Fess up - what things do you do to your horse that others might criticise?

I never wear a hat (and I'm still alive and allegedly not brain damaged). I never put boots on horse. I have never owned or used a martingale. I rarely rug anything (only if needing to keep clean before a show). I never feed hard feed (to this present crop of good doers - have had some malnourished rescues in the past which obviously got fed until they turned into aforementioned). I never, ever feed treats. Never mount from the ground, always use a block. Never brush manes or tails in the "off" season. Never bathe (horse). The list is endless.
 
i love this thread...its brilliant! :D all the nosey sods on my yard should come and have a read of it and realise that everybody does things differently and thats fine!

i do lots of things 'wrong':

1. i never hose legs as i think it causes mud fever through weaking the skin. have never had a horse with mud fever so i'm happy with this system

2. i rarely pick feet out- once or twice a week maybe (don't want to get covered in the mud that i haven't hosed off do i?! ;))

3. i don't groom very much and often use a dandy brush all over. if i'm going to a show i often just babywipe rather than bath!

4. i rarely clean my tack. if i'm competing i might do- but even then it iften just gets a quick wipe over with a dirty sponge

5. i ride in draw reins on a regular basis. i also use side reins for lungeing

6. i have no routine. i might go and see my horse at 7am or i might go at 11am. he's not bothered as he always has enough haylage and if he doesn't (very rare) he's not going to starve to death in an hour

7. i turn out most days- even when its pi$$ing down. i figure that for the first 4 years of his life he lived out with no rug on. now he's well rugged and fed and comes in every night so will not melt after 8 hours in the rain

8. i rarely have the saddle fitter. current saddle was M2M for old horse and probably doesn't fit current horse but i manage it with pads etc

9. i XC in a stronger bit than i use at other times. i don't think 'lack of schooling' explains my lack of brakes- its adrenalin and no matter how much groundwork i do i will not be able to stop XC!

10. if my horse is being a toad i will ride it until it gives in and behaves. if i need to ride for 2+ hours i will. (must add that this is very rare!)

11. i rarely hack in hiviz- only will if its very gloomy/dark...i honestly think that drivers don't see horses because they are texting/chatting etc and not looking at the road. others think hi viz is vital. thats fine, i don't.

there is probably a hell of a lot more! hahahaha, love it! :D
 
Fiona_C said:
Not me strictly speaking, but I let my 12 y/o daughter lunge my tb which raises a few eyebrows!
Also, I don't turn out daily as he prefers to be in the warmth and comfort of his stable throughout winter.
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Me too! only mine is 11! She also rides him and my 16.2hh hunter type for me if im feeling lazy or busy!

My worst habbit it "forgetting" to pick out muddy feet and sitting underneath my horse to brush his back legs!
 
The one I have found that gets most people is I unclip lead rope at bottom of the ramp and the pony walks on, I do up the back then go and re-attach the lead rope at the front end. Have to say pony knows there is hay inside, thinks with his stomach and is very good at loading anyway. Tends to be those with poor loaders that comment! I suppose he could dive off but I tend not to do this in a lush grassy field.
 
I don't get the farrier out until my horses feet "look" too long - as none of big ones are working and the pony has very good feet I don't see any need to do it any more often. None of them wear shoes. This will change when they are ready to be worked properly.

I sometimes feed "full fat" sugar beet

I transported the pony around in a livestock trailer borrowed off a farmer before we got a horse trailer. We didn't go to any shows though - that would have been too embarrassing!!
 
There is honestly not a book long enough to list all the things I have done and still do which would lay me open to criticism. I could rival war and peace...

Just about everything could be argued as dangerous by the extremely H&S conscious, to the NH lot I am probably too forceful, to the traditional lot I am too fluffy. For the super-competitive I don't push them enough, for the totally uncompetitive I push them too far too fast - and so on and so forth.

I couldn't possibly list everything here :p
 
-Refuse to hose legs

-Leave turnout on in the stable as she is only going out the next day.

-Couldnt catch her one day. Much to YO disgust of leaving horse out on her own, left her out, when back up at 11pm sure enough she was at the gate pacing. Never struggled bringing her in since.

-Clipped out neck and belly and don't put a full neck on (something else my YO doesnt like?? she is a native this is where she sweats therefore off it came).

-If she is being ass about coming into her stable I either 1) back her up as fast as I can and spin her round me 2)broom+ass. She tends to only do this with strangers now.

