My Dad's horsey vocabulary

Birker2020

Birker2020

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My Dad makes me laugh. He always calls horsey things by strange names. For instance he says ankles for fetlocks, leggings for travel boots, coats for rugs and calls my horses forelock a fringe. :D

Apart from these weird utterings, he really is the best Dad in the world. He comes and videos me at shows, services my trailer and repaints it when needed and spends hours bagging up free shavings for me at the timber yard. He mucked out daily for me for months and months when my back 'went' and paid £35 a time for my chiropractor treatments because I couldn't afford them. He always gives me money when I am too broke to compete and he came straight out to me when the paramedic said I couldn't drive home following a fall on a fun ride even though it was miles away. He was there for me at Liverpool Equine Hospital when we had to let my previous horse Rommy go and has supported me through all the heartbreak of losing my other horses; they were as much part of his life as they were mine. He has made jumps for me, and is always fixing my car. To top it all he is 77 years of age! He is always there at the drop of a hat and doesn't realise how much he is appreciated.

So Dad, if you ever read this post, thank you a million times over. I can never thank you enough for all your hard work and love spanning my entire life, but also my horsey years.

He is holding my horse Bailey in my signature photo below.:cool:
 
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What a great post! My Dad found Lenny for me, and snuck off and secretly went to look at him :D Another, massively appreciated Dad. Even if he insists on pointing out that if I ever grow into my teeth I'll be 11ft2.

They aren't that big :( ;)

J&C
 
We often call fetlocks 'ankles', when my ID's windgalls come up, we say that she has 'fat ankles'', and talk about 'fringes' etc, it's not because we don't know the correct terminology, it's a joke!
It is great when your parents get involved in your horses. Our parents bought my sister and me our first horse when I was aged 19 and Dad always felt responsible for him and helped us a lot with looking after him, including renovating the stable that a local farmer let us use.
Many years later, aged 83 he has just built me a new stable as a birthday present to house my new horse (which I agreed to buy with nowhere for her to sleep!).
 
My OH refers to Captain and Fany's livery bill as "the horse hotel" in our cheque book and rugs as coats.

But he never complains about the horses and is willing to help when I am ill, picking out feet, filling and hanging haynets, making feed buckets and even changing rugs. His favourite thing is taking Fany for a walk, he treats her like a dog and they wander off for ages.

Your dad sounds a sweetheart, I think he is great! I really miss mine.

FDC
 
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Dads are great my is great with my old ponies would always help me turn out and is the calmest person even if here is a broncing three year old on the end of a rope he used to get me up every Saturday morning to help turn all the horses in the yard out (we had a rota) even helped me with a silly mare that used to get cast all the time as i was only 13 at the time or to take me to shows ridiculously early he would walk out if i wanted company hacking or help me with getting youngster used to traffic i find it amazing that he'd never had any experience with horses before as he is so fantastic with them on the ground.

oh and just introduced my BF to horse care and he finds it very amusing and commented that putting his rugs on to put him in the field was like getting a child ready for bed hes doing well though but it is soo funny
 
When we bought Donovan, my dad asked 'how old will he be when he grows into a horse'?
Donovan is 12.2hh, Benson was 16.2hh so I can guess I see where he is coming from!!!!
 
Pearlsasinger and I share a Dad :D, as well as always helping with the heavy work and spending time with our horses, he still comes and watches at any events, comes and supports the RC activities, he also used to help at RDA fundraising events, with our late mother, for many years. Dads are great :D
 
My dad is fab too :)

I think he loves my horse all most as much as i do! they have a great bond.My dad had never been around horses til i got Fyn and being a complete novice and Fyn being an ex-racer he decided to hack him back from the pub :p:D They were both fab and Fyn took so much care of my dad - they even had a small trot :eek::D. Dad also built me a tack room and is building me a tack box to bring to Uni in september! I love my dad so much !!!!
 
hmmmmm, reading this post has made me feel rather unappreciative for my dad!

Before he met my mum, he thought hooves were wooden, and that they were taken off and changed every time the farrier came.

We now have a private yard, and he has done all the post and rail (yes, around 8 acres!!) all by himself, as well as making me 10 XC jumps in this field, 4 in the previous. He also made me 2 stables and a feed shed when I got my ex racer in the winter who needed to be stabled, again by himself! He also makes my Sjs for me, and paints them, and everything [=

My dad is amazing too [=

When I cant feed, he goes over for me, with youngsters, 17handers, and feeds them all for me. He took me to a competition once when my mum was ill, and he drove the trailer fab! He also took the horses to a camping competition once, and some daft old bat drove into the side of the trailer. He fixed that, sorted out old lady, and made sure horses were ok!

