Shysmum
Well-Known Member
STAND, STEADY SON, and GO BACK, OVER. always with a please ?
Last edited:
The Most Handy Command..
- Thread starter AShetlandBitMeOnce
- Start date
Snow Falcon
Hoping for drier days
Stand, back and wait are my top 3.
PurBee
Well-Known Member
‘Ah!’ - said quickly and loud with finger pointing and my eyebrows raised means ‘no, dont even attempt to continue with that behaviour’...(why i just dont say no, ive no idea!)
”Ay” same as above, but used firmer to really stop what theyre doing.
’come on’ - thats most useful to get them to come to me.
’back’ - to back up.
They respond most to my body language so i use that a lot, alongside voice.
They know their own names, i ask them how theyre doing one by one, and each one gives a bicker/soft neigh to their name.
”Ay” same as above, but used firmer to really stop what theyre doing.
’come on’ - thats most useful to get them to come to me.
’back’ - to back up.
They respond most to my body language so i use that a lot, alongside voice.
They know their own names, i ask them how theyre doing one by one, and each one gives a bicker/soft neigh to their name.
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
I think MrT might think his name is "FFS Thomas" ? I need to work on some of these commands....
Carrottom
Well-Known Member
My most recent addition is a bit of a nuisance in the field if you're trying to do something with his field mate, the only thing he seems to understand is f*** off, not sure that I taught it .
Winters100
Well-Known Member
'Stand up'. I don't know why I use that instead of 'stand still', but they know what I mean!
rabatsa
Confuddled
As well as stand, back and wait I find over a very useful command.
Christmascinnamoncookie
Fais pas chier!
Mine comes to call even if at the bottom of the field. Handy, as there’s a side field you can’t see into. I have a loud teacher voice. ? Useful for someone who is concerned about going across the field and big horses coming for a nosy, plus he’s quite possessive, so tries to herd others away. Nobody else comes when I call mine.
doodle
Well-Known Member
“Enough!”
FFAQ
Well-Known Member
I discovered that one of my cobs understands 'Barny Horse, get your fat arse out of the feed room!' tonight. I was at the other end of the yard filling water buckets when the clever sod managed to open the door and wandered in. When i yelled the above he obediently backed out - i was astounded ??
doodle
Well-Known Member
He is also learning “show me” to point out his itchy bits rather than a vague waft of his head then getting cross at me when I don’t get the exact right bit!
laura_nash
Well-Known Member
Mine are taught to do this too with a verbal cue of "say please". Extra praise if they take a step backwards too. Very handy to stop any barging, which is quite an issue with 2 food-obssessed cobs, they'll do it when I'm putting in feed or hay or I'm moving electric fencing etc.
Frano
Well-Known Member
Whoa, over and round are the most useful words I find.
AShetlandBitMeOnce
Well-Known Member
A few things on here that may come in handy! Step on is something I will try! He lines himself up with the mounting block but is usually so keen to get a treat that he is slightly too far back for me to get on ? thankfully he does come to call and always has, it’s the best!
‘Back’ is my other most used one - he does this both when tied/lead/ridden and at Liberty which was useful when I was trying to establish some personal space in the beginning.
‘Ah ah’ means stop whatever you’re doing or don’t even think about it.
‘HEY’ means either stop rearing or you are really in the sh’t now boy!
I also have ‘over’ which either means side stepping whichever way, or step towards me on the mounting block.
‘Back’ is my other most used one - he does this both when tied/lead/ridden and at Liberty which was useful when I was trying to establish some personal space in the beginning.
‘Ah ah’ means stop whatever you’re doing or don’t even think about it.
‘HEY’ means either stop rearing or you are really in the sh’t now boy!
I also have ‘over’ which either means side stepping whichever way, or step towards me on the mounting block.
shortstuff99
Well-Known Member
I've taught mine the command 'head down' and she puts her head down. Very useful for bridles etc ?
Gloi
Too little time, too much to read.
Can't think why mine have learnt to do an emergency stop when I put my hand in my pocket ?
Sleipnir
Well-Known Member
"Go first" and "Wait".
We often hack over heavily wooded areas that sometimes have deep ditches on both sides of the road. Either the ditch is too deep for me to feel comfortable jumping it, either the footing is not perfect on either side, but sometimes we have to get across them to continue with the hack. I then dismount, tie up the reins, point at the ditch and say "Go first". My gelding then jumps it however he finds it doable. Once he's on the other side, I holler "Wait!" and he waits until I scramble over and fetch him to get back in the saddle.
In our very specific and particular circumstances - extremely useful.
As I've trained him to drive, he also knows a ton of other voice commands - I tend to be very vocal with my training.
We often hack over heavily wooded areas that sometimes have deep ditches on both sides of the road. Either the ditch is too deep for me to feel comfortable jumping it, either the footing is not perfect on either side, but sometimes we have to get across them to continue with the hack. I then dismount, tie up the reins, point at the ditch and say "Go first". My gelding then jumps it however he finds it doable. Once he's on the other side, I holler "Wait!" and he waits until I scramble over and fetch him to get back in the saddle.
In our very specific and particular circumstances - extremely useful.
As I've trained him to drive, he also knows a ton of other voice commands - I tend to be very vocal with my training.
Sprat
Well-Known Member
Aside from the normal 'back' 'stand' 'wait' etc. commands, I have somehow managed to instil 'nice ears' when Bean is pulling a mare stare ? she flicks them right back to being forward
LadyGascoyne
Well-Known Member
Mim has just added “nose” to her vocabulary. I hold the headcollar or bitless bridle out, ask her for “nose” and she drops it in.
She has stand, give foot, back up, no/stop it, and her name in place already.
