stupid things you've done in the past

[Parkranger]

I was just chatting to a mate about the stupid things we've all done with horses as a kid....my highlights are:

Trying out a racehorse to buy at 12 years old and wondering why it bolted across the field with me and scared me to death (ok, I'll blame that one on parents!)

Feeding my horse (again at 12) a bucket of dried oats and wondering why he went a bit 'strange'

Cantering on grass verges

Jumping in a standing martingale

I'm sure I'll make a few mistakes as an adult rider too (gravel springs to mind

) but I tend to take a minute to think now - never used to!

So what silly things did you do as a kid with your horses......?

 

[Jemayni]

Well I still do canter on grass verges, not sure if I'm missing something her, I don't canter on kept verges or when there are cars around or on more than a country lane but why not?

My worst has to be riding my horses in from the field bareback in a headcollar with no hat, just because I'm too idle too walk!

 

[filly190]

Please note, I was a kid!!!

1. Cutting a mane with scissors, made my poor pony look like a punk.

2. Riding in the local park, across the bowling green, getting caught and parents threatened with legal action from council.

3. Going on long hacks, and choosing a house with elderly people and asking for a drink!!! Cant belive I did that.

4. Asking parents to made spare bedroom into a stable and not understanding why answer was no.

5. Again, going across farmers fields and getting caught, parents had a very angrey farmer knocking at their door.

6. Going on long ride to visit friends and turning pony loose in their gardens.

7. Visiting friends and riding over parents lawns to knock on door, not understanding why parents got cross.

8. Riding out in only head collar and lead ropes, playing cowboys and indians.

9. Riding two up on poor pony.

Looking back, I must have been really naughty.

 

[Helen010382]

I used to do my paper round on my pony!!!

Think my worst thing was probably taking two ponies out for in hand excersise whilst I was riding a bike!

 

[_OC_]

Ordering a saddle and fitting myself(till my Mum sent a saddler to check it!!!)
Believing that riding in a hackermore was cool on a quiet cob!(Oh do I cringe now)
And galloping over anything(like farmers fields!)

:

 

[Parkranger]

Ummm, because your horse could spook and you'd end up under a car! Or if it's long grass your horse could put his/her foot down a ditch....It's all personal preference though - each to his own!

I forgot about galloping across farmers fields....ah, many a time I used to get shouted out....

 

[pixie]

Jumped in draw reins

Had been having lesson and simply forgot about them, then was asked to jump a small jump near the end (less than 2 ft) and realised afterwards that still had the draw reins, so stopped and took them off before jumping again a few times to make sure pony was happy.

I'm sure there are others, just can't think of them at the moment!

 

[samp]

I used to jumpy my pony into his field in headcollar and leadrope.
Used to just get on and gallop off - no worrying about warming up or cooling down
Using horrible petal boots
Wearing brushing boots on a 12.3hh menat for more 14.2hh
Wearing a jumper (not a jacket) in WHP

 

[riotgirl]

All while I was a kid!

1. Aged 10 I wasn't allowed to clip my pony so I though I'd do it with a pair of scissors. Got bored after 10 minutes and pony looked awful.

2. Hacked out with just head collar and used lead rope as reins

3. Had an argument with my parents so snuck out and slept in the stable (parents found me next morning nearly lying on top of sleeping pony).

4. Ate my pony's feed to see what it was like

5. Galloped everywhere like a maniac and then just turned pony out sweating (got rollocked for this)

6. Dyed pony's mane with my mums hair dye

 

[RunToEarth]

Hmm, only just growing out of some of these

Hopping on my games ponies aged 7 when they were in the field to "show off" to mates, giving them a good boot and doing a lap of the field in canter.
Wiping tack over with face wipes when I was feeling lazy
Taking a 16.2hh hunting aged 12- no regrets to that, most safe horse I have ever jumped

Playing dusty roses inbetween mum's hunter's legs
Leading hunters round our yard on the end of a leadrope aged 5
Being stupid enough to jump one of the hunt fences on a 12.2 games pony with no saddle on, and wondering why I fell off
Once went into the field with Polo ponies where mum used to work when I was told not to. I spent 3days in hospital after getting kicked in head.
Feeding polo ponies, games pony and mum's hunters naked oats

Making my own version of bandaging before mum told me how it was properly done
Trying a recently back rising 4yo aged 14 to buy because it was a stunning colour, and trying to kid myself I would be able to bring it on...

 

[UKa]

My worst "sins" I suppose

1. riding horses to and from field bareback and in headcollar - no hat - MILLIONS OF TIMES as a child
2. riding without a hat (over many years!)
3. taking the pony home to my parents' garden and letting her loose then wondering why she wouldnt stay (escaped, taking down the garden gate and running home - luckily not far and no major road in the way)

 

[pixie]

Oh goodness that reminds me...

Buying an unbacked 2yo as my first pony. Worked out well, she was an angel and so easy to do! Could have been a disaster though!

