Training your horses to deal with being handled by muppets (in this case me).

[Tiddlypom]

I will say that I do know how to handle horses correctly on the ground, and I do spend time making sure that all my horses (inc the RSPCA fosters when I had them) have impeccable ground manners.

As part of their training, I do expect them to cope calmly with a degree of things going awry just in case stuff doesn't go according to plan. Like me trying to remove a rug with the belly straps still fastened, for instance .

Today's muppetry award goes to me this morning when hand walking my too busted to be ridden 12yo home bred teenagers eventer over poles in the arena. This helps to keep her back loosened up and her pasture sound.

Somehow when I was distracted fishing in my pocket for a tissue the lunge line ended up between her forelegs. Despite it being freezing cold with a strong wind and snow flurries, she just stopped, lowered her head and looked round at me with a resigned expression on her face while I coiled in the lunge line as I approached her and unwound it from between her legs. She was wearing just a headcollar, the lunge rein and a walker rug.

'Are you sorted out now?' she said to me while waiting quietly for me to ask her to walk on again. What a good girl.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

Completely get it.
Poor B Fuzzy had a roll eyes moment over the xmas period.... not at me but experienced YO friend who was 'doing' mine in mornings on her way past while I was incapacitated....
She was swapping a rug over and forgot to undo leg straps.... B apparently gave her a Paddington stare and loudly sighed Friend did say that it was v unlike her to not check - and if it had been one of the mares on her yard she might well have got clattered!

Like you TP, I've trained everything to react steadily or not react, but you cannot account for eejit humans nor equines genuinely having an unaccustomed (to them) flight response.

 

[SEL]

I once threw the Appy's rug on near a fence, did the belly straps up and then quickly realised I had rugged her to the fence.

In true appaloosa style she rolled those pink eyes at me, sighed and waited for me to sort her out.

 

[poiuytrewq]

I once threw the Appy's rug on near a fence, did the belly straps up and then quickly realised I had rugged her to the fence.

In true appaloosa style she rolled those pink eyes at me, sighed and waited for me to sort her out.

Ohhh yes I’ve done that! Also tacked up, asked the horse to move back from the stable door so I could duck out under the chain but saw I’d done his martingale over the chain so he was firmly attached

 

[Flame_]

I will say that I do know how to handle horses correctly on the ground, and I do spend time making sure that all my horses (inc the RSPCA fosters when I had them) have impeccable ground manners.

As part of their training, I do expect them to cope calmly with a degree of things going awry just in case stuff doesn't go according to plan. Like me trying to remove a rug with the belly straps still fastened, for instance .

Today's muppetry award goes to me this morning when hand walking my too busted to be ridden 12yo home bred teenagers eventer over poles in the arena. This helps to keep her back loosened up and her pasture sound.

Somehow when I was distracted fishing in my pocket for a tissue the lunge line ended up between her forelegs. Despite it being freezing cold with a strong wind and snow flurries, she just stopped, lowered her head and looked round at me with a resigned expression on her face while I coiled in the lunge line as I approached her and unwound it from between her legs. She was wearing just a headcollar, the lunge rein and a walker rug.

'Are you sorted out now?' she said to me while waiting quietly for me to ask her to walk on again. What a good girl.

I think horses are more tolerant and understanding with their own muppets than they are with random ones. I have mistakenly attached my horse's rug to fences, haynets, itself, his tail, etc, numerous times and after the initial dramatic, panicked, WTF is going on, almost collapsing manuveure, he goes, "oh, it's just that useless bint's cocked up taking my rug off again" and stands there.

 

[Red-1]

My horse is completely proof to treading on his rope. No panic, I have allowed it to happen so often he simply lowers his head and works out which foot he has to lift to free himself.

Past couple of horses have learned the same thing...

No hope for me!

 

[Caol Ila]

I try to make Hermosa muppet-proof by throwing and dropping things around her. I do my best with Fin but he is not and may never be muppet proof, so I try not to be too much of one or let them handle him. A lesson I learned the hard way.

A friend was bringing him in for me one day when I was out of town, and texted to say she'd had an accident where he'd spooked and knocked her over. Both were fine in the end, but it gave her a fright because she was recovering from a broken rib after her own horse had bucked her off. I asked how. He is normally very mindful of your space, even when he gets startled by something.

Evidently, the lass had been catching more than one horse, and Fin - already caught - was between the gate, her, and his field buddy. She threw a headcollar on the ground at field buddy's feet. Fin saw sudden snaky thing and spooked. Friend let go of his rope, so make that two surprise snaky things! Bigger spook! Only way to go was over the human, so he did.

