How Stubborn Is Your Horse?

MrsElle

Well-Known Member
Joined
21 November 2008
Messages
6,183
Location
Back Where My Heart Is :)
Visit site
Mine was moving home the other day, decided he didn't fancy loading and fell asleep at the bottom of the ramp! No amount of enticing or growling would get him to move, after twenty minutes he decided he was bored and just walked straight in, got comfy and started to munch on the hay.

How stubborn are yours?
 
I have a rescue coblet and a German dumblood - how stubborn do you want?:confused::D:D

I have spent HOURS going backwards, standing still, not loading, not walking..........:rolleyes:

The list is endless!:eek::D

However most the time they are pretty good so I forgive them thier fmoments of 'character' - especially as they are few and far between:D

Doesn't stop it from being bloody annoying when it happens though........:o
 
Immensely! She did the same as your boy once but it took her an hour and a half to go on! She is also the same if I ask her to go in front out hacking she will plant making me pony club kick (she also ignores the whip) until I am knackered and will then just suddenly goes ' oh ok'! And her spooking when she's decided she's had enough in the school also drives me insane!!! Good job I love her :-)
 
My horses are brainy enough to know that if they fell asleep at the bottom of a loading ramp they would have a rude awakening with a crack across the back legs from the lunge whip.
 
You just described my horse. Will not load coming home. Winds everyone up and messes about. Then casually just strolls on wondering why everyone is upset. Pure stubborness. As once he is one he is quite happy and travells well. Never barges to get off when we arrive back home!
 
Mine isn't stubborn at all! *looks smug*, he's no saint trust me but stubborn is one thing he's not. He's too curious and he likes work and having fun too much, typical sensitive TB, only have to give him a mean look and he's upset he may not have done his job 100%.

My last horse, also a TB but a mare (and lord knows girls can be stubborn!), could be stubborn. It took me 3 months to load her once! Once she didn't want me to purple spray a tiny, almost dry cut. I wouldn't give in, 1.5hrs later and one practically purple horse I managed to get a smidgen on the edge of the cut... I won... Sort of... Eventually :p
 
cob MARE, very stubborn but i suppose we are well matched :rolleyes: nobody but myself and my dad can handle her properly, my dad because she likes him and he gives her lots of treats and treats her like she's a fragile little flower. Shes good for me because i dont give up, i remember i once spent two hours picking out her feet because she refused to pick them up and hold them up- not because she couldn't, just because she didnt feel like it :p wouldn't be without her, im glad i have a problem child! the best bit is people go "she's really easy to handle" i reply "off you go then!" they soon change their minds :p:D
 
I've got mules...soon learn how to ask nicely and they aren't stubborn,just careful :D

Mulesbringemhere-1.jpg
 
Firewell- my tb is exactly the same, give him "the look" and he jumps back into place!
My id on the other hand is very stubborn! Particularly when picking feet out! He occasionally decides he's not picking his foot
up! Normally the last one to do! He just plants his foot and leans into me! The more you battle, the more he leans! Have to be sly about it! I always win in the end but he won't give in easily!! I can't tell him what to do, I have to ask him!! Me versus a 17hh idxwb weighing 740kgs!
 
Oh she can be stubborn when she wants to! Thankfully it's not often it shows, and usually she goes right in. She prefers to be alone in it, so that she gets more space(I can't really blame her after a really bad trip a while ago with a VERY unfriendly horse that is twice her size). :)
 
Last edited:
my horse gets stubborn when loading, he just stands there admiring the scenery, regardless of where we are.
i was trying to load him one day for a much needed and long awaited trip out, he stood at the bottom of the ramp refusing point blank to go in, after 20mins i started having a toddlers tantrum (picture a parent saying no to a kid in a toy/sweet shop!) and telling him that i was gonna give up etc etc, within 2 minutes of my 'strop' he sauntered past me like i had embarrassed him! :D
 
On a scale of 1-10, my mare is a 20 sometimes. Once took us 4 hours to load her, we managed to get that down to 90 mins but not without wanting to turn her into sausages s few times lol. We've had to do it in other aspects too, lifting feet, mane brushing, and being herd bound where we did manage to out stubborn her! I realise now I don't have the patience for stubborn loaders, and I don't like to really force them as I feel there is some element of fear from them even if they don't show it
 
And trust, getting her loading time down to @90 mins took some super natural stubbornness on behalf of daughter lol
 
Skint1, he is definitely not fearful of loading, he will walk straight in when he feels like it! He has also been guilty of refusing to get out of the trailer and will also refuse to lift his feet if not in the mood. On a good day you can point to a leg and tell him to lift it and he will, other days he will refuse :)

I love a pony with character, which is a good job really :D :D :D
 
Strangely, My mare has never ever shown any stubbornness. She sometimes won't be caught and doesn't like her ears being clipped but her reaction is nervousness rather than stubbornness. I have however had very stubborn horses usually mares.
 
Very!!!

Thoroughbred.....thinks he's royalty.

Got kicked out of racing for being stubborn as refused to start or even get out of the starting box.... and this is reflected daily in his "nope, don't want to go in that field. Nope, don't want to walk through that puddle, Nope don't fancy my stable today".....just plants his feet.

...bless 'im.....
 
Captain is only stubborn if he is either unsure of something or if he is bored.

Fany on the other hand is the stubbornest horse in the world! She will simple refuse to do something and nothing can make her do it! She won't lunge for example, we got her doing it once, she decided she hated it and simply refuses. There is nothing wrong with her legs/joints etc. Vet said best flexion (sp) that he had ever done on a horse her age, she has the joints of a 3 yo apparently. She simply does not want to do it! She will stand and look at you.You will do a tiny bit of free schooling then stop. When she decides it is time to come home from a hack she will just try to turn, you end up going round in tiny circles! She isn't nasty no bucks or rears, but a smack does no good either, you just have to keep on and on and eventually she may give in. She isn't dangerous she is just incredibly stubborn!

FDC
 
My horse is a 16.3 hh stallion and doesn't even know the meaning of the word "stubborn" :p He is always easygoing and willing to please (touch wood!)
 
Not stubborn so much but he has spectacular stroppy tantrums :-) normally occurs if he believes his food is late!! Or if you're asking him to do something whilst schooling that he believes is too hard (even though I know he can do it) he will throw all his teddies out the pram, BUT he gives up within minutes.

The main problem is that he has no spacial awareness but we still love him :-)

photo-23.jpg
 
My cob can be stubborn but everyone one says we are like twins. Dont know what their trying to says. With him a packet of polos he would do a dance in a pink tutu if thats what you wanted He would do anything for food.
 
Very :p

If Tont doesn't want to do something, he is NOT doing it! We have had many arguments in the middle of roads when he has had enough. I'm exhausting myself trying to get him to move, and he's stood resting his leg :rolleyes:

I wouldn't change him for the world though :p
 
VERY!! just ask my ride at pc :rolleyes: when hes good hes fantastic but when he decides hes not doing something your there for a long time. But unfortunatly for him I will never give in, so slowly we are getting there and the incidents are becoming fewer. He can also turn his fear in to a stuborn temper tantrum without looking obviously scared so it can be a fine line between reassuring him and giving him only one option.
 
Top