Well said.

Im sure a lot of people were thinking the above whilst reading the OP's thread ;)
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Ditto! :)
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MissMistletoe said:
5.Not all horses can be hacked out. PF likes to examine every inch of our route and make personal friends with every animate or inanimate object we encounter. I haven't got all day and I just can't be @rsed. As long as she doesn't do it at a show (she doesn't) I can't be bothered.

- You've said it yourself, you can't be bothered. However, just because you can't be bothered it doesn't mean that - if you wanted to - your horse couldn't be trained to hack out. IF the owner wants to hack out and IF the person training is used to dealing with that, then there are very few horses that can't be trained to hack out. BUT I'm not saying you are doing anything wrong, you don't want to hack out, so there's no problem to solve.
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I thought this - it sounds very much like the OP doesn't want to hack her horse out, rather than that the horse can't be hacked out. Which is fine, no-one is saying she has to hack out. But "Not everyone likes hacking" might have been a more appropriate bullet point than "Not all horses can be hacked out". PF sounds like she'd be quite fun to hack out on ;)
 
Hacking, schmaking - why worry?

I have relatively few posts because I know everything. Anything I may have a query on goes to the Ask P.F. thread (which is a lot funnier than this one) and for everything else there's the BHS Complete Manual of Stable Management.

I have been unable to get a definitive answer to the barebacking debate and strongly advise against Googling it:eek:

I'd suggest a group hug but don't suppose we could agree on how to achieve that either:D
 
abitodd said:
However,I must report that when I approached him with his saddle(fitted in Dec'11) he turned away and tried to hide his 17h ness behind a whisp of straw.
I did not call the back lady.
I did not call the saddle fitter.
I did not call an animal communicator......He would rather eat than be ridden,but I have horses so I can ride them. So,although I am aware of my horse's opinions,he does have to suffer being ridden,its his job and a very cushy number it is too!
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Well said.

As an aside, I often get asked if I show Fergs in hand. My response is always "I didn't buy a horse to run myself". I bought horses to ride and, provided they are fit and healthy enough to do so, I intend to ride them. With the exception of Dar, who I do not intend to ride for a couple of years yet ;)

Spudlet said:
If you don't give some signal of thanks to drivers that slow down, be that with a smile, a hand signal, a nod of the head or a giant thumbs up, you are an arrogant tosspot who deserves to develop chronic piles. This is also a FACT.
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:D On Saturday a guy in a BMW (I think) came flying towards us on a 30mph road, speeding, not slowing down. However, he did wave and instinctively I found myself waving back. I was looking at my waving hand with horror, thinking "I'm only encouraging him to think that is an acceptable way to approach horses :eek:" yet I couldn't stop my hand... Old habits die hard I guess?
 
JFTD said:
:D On Saturday a guy in a BMW (I think) came flying towards us on a 30mph road, speeding, not slowing down. However, he did wave and instinctively I found myself waving back. I was looking at my waving hand with horror, thinking "I'm only encouraging him to think that is an acceptable way to approach horses :eek:" yet I couldn't stop my hand... Old habits die hard I guess?
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Plonker! :p :D
 
There is only ONE thing all HHO peeps should take as gospel before reading /replying to any threads.
This little gem of info is....
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Horse people are just plain wierd.

Keep that to the forefront of your mind when dealing with these people and all will make sense.
 
fatpiggy said:
I'm entirely with OP. I know my horse better than anyone and if I think she is just being cheeky or argumentative, then she probably is. I can tell perfectly well if she is refusing to do something because she just doesn't want to, and I can also tell when she isn't feeling 100% Straights - one of the biggest losses to modern horse keeping in my opinion. You could add and subtract as required, chaff was good old plain and simple without two tons of mollasses added or oil or anything else, you could tell at a glance (and a sniff) if it was good quality and not dusty and you knew exactly what you were feeding. It never fails to amaze me how people buy sacks of mix without even looking at the label, simply because it is new on the market. A half hour schooling session a day and an hours hack on Saturday is NOT WORK. Its just giving your horse a chance to stretch its legs. Most animals can do that and much more on either moderate grazing or decent hay. The majority do not need any hard feed whatsoever, and their guts will probably thank you for it. Bits that cost over £50 are just a handy way of parting your from your money. Spend that money on a decent instructor and your horse will go properly in a nice simple bit. Sprays for shiny coats are not a subsitute for elbow grease and only succeed in making the coat feel horrible and the reins worse. Glittery hoof oil is an abomination. Good thick Stockholm Tar, udder cream and flowers of sulphur will cure a multitude of ills. The only decent veterinary product to come on the market in my horsey lifetime is cohesive bandages.
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^^^^^love it
 
JFTD said:
:D On Saturday a guy in a BMW (I think) came flying towards us on a 30mph road, speeding, not slowing down. However, he did wave and instinctively I found myself waving back. I was looking at my waving hand with horror, thinking "I'm only encouraging him to think that is an acceptable way to approach horses :eek:" yet I couldn't stop my hand... Old habits die hard I guess?
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How many fingers were you waving though?
 
