Learning "horse speak"

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oldie48

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I've been trying to get my very busy equine physio out for a litte while as I felt Rose wasn't 100% comfortable. Little things really, sometimes feeling quite heavy in the hand, taking a long time to warm up but doing some really nice work when she was, fidgetting when being tacked up and being increasingly reluctant to load going away from home (fine coming home). Nothing dramatic, just that feeling of "not quite right". She had a tight sore back earlier in the year, possibly from racketing around in the field but also possibly from a badly fitting saddle before i bought her. Physio came out last week and she was tight and quite sore. She's had a few days off, been quietly hacked and was schooled lightly today and is feeling much much better. Interestingly, I've boxed her twice since she was treated and both times she has marched on to the lorry without hesitation, tbh it made me feel very sad. She was telling me in a very polite way that she was sore. Please listen to your horse I think they tell us when something isn't right but it is very easy to not hear them. FWIW, saddler booked to recheck fit of saddle (done 6 weeks ago) she has changed shape quite dramatically and vet involved, teeth done recently, etc etc. I will leave no stone unturned to ensure that she is painfree.
 
Mine looks to his right flank if he wants a saddle check. He looks to his left if he wants me to find somewhere for him to stop for a wee while out on a hack.

Hate fly season cos I'm always worried I'm missing something :D
 
milliepops said:
Don't feel sad, you're doing all the right things :) it's good when you have a horse that tells you something is up
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yes, but don't they all in one way or another, problem is, do we always have the experience to know what they are saying? I think that is what has made me feel so sad, with hindsight, I can think of one horse who was probably uncomfortable rather than uncooperative and who i would have handled very differently if I had had more experience and understanding. TBh I think we label horses too easily as being naughty, difficult, marish, testing the boundaries when they are uncomfortable, that's not to say that horse can't be "naughty, difficult, marish or testing the boundaries" but it takes experience to know the difference and experience is hard won, with lots of mistakes along the way.
 
I think the nature of keeping horses is that you'll always make mistakes along the way 😏 mistakes in management, handling, riding, you name it. So much learning is done on the job because they're all so different.
I think as an owner who is doing their best and doing a good job, in the interests of maintaining sanity you have to make allowances for some of those.

I took one to the vet earlier this year convinced there was something wrong. They poked and prodded and declared a case of Paranoid Owner Syndrome.
Unfortunately the other one was written off the following month... some you win some you lose!
 
milliepops said:
I think the nature of keeping horses is that you'll always make mistakes along the way 😏 mistakes in management, handling, riding, you name it. So much learning is done on the job because they're all so different.
I think as an owner who is doing their best and doing a good job, in the interests of maintaining sanity you have to make allowances for some of those.

I took one to the vet earlier this year convinced there was something wrong. They poked and prodded and declared a case of Paranoid Owner Syndrome.
Unfortunately the other one was written off the following month... some you win some you lose!
Click to expand...
Always the voice of reason MP. Thanks, you are quite right. We must catch up soon. x
 
Please don't be sad!! hes a lucky girl to have such a caring owner as yourself. You can't do anymore than you are. And IMO the fact she does nothing dramatic and dangerous is a credit to your bond and her personality.

Also have to say, Milliepops i love your advice.
 
on some days i am achy or stiffer than others, some days feel great, some days i ride better than others, and i think they are the same, so when they offer enthusiasm i go with it and enjoy, other times they are in simply a different mood we have an easy day, i am sure it makes it easier for me to know if something is really amiss
 
As an owner, you have to be he voice for your horse. I’ve had two notable instances in recent years when I have been told there is nothing wrong with my horses. In one case I was told my mare was simply unfit and breathless as a result. I was made to feel like a paranoid owner who had failed to get her horse fit enough... until I pushed to have her tested and it was found she had a tracheal collapse.

In the other case, I had a horse shouting loudly that something was wrong. I had a recommended saddler tell me she needed a good smack (I won’t touch them again with a barge pole!). After a set of tests were inconclusive, I told vets what I thought it was and was told she wasn’t presenting enough to warrant investigating that and they believed it was behavioural. I told them I had the money and I wanted her scanning. She had PSD.

I trust my instincts and experience enough to know that if I have a hunch, it needs looking in to.

I hope all goes well with your horse OP x
 
The people who have inspired me over the years with their understanding and intuition regarding horse language and behaviour have had one thing in common. They are people who basically live with them and tend to be calm, unhurried and observant.
So much of our time is spent running onto the yard, doing chores and then doing things to the horse. Clipping, grooming, tacking up and riding. It leaves little time for just watching or even really knowing how they spend their time for the 22 hours that we aren't there.
People often say, my horse is best friends with yours in the field, when in fact, my horse is a sociable member of the herd and may graze next to any of them for periods of time.
 
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