People Giving your horse a bad name.......

[Parkranger]

I wasn't up the yard on Monday and when I turned up last night asked the girl who mucked out for me if he was ok. She looked at me horrified and said that he tried to kick her!

Now I know I've only had him 6 weeks but I honestly don't think he'd kick anyone!

He has a nasty cut on his near hind which, when trying to put on cream he was waving his leg about but I'm under no illusions that if he wanted to kick me, he could. It obviously stung him so I'd move around a bit if something hurt me too.

I explained that when he gets a fly bite he is a bit of a pansy and does swing his legs around but not with the intention of kicking - again, I've seen a horse cow kick properly and it's not like that at all.

I didn't want to come across as the defensive owner - if I honestly thought he'd tried it on I'd be mortified but I just get annoyed that people don't think about what they're saying and just spout it off to other people in the yard.

I told some of the other girls and they couldn't stop laughing

Has anyone ever said that your horse has done soemthing that it hasn't and given it a bad name?

 

[Benefice1]

There a number of people on my yard that say things about my horse all the time including the yard owners! Everytime i go down the yard its a case of 'your horse is so stupid, he did this and he did that' poor boy, he can be spooky but he doesnt ever do any of the things they say he does with me so they are either completely exagerrating or he just doesnt like them!!!

 

[horsegirl]

HI,

Not specifically, but there always seem to be people who want to make out that your horse is some kind of badly assembled donkey that is hopeless at everything. My last horse was called Offa and other people at the stables called him Offal. Cheek!!

 

[Halfpass]

Yes have had that with OH horse. He is the top dog in the field so when other peoples horses want to come in he's at the gate too. Never nasty just in the way nothing that a push or shout to move won't solve but everyday in winter all we would get was 'oh he was by the gate AGAIN biting and kicking wouldn't let me get my horse past'!!! it was just one person and no one else had a problem. Moved yards in the end and its been fine. He still does it but no one has a problem with him.

 

[Oaksflight]

No-one could try say anything about Hal, as it's obviously he wouldn't have. Horse doesn't even know how to kick, never mind buck! But nearly every other horse on the yard has a bad name, yard bitchiness for you there I'm afraid!

 

[Parkranger]

I think it's probably people who are nervous around horses they don't know more than anything.

There's a gorge mare opposite Ty who is the sweetest kindest thing you could ever meet. Unfortunately she suffers from acute arthritis and is often seen lifting up her back legs if she gets into pain - people who don't know her think she's going to kick! I think it would be better for people to speak to the owner than go spouting off their own version of events.....

Not that I'm bitter or anything ;-)

 

[Tempi]

dont get me started, to cut a long story short (because i cant be bothered to go into it) Bloss has to go in a field on her own because of something she apparently 'did' to one of the other mares when noone was actually there to see what happened in the first place. (Other mare was fine btw, owner is a total pain in the arse.)

 

[frannieuk]

I gave up on livery yards after people and their bitchiness. Admittedly my mare is a bit quirky, and can kick if turned out with others, but when I get someone threatening to sue me cos she kicked their dog (what was it doing in my field??) and because she nipped one of their kids (what was she doing in my girls stable????) I got hacked off with it and left. Have to say that because I am happier now so is the horse too.

 

[Rochelle]

Oh dont get me started on this one!! My horse allegedly bit a livery owner and swung her off the ground! Pictures of the bite were everywhere and this person couldnt get enough sympathy! I had owned this horse for roughly seven years and not once had she bitten me or anyone else. Its an awful thing to hear what people think of your horse when the rumours are so not true!!!

 

[katelarge]

Echo ALL above. I was at a nightmare yard where my horse who likes to be turned out, was refused turnout for no good reason and not surprisingly he started to act up! The horses that belonged to the riding school were allowed out, so when they were taken out to the field, or turned out in the outdoor school his box looked out on to, he would rush around his stable, neigh frantically, piaffe on the spot...

Anyway, they started to shut his top door when he did this, of course then this led to him kicking a hole in his stable wall in panic, and yours truly getting a nice big bill! Horse also developed a farrier phobia and couldn't have his hind legs shod and it was generally a nightmare.


