It cannot be - horses aren't THAT clever!

M

moneypit1

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Fly is without doubt the laziest horse I have ever owned. Unless jumping is involved he is a pig. Hacked out yesterday, awful, leg,leg,leg, smack, smack, smack. What a bore. Today..... NOT HAVING IT! Get on with it! So, first he pretends he is lame!, then.... pretends he is scared of new tarmac!...I almost fell for it THEN....something spooks him in hedge and off he goes! Rest of ride (on way home incidentally) he tracks up and is almost forward going. Get back, untack and he yawns for britain! What a lazy s*d! No wonder it is so hard to get him fit! Anyone else have this problem?
 
we had a pony that was always lame on a show day, and another one that would be a git to catch if you had toy show kit on, i do wonder
 
Hehe, what a tinker eh
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I actually heard of a horse who knew that he was being sold, so everyday he came out of the field "lame" lol. Some horses are very intelligent!!
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Who says!

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FGS use your brain, as BB has pointed out as a prey animal horses are wired to hide any weakness. It is more likely either your horse was stiff and loosened off, or had a stone or something in his foot which was then knoocked out.
 
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Hey lighten up! Obviously I am touching a nerve! Read the title of my post again...............

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No nerve touched, I just think it is ridiculous to suggest a horse can pretend to be lame.
 
Can't remember the details, but years ago apparently one of the Windsor greys that pulled the Queens carriage always appeared lame for nomal occasions but sound for state visits (or something like that)!
 
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Can't remember the details, but years ago apparently one of the Windsor greys that pulled the Queens carriage always appeared lame for nomal occasions but sound for state visits (or something like that)!

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Surely that would be more likely to be down to adrenaline/excitement, masking the lameness.
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Bridle lameness is caused by the rider.

I don't think it's far fetched for a horse to pretend it's lame :-) I think they have secret meetings in the field to discuss the best way to get out of work/not come in from field/get more grub/escape etc...
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Playing devil's advocate here, but couldn't going lame be a learned behaviour to get out of work? My horse seemed to develop a cough not long after I got him, so I stopped working him straight away and called the vet. He had endless tests to establish why he coughed - all came back clear. He still coughs to this day when he doesn't want to work, but will happily do the things he likes to do without a single sound! Just a thought.....
 
I know a horse at a RS that used to be lame every wednesday morning (because a certain group used to ride then) by lunchtime every wed it was sound again and remained sound all week until the following wed!!

Likewise when I used to ride my friend pony in the forest towards the school he would be lame, as soon as you carried on past the school he was fine (or if you went out of the field a different way!)

I think they are cleverer than we give them credit for.
 
Well I won't get involved in all this bickering!
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But my boy is a lazy so and so at home and will occasionally have a little arguement at the field gate as to which way we are going...he seems to have a preference for turning right! He will start his yawning as we head for home! Anyone would think he was over worked but as I am going gently after a back problem...we are only walking! But it is yawn, yawn, yawn until he is let back out in the field and then he has plenty of energy for eating!
 
I used to own an ex racehorse who had been fired and if you said to him oh poor "J" is your leg sore he would start limping and would get progressively worse until you said to him "its ok now" and he would become sound again - now tell me he wasnt acting? Also what about stunt horses aren't they trained to be lame, fall over etc?
 
Our old pony was extremely poorly last year and I spent an awful lot of time moping around her. She was depressed and very sorry for herself until, in defeat, I challenged her to get on with it and die
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, stopped with the soppy treatment and she immediately perked up and got better.

They do pick up on stuff, definitely
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I have to say, I used to ride a pony for some people. When they tried to sell her she went lame EVERY time they had prospective buyers vet her (she was extremely sort after)
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So she was never sold!
 
I used to know a horse owned by a young teenager that a woman on the yard took under her wing. The older woman was very strong minded and the teenager got persuaded to start schooling her cob, who was no spring chicken. That horse went lame every time you turned right out of his stable, towards the school. Never if you turned left to go hacking.
 
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I know a horse at a RS that used to be lame every wednesday morning (because a certain group used to ride then) by lunchtime every wed it was sound again and remained sound all week until the following wed!!

Likewise when I used to ride my friend pony in the forest towards the school he would be lame, as soon as you carried on past the school he was fine (or if you went out of the field a different way!)

I think they are cleverer than we give them credit for.

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Was the RS horse called Mulberry?
 
Ponies are crafty creatures and I'm sure a lot are clever enough to play tricks such as this on us.

Just things like being naughty with the good riders and careful with the Novices is one example I can think of with the RS ponies of my day.
 
My 37 year old 'hobbles' when tack is produced-despite her not being ridden for over 4 years!! She's always sound again when smeone else is tacked up!
 
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FGS use your brain,

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Christmassparkle, how on earth can you be around horses any length of time and NOT use yours to see how well they read us and how manipulative they can be?

Horses are a successful and adaptive species; they've found a niche co-existing with us, and they are well clever enough to pick up all sorts of cues from us and to observe and use the patterns of our behaviour. I bet yours are running rings around you, and you haven't even noticed.
 
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