Things you've done that HHO members might not like....

I accepted a horse at 17 years old with no money and no job....

i have never lunged with a hat :S

my saddle is worth nearly £2000...

my horsey stays out in the field, unrugged, even when it is chucking it down (he doesn't seem to mind!)

talked on phone while riding

used draw reins

have contemplated pink for my gelding :S satisfied myself with lilac for previous gelding (pony) and blue for dibbs
 
-Ridden on the phone
-listened to MP3 player out hacking (only one ear)
-brushed off the saddle/bridle areas only
-lost my temper with a horse
-ridden out hacking with feet out of stirrups and a long rein...

....looks like we're all very naughty!!!
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- changed feeds with no introduction
- trotted, cantered and jumped straight after a horse had a lay off
- rarely used boots, even for jumping [and I have only had lameness twice, not serious and not long lasting - unrelated to anything I did!]
- on occasion have taken days off from going up to the yard [bearing in mind that horse at the time was turned out 24/7 with plenty of water, no serious weather and people about to check on her who would have called me if something was wrong]
- not gone up to bring in/change rugs etc if the weather suddenly changed - they're not made of glass!
- ridden listening to music, answered phone etc
- give them a whack if they need it
- used a dutch gag on the 3rd ring, used spurs etc
 
Gosh Vey, if you think that was vioilence then you must have led a very sheltered life! Oh and please - I don't recall getting personal with you either - if I was going to get personal I would have called you a bunny hugger - which I have not by the way.

For the record, I very very rarely have to hit my horses - in fact I cannot remember the last time I hit a horse, unless it was to back up a leg aid. All my horses respect me and are eager to please, if they misbehave a sharp word normally does the trick - however with my colt I always carry a racing whip in my leading hand, he knows not to mess as I don't make empty threats - he is a happy chappy - he knows his place in the herd.

I was irritated by your post yes, and the reason being is that too many people want to live in rosy lala land with their horses, they watch and read anything they can on IH/Parelli et al, and then they go home to practice - the results are often mixed up and angry horses with no sense of boundary because their hapless owners consider it wrong to chastise them. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of time for KM as I think she is a real horsewoman, it is those that try to emulate that upset me.

Re barefoot trimmers - I am sorry I have no time for them - they simply cannot learn in five days/weeks what it took a farrier five years to learn, they charge a lot of money for a fancy trim which hopefully does not do too much damage (remember Strasser?) when a farrier will do it for under £20.

I also don't think that people are 'celebrating' being voilent to their horses, most people on here love and adore their horses so feel your posts are a little over enthusiatic in their criticism of HHO members. You come across as just a little arrogant, could just be the way your posts are written, but sorry the impression you give is that your way is the only way and we are all doing it wrong.
 
Well said SirenaXVI...

I believe you have to be firm but fair with horses. If they step out of line, challenging their place in the herd rather than through fear, then they need reminding. The method all depends on the particular horse. We've one horse who needs roaring at from time to time, as he gets a little above himself. A loudly projected 'stand still' works a treat and he then doesn't move a muscle. But we've recently just sold another horse who would be terrified if you ever raised your voice at him. Horses for courses. Alpha horses need firm and dominant handling, otherwise you're asking for trouble.

As for things I've done for this thread...

Chased a reluctant loader into the wagon with a couple of yard brooms after four hours of refusing to load. It worked a treat.

Rode out earlier on in the gloom and rain without reflective gear

Kept my horse in yesterday for a whole 24hrs because it heaved down all day and he hates going out (riding or turned out) in the rain

Plus loads of things that other people have posted!
 
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I have seen people in Wales exercising point to pointers out of the window of a car - because it was raining!

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LMAO - Worryingly, I can believe that and it must happen a lot in Wales.........
 
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I was irritated by your post yes, and the reason being is that too many people want to live in rosy lala land with their horses, they watch and read anything they can on IH/Parelli et al, and then they go home to practice - the results are often mixed up and angry horses with no sense of boundary because their hapless owners consider it wrong to chastise them. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of time for KM as I think she is a real horsewoman, it is those that try to emulate that upset me.

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What you say here strikes a real cord with me! B was so messed up by just such a person!! I believe that the majoirty of these methods have their place, but the danger lies when people who know no better get hold of a book/watch a demo/or DVD and try it at home themselves without any form of training from a qualified practitioner! TBH, IMO, a lot of these methods are common sense marketed extremely well! However, I do truely believe that they are very dangerous in the wrong hands. Bringing B back into work is going to be interesting to say the least. When I bought her she was bargey, stroppy, bad mannered, refused to have her feet picked up, had a fit if her mane was touched, wouldn't accept a bit, had a fit when a roller was put on her and lunging her was like the wall of death!! When I viewed her, she was put on a rope halter and lunged moterbike fashion over some impressive jumps - before I had to say STOP! The person who was handling her kept waving an ineffectual 'carrot stick' at her and all over her afterwards - B was not impressed by any of this. I had made up my mind she was for me anyway, but I truely feel that I rescued my lovely girl, who now knows her boundaries and is angelic to handle and for the farrier and out competing with her foal.
 