It got so bad eventually I moved yards, and now all is well! After six weeks box rest he has had ONE session last week where he cantered around his stable, and the new yard are so different! Instead of "your bloody stupid horse tried to jump out so we went and had a right go at him" its "it was odd, he seemed to get a bit excited and cantered around a bit? oh well, tea, anyone?"

I think the big difference is the new yard is staffed by proper horsewomen who handle GP dressage horses, SJers and eventers and so horses throwing them the odd curve ball does nothing to faze them. Given that there are horses on the yard who rear and run off when led, mine is actually one fo the best behaved now!

My previous yard taught me a big lesson - either you buy into what other people think about your horse or you believe in what you feel about your horse. For me, the breakthrough with my horse, which I had decided to sell, was being on HIS side instead of anyone else's. Life is much better now! x

 

[Lucy_Ally]

Ooh don't get me started on this topic!

One of the reasons I moved from my last yard as Spring was accused of beating up 2 horses and giving them serious injuries. One had a cut across the hock that looked like it had been done on wire which is what the vet said had caused it, the other had a strain injury on a hind tendon that was catgorically not caused by a kick. But Spring was blamed for both incidences and put in solitary confinement

Now Spring will stick up for herself and she wil pull faces, but she is not aggressive in fact most of the horses she is out with follow her around like sheep. On the first day at the new yard the boss mare came cantering up and double-barrelled her while she was grazing and Springy just ran away - the obvious hallmark of a bully!

I am under no illusions that she may kick or be kicked, thats what horses do, but I was furious that she had been labelled as such a monster.

I heard after I left that she had been blamed for another injury at the old yard even though it had been 3 weeks since she had been in a field with that horse. The worst thing was it was the YO doing most of the gossip!!

 

[the watcher]

One of the many reasons I am no longer at a big yard! Not that any of mine have ever had anything said about them but I did get fed up with other owners whining about their own horses (ooh, be careful he kicks! she can get a bit strong! I can never catch my horse in that field, the rest of the herd charge round me!)
Pah!! As a consequence I was VERY careful about who could even lay a hand on mine and would pay somebody else to come in rather than have somebody drippy handle them.

the fact is, in a big livery yard there will be a proportion of clients and even staff who are not prepared to treat horses with determination and discipline, I am no bully, never carry a stick and can calm down animals with nothing more than a look and quiet voice BUT I do expect my horses to understand what is acceptable, anything less is dangerous.

As for how to stop people saying that your horse kicks, or whatever, I don't have the answer except to either ignore it or find a yard where the staff have more experience, althoug in your case it appears that nobody is taking it too seriously anyway

 

[Kelly1982]

I had this weith a VET ASSISTANT

She tried telling me that my horse tried to kick her when she was putting a bandage on his leg, it wasn't til i explained that he had shivers on that leg that she realised she was wrong!!

He used to pick his leg up really quickly and then shake it if you touched his leg and she thought he was kicking her

 

[Twiglet]

My ex yard owner used to regularly call my horse 'evil' and deranged - the poor animal was half mad with stress at being on her yard!! since he's moved to our current yard, he's like a lamb, literally!!

 

[vivhewe]

I have the same problem...but it's my nana who does it!

She complained about Carrie all the time and now she's gone Danny is suddenly an evil monster horse!

He aparently 'goes with his front feet at everything' - he is an evil sheep killing pony - he is too active - he will boss me - I can't do XC on him because he can't jump - he has to follow you all the time and be up your ar$e etc. etc.

FFS he broke a haynet getting his foot through it because SHE tied it to the pig netting so it was on the floor!

All the sheep are still alive and well.

He like a good gallop

He was trying it on, but has now given up

He clears a metre when he escapes over the electric fence

He is friendly!

It gets me so mad that she slags him off to everyone and makes him out to be bad when it is just that she is scared of him and does things wrong so he for example breaks his haynet that things happen.

I shouldn't complain - she does me plenty of favours - but I just wish I could go and do the damn horses sometime without her having done them (badly, but if I change it she goes after I've gone to change it back!) so I can have the pleasure of doing the bloody things myself!

She then complains she has the horses to do and she is 71! (Technically 72 today but I haven't been to get ranted at yet!

)

 

[pottamus]

Don't get me started on this one...I will rant for England!!!

