My next equine project horse

PolarSkye said:
Abso-flipping-lutely.

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I hit misbehaving horses regularly. What I don't do is leave a young horse completely untouched for three weeks, bring it in on a really bad day, expect it to stand for the farrier, then hit it when it won't.

Of course Alice has every right to hit her horse. I just thought it was a shame that the horse seemed to have been put in a position where that was necessary.

If I have misread what you wrote, Adorable Alice, then I apologise.
 
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joycec said:
I hit misbehaving horses regularly. What I don't do is leave a young horse completely untouched for three weeks, bring it in on a really bad day, expect it to stand for the farrier, then hit it when it won't.

Of course Alice has every right to hit her horse. I just thought it was a shame that the horse seemed to have been put in a position where that was necessary.
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But we're not talking about a generally unhandled, fearful five-month-old . . . Alice has been well handled and socialized and should generally know better . . . and I'm a tad shocked that you would admit to hitting horses regularly . . . either you have a short fuse or the horses you handle regularly are remarkably rude to need smacking often.

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PolarSkye said:
But we're not talking about a generally unhandled, fearful five-month-old . . . Alice has been well handled and socialized and should generally know better . . . and I'm a tad shocked that you would admit to hitting horses regularly . . . either you have a short fuse or the horses you handle regularly are remarkably rude to need smacking often.

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You don't know how many horses I handle, what level of training they have had, or who owns them. And once a year is regularly :D
 
Debsg, I believe the blue pipe in question is blue water pipe, I know more than one native pony breeder that has one to hand, particularly useful on unruly colts. As mentioned it make lots of noise and not much pain.
 
willhegofirst said:
Debsg, I believe the blue pipe in question is blue water pipe, I know more than one native pony breeder that has one to hand, particularly useful on unruly colts. As mentioned it make lots of noise and not much pain.
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Water pipe it is, and yes it does do an impressive bong ! purchasable from diy stores, cut it into 3 or 4 foot lengths and stick a cane down it to straighten it out if necessary. Mine must be 30 years old and doss around the yard in various places. Very useful for leading big fresh horses across several fields to turn out, I hold it in front of their chest and expect them not to run onto it, if they do they get a sharp tap on the chest to remind them they must stay at my shoulder. Also useful for those Penelope and Kipper moments when the barge horse decides to put her her head down and take me water skiing into the mowing grass.

Poor Alice has copped it from all angles. She spent the day in the yard with an hour tied up. I took her back to the herd with her mum calling for her. I told the old mare her daughter had been naughty and as I let Alice go the old girl pitched into her and drove her out of the herd. Ted will need to share his vallium at this rate.

I can see that some people would think not handling a youngster for 3 weeks is excessive, but what is termed as handling ? mine all live out, are seen each end of the day, hands run over them with no halter on, fly spray and cream dotted on any marks or sore patches. They see the farrier once a month and Alice has been trimmed in the paddock. Ted is not as he is so difficult and potentially very dangerous. For me that is plenty of handling for their age. I did mess with Ted with a roller etc but it soon became obvious he was too mentally immature to continue. They are not taken for walks or given parelli type tasks/learning processes. Maybe I am wrong but everything I have raised so far has gone on to be decent so far.
 
PolarSkye said:
But we're not talking about a generally unhandled, fearful five-month-old . . . Alice has been well handled and socialized and should generally know better . . . and I'm a tad shocked that you would admit to hitting horses regularly . . . either you have a short fuse or the horses you handle regularly are remarkably rude to need smacking often.

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Exactly, seems out of character from the OP's description of her horse (obviously she knows her better than all of us). So was Alice being 'naughty' and deserving of correction or was she objecting for some other reason and not deserving? Genuine question - as usually there are some differing views about this kind of thing. Has H&H become so closed that we can't argue it without it becoming a 'them and us' kind of debate?
 
Chris&TheBoys said:
I believe that AA is perfectly within her right to give a big stroppy young mare a smack on the rump in order to keep herself, and her farrier safe. I bloody would. Its no worse than how another horse would tell her off in the field.
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This absolutely!
I often catch up with the forum but dont always comment however I always love to catch up on what AA and Ted and gang have been up to.
I read about mr blue pipe originally on AAs post and having just purchased and unruly rather large heavy thought it a great idea!
I admit I went out and invested in some mr blue pipe which is now resting nicely next to my tap in the yard. I have used it a few times to correct my big lad and its excellent as is more noise than pain and causes no harm whatsoever other than a sharp shock!
my lad has limits and is now a lovely well mannered horse.
AA from what I have read u handle your horses fairly and well and theu turn out fantastic so u are most definately doing it right :)
 
I know a horse who can be very fidgety and awkward. He only has to see Mr Blue Pipe from a distance to turn into the model horse! When his owner bought him from his breeder, Mr BP was part of the price. She has never used it on him, he just needs to see it!
 
