Talking to horses when schooling and handling them.

[kerilli]

The WFP lecture demo got me thinking - when riding them, he was silent most of the time, apart from saying "Good" pretty regularly when they did something well, "No" when they made a mistake (rarely), and "Oi" when they thought a naughty thought. He talked to the audience, obviously, but not to the horse all the time!
I have realised that I chat away to them most of them time while schooling and also while handling them, especially the youngsters.
I think, and I know this sounds crazy, I'm still trying to work it out, that because I chat and 'explain' things to them as I do them, I over-expect them to understand - from what I have verbalised AS WELL AS my body language, aids etc. Totally crackers, and something I am going to do my best to limit from now on!
Perhaps sometimes I have been a bit impatient about them misunderstanding, because I have already told them (and explained it, in nice long words!!), rather than just repeating it (with aids/body language) and realising that I didn't 'tell' them clearly enough the first time! But because my brain thought "I've explained it clearly to you" (as I would have to a person) it was a bit annoyed that they hadn't got it the first few times.
Does anyone have a clue what I'm going on about? Does this ring any bells with anyone else... or am I the only garrulous muppet who chats to their horses all the flipping time?!

 

[ihatework]

TBH my repatoire consists mainly of good, no and a sort of Oi! About the only thing I share in common with WFP!

On the odd occassion I do find myself stringing a sentance together but it is more for my benefit and usually something my instructor would have said!

 

[saz5083]

I chat to mine a lot

More with the youngsters and then once they are more established I tend to tone it down a bit and only use the odd word. Also when dealing with a horse I dont know too well (on the ground or ridden) I always talk to them pretty constantly

I just find it puts mine at ease and they are more responsive to what I ask.
It is highly possible that Im just crackers though!

 

[EventingMad]

Your not the only garrulous muppet who chats away to their horses all the time,i do too!

Trainer even sometimes tells me to speak to them more often.
So the poor things have to put up with a load of wittering on from their silly rider about how to do this and how to do that!

 

[harrihjc]

I chat constantly to Flash, although i must admit its often totally unrelated to what we're doing, especially when hacking! Local people think I'm bonkers when I'm riding along singing or chatting as if he was a person! My instructor always laughs when I'm calling Flash a tit in our lessons

 

[Baydale]

I do, but just make sure I really emphasise the important bits ("good boyyyyyy" is my most-used one

) so it doesn't all merge into one load of ramblings with no clarity. A lot of it is about the tone you use anyway eg. the old fashioned "terr-ott" and "whoa-oh" in a singsongy way. The only exception is with young horses when I'm teaching them to associate my voice aid with the appropriate leg/hand/seat aid, then I'm quieter and say less, so nothing gets muddled.

 

[pinktiger]

i do talk to my horse handling on the ground, and lunging, as in basic commands, things like low freq' for slow and high for faster! I then use it as well as leg ect in the saddle! All very simple and basic if good a quick pat! Im naughty too when i first take babies to dressage shows, i use voice too. I have learnt the art of ventrilliquism(sp) quite well, smile and whoooaaaaa work quite well int he final halt!! Never been told off by judges yet (tbh is mostly unaff and the judges are pretty good, or deaf)!!


ets snap baydale!

 

[Gamebird]

I think I'm in the WFP camp here. Commonly use 'oi' (often followed by 'you b*gger'), 'no' and (more rarely) 'good lad'. Don't tend to chatter away much the rest of the time.

 

[Llanali]

I very rarely talk whilst riding, an occasional voice praise or reprimand, but no constant chettering. I'd rather what I did say was clear, and something to pay attention. In the same way I don't waffle to my dogs.
I will talk occasionally whilst grooming, and I work with a wuss whom I talk to on the way in from the paddocks otherwise he's too pathetic to walk past the bins LOL

 

[1275gta]

I always talk to mine alwasy have, we drive as well so the driving horses are always taught voice commands.

 

[_April_]

When actually schooling I only talk to praise when she does the correct thing. things like ' that's it or well done etc'.
When we stop I like to give her lots of praise.