I would not regard bunny hugger as a term of abuse - unfortunately I no longer have a bunny to hug - may I be allowed to be a pony, dog and duck hugger instead? If you imagine for one moment that Kelly Marks would approve of your hitting horses you simply have no concept of her work. I take it you know that when she became champion lady jockey she had given up carrying a whip?

I do realise that saying my horses know their bounderies and respect me will not make the slightest impact. Because you 'know' that it cannot be done without violence you also 'know' that as I don't use violence, mine will not understand bounderies. Facts will not come into it. However, if you get a chance, watch Kelly or Monty Roberts, and see that others CAN do it without violence, and produce respectful horses.

You are right in this, though, that I do consider hitting horses is inappropriate - not perhaps a quick response to violence from them, a slap or a kick for their challanging you on the ground, and not using a whip as an aid to back up a leg, which should not be painful done in the right way, but hitting them to make they hurt, yes, I think that is totally counterproductive. commending in any way 'beating the "£$% out of them', or anything like that is just plain wrong.

And thank you, I do live in the real world.
 
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f you imagine for one moment that Kelly Marks would approve of your hitting horses you simply have no concept of her work. I take it you know that when she became champion lady jockey she had given up carrying a whip?

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I assume this is in reply to my post which you patently have not read properly - go back and read it again will you paying particular attention to the first paragraph - oh and I could not give a stuff whether KM carried a whip or a dead dandylion

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I do realise that saying my horses know their bounderies and respect me will not make the slightest impact. Because you 'know' that it cannot be done without violence you also 'know' that as I don't use violence, mine will not understand bounderies. Facts will not come into it. However, if you get a chance, watch Kelly or Monty Roberts, and see that others CAN do it without violence, and produce respectful horses.

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Again please reread my post

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You are right in this, though, that I do consider hitting horses is inappropriate - not perhaps a quick response to violence from them, a slap or a kick for their challanging you on the ground, and not using a whip as an aid to back up a leg, which should not be painful done in the right way, but hitting them to make they hurt, yes, I think that is totally counterproductive. commending in any way 'beating the "£$% out of them', or anything like that is just plain wrong.

And thank you, I do live in the real world.


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Had difficulty understanding this as, it appears that you are saying to retaliate to violence from the horse is OK, but from your previous posts you say this is wrong? Which is it please? Oh and AGAIN FOR THE RECORD I do not beat my horses
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Sorry but I do not believe you live in the real world
 
So some people actually don't like it when people ride with one set of reins on a Dutch gag? I always thought that was perfectly acceptable.... seeing as how it isn't a true gag anyway :S
 
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Re barefoot trimmers - I am sorry I have no time for them - they simply cannot learn in five days/weeks what it took a farrier five years to learn, they charge a lot of money for a fancy trim which hopefully does not do too much damage (remember Strasser?) when a farrier will do it for under £20.

I also don't think that people are 'celebrating' being violent to their horses, most people on here love and adore their horses so feel your posts are a little over enthusiatic in their criticism of HHO members. You come across as just a little arrogant, could just be the way your posts are written, but sorry the impression you give is that your way is the only way and we are all doing it wrong.

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Hey be fair, Vey didn't post any of that, I did and am old enough to take the flack
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Have to disagree on both points. Sorry but I do think that in the middle somewhere this thread started getting distasteful, but it seems mostly to be back on track and fun again. I am in no way criticising HHO members - I am one! I too have done a lot of the non PC things listed here, including hitting my horse and discipling her, I just don't think those particular things are to be proud of! I am not BHS orientated or NH/IH, I think its great when people don't do things completely PC, but I don't like violence and emotional reactions towards horses. There is certainly nothing wrong in my book in being very firm and disciplining a horse, I have a dominant mare, she has taught me about boundaries well and truly! But emotional responses get you nowhere in my experience.
 