I asked why she threw the headcollar on the ground. That isn't something I do or have done with my horses because I had a trainer as a kid who put the fear of death in anyone who left a headcollar on the ground near horses. Those lessons in safety were embedded into my brain. This trainer was a scary lady. In any case, friend said when she has more than one to catch, she always throws them on the ground near whoever she's after. I suggested that this maybe wasn't the best thing to do with Fin, and she said, "I do it with [my horse] all the time and he doesnn't mind!"

That's cool.

Same person, when walking with me and Hermosa through the park while H was on long-reins, suddenly stuck her finger through the top nose ring of the cavesson when all I'd asked her to do was stand at Hermosa's head due to some approaching dogs. Hermosa was startled - as was I - but didn't react as badly as she could have done. The lass still has her finger!

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

I've accidentally trained mine to be muppet proof by me being a muppet 99% of the time. But this worked in my favour a few weeks ago when we had that awful wind. Another livery found her with her back half of her rug up and over her head god knows how long she was stood there for wondering why she had suddenly lost all vision. She stood there good as gold whilst said livery took her rug off.

 

[humblepie]

Someone at yard had been kicked. I got back from ride just as it had happened. Chucked horse in stable. Untacked Threw rug over him and went to do my first aid bit til the paramedics arrived. Eventually went to sort horse out and found I’d caught rug strap in door. He’d just stood there with that look on his face. Whatever. It’s all good training

 

[Sandstone1]

We all have muppet moments, Some things though drive me mad. Not tying hay nets up properly.. Once got to stables to find pony with leg through net as tied much too low by friend who never did it properly. Other thing I hate is leaving head collar and rope attached to tie ring after taking off horse and leaving dragging on the ground. I was always told to tie hay nets high. Pull string through bottom of net and pull up so it stays up as horse eats hay. Agree its good to teach to be muppet proof but some things are just common sense.

 

[FlyingCircus]

When backing my mare I fell off before I ever got on as my step broke unexpectedly!

Ended up underneath her looking at her belly

Luckily she was used to me being a bit of a disaster in her presence from day 1. Tripping over, dropping things etc... so she just looked at me with disgust

 

[planete]

I had tried to teach a girl helping me how to tie up haynets safely. Only to find my saintly old horse with both front feet through the holes of his haynet which was on the floor (years before small hole haynets). No sign of a struggle anywhere, just a pe.d off horse waiting to be rescued.

 

[Titchy Reindeer]

We all have muppet moments, Some things though drive me mad. Not tying hay nets up properly.. Once got to stables to find pony with leg through net as tied much too low by friend who never did it properly. Other thing I hate is leaving head collar and rope attached to tie ring after taking off horse and leaving dragging on the ground. I was always told to tie hay nets high. Pull string through bottom of net and pull up so it stays up as horse eats hay. Agree its good to teach to be muppet proof but some things are just common sense.

My old pony would get a foot through a hay net no matter how high you tied it. My dad put chains to attach the hay net to so high I could hardly reach them on my tip-toes, net was tied properly with string through the bottom and still I would find him every morning standing there quite chilled with a front foot through the net. He was muppet proof I supposed, but he was also the muppet! We stopped using hay nets after that.

 

[Sandstone1]

My old pony would get a foot through a hay net no matter how high you tied it. My dad put chains to attach the hay net to so high I could hardly reach them on my tip-toes, net was tied properly with string through the bottom and still I would find him every morning standing there quite chilled with a front foot through the net. He was muppet proof I supposed, but he was also the muppet! We stopped using hay nets after that.

I am not a fan of haynets but needs must, Having them nearly touching the ground even when full drives me mad. Have tried showing her loads of times but no, thats how she does it.

 

[muddybay]

I once managed to attach my horse's martingale to his stable guard when I was tacking him up. Also quite often forget to release him from his tie up on the trailer and wonder why he won't come off

 

[MereChristmas]

I’ve had many muppet moments.
A week or so ago I put the neck strap through the reins.

Another day years ago
I remember saying to my instructor
I don’t have much steering today
She laughed and said
It’s always a good idea to have the bit in her mouth!

 

[Birker2020]

I will say that I do know how to handle horses correctly on the ground, and I do spend time making sure that all my horses (inc the RSPCA fosters when I had them) have impeccable ground manners.

As part of their training, I do expect them to cope calmly with a degree of things going awry just in case stuff doesn't go according to plan. Like me trying to remove a rug with the belly straps still fastened, for instance .

Today's muppetry award goes to me this morning when hand walking my too busted to be ridden 12yo home bred teenagers eventer over poles in the arena. This helps to keep her back loosened up and her pasture sound.

