How did you tell you had established a bond with your horse? :)

Tonty Tont

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I'm pretty sure I have a bond with Tont. I can do pretty much anything with him, such as picking his feet out while he's stood in the middle of the field, and I think he does trust me. Once he was lay in the field so I sat next to hime, and he nuzzled into me before lying completely flat out with me sat next to him :)

So, how did you tell you had established a bond with your horse?

Nicole x
 
Me and Koko had this sort of connection it sounds weird but I knew he was just perfect for me and we just gelled instantly, I've never got on with a horse like I did with him he was truly amazing.

A pony I had before him was a nervous wreck when we got him, would shoot to the back of the stable and shake if you just looked at him as he was beaten so badly. I knew we had a bond when I could catch him and eventually he came to me, he now has complete trust in humans which is lovely to see such a nervous wreck turn into a confident pony loving pony :)
 
Hi, my WB is sooo affectionate now towards me that its easy to see the bond. It really showed when I went to visit him at hospital last week when he had his op. The greeting he gave me bought tears to my eyes he was so vocal!:)
 
given babys past the first time we joined up but most of all the first time i sat on her back ,the first hack out and most of all the first gallop tears of happiness rolilng down face my daughter on big lad head thrown back laughing and then hugs all round - just hugs of OMG I just galloped baby!!! ( you damn unridable dangerous mare you lol)and when she started to tense my hand on her neck and a quiet quiet word then i knew we were friends and we had come out of the bad times together . you just know when its there that relationship, that friendship - baby? my rock my soulmate my inspiriation :)
 
When he started calling to me, when he saw me and watching my every movement. He even learnt the sound of my car and if he hears me coming he stands there waiting for me! We also trust each other 100% and when I groom him, he grooms me back!
 
When he's having his teeth rasped (which he hates) and although always a bit lairy about it still he does focus on me and try and listen to me when I'm reassuring and praising him and asking him to stand still when holding him for the vet. Made me realise I had to do my best by him to make him feel like it was OK.
 
Toffee- We ran round a course of three jumps together, me on the ground and she followed best moment ever :D

Samba- Now when ever she frets or is unsure of something I just have to give her a scratch on the whither (Spelling gone out of the window) and talk to her and she just relaxes. And she has a really high pitched whinny for me as my car gets to the gate, without fail. She can whinny and sunbath flat out at the same time I found out(feels like years ago now we had sunshine). Oh and a couple of days ago she pulled back from my mum and bogged off, to me who was poo picking. The look in her eyes said it all bless her.
 
When i first got him he was scared & would hide in the corner of the stable but then one day while i was grooming him he started grooming me back & licking my face.. now he's a right cheeky git!!
 
When he started calling to me, when he saw me and watching my every movement. He even learnt the sound of my car and if he hears me coming he stands there waiting for me! We also trust each other 100% and when I groom him, he grooms me back!

Ditto on this!

Also when he acts all jealous when I stand talking or **shock Horror** giving attention to another horse.
 
Mine's only just happened - after two months of basically being ignored/put up with by my old man (25!) he's started nuzzling and nibbling me as I groom him which is just plain loverly :D
 
With Lancelot,If I approached his stable and he "mouthed"I knew he was not going to try to attack me. Perhaps not the bond I would have hoped for ,but poor lance was a troubled and dangerous horse.I am glad that we did at least achieve some sort of understanding before he died. The big revelation was realising that he did not act aggressively ,deliberately ,and that he was as shocked at his own actions as anyone. Once I realised that it was not deliberate ,life became so much easier. We just worked around the problem. He was seven when he died ,the PM showed no cause. I am gratefull that we did at least have some sort of bond,.Of all the horses I have had ,he was the most difficult ,and also the hardest loss to bear.
 
Took my girly a year to understand I wasnt going anywhere, she was aggressive,moody,wouldnt jump a tiny cross, made all of my old friends look down at my on their nice expensive horsies, but i refused to give up on her, and one day she just flicked the switch and absolutely adorded me. Shes still very opinionated but now we're jumping bsja british novice and im lookign back and all them people that told me i'd never do it and she was worthless, and im only just scratching the surface of her potentional 3 years on, we're taking it slow :)
 
when my mare I've had for 5 months, spooked in the school and I came off and got my foot stuck in my stirrup. I was alone and my foot was really wedged. She struggles to stand still at the best of times but she stood like a rock while I was lying on the floor for at least 2 minutes while I tried to take my foot out of my boot. She just kept looking at me. Think we turned a corner that day and our bond has started to grow since.
 