If she does something naughty I will 'OI' at her.

When jumping I encourage her a lot the whole way round as it seems to help and I praise her to the skies when we are finished.

On the ground I chatter away like an idiot - normally babying nonsense about how pretty she is

 

[jules89]

Agree with Baydale but do swear words count? (even if used in a sing song way?!) hehe I used them recently when Z decided that something was wayyyy too scary and did a cowboy styley spin - we were on a quiet road and I was NOT amused!

 

[Flame_]

I chat on a lot to my horses on the ground. Since working with driving ponies I also talk a fair bit when riding, and the first thing I do when a riding horse starts backing off is growl at them, its just become instinctive from the driving.

 

[CBAnglo]

My trainer doesnt allow it when schooling - too confusing for the horse, especially babies. Conversation should come from the aids. Good, No and a version of Oi are the only things allowed, apart from commands (W/T/C/H).

When I am out hacking I normally chat to them and on the ground I do when grooming/spending quality time.

 

[Chloe_GHE]

I tend to just use "good lad" "oi or no" when schooling but have an awful habit in life of making big "whoooop" noises if I trip, this also applied to the odd unexpectedly big jump xc!!!

Did used to let the rare "up" slip out when sjing too, not a hope in hell of this ever working so no idea why I said it, should have ridden it instead!!!!

I do chat to my horses when I'm on the flat, but CANNOT STAND people who personify their horses eg "mummy's here"!!!!! but each to their own...

 

[MissDeMeena]

I'm very quiet, i don't even say good boy, but reward them in a different way when they've done something good!!
It always annoys me when someone is shouting at a horse in a stable when it wont move/or wont stop moving, like it's going to understand what they are saying!!
I might growl a sharp 'oi' to something that's about to buck me off..

However, i totally change when i'm riding a baby out on its own, when i don't stop chattering away to them, as i think they feel that they've got company and arn't on their own.

 

[MissDeMeena]

[ QUOTE ]
I chat on a lot to my horses on the ground. Since working with driving ponies I also talk a fair bit when riding, and the first thing I do when a riding horse starts backing off is growl at them, its just become instinctive from the driving.

[/ QUOTE ]

Totally forgot.. I used to school [on the flat] a very well known driving guys team of horses.. he wanted their flat-work to improve and to also maybe teach them shoulder-in with a voice command... When i first started riding them, i couldn't get them to stop or start unless i told them too, they were so good on the voice aid!!!

 

[Bossanova]

I dont talk to them very much- I do use my voice to praise and my sister's favourite saying when theyre feeling high is 'head down' and that's quite effective!
I also say whoah under my breath in all downwards transitions and during jumping rounds if I need them to steady- that works really well if theyre trained to it

 

[BobbyMondeo]

I chat away to mine when im grooming or leading them but not so much when schooling and normally things i do say when schooling are to remind me of things

 

[BeckyD]

I talk to Ronnie intermittently, but normally as if he was a human. When he was being a t*t to lead last week, and kept trying to bite then rearing up when I reprimanded him, I had a long (one way) conversation along the lines of "Well what did you really hope to achieve up there, hmm? Throwing your toys out the pram just doesn't wash, so stop being such a muppet. Get DOWN, I don't care how nice you think your tummy is, I have no desire to see it or your manky sarcoid".

Or "You total plum. You've already seen the pole 27 times, why is it on the 28th time harbouring a horse-eating monster? Funnily enough you're far too skinny to be tasty. So stop being such a wuss. No-one would even want to eat you."

I don't think he understood a word of it, but I didn't expect him to. I don't think that by verbalising things I'm expecting more of him. Although I can see where you're coming from.

My instructor says I don't chat enough to Ronnie when I'm riding. Which is true, I'd have to agree. He gets a "good boy" when things go well, but silence when they are average. He gets sworn at if he's naughty.

 

[kerilli]

ah, RonaldoToo, that's exactly it... "i don't think that by verbalising things I'm expecting more of him"... that's it in a nutshell, thanks!
interesting that some trainers seem to want riders to talk more and others less.
must admit, i also do ventriloquism in dressage tests, haven't been caught yet!

