Grooming and horse care tasks that I’ve never learned to do

[spacefaer]

I can do pretty much all of the stuff listed as I'm old, ans old school and had even more old school trainers through Pony Club and training!
I can plait a tail although I prefer to pull as I'm better at it. And I'd rather have one less thing to do on an already busy morning getting ready. I can plait a mane in about 15 mins - bands or thread. Don't really bother with sharks teeth or any other quarter marks as we've mostly had greys for years.
I don't do hairy horses so have never done a running plait.
However, one thing I absolutely hate (can do but avoid!) is groundwork. Loathe it with a passion. I happily teach horses ground manners but otherwise... just no!

 

[Snowfilly]

I’ve never pulled a mane or tail but wouldn’t want to.

I can plait a running plait and both Clydesdale and Shire plaits but not normal mane plaits, and I can’t do tail plaits of any description - the heavies used to get handed over to a friend while I did her shire’s mane.

Any attempt at doing up a stock ends in swearing, I stick to a shirt and tie if I’m going jumping!

Lunging aids hate me and tie themselves in a knot when I get near them, I haven’t got the patience to deal with them.

 

[tristar]

don't laugh at me - but i can't tie haynets up. No matter how much I'm shown how to do it, how much I practise......when I tie them, first pull and they fall down no idea why. it is so frustrating. I've never tried plaiting.

i use a great big metal clip

thread through the filled haynet, simply hook onto a large haynet ring on wall the weight f the hay helps the clip to drop on nicely

except i use them for feeding off the ground!

 

[Unicorn]

Shall we have a what can you do bit?

I can put a nail in to hold a loose shoe on until the farrier is due. @TPO, I think, can nail on a whole set!

I can do a really good hoof poultice/bandage.
Can long rein pretty well

I’ve never pulled a mane or tail but wouldn’t want to.

I can plait a running plait and both Clydesdale and Shire plaits but not normal mane plaits, and I can’t do tail plaits of any description - the heavies used to get handed over to a friend while I did her shire’s mane.

Any attempt at doing up a stock ends in swearing, I stick to a shirt and tie if I’m going jumping!

Lunging aids hate me and tie themselves in a knot when I get near them, I haven’t got the patience to deal with them.

I'd love to know how to do Shire/Clydesdale plaits, they look so complicated.


Just need a horse to practice on

 

[Pippity]

I absolutely cannot neaten the top of a tail. (With a tail rake, not pulling it - I'd never pull.) I used to do it with comb and clippers to get it looking vaguely respectable, but now I just pay one of the yard staff! And I always seem to take it too short when I'm taking off the bottom.

I can't bandage legs. I used to be able to, back when I was working for rides on a yard where all horses were bandaged overnight. Tried again a couple of years ago (to keep her legs clean before a show) and it absolutely was not happening. I used to be able to plait back then - manes,, tails and forelocks - but I suspect that skill's gone, too. The joy of having a cob - just shave everything off!

My clipping is for function, not style , and is therefore absolutely fine, because it doesn't matter if there are wonky lines and tufty bits. And you aren't looking at both sides of the horse at once, so it doesn't matter if they don't match. And so what if I can't figure out how to clip around elbows?

The only clipping I do for style is her head, purely because she keeps her winter coat on her head while the rest of her is well into summer, and she looks like a freshly sheared llama. I'm not *good* but if you give us a week before we're seen in public, people don't fall over laughing. Often.

 

[Asha]

My absolute worst is doing injections in the muscle . Just useless , I apologise to them before I even start .
I can clip /plait , but not up to the best of standards . Can’t plait a tail though .
I tend start of doing a blanket clip and end up with a full one as I can never get the lines straight / equal
Currently in awe of those who can quarter mark / plait tails . My hero’s

 

[Mrs B]

It's not that I never learned to do most things, it's more like in many cases, I can't be arsed ... (or can't be arsed to learn to do it well).

 

[Gloi]

I can't imagine if I had to pull my pony's tail. I pulled out about ten hairs for a dna test and he was horrified by it

 

[Surbie]

I can clip well enough for me, plait, get a level cut on a tail, rasp a foot, take a shoe off, and am a ninja at a foot wrapping/poultice thanks to 9months of abcess. My basic first aid skills are ok.