Galloping and jumping said pony with not an ounce of tack and no hat!

Clambering under said pony's belly to brush it!

Bringing ponies into the garden to ride late at night, because there was a security floodlight across the garden (and riding in almost pitch blackness is fun!)

Letting ponies graze in garden and driveway (worker who did the garden wasn't too happy, lol, but my parents didn't mind!)

Putting aforementioned pony in our tennant's garden (due to fires in the paddocks, so didn't have much choice), without telling him, only for him to rush in and out the house leaving the door open and later return to find her wandering inside his tiny house and having to make her "sit" on his bed to turn her around!

Offering my services to a local tiding school when I was poor and horseless (still am actually!), and riding all the ponies that noone else wanted to ride. I got quite bruised, but it was fun, lol.

See, told you I'd think of more

 

[Christmas_Kate]

I used to ride pony in a headcollar with a bit attatched with baler twine. Two leadropes, and hey presto, we hacked for miles!
Rode in doc martins once.
Set up some jumps in best mates garden and jumped pony round. Got rollocked.
My mate and I used to hack out side by side and hold each other's reins...pointless but it was fun.
Galloping over fields and jumping anything I could find.
Once I prepared pony's feed before i rode and left it at the bottom of the fir=eld I rode in, and wondered why he bolted, chucked me off and stood happily eating whilst I came round from being KO'd.
And worst of all (Oh the shame) was last week. I brought the kid's pony up home so I could get something I'd forgotten. I had a lunge line attatched as I was off to lunge him for a bit, so let him stand and nibble the grass whilst I leant in the back door to pick up my keys. He suddenly had an eppy when he saw a cat, flew off and churned up the back lawn. neighbours looked on in absolute horror! OH made me go round the lawn and fill in the craters.

 

[RunToEarth]

Infact, I can remeber after coming back from a days eventing with the parents, who were both quite tanked by this time, I must have been about five, and mum hopped out of the lorry, clambered over the fence and jumped on my little games pony's back, so I proceeded to do the same, with little angel stood quite calmly...now that is leading by example

 

[Gingernags]

Jumping a fence bareback, with only a headcollar and leadrope on the pony, to show off and chase some lads who were in the next field spying on us.

Riding same pony up a very steep shale heap to chase some kids who were throwing stones at us riding past (they said "you can't catch us....oh how wrong they were...) Sliding down a very steep bank was NOT my favourite thing getting back down!

Jumping a forestry gate on said pony when a pals dad who was out walking said "I bet you daren't"

Mind you the pony was a bit of a nutter and enjoyed every bit of it!

Oh and doing a challenge race (riders versus runners versus cyclists) in fancy dress as a highwayman complete with huge black cloak, on a pony that has just had 2 weeks off with gravel, intending to take it really steady but pony having other ideas and coming second (beating a lot of 16hh TB's with my 14.2) when the poor thing really wasn't fit enough... not that I had much choice - no brakes!

 

[Heidi1]

I'm sure there are more, but here are a few I can remember........

Cantering down grass verges and jumping the ditches...
Fetching ponies in with just headcollars and no hat.
Going out for a long hack with just a bridle on.
Riding when it was getting dark with dark clothes on.....

With age have got far more sensible, thank the lord.........

 

[Mid]

I've never had my own pony -sob- So that makes my 'antics' even worse xD

When I was about 9:

- Behind my friend's house (in the middle of the city!) was a field of gypsy cobs. They were all chained up, so only had a few feet in which to graze. The fence around the field was pretty much not there. One day, the foal (much, much taller then us) decided to escape. The field was next to a main road. We didn't know what to do! We weren't experienced around horses at all. In the end we got her dog's collar, put it on the foal, and tethered him in her garden! xD Her mum went crazy ^^'

- Harnessed the dog to a scurry racing cart. Thankfully she refused to move.

- Harnessed my sister to a scurry racing cart.

- With a friend (same on as the foal incident). We went to a local show together wearing all these second hand show clothes (tweed hacking jackets and adult's long boots xD) and sat at one of the food stalls, talking in a REALLY loud voice about which one of us was going to ride our 16.2 dark bay champion stallion in the next hunter class. Of course, the horse was imaginary, and we got quite a few stares xD

 

[riotgirl]

[ QUOTE ]
With age have got far more sensible, thank the lord.........

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm sure half of us would be dead by now if we still carried on this way!

 

[Lucy_Ally]

Getting on my pony in the field with my school uniform on cantering him around and hitting him with a leadrope until he bucked

Rounding up sheep bareback with only a headcollar and no hat
Cantering on any vague bit of grass
Trying horse feed to see what it tasted like, we used to have huge tubs of molasses which I would always dip my finger in!
Running around in the horses field pretending to be a horse and razzing them all up so they galloped around - its a wonder they didn't kill me!
Walking out down the bridleways to meet people coming back from hacks and then riding back sat in front of them on the horses neck (aged about 5)
Making dams in the streams on our farm and flooding fields - got well and truely knackered for that one!! Esepcially as I took stones off the stone walls to do it!!