She has stand, give foot, back up, no/stop it, and her name in place already.
scruffyponies
Well-Known Member
I use this (ready-aaaand / steady-aaand, depending on transition up or down) as a verbal half-halt when driving preceeding an instruction. Particularly useful with a pair, to help them to synchronise.
McFluff
Well-Known Member
Mine knows his name, wait, foot please, over, back.
Ridden he knows walk, trot, canter. The most useful one ridden was to use aaannnd - I started to try and help slow his busy, busy, rush approach to life, and it has become a very useful verbal half halt, that then helped me train in the body aids for half halt.
Ridden he knows walk, trot, canter. The most useful one ridden was to use aaannnd - I started to try and help slow his busy, busy, rush approach to life, and it has become a very useful verbal half halt, that then helped me train in the body aids for half halt.
Scotsbadboy
Well-Known Member
My new horse has been taught this .. its frustrating as i need to spend the last few minutes of a ride with my feet out of the stirrups ... you know, so i can actually get off and walk, lol! ... He'll learn the bad ways soon enough, he's way too polite for my liking, hahaa
dorsetladette
Well-Known Member
Its made me smile reading through this thread. I think I inadvertently use all of these. Its sort of horse language I suppose. AAANND Walk, AAANNND Trot on the lunge etc.
My current vocabulary doesn't seem to have much more in it currently than BACK, WAIT, NO and MANNERS!!!!!! with the nippy little monster about. With a 'good boy' thrown in here and there.
My old stallion would stand square to the command 'square' and a gentle nudge to the appropriate corner.
My current vocabulary doesn't seem to have much more in it currently than BACK, WAIT, NO and MANNERS!!!!!! with the nippy little monster about. With a 'good boy' thrown in here and there.
My old stallion would stand square to the command 'square' and a gentle nudge to the appropriate corner.
JackFrost
Well-Known Member
I had a mare, better than gold, never put a foot wrong. She had been with me for years. Out hacking one day we passed a mess of fly tipped rubbish, and I said out loud (to myself) 'That's so naughty.' She stopped dead and turned and looked at me, with a face that said 'What have I done wrong?'. I had never used that word with her. Makes me wonder just how much they DO know.
Merrymoles
Well-Known Member
It fascinates me how much they pick up through body language rather than words. Given that we are a man down at the yard (front line worker dealing with Covid patients), we have swapped our routine around a bit and YO turns ours out and mucks out on Saturday, while we do hers on Sunday.
Last week it was so icy in the field that getting them out and back was like walking on a frozen pond. When I want my horse to be extra careful and patient, I used "steady neddy" generally. YO says "little steps", which I have frequently heard her use with her own. We both use our own words with each other's horses and they just seem to "get" it and neither of us has any problems. That said, she did ask if I gave my horse three mints when I turned him out - the answer is no but he gets one if he has turned in the very muddy gateway and stood like a rock while I shut the gate and take his headcollar off. But he obviously cottoned on quickly to the fact that she usually gives three and he stood waiting for them. It must be a huge disappointment when I turn him out now.
Last week it was so icy in the field that getting them out and back was like walking on a frozen pond. When I want my horse to be extra careful and patient, I used "steady neddy" generally. YO says "little steps", which I have frequently heard her use with her own. We both use our own words with each other's horses and they just seem to "get" it and neither of us has any problems. That said, she did ask if I gave my horse three mints when I turned him out - the answer is no but he gets one if he has turned in the very muddy gateway and stood like a rock while I shut the gate and take his headcollar off. But he obviously cottoned on quickly to the fact that she usually gives three and he stood waiting for them. It must be a huge disappointment when I turn him out now.
The Bouncing Bog Trotter
Well-Known Member
I forgot 'foot' - all my horses are trained to lift a leg and hoof when I tap the knee or hock and say "foot".
PapaverFollis
Well-Known Member
The Beast knows "square up" when I want her front feet level for doing her stretches. Unfortunately she does it with added flourish, a squeal and a stamp, so wouldn't be much use in a dressage context!
Surbie
Well-Known Member
I love the 'head down' command - would be so useful. I will be trying that one.
Arch knows 'sloooooowly' as I am clinging on for dear life to his mane when bringing in through the most godawful mud.
'one more' is incredibly useful at the mounting block and 'round' is brilliant when doing gates on foot so he is facing me.
He responds to lots of voice commands - he also does 'show me' for the itchy bits. Though that last one is a bit of a curse in moulting season tbh.
Arch knows 'sloooooowly' as I am clinging on for dear life to his mane when bringing in through the most godawful mud.
'one more' is incredibly useful at the mounting block and 'round' is brilliant when doing gates on foot so he is facing me.
He responds to lots of voice commands - he also does 'show me' for the itchy bits. Though that last one is a bit of a curse in moulting season tbh.
Tarragon
Well-Known Member
Not a horse but a dog ...
When we walked down the drive we could either go left into the fields or straight on to get to the road. If you said "this way" to the dog, if it had guessed the route wrongly and was heading down the wrong path, it would would always switch to the other way. Worked in both direction.
Horse wise, the best one is the "ahh ah!", said in a loud voice and with meaning, means stop whatever you are doing as it is wrong. I also like "over".
When we walked down the drive we could either go left into the fields or straight on to get to the road. If you said "this way" to the dog, if it had guessed the route wrongly and was heading down the wrong path, it would would always switch to the other way. Worked in both direction.
Horse wise, the best one is the "ahh ah!", said in a loud voice and with meaning, means stop whatever you are doing as it is wrong. I also like "over".
Snow Falcon
Hoping for drier days
My son's pony also knows " Oi, don't you bloody dare" when trying to push my mare away from her bucket.