-I havent ridden her in 3 weeks due to weather and being too busy :o (I dont have a school)

-I wear spurs and use a whip
 
scrunchie said:
I transported the pony around in a livestock trailer borrowed off a farmer before we got a horse trailer. We didn't go to any shows though - that would have been too embarrassing!!
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nah - it's even more fun going to a show in a livestock trailer, especially if you drive back out with a few frillies conspicuous in the front windscreen:D
 
This could be interesting :D

1) I rug wether he is clipped or not - if he's cold, the rug goes on
2) I use draw reins
3) I let him rub his face against me
4) I use a pelham with roundings for parties
5) I have my boy on full livery :eek: :D
6) I canter in the same place on hacks
7) I turn him out on his own sometimes
8) He always gets treats after being ridden
9) I let OH's 12yo ride him off the lead rein
 
In winter I just groom the saddle and bridle areas and get on and ride :o
I will smack my welshie if he's being bolshy (SMACK not beat)
I'm currently only feeding once a day due to very hectic schedules so they get all their hay in one go.
I barely ever poo pick.

I'm sure there are many many more!
 
I feel cheapy own-brand pony nuts and full fat sugar beet.
I often neglect to pick out feet.
I rarely groom properly, because neither of us enjoys it - get the lumps off the important bits and away you go.
I'll scrub his muddy head with a plastic curry comb.
I'll use a metal curry comb on stubborn mud or to get rid of hair.
Decided he needed a good roll and turned him out nekkid the other day, in the rain, for hours, even though he's TB x and partly clipped.
Don't skip out if I'm up last thing at night.
Use calmer for parties and rescue remedy for hacking in new strange places.
 
I'm glad I'm not the only one who's tack doesn't match!!! :P

Can someone fill me in on the following;

Why do people hose legs off every day?

Why is it bad to feed treats by hand?

:)

My guilty secrets; turnout with rope around neck

Will leave us much 'nearly clean straw' in the stable as possible

Leave my boy covered in mud until I have to ride him, then he gets very grumpy when I brush it all off!! :P
 
1) Throw rope round their necks to lead them about.
2) Put on and take off rugs while they're loose out in the field.
3) Don't clean out their feed buckets daily (they lick them clean!).
4) Dont thoroughly groom them often, only their bridle/saddle areas when at home.
5) Clip my veteran shetland. She gets VERY furry at this time of year and is filthy with it so she prefers her tum clipped. In spring, she gets a hunter clip which she adores as she hates being hot!
6) I ride in pyjama bottoms frequently at home...
7) I ride regularly in mud and snow.
8) I only ever clean my tack for important competitions (or if its been spattered in mud after one)!
9) My tack room I'll admit is disgraceful. 90% of whats in it hasn't been used in about 5 years but I hate throwing it away "just in case the next horse needs it"!
 
Just thought of some more ;)
I own a parelli DVD :eek::eek:
My cob is in a single jointed bit
my COB was in a heavy weight rug a couple of weeks ago in the cold spell
ive had a canter on a country lane verge
i think its funny when he bucks in excitement
i sometimes do flatwork with no hat
i ride in winter muckers when its cold
I only ever clean my tack if somethings coming up that will judge you on your tack

Ill think of more, im sure :D
 
I only ever feed cool mix and sugar beet (the proper stuff you have to soak) once per day. My horse gets turned out with no breakfast :eek:
I never use any supplements :D (my vet has complimented me on the condition of my last horse saying he was just the right weight - and that was in the summer)
I never weigh food or hay. I always guess.
I don't like riding when it's wet and windy.
 
I RUG my unclipped native, and use leg wraps when it is cold.
They are on individual turnout.
I turn them out in boots :eek: and ride in boots :eek:
They are on part/full livery
I sometime use an exercise sheet on my trace clipped native.
I never tie up in the stable to rug up, pick out feet, groom etc
 
I don't pick hind feet out. He kicks and doesn't have hinds on anyway.
I don't use a body protector for hacking at all, even when there's a few jumps involved.
I don't often full groom before I go out, just saddle and face.
I don't school at all really. He's not mine and a riding school horse. When I have more time (or my own) I will.
 
horses are turned out 24/7 all year. . . without rugs :eek:
they have adlib hay
i hack the big fat grey one around in a headcollar
none of them have shoes on
never ride in a hat unless at uni.
i tie up without bailing twine sometimes
 
I'm guilty of quite a few of these, and some of them are just plain funny! but what I can't quite get my head around is not picking feet out.. I pull stones out of at least two of jacks hoves daily and thinking of riding him with them still in makes me cringe :o:o I don't pick them out if I did them the day before and he has stayed in though, poo is soft :p

I don't feed anything except hay at the moment. Nothing. Not even a balancer, and my horse is shiny, bouncy and at the perfect weight.