Your dad sounds fab too though!!

x
 
claireandnadia said:
That was so nice it nearly made me cry.
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OMG same here! I thought I was just being a bit sensitive! I think it's because it reminds me so much of my dad- he is always helping out in all sorts of ways; bagging up wood shavings and doing maintainance on vehicles! My mum is brilliant too and it just made me realise how we should show them how much they mean to us. I love my dads terminology too. He says all of the phrases you mentioned, and the other day turned my horse out in her stable rug (he thought it was her mild conditions rug!!). Luckily he mentioned it to me and I managed to get there and change it before she go soaked! She looked so confused!
xxxx
 
Elliegazzellie said:
OMG same here! I thought I was just being a bit sensitive! I think it's because it reminds me so much of my dad- he is always helping out in all sorts of ways; bagging up wood shavings and doing maintainance on vehicles! My mum is brilliant too and it just made me realise how we should show them how much they mean to us. I love my dads terminology too. He says all of the phrases you mentioned, and the other day turned my horse out in her stable rug (he thought it was her mild conditions rug!!). Luckily he mentioned it to me and I managed to get there and change it before she go soaked! She looked so confused!
xxxx
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Ahh bless! :o
 
Haha he sounds fantastic haha. Mine isn't that interested in my mare really. He didnt even know I got her until 2 weeks later as he was in some foreign country doing work haha. He was pretty shocked :P
 
Very lucky to have a dad like that :) I haven't seen mine for 4 years, haven't spoken to him for 2. I don't think he knows I have a horse, or that I passed my driving test and have a car, or that I had an 18th birthday seeing as I didn't even get a card!! I'm very jealous of you and your amazing dad :p
 
That is a lovely post OP. My dad trailed me round shows, built me stables, looked after ponies for me, spent hours schooling me in the field, gave up many many Fri night s and Saturdays so I could go jumping.
Nobody quite like him & never will be. xx
 
My dad was a great help with my ponies when I was younger. Carried all the hot water up a very big field when I needed it and was always at hand to help in any way he could. Unfortunatley he died before I got back into horses but a wk before we he said to me "follow your dreams and don't ever let anyone tell you you can't do something if you want to". I got Blue as soon as I felt ready and believe fate had a lot to do with me getting him. Enjoy your dads.
 
i also have a wonderful dad all though he is my step-dad you would swear we are blood related. he is allways there for me and my mom is forever fixing and making things up the yard for us to use to make life easier, sorting huge hay and straw bales in the barn, up the yard in all weathers and we really cop the bad weather as we a quite high up and face the malverns! my super duper bf actually likes coming up to move poop from A to B and be with the horses, he has even rode my moms big hunter! so yea me and my mom are very lucky:) oh and some i have heard from the boys are... 'hay bags' 'coats (rugs)' 'fringe' 'room (stable)' and a whinny was referred to as a weeeeee:D cos thats what it sounded like. why is that horse weeeeeeeing? pmsl!
 
Your dad sounds pretty cool to me! I think he deserves a huge bottle of his fave tipple and big hug!
 
Both my parents are fantastic and i count myself very lucky :)

They used to drive me to the yard and back (a good twenty minutes each way) and Dad drove the trailer everywhere without whinging or moaning. When our yard got broken in to, the insurance company refused to pay out (long story regarding a wooden door... what a palava!) Anyway, my parents forked out for a new sadle and bridle then a whole set of rugs without me even asking them too, as they knew i wouldnt be able to afford it myself.

Once my pony decided to jump the wall between his stable and the stable next door.. he got stuck with his front legs over the wall and his back legs in his stable - no idea how he managed this! But my dad came back from his golf session and rang the vet and the fire brigade. Consequently the wall & doorframe had to be rebuilt and my dad and his best friend did it all for me in the space of a few days. I couldnt ask for more from them.

My boyfriend however, is taking a while to adjust to having to share me with horses haha. He will stand and hold the neddies but he will stand as far away as possible haha!
 
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I'm another one with a great Dad. Back in the day when I was 18 and bought my first pony, he bought me a saddle as I couldn't afford one and was planning to ride bareback until I could.

A week after I got my second horse (a very mareish mare) I had to go away on a course for 4 days and she got an abcess in her toe - he and my mum went to the farm every day twice a day to muck out etc and poultice her hoof - neither of them know anything about horses and my mum is very anti-animal altogether.

I raise my glass to them!
 
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