HORSE BOARDING WRECKED MY HORSE

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MrsMeakins

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Frank is my 16.3HH, 13 year old Chestnut, Warm Blood.

I have owned him now for 8 years and he has done a bit of everything. He competes Hunter Trials, Show Jumping, Dressage, Hunting, Working Hunter Classes, and Fun Rides etc. He is a true gentleman and has taught many people to ride and given confidence to the most nervous of riders.

I first tried horse boarding in May 2011.

Frank took to it immediately and proved to be exceptionally quick and would hard horse to beat.

We had issues with finding a boarder that could actually hold onto his raw power, but we did find an amazing boarder who not only has the skill to hold onto him, but the determination to win races at all costs. The team was formed and the future looked bright.

Our first full competition as a team was at the Malvern showground and in true style, team Perfectly Frank won!

It was at this point that Frank started becoming very strong, hard to hold in the start box and dead to the hand. We tried different bits, but nothing could hold him.

Now Frank has always been a strong horse and brakes are not high on his list of priorities, but this was something different, this was starting to worry me.
Frank wasn’t listening to me, had no respect for me and even started to leap forward and rear at the start line…Something that this horse has NEVER done before. Hacking became a nightmare as all he wanted to do was gallop and breaks were non-existent.

We started to have false starts as I couldn’t keep hold of him and even when he false started wouldn’t stop until after the finish line.

After some thought we pulled out of all future competitions as Frank was starting to become a danger to me (the rider) and potentially the boarder as he danced around the start block.

Since we have stopped horse boarding, Frank has spent months doing flat work, show jumping competitions and hunter trials. He is now back in a snaffle for flat work and hacking and we have breaks. We can stop without pulling his mouth apart and things are slowly returning to the way things were.

Don’t get me wrong, horse boarding is fun, but if you want to use your horse for other disciplines, please think very carefully before attempting it.
I learnt my lesson, stick to what you know best.

What is fun for the horse, might not be the best for them.
 
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amymay said:
What's horse boarding?
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Someone being towed on a mountain board behind a horse; KatPT on here is the national champion!
http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=490577&highlight=horseboarding

OP - sorry it didn't work out for you but most horses will have one discipline that won't suit them - I know quite a few horses that were classed as 'dangerous' out hunting but perfectly behaved in other disciplines.. Not really any different IMO and slightly unfair to say it 'wrecked your horse'.
 
My lad can't drag hunt..sends him through the roof leaping loopy nutcase....so I don't drag hunt with him. Tried fly-ball with my hyper active standard poodle x, sent him loopy he'd bite my hands and run around the course hysterically barking..so I don't do fly-ball with him.

Not that hard to figure out if a animal reacts badly to something then stop. None of this disaplines 'wrecked' my dog or my horse because I stopped as soon as I realised there was a problem.
 
Well, it kind of didn't, did it?! If you could no longer do a thing with him, then that's wrecked, but actually you did something which is obviously fast and exciting, back in May, and stopped, what, a month, two months later and three months later he is back to how he was. That isn't, IMO, wrecked! It's trying a discipline which you thought looked fun (I agree!), it turning out your horse wasn't suited to it, and you having to do some work to get it sorted. That actually sounds pretty fine to me - I bet you weren't saying it had wrecked him when he won!

If I take my eventer hunting, and it blows his brains and I have to spend a few months getting the dressage back on track, has hunting wrecked him? No!

I think your post is titled in a very unfair and inflammatory way, which is potentially damaging to a new sport, and I'm not really sure why - presumably you wanted to try horseboarding?!
 
:D Nothing like a melodramatic title :D

Very pleased that you have settled your boy down.

Perhaps not surprising that a naturally strong horse with poor brakes was going to find this type of activity just too exciting.

I imagine it is a "sport" that requires a very disciplined horse to cope with it.

At least you can enjoy your lovely boy in all the other activities you listed. :)
 
The truth is that horses get very enthusiastic about exciting things!!

Look at 2 of the GB tent pegging teams on day 2 of pegging:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCfLTFFHeaQ

This doesn't "wreck" horses, but you need to be able to control them (the dark bay doesn't normally do this, but with a massive crowd and fairground noises she was very excited!)

I'm surprised you couldn't get a bit a solution - most of the strong pegging horses are in universal reversible military pelhams
 
Oh come on, you couldn't control your horse - big deal - some other folk can't control theirst out hunting, eventing, hacking - it's not horse boarding's fault you weren't up to the task.
 
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Horse boarding has never appealed to me as I thought that it would affect the horse physically with pulling the weight from one side only. The good thing is that you are still able to do many other things with your horse. You tried this, it didn't work out. It didn't ruin him per se, just affected him in ways you hadn't considered.
 
Atm I struggle to control my horse in walk! Trying to take him out for rehabilitating 20min walks for his ligament injury is a nightmare, horse will be getting put on a calmer.

Walking hasn't wrecked my horse, he is just a PITA! :D
 
Stencilface said:
Atm I struggle to control my horse in walk! Trying to take him out for rehabilitating 20min walks for his ligament injury is a nightmare, horse will be getting put on a calmer.
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Mine is the opposite ATM, have to physically drag him out on his walks, would much rather be in his stable eating :rolleyes: Apart from the very first walk out in hand, he did manage his fire breathing dragon act then!
 
hate to jump on the bandwagon but like others have said Frank hasn't been wrecked, just found it too exciting and became too much of a handful, it happens:rolleyes: Glad to hear you've got him back under control though and can enjoy him again:)
 
OMG I can't actually believe your nerve!!! :mad: So you tried a sport that didn't agree with your horse, big deal and your horse isn't wrecked as the photo of you hacking in a snaffle proves.
But for the "face of the season" in a new sport that is trying to launch itself, to come onto a massive forum like this and tell everyone that it will wreck their horses is unforgivable, what a backstabbing, bitchy thing to do.
picture.php

Rant over :mad:
 
No I don't actually - think Olly would love it but he's a bit diddy!

I just think it's bloody rude and the OP has just really pissed me off!! :o
 
I think Juno that they race against other horseboarders? Not quite sure though, I don't think you go horseboarding on a hack, which the pic above kinda makes it look like you do.

I would like to try it, the OH needs a new board sport ;)
 
JFTD said:
hehe I think it looks fun but mine aren't fast enough really.

I totally agree, though - ridiculous post.
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It's not so much that, I don't know how to explain it... I was actually pretty blasé about the post until I realised that the OP was actually involved in promoting the sport rather than just a participant.
 
broke_but_happy said:
It's not so much that, I don't know how to explain it... I was actually pretty blasé about the post until I realised that the OP was actually involved in promoting the sport rather than just a participant.
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I guessed that was the intention of the post from having read it. Also it has worked as lots of people are now talking about it and will probably speak about it for a little while yet. Certainly not something my horses will be doing. Could try it off a 1000M sprinter for the brave and insane :cool: :eek:
 
Hiya, it's Kat here (Rohans rider). I think you were right to take Frank out. As much as he was awesome to watch, he just proved that not every horse is suited to every sport. For the same reason I wouldn't take my little horse, I think it would blow his brain at this particular point in time. I was pretty relieved Frank wasn't at the last show as I think despite your best efforts he would have happily jumped the fence at the end of the run! A few other horses have stopped racing as they got too excited.

However, I do think there are plenty of horses who cope and enjoy it immensely. I really enjoyed my time racing and think that as long as the horse is happy, fit and healthy to race then there is no harm in trying it. If like the above they don't take to it, then pull them out.

I'm glad he is back to more gentlemanly behaviour and that you have a fun hunting season with him.
 
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