Judging by the huge response it is obviously a common thing and I find the horsey world extremely bitchy and opinionated...
When I got my horse for one reason and another he was a handful, bolshy, confused, frightened and had done nothing. Everyone condemed him, said he was dangerous, rude, should be sent back and would never achieve anything!!! Nice! I have worked tirelessly with this horse and built up his trust, respect, manners and confidence. He is a different horse now and a true friend to me...he has his faults but they all do.
So now that this year I have been successfully doing pleasure and endurance rides every week with him all over the place...these said people cannot believe it. Rather than being interested in what we are doing they are now saying that I have been 'very lucky' that he has changed and that he has finally matured!!!
Yes there is an element of maturity - he is 9 now but I think it is more down to the hours, tears, sweat and patience I have put in!!!
Anyway...rant over...I agree it is a pain in the bum when people say things about your horse...because mine had a terrible reputation that people don't seem to want to change even now!

 

[katiejaye]

YES! I've had this problem unfortunately in a much worse situation. My boy has never been a kicker but two years ago my yard manager (at my old yard) took my boy out on a hack with my cousin's horse who was being ridden by the other yard manager. Unfortunately my cousin's horse got kicked, broke it's leg and had to be PTS. The story unfolds that there were tonnes of flies around and my boy kicked out as they were annoying him and unfortunately caught my cousin's horse's hind leg in the wrong place. It was devastating but fortunately my cousin was unbelievable about it and didn't blame Louis at all. Although she was completely heart broken she made a point of riding out with me as soon as she got a new horse to show people she had no problem with my horse as it had been a accident.

However other people were not so understanding! From then on he was labelled a "kicker" and a couple of people would avoid me completely when I was schooling. The crunch came for me when one of these people shouted out to me when I was going out on a hack (for everyone to hear) one day with a group of people..."you keep that horse at the back, he's a kicker"...I just burst into tears and sobbed the whole hack!

Some people are just so mean! I am at a new yard now and everyone is lovely and my boy has never ever kicked anything purposely...he's a sweetie! At the end of the day they are horses and accidents do happen.

 

[JessPickle]

Someone at my yard moaned at me when i got back from a holiday pickle had kicked her now thats very out of character partiaclly when being caught, after a while it all emerged that he had been "walking too slow" she had thumped him then thumped him with the leadrope so he ran way bucked and just clipped her I know it wasnt right he did that but she shouldn have hit my horse

 

[Parkranger]

That's an awful situation - for everyone involved. Atleast your cousin handled it well. are you at the same yard still?

Ty did a buck the other day when somebody cantered their horse up his butt - I mean WTF? It was high spirits but still, you don't ride up another horses butt and expect it not to do anything - especially during the excitement of a large hack out. For that reason, if we do a sponsored ride or drag hunt I will tie a ribbon in his tail but surely its common sense?

 

[Governor]

I've had a similar problem in that my horse got a reputation for being 'dangerous' which extended to an instructor who i'd never met, nor had she met my horse. I found it a bit worrying but my own instructor saw the amusing side of it and has since transferred that to me.
Basically my horse trampled her (my instructor) in the field when she went to get him in - awful as it sounds she waived it off saying its just one of those things with horses (which was lucky really) and she laughs when people suggest he's unsafe. She rides him regularly when i'm away and has always said he's not malicious in the slightest and anything that he does try is normally down to him still being babyish. That aside the accident happened on the ground not under saddle - and this other instructor was suggesting that he was dangerous under saddle. Thank god its just me and my instructor at my yard or I dread to think how bitchy it would have become with regards to people passing judgement.

I think Katiejaye summed it up, horses are horses and you know him best. Alot of the time its down to people taking a good natured horse for granted and not being aware its still a horse and being a bit complacent.

 

[katiejaye]

[ QUOTE ]
That's an awful situation - for everyone involved. Atleast your cousin handled it well. are you at the same yard still?

[/ QUOTE ]

I know I was very lucky with my cousin. She was very philosphical about it as her horse had been on and off lame for a year and she had been in advised by the vet a week before that her boy had come to the end of the road and she needed to decide whether it was fair keeping him going anymore. She felt it was fate. It was a terrible, devastating situation though.

