Rules you never break?

Eggshells

Eggshells

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I was having a muse the other day about what I never do around horses. I don't mean the huge things that would result in suffering for the horse, more the little rules you were told as a child or when first starting out, that are now so firmly entrenched you couldn't break them even if you wanted to...

For me the main one is I will NEVER loop a lead rope around my hand, even loosely, simply can not do it and it makes me really fidgety if I see someone else doing it. I've never had a bad experience, or seen someone get their hand caught but I was told not to do it when little and it has well and truly stayed with me.

Others include always doing up the throat lash first (in case they shake their head and the buckle flicks into their eye) and never putting a horse out or away still with sweat stains. I'm also slightly obsessive about kick-over locks and will usually go back to check I have indeed kicked it over!

So fess up - what are the (sometimes) silly little rules you will never break?
 
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Never leave a halter on in a stable if unattended. Only use a leather headcollar if needed in a field. Never feed in the field. Always double check trailer hitch and all doors are properly shut and secured before setting off.
 
I have many that i can't shake off since learning as i child but to name a few:

Always groom/pick out feet before riding and sponge/groom any sweat marks off after riding
Always rinse off the bit after riding
Never ride without a hat
Always wear gloves when lunging

I just feel wrong if i break any of them! Lol!
 
Hmmmm . . . had to have a think about this . . . I ALWAYS fill water buckets last - was told that water (in buckets) can be tainted with ammonia so I wait until the stable is clean and any dust from straw has settled before putting clean water buckets into the stable.

I NEVER work Kal or travel him until at least an hour (preferably two) after a hard feed. I'm sure I'll think of more . . .

P
 
9tails said:
Never leave a halter on in a stable if unattended. Only use a leather headcollar if needed in a field. Never feed in the field. Always double check trailer hitch and all doors are properly shut and secured before setting off.
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I second this. After seeing my riding instructor's horse kill itself in the most horrific way because of a headcollar left on in the stable I am so paranoid. Never, ever, ever leave headcollars on in the stable, especially if you have a bolt on the door with a little hook on the end :(
 
Never EVER ride with ear-rings on; remember years ago a girl did it and got under a twig and half her ear was ripped off.

Ditto jewellery of any kind basically.

I never ever leave a tail-bandage on any longer than absolutely necessary; again remember years ago a MFH's daughter left a tail-bandage on and it was too tight. Her pony had to be destroyed as the tail swelled up, ulcerated, and got gangrenous. Awful.

The other rule I (try not to ) break is "don't make your mind up about a horse/pony until you've seen at least one other person ride it". Something can go like a pig for one person but glide like a ballerina if someone's up on top who they like.

Another rule: don't turn something out in a field for the first time unless you've thoroughly walked round it first. This one holds good; we recently let one of our fields to a sheep farmer, who unfortunately had let things go a bit and when we walked round it we found loose leccy fencing (thin variety) strewed across the field everywhere :(. Had we not walked it first the horses would undoubtedly have got caught up in it, a miracle the sheep didn't.

The other "rule" which I confess to being a bit anal about is always always having to wash bits as soon as the bridle comes off.
 
washing bits off after a ride, picking feet out before a ride, always wearing a riding hat, always giving her a 'back massage' after she has been ridden to get the circulation going.
 
Second the rope.
Always wear good yard boots
Never make sudden changes in the diet
Never allow bad manners
Always turn the horse away from you

and my pink and fluffy rules - bid them all good morning and good night with a rub and a cuddle. The older ones also get a mint.
 
Same with kick over locks, though our oldie can open stable bolts so if you forget the kick lock, he lets himself out!!!

Agree, never tie to anything without baler twine.

Also never ride without a hat even though I want to and feel completely safe on my boy.

Also don't ever ride without at least over-reach boots :p
 
The one's I can think of off the top of my head:

Always wear a hat when riding/lunging & proper boots with a suitable sole. I sometimes forget my gloves, I must admit!

Always pick out feet twice a day.

No head collars in stable & leather head collar only in field.
 
I agree with the not wrapping the rope round your hand when I was younger someone we knew was dragged and killed by doing this and I've never forgotten it, this was the first thing I drummed into my non horsey husband when he started helping me with turning out etc. Other than that I hate to see people around horses in open toe or soft shoes, I won't let anyone near mine without proper shoes on! I also won't ride over road grates or drains as I'm paranoid about the horse slipping on them.
 
Always wear hat riding, tie to baler twine and wear gloves lunging - thick ones too! Found this out when my ex racer decided to tank on the lunge and the rope burnt through my gloves!
 
All of the above nearly,
I have to have my buckle on my reins so that the buckle is to the right.
If you bath, clean rug on after!
13 plaits in my mares mane for dressage.
Don't put dirty riding boots in clean boot bag.
I could go on and on :)
 
Agree with the lead rope round the hand thing. Also I only ever handle lunge lines I have looped up myself - even if it is handed to me neatly looped with a horse attached I will drop it and redo it myself! Has it drummed into me at the first yard i worked at and it stuck.