 

[Kate260881]

I get so caught up in concentrating when I'm riding, especially schooling, that its mostly silent though I do use "good girl" when she's working well and a growled "oi" if she's about to pratt about (which is more often than not at the moment). Thing is 'Oi' means ewe in Dutch so I must sound like a complete muppet!

 

[BeckyD]

Maybe it depends how much people are talking though. I am generally very silent with Ronnie (at the moment my inane witterings help me to deal with his hooliganism). Actually, I suppose that by verbalising things I'm expecting more of ME. That's interesting isn't it? It keeps me calm to tell him out loud he's being a dimwit, it helps me to believe it's true and that he's not really a nasty horse (which he isn't but it can be a bit daunting when his feet are round my ears).

Oh how interesting.

 

[tabithakat64]

I praise with 'good boy' or growl 'no' when a horse is naughty, other than that I use 'on' and 'steady' and the usual walk trot, canter and stand when lunging.

 

[Skhosu]

I chat away, a lot of baby talk and hold full on conversations about how stupid he is.
Also do the woah (under breath-dressage test

) and oi/growl if they're being pigs and good boys

 

[rara007]

I talk alot, although mainly mumblings

. From driving they are all very good off the voice, and when I start riding them they are 100% but don't have a clue aboiut aids other than the voice. Dad can make this cound he used to get them to stop, and they stop dead much to my embarassment when I am trying to ride them. TBH Mostly I teach them to do things off the voice, with the aid, and then phase out the voice. When I first started riding a few of the ponies, honstely they wouldn't move atall even if I pony club kicked, yet the slightest wisper of "ponies walk on' and they are perfect. I always have to check they can go without voice for ridden dressage as a few too many times I have entered, got to the show and only then realised they don't trot on without voice...again very embarassing! Pip has a whole range of noises that get him to do things, but most of them he cfan do off normal aids. If I'm not talking I'm humming. Driven dressage you get to talk, and its great to talk your way round, keeps the nerves at bay

plus when you go past the judge you can shout 'good pony' and hope they assume you are doing a great test

 

[kerilli]

[ QUOTE ]
Actually, I suppose that by verbalising things I'm expecting more of ME. That's interesting isn't it? It keeps me calm to tell him out loud he's being a dimwit, it helps me to believe it's true and that he's not really a nasty horse (which he isn't but it can be a bit daunting when his feet are round my ears).

Oh how interesting.

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh yes, very... must admit, i'd already thought of that, that maybe i was wittering on to keep myself calm and to explain to myself what i was doing and why!
oh well, i suppose it stops me talking my other half to death when he gets home! my horses might think it's soothing, i guess.

 

[Wilbur_Force]

I talk to Will quite a lot (about anything) - but generally from the ground. Up top, I tend to use a deep 'good boy' when he has done good work and tried hard. He is so used to me letting him walk when I say it now that as soon as I say 'good boy' he breaks to walk all by himself! Another word I tend to use when ridden is 'and' for either an upwards or downwards transition just I would on the lunge - it really works for us.

I dont think you're mad at all - I yapped all the time to one of my previous horses, but he made me so nervous about what he was gonna do (generally naughty behaviour) that I just gabbled jibberish the whole time until I got off!

I used to sing too!

 

[lucemoose]

Oh gosh I witter away all the time but all commands are recognised- can tell by ears etc and horse can pick a whoah out of a conversation! I reward them by doing nothing. With the sharpie we just stop and stand to praise and the lanky one grasps the gist of a good boy and a neck rub..

 

[Eventerlad15]

Out hacking alone I normally have a full-blown chat, but obviously its just me.
Schoolin alone/jumping I talk to them quite bit but never really in lessons.
I have to say I know I am sad but I have a 'horsey voice', like speaking to a baby which I use on the ground which i'm sure they find ver irritating!
And...I swear quite a bit when the spook out of the blue. 'f**king a**e' type thing. Sorry is thats wrong!