But I can't blend legs or pull a mane/tail (never had to), I can't bandage for toffee and the Robert Jones ones are terrifying (have had 2 with them on the yard). I hate my stock with a deep and lasting passion and have just bought a tweed jacket so I can wear a tie instead.

And I really cannot do deep litter - I would love to as it probably would save me a fortune, but I can't get my head round it and all attempts have ended up in a lot of mess and a whiffy horse.

 

[Gallop_Away]

So things I can do: Clipping, plaiting manes and tails, pulling manes/tails (I use scissors to be honest, hate the traditional yanking of manes with a combe).

Things I can't: leg bandages (husband's job), injection (I hate needles), poulticing (again husband's job), and thank god for pre-tied stocks because I couldn't tie one if my life depended on it

 

[NinjaPony]

Only recently learnt how to poultice a hoof, can’t/wouldn’t pull a tail. No idea how to use lunging gadgets, I can plait a tail but not very well. Cannot tie a stock to save my life so I have a ready tied one!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'm a dab hand with a needle. But stocks? Nope! Not for me either! I am so glad I am not alone in that hatred

 

[D66]

I can keep a mane and tail tidy by pulling a few hairs a day, but don’t like the idea of doing it in one long session. However we then had a sensitive horse who didn’t tolerate any pulling at all, so I cut that one’s.
I’ve never tried to clip but I can trim legs with scissors very neatly.

 

[[153312]]

Shall we have a what can you do bit?

I can put a nail in to hold a loose shoe on until the farrier is due. @TPO, I think, can nail on a whole set!

make a separate thread for horse stuff people are really good at

 

[SEL]

I'm great at bandaging and poulticing but anything that would win me a frilly in a best turned out competition is on the 'must try harder' list

I'm not bad at IM injections although my old boy had skin like a rhino and I bent a few needles with him. Given he was already pretty bad with needles that wasn't helpful.

 

[94lunagem]

Only recently learnt how to poultice a hoof, can’t/wouldn’t pull a tail. No idea how to use lunging gadgets, I can plait a tail but not very well. Cannot tie a stock to save my life so I have a ready tied one!

I am another who cannot tie a stock however hard I try!

 

[Love]

Not me but my husband - weirdly he can tie a haynet up perfectly but cannot for the life of him tie a horse up to a tie up (despite it being exactly the same knot). Even telling him this he still can't! so strange

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I also used to make up double or triple ribbon/velvet show browbands, tho haven't done for a few years.
Not just for showing but I did the local PC ppc team when I was training them (in PC colours) which helped towards the turnout section.

I'm also useful for creating shapes with muck heaps or at least squaring up with levels

 

[toppedoff]

Banks. I just can’t do them. They fall down, look wonky etc. so jealous of proper squared off banks.

I used to get so upset with banks when i first started because the groom did them perfectly and my boss said why can't I be like her. Anyway, new person doesn't give a sh*t about banks looking good so now I don't care about them either. As long as they are tall enough it's fine

 

[MagicMelon]

I think I just wing these things. Im self taught for everything so yeah sure I can plait and clip, well though? Not particularly!

 

[windswoo]

I'd never learned to poultice and bandage a hoof until last week, getting quite good at it now.
Luckily horse is an angel.
All the showing stuff - never really learnt as never showed or competed, but can just about clip if need be.

 

[blitznbobs]

Pulling tails... plaiting forelocks well.

 

[Pedantic]

Yard owner taught me how to platt, as I needed to fix a red light in his tail for riding in the dark, Comes in useful when Wifey wants her hair platting , I used a plastic template for quarter marks, clipping I am good at, but not had to do any since retiring the lad

 

[daffy44]

I can do most things, plaiting (manes, tails and forelocks), trimming, clipping, pulling manes and tails, although I havent done that the traditional way for years, as I think it must be so painful for the poor horse, but I can do it equally well with scissors/solo comb etc. I can bandage, do a basic rasping, remove a shoe, poultice, inject, and I can do ok quarter marks/sharks teeth, not Alan D standard, but perfectly presentable.

But for the life of me, I can no more tie a stock than fly to the moon! Whoever invented ready tied stocks deserves a medal.