Mac is a very affectionate horse, and calls to me whenever he see's me coming. When he has been naughty and I am cross with him, he hates it and follows me around with big puppy eyes.

Dolly is not particularly affectionate, and if you'd asked me a few months ago, I would have said that she is just happy to be fed etc. However, she gave birth to a stillborn foal back in May, and was very distressed obviously. Every time I walked out of the stable, calling vet etc, she panicked even though OH was with her. She would settle again as soon as I went back to her. I think I realised then that deep down, she does love me in her own way.
 
My previous horse was in a bit of a bad way when I got him.....he also didn't want to be caught. So when he would come to call, and put his head in the head collar, I knew we had cracked it.

He also used to do a big whinny when he saw me.....almost like shouting hello:)

I lost him suddenly back in summer....I have a new horse now, and we are getting to know each other. Last week, I arrived at the yard, and he let out a whinny greeting exactly the same as my old horse, in fact I was doing something, wasn't looking at him and for a few seconds I kind of didn't realise it was him, it sounded soooo much like Desi I almost 'forgot' he was gone IYKWIM. So- I was sad about Desi, and really really pleased that Azamour seems to recognise me as 'his person'....all at the same time:)
 
When he tried to climb out over his stable door when he heard me talking to someone... I'd not been to see him for 3 weeks because my back was out - when I was able to, I went up to the yard, stopped to say "hello" and tell someone my woes, and himself heard me, charged to the door of his stable and tried to climb out!

And I have him on full livery!

:D
 
Mine screams for me whenever I walk down the block, I work on the yard so I know he isnt just screaming at everyone, and he is always playing with me and nuzzling me when Im aorund him and he can be a grump with other people.
 
River it was instant, much like Koko - I knew it was going to be a different relationship when I first laid eyes on him - after 3 months of looking pretty much full time (I was a student so must have seen over 30 horses) I walked into a stable block and in the stable next to the horse I was MEANT to be looking at was this little grey face - every time I went to stroke the other horse River nudged my hand - I looked at him, turned round to my Mum and said - 'there he is - thats my pony'... the bond was immense but some what difficult to handle - he wouldn't eat if I didn't feed him, would sulk if I went away and be a general git if I dared to give anything else - human or equine attention (he would headbutt my OH when he tried to give me a hug and once OH dared to give me a smooch at a show and River bit him!)... things got easier when he adopted his Aunty Nicky who was also 'ion the club' but that pony let you know if you were his or not...

Luca - was such a wreck when I got him and our relationship took a lot of work, but the first day he let me sit on him I knew we had it cracked. He'd follow me anywhere and whilst most people found him impossible to handle I could still lead him from the field when I was on crutches - even though the YO couldn't get him in.

I miss them both....

Bella - we're still getting there - last night was the first time she's has been affectionate in 5 months - whilst having her back done. She is slowly starting to recognise me but she is such a reserved mare I think it is going to take us a long time to bond with each other. Thats ok though - I have the feeling she'll be a River once she does...

t x
 
When the call to you when they see or hear you - and I was kicked out from the indoor school one day when someone was riding a youngster I had backed and ridden away - because they said as soon as I walked in he wouldn't concentrate on them at all!:D:cool::D
 
my pony whickers when he sees one of his friends or another pony he likes the look of, he then started whickering when he saw me, even if I did not have food!
 
When I had to look after Ruby after she got a massive (basketball size!) haematoma on her chest which didn't go away despite everthing done that could be down and then it turned septic.:eek:
Temp over 40C and vet ended up cutting it open without anaesthetic and she didn't flinch. Stable had to be completely bare and disinfected morning and night (middle of December) to prevent any infection. Bloody cold!!!
Wound had also to be cleaned out morning and night by first checking in the wound for any dead flesh that had accumulated overnight and then a special fluid syringed into the hole (about 2 inches by 2 inches).
The crazy,hot headed mare was gone and in her place was a totally different horse. Stood like a rock whilst I did all this twice a day for about 4/5 weeks till the wound had closed by itself.
After this I could do anything with her and I'm the only one she looks for if she's unsure about something. Greetings are defeaning and not just for when I first walk onto the yard. If I'm out of sight and come back into sight she greets me again.:D
 
when i feel safe on him and feel him relax when i'm on him, when he calls to me and sticks his big dopey tongue out when I walk to the field/stable and his head goes up even before I call him cuz he knows its me! again dentists, when he's having teeth done and hates it but still rests on me and doesn;t move... and when i just have to tell him 'manners; or give him my best 'teacher' look and he does what he's told!!!
 
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