Horses with unlikely skills...

My 16.1 tb mare as a just backed 4 yr old hacked up the road to a little local show and won handy pony.
She's 22 now and over the yrs has survived colic surgery& SL problem, has developed cushings but still took me to the veteran horse dressage national championship and is now teaching my friend how to do dressage.
 
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!
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I sold a Clydesdale when I lived in Australia to a lady near Darwin, apparently Charlie went into her house via patio door to nick the bread - he was 17.2hh!! He also learned the knack of turning the fan on in his stable if was a bit too hot for him :-D
 
What surprises me is that people are surprised that cobs can jump (im afraid your Connie doesn't count dafthoss, never known one that couldn't jump like a stag), jumping the top of a set of polyblocks isn't exactly out of the realms of possibility for any horse, its us riders that hold them back! It's like when my mum is always astonished by a well behaved stallion...why assume otherwise?
 
My pony had the talent to houdini out of her rugs! Several times I found her in the field naked, and the rug totally done up as I left it, no rips at all!

The last time she did it was in the snow and I found her looking very sorry for herself! Too clever for her own good :P
 
Not quite in the same league as the pingy ponies, but I'm proud of him!

I've just taken on an ex trekking pony, who has been trekking for nearly 20 years, out in a group only. I didn't really expect him to hack alone, I was ready for napping, spooking and spinning and quite happy to only ride out in company if required. He has taken to it so well, the odd spook but he's actually one of the more settled horses I've ever had! I'm so proud of him learning this new way of life at 24 years old :)
 
I bought Ron as a horse who wouldn't jump, and my instructor said that if we did get him jumping then chances were he wouldn't jump more than about 2foot9 maybe 3foot...

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this was last season - OH rode a 4mile course of hedges bareback. This hedge is nearly 4foot on the take off and nearly 6 on landing...
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I have a few!
ALL of our Shetlands (Who are all related) are greater hunters and jump massive.

No pics unfortunately as on my iPad, but also Roger Cob!

Not mine, but I jump him. Owner has only been riding for 18 months, so jumps 2ft at home. He then rocks up at shows and jumps round 2ft6 courses....he's also booked in for school Showjumping which is 85cm/90cm.

roger
 
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My 'crazy' Arab stallion who can be ridden in just a halter while scary things are about...
Most people don't believe me when I tell them he is a stallion :D

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JenHunt said:
I bought Ron as a horse who wouldn't jump, and my instructor said that if we did get him jumping then chances were he wouldn't jump more than about 2foot9 maybe 3foot...

SA500630-2.jpg

CIMG2455.jpg


this was last season - OH rode a 4mile course of hedges bareback. This hedge is nearly 4foot on the take off and nearly 6 on landing...
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For a horse that doesn't jump he seems to be enjoying himself immensly, especially in that last picture!

Your other half needs a labotomy though JenHunt... seriously!!!
 
Must admit, i'm with KatPT, I quite like the bread bin story but the others aren't 'unlikely skills' although its lovely that you are proud of your ponies and may seem 'unlikely' when you first get the horse, so well done x

My horse picks up his headcollar off the side with his teeth and gives it to me when he's fed up of being in and tries to hide behind me when he knows he's in trouble.He's 17.1hh though so not a very good hider!! Dont really see these as unlikely skills though, just his personality :D x

When i first got him it seemed like everything was nearly impossible but now he suprises me everytime we go out and is proving to be very talented xx
 
KatPT said:
im afraid your Connie doesn't count dafthoss, never known one that couldn't jump like a stag
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You didnt see him when he arrived :cool: not only was I told several times that he wont jump properly, he was terrifed of touching a pole, wouldnt enter an arena if there was a filler in it and used to skid to a stop more often than jump the jump. Leaving the ground genuinly scared him :(.

More to the point is that he has now (very recently) started jumping with little jockey who at 8 jumped him last night in a big field round a small course of jumps bigger than she has ever jumped before. Never in a million years did I expect him to be able to do that, he is far to much of an oppertunist and needs to take confidence from his rider but he looked after her perfectly.
 
JenHunt said:
I bought Ron as a horse who wouldn't jump, and my instructor said that if we did get him jumping then chances were he wouldn't jump more than about 2foot9 maybe 3foot...

SA500630-2.jpg

CIMG2455.jpg


this was last season - OH rode a 4mile course of hedges bareback. This hedge is nearly 4foot on the take off and nearly 6 on landing...
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Click to expand...

