How amazingly versatile our horses are :)

[YorksG]

It occured to me this afternoon, how much we ask of our horses and how very versatile they are. My rather flighty 15.3 Appy took the pony and her boy, on a picnic ride this afternoon, riding and leading some of the way (first time for the Appy) She looked after all of us very well. Yesteray she hacked for a good hour on her own to a gymkhana, where she understood racing rather too well, steering and stopping were a problem, then hacked home on her own. Last weekend she went on a seven hour ride with 2 horses she knew and 5 she had never met before, was lead horse for about half the hack and barely put a hoof wrong. She does go a bit bonkers if asked to jump, so I rarely ask. She behaves impecably in a show ring and I have yet to meet a vehicle she is anxious about. It just amazes me how well our horses adapt to the many situations we put them in.
Sorry for the long and rather philosphical post, but just wondered what others thought.

 

[tinkandlily]

Oh yes i agree, my mare has recently stoped racing and now she's a happy hacker, jumper, done some showing inhand and ridden, a bit of cross counrty and i'm thinking of a bit of dressage.

 

[LeneHorse]

What always amazes me is how willing most horses are to travel in lorries and trailers. To be 'trapped' in a confined space with all that noise and movement going on must be totally against their instincts.

 

[Orangehorse]

When they go out they never know what they are going to (unless we have been plaiting when they might have an idea - show, dressage,hunting, all exciting).
a ride, a lesson, a stay away.

Last Saturday mine was showing, on Monday he was lunged including some jumping, in the week it was a dressage competition and next weekend we are doing a Trec and yesterday he did a 4 hour ride. Lucky for him he doesn't drive!

 

[bitlessbill]

It's always amazed me thar they just happily accept whatever we throw at them. Mine started off as a driving pony and by his 6th birthday he had had a go at pretty much everything......dressage, showing, jumping, xc, jumpcross, sponsered rides, gymkhana, horsey holiday, beach and even hunting.

The only thing that really blew his mind was pony racing, he got so excited that he reared up and jumped out of the horsebox afterwards, galloped off to join the next race. For a while after that every time he heard a crowd he thought it meant racing and getting him past the local primary school at playtime was very interesting!

 

[gillianfleming]

They are amazing aren't they, i watched a friends horse compete in the hunter classes at the Royal Highland show on thursday, next week he is away to Aachen to do his day job as an international vaulting horse.