Sometimes, I walk behind him without putting my hand on his bum.

If it's quiet, I remove all tack from horse on the yard, then let him find his own way to his stable!

I wash and disinfect my stable floor frequently in the summer (and quite often in the winter!) When I first arrived, another livery actually came up to me and told me in a disaproving tone that I must be crazy :eek:

My horse is turned out alone, and has been for a long time. He's still a happy chap!

I can walk underneath my horse! I also wipe his bottom on occasions and catch his pee/poo in a bucket...

I prefer riding bareback. I don't mind jumping on him in the field with no tack..

Sometimes, I trot on roads :eek:

I am the champion of 'pony club' kicks. Might look ridiculous, but they work very well :D

I canter on the way home, even though my horse has iffy breaks, and I always wear a body protector, I get lots of looks about that but I value my ribs!

My horse's matchy colours are pink, purple, blue and green, and he is a boy...
 
The only one that I don't understand is riding without a hat. Because I think its stupid.

All the rest have made me feel SO much better!
 
Well I just had to reply to this one! I put lw rugs on two hairy shetlands. In my difence they are oldies and one is arthritic. I give them treats from the hand daily, although the gelding opens zips on pockets to look for his own ha ha! I kiss them on the nose all the time. I feed them short feed and hay daily. They have ad lib ossi chaff. The list is endless but they are well behaved not overweight and happy and I wouldn't have them any other way. (spoilt is the word). :D
 
I don't wash girth or numnah quite as often as I should!

I hose off feet and legs when he comes in from the field.

I don't always wash his bit off after every ride.

He wears a half pad purely because I think it looks smart!

I do NH, because I enjoy it and think it can be really useful, but also ride in a bit and treed
saddle - but is barefoot trimmed.

He is turned out in all weathers - but is un clipped but wearing a rug to keep him clean(er).

He gets too many treats!
 
My god, this has made me think about the "old days" in the 70s
Back then, our horses lived all year round out with no rugs (only really posh people had rugs for big horses which lived in - at least, where we were it was like that), we hacked to the farrier in the village about an hour's ride away (we booked it when shoes fell off usually), we wormed twice a year whether we needed to or not, we never had the horses vaccinated, and no one had heard of a horse dentist - though if your teenage horse got a bit thin, you would get the vet to come and rasp his teeth. We rode in old jeans tucked into long rubber riding boots. I remember bailer twine being metal at the time, or sometimes that rope stuff. Only posh people had horse boxes too (they weren't called trailers then) and the only 4x4 we knew about were landrovers.
 
Give them both a haynet in the stable :eek:
Change old mares poultice out in the field without bothering with a headcollar (She knows not to wonder off ;) )
Change rugs in the field and not bother with a headcollar (see above, they know not to move)
Am a bit random with worming schedule and don't worm count (but good with feet/teeth as dentist/farrier reminds me :) )
Feed treats if I feel like it or they ask nicely
Laugh at Barney when he's doing his 'I am a stallion' impression when being led out to the field
Always turn out whether they like it or not no matter what the weather

Amazingly they are still alive and we all muddle along together very happily :)
 
just though of another, my mare often has the farrier (for trim or shoes) and doesnt get held by anyone or tied up. once even trimmed her with just a rope around her neck!

proof

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Mine's in a grackle! that to some on my yard is not 'acceptable!'

I leave mine standing on the yard not tied whilst I'm in the tack room

Mine gets the occasional treat by hand

wears boots for every occasion!
 
Put spare grooming kit items on the horses back when it's not being used.
Trot horse up the road on the way to the yard to loosen packed hooves.
Stand horse with hoof in bucket of water to clean hooves - only one hoof at a time.:eek:
Don't use boots.
Plait standing on a chair in the stable.
We spent several minutes once trying to remove a partially cast shoe from a TB in the field (it wouldn't shift) before realising it would be better/safer to put a head collar on him and/or hold the rope and/or take him to the yard.:rolleyes:
 
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