Loving this:)

Pony is unshod, several of ours are just shod in front, one is shod all round, they all cope very well, all foot care is done by same farriers.

3 TB's, 1 warmblood and 1 New Forest pony are fully clipped, they have not frozen to death turned out at night in very good quality heavy weight rugs, over the last few weeks, and they have 'coped' very well with it.

OH is a big lad, his horse is about 19hh, omg when it has been deemed necessary he has ridden my 15.2 TB, it didn't buckle at the knees and even though his back has been checked regularly it has never needed any treatment.

We do not have enough saddles for the horses to have one each, they share, again very rarely need their backs treated.

The new forest pony who I shared the backing of with my 8 yr old son is not 'the only good NF' in the country she has just been taught the boundaries and not been allowed to 'take the mick'

We will say good night god bless to a horse who is dangerous, or has an injury which does not permit a good standard of life. This will be carried out quickly, they will not be left lingering in pain.

If you bring a new horse to the yard and turn it out with the rest they will have a hoon around and sort out the herd pecking order, our horses are not bullies and are only following their natural instincts. not 'picking on your pony!':D
 
I'm not going to go into any individual comments as to my original post. Thanks to half a bottle of wine (Lightweight) I could've said things more clearly and I also missed some salient points that other people have made (thank you), but I stand by what I said and don't really get why feathers appear to be ruffled.
That said, I have a few more points to make;

Just because someone put it on a DVD and gave it a name, doesn't mean they invented it!!!

Kisses and cuddles, treats and cute tack aren't a measure of how much you love your horse. Ensuring he is well fed and healthy IS.

The INSTANT you resort to making a personal slight or correcting people's grammar (and I often ITCH to do it, so I do understand the urge) in a discussion/argument/debate, is the INSTANT you lose. No matter how illogical the other person's point....
 
Sorry on phone (as usual and can't quote)
@ Alphamare - I 100% agree about NOT tying to twine or string. Thought I was the only one...

- I cringe whenever I read posts about horses being "bullies". Its just wrong. How exactly can a horse be a bully.

- I quite like the idea of NH, but have never had a horse to use my book/internet learned skills. But as many have said, I look around and take what I believe to be right from each.
 
HeatherAnn said:
- I cringe whenever I read posts about horses being "bullies". Its just wrong. How exactly can a horse be a bully.

-
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If you take the word 'bully' as a convenient description for the harrasment and sometimes extreme physical attacks (herd politics, yes, yes I know) of an older/weaker individual on a consistent basis that some horses do, then yes there are some that are bullies.

You could exchange the word bully for dominant, same result, there are some horses that are so dominant/territorial that they are downright thugs. I have two here that simply cannot be put in with any other horses, and God Knows, we've tried. Even their owners refuse to put their other horses in with them!

Sometimes there are horses that just do not like other horses!
 
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@enfys. I don't believe that horses are capable of harassment. Nor do I believe that a horse can feel victimised by thuggish behaviour. In my opinion it is people projecting human characteristics onto animals.
 
HeatherAnn said:
@enfys. I don't believe that horses are capable of harassment. Nor do I believe that a horse can feel victimised by thuggish behaviour. In my opinion it is people projecting human characteristics onto animals.
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You have never seen my field thug preventing the others getting a drink cured by cruel mummy going in with a dressage whip and allowing the others to drink by getting him to stand still and away from the trough . He knew it was bad behaviour when arrived with the whip he stood away and the others all crowded in to drink his face said it all ok ok you dont need to hit me I'll just stand here.
 
HeatherAnn said:
@enfys. I don't believe that horses are capable of harassment. Nor do I believe that a horse can feel victimised by thuggish behaviour. In my opinion it is people projecting human characteristics onto animals.
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I have horses here that are bullies (dominant) and others that are victims (wimps) - I'm not projecting human characteristics on them, it's simply herd behaviour. I have others that tootle about neither causing aggro nor inviting aggression from any other horses - it's a bit like HHO really :D;);)
 
@goldenstar. I wouldn't say that is thuggish. I think it's just herd dynamics. You came into the field with a whip and became the dominant horse and allowed the others to drink.
 
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