Just caught up on this thread so firstly congratulations AA on your wedding! :D

Secondly I am not that old - still the right side of 30 for the next few months ;) - and I remember seeing Mr BPs on yards when I was younger. In the hands of someone who is experienced and knows the value of timing and when to use such a tool and when not the blue pipe is a useful tool.

From what I've read on various threads I understand AA to be an extremely knowledgeable and competent horse woman who produces some lovely well mannered horses. I would trust in the fact that she knows when it is acceptable to use the blue pipe and when not and that she knows when her horses really are just trying it on and when they are really having a problem with something. For example if Alice had been properly worried about something I would expect a smack from the blue pipe to either not settle her down or escalate the situation. The fact that after being allowed to think about what just happened she stood quietly for the farrier in what I can only assume was continuing horrible weather leads me to fully believe that she was just trying it on.

For what it's worth I would have expected my boy to stand nicely for my OH when having his pedicures in most types of weather since we had no stable and he was field kept - which he did usually with minimal fuss and when there was fuss it wasn't because of the weather it was just because he was feeling rather full of his own self importance.
In his case being a rather sensitive soul on the ground a blue pipe would not have been used as it would have blown his fragile mind and made the whole thing harder. All he needed was a firm word and "the look" from my OH and he would once again stand quietly but some horses need that little shock to get through to them when a word and a look don't work.
 
YorksG said:
For how long ? :D
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Until the first haylage bale is opened probably !

She hasn't been in the yard since her farrier failure and I don't really notice any changes on the twice daily field check, but on Sunday she did come in and it was very evident she had shot up. I was very excited to get the chalk out and mark the wall. Ted's chalk mark hasn't moved in a month, maybe that's it.........live in hope !

She is getting near the 15.1, knowing my luck she will measure out, but with annual certificates she should get a season as a novice cob, hope so, she did look quite special at the weekend, she has taken the stallion's movement, the dam's short cannons and cob top, her neck is a tiny bit short but careful hogging can improve that.

Better get on and start her, next spring will soon be here.
 
Lovely to catch up again.

Would so love to have seen Alice's face when the 'bong' landed, it would have been a picture.

In some ways, it's very sad that you feel you have to explain a very simple, quick (and old) method of correction given at exactly the right time (from someone as experienced as you, I would expect nothing less) and some take you to task for it; it shows how far away from being experienced horse people they actually are.

As someone else said - if Parelli made blue pipe..........................
 
Where is the superlike button???!!!

Go alice go alice :)

Bridgette is currently wider than taller due to scoffing in the "winter" field, I did have a mild worried moment about her height, but string testing her looks like i have another 3" this winter, but ive def got my hunter build :D

We will have to do progeny pairs at the breed show next year :)
 
Oh dear, phone call at work, from new husband this afternoon........

'Hello darling, I am mending the post and rail in the babies field, Ted has got the hammer and is chasing Alice with it, what shall I do?'

Now I work in an open plan office with a load of townies and they all looked round when I said "he can't hurt her unless he hits her over the head with the hammer".
 
AdorableAlice said:
Oh dear, phone call at work, from new husband this afternoon........

'Hello darling, I am mending the post and rail in the babies field, Ted has got the hammer and is chasing Alice with it, what shall I do?'

Now I work in an open plan office with a load of townies and they all looked round when I said "he can't hurt her unless he hits her over the head with the hammer".
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LOL maybe they'll think you are a cold hearted psycho and save you the bestest space in the car park from now on? :D

How your hubby can possibly call those two chunkies 'babies' is beyond me though!

I have taken note of the blue pipe thing and have an offcut just in case my new youngster needs a helping hand re manners, after eyeing it with suspicion he has been careful to be well behaved so far...
 
WelshD said:
LOL maybe they'll think you are a cold hearted psycho and save you the bestest space in the car park from now on? :D

How your hubby can possibly call those two chunkies 'babies' is beyond me though!

I have taken note of the blue pipe thing and have an offcut just in case my new youngster needs a helping hand re manners, after eyeing it with suspicion he has been careful to be well behaved so far...
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They already think I am odd because I don't watch soaps (they don't understand evening stables), so can't discuss who did what, don't join in the pub sessions after work, save annual leave for winter and often arrive soaked through in the mornings. Yes I am odd but who cares !
 
Isn't that what older siblings are for? Haha I can say one thing is age doesn't make them any more sensible I have just bought a 12 year old Clydesdale and he was as high as a kite during the windy weather prancing round his field like a 2 year old haha
 
Bless Ted! He should come for a holiday to mine and play with my delinquent geldings! They love a good game of chase your field companion welding a hammer! :) :) :)
 
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