Clannnnnggggg, as my jaw hits the floor. Whatever brave pills your OH takes, can I have some please?!
 
No of course it's not unlikely to see a connemara pony out doing advanced eventing, or a 14hh cob type jumping BE novice. I see these things all the time :cool: Every highland I know is jumping well over a metre with ease, that's why the local sj courses are so clogged up with them...

Oh no wait, they aren't...
 
Dafthoss, your pony is so like mine. So far done very similar to mine at that age, so if you want I can predict your future experiences. Like the time you screw up big style, & bury him in a 1.20 upright, & the pony that wouldn't jump a 1' x-pole pulls itself out from underneath the jump & launches itself over. Or the pony who took hours to load being used to teach small children how to load safely. Or the time small child accidently points pony towards a much larger jump than they are ready for, & ends up sat on ponies neck slipping towards the ears. And pony halts & raises its head to prevent child falling & waits for child to compose itself before carrying on like it never happened.
 
Mine has a few...

Constantly jumping in and out of fields.

When i'm plaiting him he grabs the back of the chair and tips me off and then stands there like butter wouldn't melt- but I can see him smirking :p

Can unlock any door including carefully opening my car! and untie any knot.

Shreds over reach boots

Takes my car keys

And he's also working on a second career as a nail technician
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SaJa2UsoPk&list=UU-oVlBldx-Huysk9tnrgqww&index=1&feature=plcp
 
littlelegs said:
Dafthoss, your pony is so like mine. So far done very similar to mine at that age, so if you want I can predict your future experiences. Like the time you screw up big style, & bury him in a 1.20 upright, & the pony that wouldn't jump a 1' x-pole pulls itself out from underneath the jump & launches itself over. Or the pony who took hours to load being used to teach small children how to load safely. Or the time small child accidently points pony towards a much larger jump than they are ready for, & ends up sat on ponies neck slipping towards the ears. And pony halts & raises its head to prevent child falling & waits for child to compose itself before carrying on like it never happened.
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I hope so! I did think of yours when I was putting the jumps up and you saying how yours looks after the littlies, crossing every thing he didnt decide to show his sense of humor. Little jockey was very sorry that she didnt get him straight to one of the fences despite it being him cutting the corner that caused it. He also waited for her to get her stirups back after he got a little carried away and pinged her a bit to much, a quick break and off they went again. He also taught her about what a good sj canter should feel like all in one session.

Are you sure you dont have his mother?! :p he can be a tit to load but my nervous mum wandered him up in his headcollar and the git walks straight it!
 
dafthoss said:
:D

Must say he is a dude, rhino sent me a link to him and I have told my own yellow connie that I now have high expectations of him. Can I be a little cheeky (and off topic) and ask how you find making the time xc on him?
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Difficult. We rarely make it clear on the time, but this year we've had a lot of problems around the 6 minute mark, just totally going flat (which I now know to be the colitis) so 30+ time penalties have been a fairly regular occurrence this season.

But now that we have his intermittent lameness and hopefully the colitis under control, we're back on form. The photo above was taken where we came first in intermediate with only 3.2 time penalties :D

Because he's such a clean jumper though (and no longer prone to temper tantrums in the dressage, praise the lord!) we can come back from being almost a minute over the xc time, to still place in the top 5.

SJ time has never been an issue, we can take turns that the others can't, and do some 'creative' striding :D You tell that yellow pony to go make us all proud, Willy's getting to be an old man and the eventing world needs a replacement!
 
If she'd had a foal Dafthoss, I would suspect it! Not been a tit to load for donkeys years, but I can still remember after doing sj early eve when she was 6, & her loading was ok, she had a rapid change of plan. It was throwing it down, & after several hours, just after midnight the ym blindfolded her, span her in a few circles & half carried her on with the help of several men. Didn't make a blind bit of difference next time though. One day she just decided she liked loading & from then on loaded herself.
 
we have a wonderful Fjord mare who has the best most unflappable temperament, you can sit a tiny child on her and she is a saint to handle and have around the place, but, she is also the most awesome jumper, easily jumps metre showjumping courses, novice level XC courses and doesnt bat an eyelid.. comes home from plenty of shows and pony club events with frillies galour.....recently working on her dressage an not doing to badly as well.....
often get comments at shows about her
she even featured recently on the front cover of South East Rider Magazine, after winning a SJ clinic competiton... cos they thought she was so beautiful !!!
but, what I love about her most though is the way she looks after my daughter :-))) that is just priceless....
 
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