Horses with unlikely skills...

Buds_mum

Buds_mum

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 October 2011
Messages
1,713
Visit site
So do you have a horse which people are amazed at?
Maybe they are talented in certain sphere which they 'technically' shouldn't be...
Or have you bought something which as taken you by surprise with its aptitude for a certain discipline?

I just thought of this after my lesson the other night, when I bought this fat cobby baby I lost count of the amount of people who told me I would be 'bored' with a 'happy hacking' cob. And when my (ex) instructor saw him she told me she thought I wanted something that would be able to jump...
225751_10150287384834989_6014433_n.jpg


:D:D:D:D Nah thats right cobs don't have scope ;)

251662_10151382813099989_1221671408_n.jpg

557230_10151382812854989_59904728_n.jpg


So come on lets have your grand prix dressage shetlands and 'suitable for a novice' tbs :D
Anymore cobs with a pop?!
 
It would be fair to say that my highland bog pony, bred to drag stags down from the hills, surprised me by doing this...

562750_541215605217_2019993279_n.jpg


and this...

246887_541388074587_957622808_n.jpg


But to be honest, there's little that he does which doesn't surprise me - I just can't work out how he turned out so super :o
 
My ex Grade A SJ puissance specialist super star Roy is alarmingly good at sheep herding... and polo.

At 17.1hh, that's quite impressive.
 
Lovely thread, and lovely cob! Stunning markings (and I'm not really a coloured fan usually)

I think my older boy was just special as he was so adaptable - would do dressage one weekend, event the next, then a bit of TREC, or team chasing, or showing.... He didn't do any of them to a high level (RC Int/Open stuff) but he did them all well :)

He's also got an uncanny ability to tell when someone is pregnant :eek: :D
 
And while we're on jumping cobs, this is my lad a few years back...

9529_510926065697_8121296_n.jpg


9529_510926075677_2586933_n.jpg




eta - spot the chavvy tack, I'd have been lynched on here if I'd posted those at the time! Running martingale too long to be of use (used it 'cos it looked cool - I still use the breastplate of it most of the time as a neckstrap!), dutch gag :eek:
 
hannah90 said:
hes lovely !
i love cobs, OH prefers tbs, because they can jump and cobs are just lazy ! thank you for proving him wrong ! :D
Click to expand...
Ha. Your welcome :p

JFTD I thought of you and the wondrous bog pony. He is something special :D

Starzaan said:
My ex Grade A SJ puissance specialist super star Roy is alarmingly good at sheep herding... and polo.

At 17.1hh, that's quite impressive.
Click to expand...

Haaha I would love to see that, thats a either a long polo stick or a good lean?!
 
Henry cob was a cob with a pop... He's 14hh, btw, and this is part of the BE Novice course he was going round.
2468_1026026890482_4660_n.jpg


Reggie, a 16.3hh ex-racer. He's the safest hack in the world, snaffle mouthed at all times... This is him after 4 months off, mooching home.
424553_2536777658307_791504754_n.jpg

He's also pretty awesome eventing, currently at BE100 but hopefully moving on up :D

Demo, 13hh Welsh C. Best hunter Al has ever ridden, ever. He was originally an in-hand show pony who won a fair amount, and then had had a fairly miserable time before his owner got him.
394981_2455160937940_1877529440_n.jpg
 
Lolo said:
Henry cob was a cob with a pop... He's 14hh, btw, and this is part of the BE Novice course he was going round.
2468_1026026890482_4660_n.jpg


Reggie, a 16.3hh ex-racer. He's the safest hack in the world, snaffle mouthed at all times... This is him after 4 months off, mooching home.
424553_2536777658307_791504754_n.jpg

He's also pretty awesome eventing, currently at BE100 but hopefully moving on up :D

Demo, 13hh Welsh C. Best hunter Al has ever ridden, ever. He was originally an in-hand show pony who won a fair amount, and then had had a fairly miserable time before his owner got him.
394981_2455160937940_1877529440_n.jpg
Click to expand...