Always loosen the girth before removing the saddle and walk the horse the last mile of a hack.

Pick out feet before leaving the stable and at least once daily even if left in the field.

Never leave a headcollar on in the stable and only one with a break point in the field.

Riding hat every time I ride too obviously...
 
dianchi said:
All of the above nearly,
I have to have my buckle on my reins so that the buckle is to the right.
If you bath, clean rug on after!
13 plaits in my mares mane for dressage.
Don't put dirty riding boots in clean boot bag.
I could go on and on :)
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AHHHHHH :o I am totally the opposite here, can have any number in the mane except 13, and including the forelock it has to make an even number!
I broke this rule at the weekend, Topaz had 13 in the mane + forelock to make 14 and we were eliminated in every class, so therefore I am blaming the plaits as she has never been so out of sorts at a show before :eek:.

*Disclaimer I know it wont really have been the plaits but I cannot help myself but be superstitious about them :o*
 
ride with hat
hi vis on road
always loosen the girth to cool down
the the girth and numnah totally off the saddle when untacking
stretch legs once girth is tightened
always put a saddle cover on saddle
always do haynet and water last, or leave til right before the come in!
 
Thank you all for replying - I'm loving reading the replies. Some I am chuckling at and some I realise I do too.

One that hasn't been mentioned and not really a 'rule' just me being finickity - Bed and stable have to be neat after I've mucked out. The bed (excluding banks of course!) needs to be even all over and the edge needs to be straight. The uncovered matting has to be clean with no bits of hay or shavings. Completely pointless of course as as soon as E comes in everything gets scattered everywhere!
 
Mine are

Always wear a hat
Always turn horse to gate before letting off in a field
Always tie to something that breaks
Kickers are also an obssesion of mine, must be kicked over;)
Dont hack out on a dirty horse, has to be clean

annnnnd my pet hate Never turn a sweaty horse out or leave one with sweat marks MUST be washed down and brushed! ;)
 
Mozzie said:
Thank you all for replying - I'm loving reading the replies. Some I am chuckling at and some I realise I do too.

One that hasn't been mentioned and not really a 'rule' just me being finickity - Bed and stable have to be neat after I've mucked out. The bed (excluding banks of course!) needs to be even all over and the edge needs to be straight. The uncovered matting has to be clean with no bits of hay or shavings. Completely pointless of course as as soon as E comes in everything gets scattered everywhere!
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hahaha i am the same my partner is convinced i usea spirit level to make sure the bed is even and banks are straight;)
 
Oh God, I probably need sectioning I've got that many!

No headcollar in left on stable or field (if in field, leather one)
Must be tied to frayed baler twine (see a horse yank the ring out of a wall once!)
Knee/brushing boots on horse on the road, with Hi Vis bandages/exercise sheet for him and Polite waistcoat/hat band for me
I cannot ride without gloves or hat!
I have to lift the front legs of my horse after doing up the girth, and smooth the skin
My reins have to be buckled so the loose end points to the right
Tail MUST be brushed (even to turn out! I know!)
Water and feed buckets washed out after each feed/water change - you'd not eat or drink off dirty plates or cups, so why should horse?
Big beds - hate those little squares saturated with wee :( - and big banks
Rugs folded - not left over stable wall for horse to pull off/get dirty
Ride in proper boots not trainers....
Poo pick and weed pull my field dail
Electric tape is reeled onto proper reels - I HATE those massive piles of tangled spaghetti electric tape you have NO hope of ever getting back onto posts - and, proper gate handles *too many shocks from cheap homemade ones provided by yard


Ooh sure I'll think of more...lol
 
I break nearly all of these - some intentionally ;)

Oddly the one I won't break is wrapping a lead rope round my hand - in fact, any rope feels wrong and it makes me twitchy to see folk do it.

I never tie up to twine if I have a solid option.
 
Never remove the bridle of a driving horse until after the vehicle is removed. It was this that caused the death of that poor woman at a fete a year or so ago.
 
I couldn't believe it the other day, as I stood in the gateway, ready to leave on my horse for a hack, my neighbour gasped 'You haven't got your hat on!'. I think it was because I so was warm in the stable that I forgot to pick it up as I set off for the mounting block. Kind neighbour fetched the hat and hair net for me and I put them on whilst sitting on the horse.

I try never to ride without a hairnet, as I hate getting hair blowing in my eyes and I will NEVER ride with bare arms, even on the hottest day, as that was drummed into me as a child.

Also always feed hay/lage from the floor to encourage correct muscle development and because childhood RI told the story of having watched her pony strangle itself in a haynet and not being able to do anything about it.

The other one is NEVER let horses 'talk' to each other over stable doors/ field walls etc, when handling/riding - that was also guaranteed to earn you a severe telling off from RI. She was the ultimate in safety consciousness.
 
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