Cant read every page but have done all of the following

* Happily jab my own horses (vet in Spain always gave me plenty of anti b's and vaccines)

* Ride without a hat

* Bought a body protector at great expense, wore it once, and never did again as it was too uncomfortable

* Lead horse around with only reins round neck or by the forelock

* Like Siennamum, buy bits because I like the look of them

* According to most people I would think I very much underfeed my horses hardfeed (tho they get tons of hay and grass)

* Prefer to see ribs than see fat

* Smoke, take calls and txt on horseback

* Trot on roads and TBH until I started reading this forum had never even given it a second thought

* Once had a horse out for 5 hours as everytime we started to ride home she got stupid, so I turned around and galloped her through thick, deep mud again and again until she walked home quietly (and my lord it worked)

* Discipline horses with a smack and a growl if they enter my space - a horse NEEDS to behave on the ground, they weigh a hell of a lot more than I do!

* Bought a horse because she reminded me of an old horse I had - didnt bother persevering with her when I realised she wouldnt do the job I bought her for

* Kept my horses stabled pretty much 24/7 for years and you know what, they didnt care!

* Believe in the saying "If in doubt give it a clout" (Love my old trainer!)

* Will swop feeds without gradual introduction

* Unless the horse has remedial shoeing will happily keep the shoes on for as long as possible

* Dont believe in innoculating horses unless necessary (ie they go to shows)

* Grooming is not high on my agenda - so long as the saddle and bridle area are clean who cares if the hindquarters are covered in mud

* Tack cleaning is not a high priority

God could go on and on!
 
These are very amusing. A few years back i broke my finger and so had to resort to lunging my demon of a pony most nights. One day he charged and bucked at me, nearly wiping me out so i grounded him for 2 days in summer.....
 
Use a dutch gag, a grackle and a martingale for SJ/XC/hunting/fast hacks
Used a single rein on the bottom ring of the gag
Own a diamonte browband and a velvet saddlecloth
Don't wear a hat and gloves for lunging
Only wear my body protector for XC
Use boots all round every time I ride
Have schooled, jumped and hacked in trainers
Used to ride and lead to the field bareback without a hat
Jump bareback
Often canter in the same place on a hack
Trot on the roads a lot
Competed without having ridden all week
Rarely have lessons
Often only groom where tack and boots go
Don't clean my tack very often
Often get on without a mounting block
Lunge in side reins, lunge/ride a harbridge
Discipline my horses
Deep litter

Oh dear!!
 
When I was young and stupid I rode my horse in draw reins, but took my normal reins off, as no-one told me you had to use both
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No wonder every time I wanted to stop her she just tucked her chin into her chest, poor horse
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I really cringe about it now, but why didn't anyone ever say anything
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Ride bareback to/from the field
Ride bareback into a field and go swimming in the river
Ride without hat
Ride in trainers
Ride horse in school with three shoes
Ride horse out with loose shoes
Rode 12.1hh (1m 5ft 9ish)
Rode my horse to field where kids play football and hammer across it with people in the field
Belted the horse HARD when it tried to attack the dog
 
Nobody else seems to have 'confessed' to this so I may be way beyond help...... but I never bank the edges of my straw beds....gasp!!! horror!!! Can't see how a couple of feet of straw is gonna stop several hundred pounds of horseflesh getting cast if it wants to! Plus I don't always muck out thoroughly but take out the worst and add loads of extra straw.

Plus CANTER on roads sometimes out hunting. Oh boy, am I going to hell!!?

And whilst I only ever carry a whip when schooling I had a major kicking, swearing and generally and hissy fit at Ned when he spooked into a wheat field then spooked again at nothing when he realised I was still on board. Having let loose at him I looked around and realised I was being watched by two other riders. They must have been sympathetic as the RSPCA weren't waiting for me when I got home!!
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We never use travel boots or tail guard

worst thing was,

we got back to yard with horses in trailer and my husband was getting his horse out but he wouldn't go down the ramp, then we realised neither of us had unclipped horsey.. oops..
 
quote lost my temper with a horse and left him in the arena for five mins whilst I went for a fag quote

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Remember:This philosophy works equally well with kids
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QR

Who the hell dragged with post up again?

I was just thinking "I am sure I have seen a post similar to this before"? that is because I read it over a year a go???
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- havent got a horse passport
- dont have back checked
- dont have teeth checked
- once hit rearing horse between the ears with end of my whip; never reared again lol!

if it aint broke, dont try to fix it
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- havent got a horse passport
- dont have back checked
- dont have teeth checked
- once hit rearing horse between the ears with end of my whip; never reared again lol!

if it aint broke, dont try to fix it
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Yes you are quite right, most of those are things that HHO members might not like.
 
Yes, makes me seem tame by comparison.
This feels like an AA meeting - well - I am a professional trainer and I use natural horsemanship methods.
I don't like Parelli much and can think of about 20 natural horsemanship trainers who are better.
I think Monty Roberts is very average and not very truthful
 
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