I hope the photographer in that last shot had a very long lens! I would not like that lot heading straight for me.

Fab photos!
 
Some people say that having a pony capable of winning intermediate events (10 days after colicing and being diagnosed with right dorsal colitis, months after straining his deep digital flexor tendon, less than a year after I almost lost him) but Willy and I never enjoy playing by the rules...
v75dnb.jpg
 
Thank you rhino, he's special. Your boy sounds like the perfect horse tbh! The pregnancy testing bit is just plain amazing!
Haha jftd, even with chavy tack he looks incredible :P
Lolo I love your three :)

I love these guys :)
 
I have the ultimate all round cob. He is definitely far from lazy. In fact I have the opposite problem and that's keeping him calm enough to pay attention for long enough. I've had him for 4 years now and so far we have had a go at dressage and came 6th at our first attempt out of 16, been hunting twice and somehow managed to remain reasonably well mannered although he did scare one of the hunt followers on a quad bike after tanking off and suffering brake failure, came 3rd at his first attempt at ridden showing, managed a 3rd and a 4th at unaffiliated showjumping, done numerous fun rides and cross country and next month will be doing his first le trec.
 
Dolly's supposed to be a good showjumper - daughter yet to earn a "proper" ribbon at jumping!!! Lol!!!

Got about 8 - 10 firsts for dressage though!!!???

Also won a bsps qualifier show hunter pony class when most people we asked said she wasn't a show hunter pony!!!!

However she's the least "handy pony" in the world, thought she'd have been good at that, well she's good at running REALLY fast in the opposite direction!!!

: ) love that multi talented dolly pony!!! X
 
redmone said:
However she's the least "handy pony" in the world, thought she'd have been good at that, well she's good at running REALLY fast in the opposite direction!!!
Click to expand...

I thought Dolly would be great at handy pony :eek:

Handy pony is Fergs special skill. His only championship to date is a gymkhana champion, and he has a string of handy pony and TREC rosettes. This is the pony who freaks out at funny coloured grass, birds and fencing on hacks. *facepalm*
 
Lol, I can vouch that Dolly is not a handy pony! I judged at their first attempt and nearly killed them! She did a lovely canter pirouette in the middle of it though didn't she Redmone - it wasn't asked for, and she should have been walking past a brolly, but it was a good one!;) She actually got a place though didn't she, as there were a lot of worse handy ponies that day!xx
 
Fergs is awesome!!!!

Dolly is just terrible at it! You'd think she'd be good wouldn't you! Out hacking she's fantastic! Not really phased by much on the roads etc.... But handy pony courses scare the pants off her! Fishing nets and umbrellas!!! Nooooooo! Tarpaulin??? Stuff of the devil!!

We're trying to desensitise her but honestly it's hard work!!!!

: ) x
 
Who would have expected a somewhat spooky 15.3 appaloosa mare, with lots of arab and tb in the blood lines to be good at handy pony/horse? Not me, but she is :D and loves to do it too :D :D
 
Ha ha I had hoped honey08 would turn up and confirm Dollys unhandiness!!! Lol!!!

She was quite nimble that day wasnt she!!!

Now it was your fishing net this year that set them off!!! Pretty much exactly as last year, although daughter remembered to drop the net this time! Lol!!

Think she got 6th last year, this year not so good! Abandoned course before we got to the rescuing the dummy section!!!!

More work needed......!!!! : )
 
ps. I've not met many coloured cobs that weren't super little jumping horses. We had one for my stepson's last pony. Sold as a cheap plod and came home with a constant stream of trophies from pony club for every discipline under the sun.
 
I've got a pony that can open the kitchen patio door by pushing the handle down and pulling it towards him with his nose.

He then stands there waiting for a slice or two of bread for his breakfast, and if I am a bit slow, or worse still not in the kitchen, he squeezes through the door, marches over to the bread bin, and helps himself. I have him on video.