I've left that yard now as it was a big livery yard/riding school with too much bitchiness and bickering and too many accidents for my liking. I've move to a small private yard with a friend of mine and we have never been happier. I wish I had done it 5 years ago. Louis is a different horse and all the people are lovely

He's more relaxed and we are now getting placed all the time BD because of this. He's also looks like a different horse...he's put on much more condition and looks so healthy. I would never go back to a big yard again!

I always tell people to stay back when we're cantering or doing fast work as it takes the most saintly of horses not to react at all when another horse rams up it's backside! Same as you my friend and I always tie red ribbons in our horse's tails on sponsored rides...it's just safer!

 

[blakey]

I HATE livery yards, have only been on 2 two, first one was a nightmare, one girl called murphys owner because, and i quote, 'not using him to his full potential' (he was a retired grade b showjumper), packed up & left after a few months, second one was ok ish, but we were on our own with no yard 'manager' around and not that many there when i went up but you still had the bitchyness of a big yard, and where i am now is pure bliss!! Never anyone there, no rules, no bitching, nice & quiet, and the other two liveries are lovley!! Apart from not having a toilet, i couldnt think of a more perfect place.

 

[Doreys_Mum]

All of my horses have been given bad names, and most by people we didn't know.

Monty was bitched about at a show by people we didn't know, Carrie was owned by imcompetent fools who gave her a bad name, Zak - oh dear GOD the things people said about him - again, we knew none of them - Midi was slated, falsely, but her loanee, and now Dorey and Mushi are labelled as unridable rearers.

Lord gods, save me from the horsey people.

 

[Ginn]

Mickey's owner has given him such a bad rep that when he does go to a show or a PC event people keep asking if its a different pony because he's no where near as naughty as she makes out he is! But it does then make us feel very good when he is good.

 

[_daisy_]

god i have this with Chantin - thing is its not even horsey people. Lots of people keep approaching me (theyre strangers to me) and asking where "the big horse" is. When i ask them why they say shes nasty and chases them through the field and wont stop chasing/attacking their dogs. Well they dont like it when i tell them they have no right of way through my field and it isnt a public footpath so its their fault if she chases them cos i dont care.
Shes isnt vicous, she just wants to play and dogs are there to chase and play with cos they run fast!

 

[Helga1980]

M is known as a bit of a bully in the field but everyone excepts that horses will be horses and doesn't make an issue out of it (he doesn't kick just flattens his ears and chases some of the others geldings away).

The time that I get really annoyed is when parents (non-horsey ones generally) start annoucing in a loud voice that he's dangerous because I politely ask them not to let their small child feed him.

Was at a large show last week where spectators weren't kept out of the lorry park - numerous parents with childern around 4 - 6 years old appeared by the trailer asking if said child could pat the pony!! M is as soft as butter with people but he was hyped at being at the show and at 17hh and a little clumsy is not really the ideal candidate for small children - they'd be the first to threaten me with legal action if he stood on small child......

Sorry for long rant, pet hate of mine as you can probably guess

 

[teabiscuit]

[ QUOTE ]
I had this weith a VET ASSISTANT

She tried telling me that my horse tried to kick her when she was putting a bandage on his leg, it wasn't til i explained that he had shivers on that leg that she realised she was wrong!!

He used to pick his leg up really quickly and then shake it if you touched his leg and she thought he was kicking her

[/ QUOTE ]

what? i'm speechless. she obviously was incapable of recognising a shiver

 

[PapaFrita]

LOL! When I got a PF there was a girl on my yard who used to ride once upon a time for her trainer. She told me that PF was a complete cow, and used to refuse to go on gallops and in fact throw herself on the floor.... Actually I think she said that about every horse I got from that source!!

 

[Parkranger]

What is a shiver? Is it the same as when you put a bandage on and the horse kind of picks up their foot a bit? Or is it an actual shiver.

 

[Fiona]

One of our mare cow kicks for Ireland when you brush her tummy, but to be honest if she wanted to reach me I think she could, and she has never ever kicked backwards.
I'm sure your boy was just stamping at a fly or something, you prob know him well enough by now to know that he wouldn't do what he has been accused off.

Fiona