It was all good fun though and I enjoyed every minute of it!

 

[kildalton]

Done all those, and also pretended I had a pony when I didn't. When people at school wanted to come and look at him , I said we had to sell him as my parents couldn't afford him. Some kids at school had a collection and brought it round to give my Mum( who is very scary) I got a good hiding!! (And also looked very silly at school)

 

[SSM]

Dragged my pony into the house - mum was not impressed!!

Canter on verges

Used to pick the milk up in a small churn from the neighbouring farm - cantering, apart from churning to butter I fell off one day, Pinto galloped over me fracturing ribs - I kept the milk upright though!!!!!!!!

Riding with a fractured leg - getting it slammed against a gate post and fracturing again - 2 pairs of boots cut off within 2 weeks - my mother, again was not impressed!!!!!!!

 

[riotgirl]

Oh God - just thought of another one. I used to pretend John Whitaker was my dad. The shame

 

[SSM]

[ QUOTE ]
Oh God - just thought of another one. I used to pretend John Whitaker was my dad. The shame

[/ QUOTE ]

Splutter spluter!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just dreamt of owning Ryans Son and spent hourse trying to get my pony to buck!!!!!!!

 

[Salcey]

Mine are
- riding with only headcollar,leadrope and no hat all the time
- racing mates car (we had an airfield near us and you could gallop next to the runway all the time)Great Fun!!!!

- not being able to afford poll guard when taking horse to show so horse went with long strip of sponge between its ears

Poor horse

 

[Parkranger]

OMG, some of these are hysterical......

Saying that though, I jumped on a cob at our stables on Sunday to ride up the field bareback and without a hat.....naughty, naughty.....

 

[RunToEarth]

Ooo ooo and last week I left the stable door open and coloured one went for a jog

Bad habits die hard, closely linked to the fact that all my old ponies, games WHPs and mum's hunters didnt bat an eyelid when I did this...but this newfangled ISH type doesn't play the game

 

[jenbleep]

I've got quite a few too.........
1. cut one of my riding schools horses tail up to hock length...it was a thouroghbred too...
2. put a martingale on said horse but didnt put the reins through the martingale rings...
3. cut said horses bridle path 2 inches...(i have a way with scissors don't i?)
4. getting on a notoriously difficult horse bareback in a field with other loose horses....i didnt make across to the other side of the field...
5. getting on a horse drunk..........
6. getting on a shetland pony with flip flops, going down to the river for a swim on shetland pony and losing my flip flops....
7. going into a show class not warming up because i was late on a fizzy appaloosa pony.....
8. releasing a horse into a field without putting the reins over its head.......bad idea........

don't judge me!

now this is something that i didnt do, but someone did to me. we were just about to canter off over the gannel estuary when the person riding next to me decided to lean over and take off my bridle. can you believe that????

 

[evsj]

Jousting (on horseback) with yard tools when my friend and I were teenagers.

Watching horror movies when I stayed at my friends house then walking up to the farm at 2 in the morning to visit our ponies - can't think why they refused to come near us!

Jumping cross country jumps or, in fact, anything remotely jumpable on my own and with no body protector on (oops, still doing it).

Hacking out without a hat - will never, ever do that again.

Riding on Salisbury Plain in the dark, into an electric fence - again, see above.

......Plenty more to choose from!!

 

[Mithras]

- No access to a car as a child, living in the countryside and long summer holidays with no way of getting chocolate - hence riding pony down to the nearest shop which was located in (very rough) council estate and getting whoever was outside to hold pony while I went in and stocked up (they were always very nice)

- Not allowed to ride in the dark after school, hence used to sneak out without tack and canter across the cornfields bareback in a headcollar, also some jumping

- Took pony into living room of house twice - pony poo-ed once. Made good job of cleaning up though.

- Took pony into garden many times.

- Generally going stupid places such as down really narrow overgrown tracks.

I can still be a bit stupid at times, thinking there is nowhere a horse couldn't/shouldn't go, have ridden along very busy main roads recently, across a busy roundabout, through Tesco car park, etc. and this on my 16.2 warmblood showjumper. Must have a bit of pony in her somewhere as she copes fine, in fact is just like a 12.2 on longer legs!

Seriously, as long as you pay attention to safety, are such things not the way horses and ponies become bombproof and have confidence in their riders? So that you don't end up with a neurotic, nervous horse that you can hardly do anything with?

 

[Parkranger]

[ QUOTE ]
Seriously, as long as you pay attention to safety, are such things not the way horses and ponies become bombproof and have confidence in their riders? So that you don't end up with a neurotic, nervous horse that you can hardly do anything with?

[/ QUOTE ]

Totally agree with this quote.......