He has old man privileges and is allowed in the garden sometimes as he is a bit short of teeth. When the patio door is locked, he has been known to walk in through the back door, turn left into the hall, left again into the kitchen, negotiate the table and chairs, and locate that tasty bread bin. Daughter was a bit late up the other day and came down to an empty bread bin and lots of crumbs on the floor - boy did she moan.

I keep meaning to upload it to youtube and make my fortune!
 
redmone said:
Fergs is awesome!!!!

Dolly is just terrible at it! You'd think she'd be good wouldn't you! Out hacking she's fantastic! Not really phased by much on the roads etc.... But handy pony courses scare the pants off her! Fishing nets and umbrellas!!! Nooooooo! Tarpaulin??? Stuff of the devil!!

We're trying to desensitise her but honestly it's hard work!!!!

: ) x
Click to expand...

Fergs is just daft. We were attacked the other day in the school by an errant tarpaulin which had escaped and came to join us on the wind. That wasn't scary at all. The pigeon which, startled by the tarpaulin, decided to vacate its roost in the rafters however was clearly demonic and worthy of a spook :cool:

I think Dolly has it the right way round :D I'd love to be able to take F out by himself without that niggling fear that disaster is just around the corner!

lol Honey, btw :D
 
Think daughters next pony might be a coloured bog pony!!!!! That's some pinging!!! ^^^

Had a chuckle at honeys description of dollys "canter pirouette" bet my face was a picture!!!

To be fair on Dolly, honey's handy pony courses are evil!!!

And to be fair on fergs
 
dafthoss said:
JFTD I love how happy you and J look in those pictures!
Click to expand...

Haha, I look distinctly less happy in the second pic as I was squawking in fear at the time. The first pic was the last jump and I was a) determined to get a nice photo and b) relieved to have finished the course alive :cool: :D


Good to see the YP jumping his socks off on here :D
 
Oooops stupid phone!

To be fair on fergs, pigeons are nasty smells things that always dive-bomb me!! He should jump on them!!! : ) x
 
I think my ponies ability to compete etc was to a certain extent bred in to her, so although proud its not exactly unlikely. What is though is the fact that a nervous, stubborn determined mare, who was at times quite challenging, is now the worlds sweetest, most genuine, darling of a schoolmistress. On one of the worse earlier days anyone had told me that she would have become a pony that a toddler can do anything with, & that she'd safely nanny small novice kids round courses, or be anybodys bombproof hack, I would have died laughing. Also has a great talent for undoing things, kickbolts, gates, bolts etc.
Daughters has an unusual skill for eating odd stuff. Like wormers, cornucresine, soap etc. And despite being a sympathy buy with various issues, never intended to be for my daughter, she's shown an unlikely talent for being a perfect match for her.
 
Ned's doesn't really have many unlikely skills, but I'm sure he's part mule. When he's in the field, he can jump almost anything from pretty much a standstill!
He jumped this with a stride run up :D
XCJumping035-1.jpg
 
Llewelyn said:
I've got a pony that can open the kitchen patio door by pushing the handle down and pulling it towards him with his nose.

He then stands there waiting for a slice or two of bread for his breakfast, and if I am a bit slow, or worse still not in the kitchen, he squeezes through the door, marches over to the bread bin, and helps himself. I have him on video.

He has old man privileges and is allowed in the garden sometimes as he is a bit short of teeth. When the patio door is locked, he has been known to walk in through the back door, turn left into the hall, left again into the kitchen, negotiate the table and chairs, and locate that tasty bread bin. Daughter was a bit late up the other day and came down to an empty bread bin and lots of crumbs on the floor - boy did she moan.

I keep meaning to upload it to youtube and make my fortune!
Click to expand...

OMG - please upload it I'd love to see that (:¬)

My ponio of 16 was sold has never having been dressage trained and was broken at 8 - however after only two sessions and 1 and a half hours he's already got the half pass at walk and Pirouette at a walk too :) - problem if that's all he'll do in the school now (:¬()
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top