Somehow when I was distracted fishing in my pocket for a tissue the lunge line ended up between her forelegs. Despite it being freezing cold with a strong wind and snow flurries, she just stopped, lowered her head and looked round at me with a resigned expression on her face while I coiled in the lunge line as I approached her and unwound it from between her legs. She was wearing just a headcollar, the lunge rein and a walker rug.

'Are you sorted out now?' she said to me while waiting quietly for me to ask her to walk on again. What a good girl.

Yes years ago I had cross tied Bails and put on her ice vibe boots. The ice had melted and the outer boot became looser as a result.

I asked her to walk on but she wouldn't. Then I realised it was virtually impossible for her to move that leg with it round her foot.

She gave me that "what a pillock' look

 

[rextherobber]

I’ve had many muppet moments.
A week or so ago I put the neck strap through the reins.

Another day years ago
I remember saying to my instructor
I don’t have much steering today
She laughed and said
It’s always a good idea to have the bit in her mouth!

We solved my steering issues by uncrossing the reins - it's worse when you're running late for a lesson!

 

[Love]

All of my rugs have fillet strings apart from one 100g that has leg straps. 100% of the time, without fail, if he has that rug on I will try and whip it off with the leg straps still fastened. He just looks at me and sighs too

 

[Annagain]

I have one rug with leg straps, all the others have fillet strings. Every single time, I forget to undo them. Arch and I developed an understanding where I would put the rug down and he would just step out of the straps. Wig won't step out but stands there patiently while I undo them with the rug hanging off his back legs.

Haha Love, we cross posted. It's good to know I'm not alone.

 

[SEL]

I once tacked up in a hurry and was wondering why I really had no right bend. Friend pointed out that putting the noseband over the rein on the RHS was likely culprit.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I once tacked up in a hurry and was wondering why I really had no right bend. Friend pointed out that putting the noseband over the rein on the RHS was likely culprit.

Doing the throatlash up over the offside rein on a heavily long maned Fuzzy when rushing, can produce interesting braking moments on xc warm up....

 

[Sealine]

I tried to lead my horse off the trailer and didn't understand why he wouldn't move when I realised I hadn't undone the trailer tie

I've also tried to remove rugs with surcingles still done up and put a bridle on in the stable/trailer and done the martingale up looped over the door chain or breast bar.

No hope for me and good job my horse is a saint.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

Previous share horse had clip on reins. I forgot to switch one side from the halter to the bit once and didn't realise until we got home from hack. She was an impeccably good girl and our steering didn't go awry but I made sure never to do it again!

 

[Fieldlife]

My horse is completely proof to treading on his rope. No panic, I have allowed it to happen so often he simply lowers his head and works out which foot he has to lift to free himself.

Past couple of horses have learned the same thing...

No hope for me!

My current horse understands this.

A previous horse never could, every time he would pull back violently and make himself sore or break rope. Never realised he could lift his foot. I failed to teach him too.

He also used to pull back tied up (only occasionally but once he pulled he would panic and really pull throwing himself over backwards - it was like a switch of panic flipped - he was rarely tied up and used Idolo ties so didnt injure himself).

 

[Cowpony]

We solved my steering issues by uncrossing the reins - it's worse when you're running late for a lesson!

You're lucky! My instructor occasionally makes us ride with crossed reins to stop us using our hands so much. And even when she doesnt, she threatens us with it if she sees us doing something she doesn't like!

 

[blitznbobs]

My 3 year old i was training to go on a trailer (with the trailer in a field) i got the ‘dismount’ wrong and she flew out the front door and i lost the end of the lunge line…. She then cantered a perfect 20m circle (with me thinking ‘poo im never going to catch her) for her to return to me and stand a perfect 3 ft in front of me with an ‘arent i a good girl’ look on her face. She then loaded again with no bother and basically said to me ‘ now this is how we are supposed to do it’

mind you that mare is old beyond her years

 

[Auslander]

We've got a little mare in who has bred a foal and not a lot else - she's now been backed, ridden away, hacked, taken to dressage and clear rounds, all fairly normal stuff.
She has also learned about umbrellas, fake xmas trees, lie size toy gorillas, flappy coats, flappy arms, swingy legs, doors slamming, metal things being dropped, rugs being thrown on and dragged off over her back side, and all manner of stupid things that she may encounter when she's soldl
She has decided that spooking is a waste of time, and learned to roll her eyes!

 

[Caol Ila]

These toy gorillas?

That's actually a bear. My mom bought him for me after I broke up with a guy. I think he really needs a riding lesson.

 

[smiggy]

I very often do the leaving the trailer tie thing on, the thing that gets me though is they don’t even try to move, I swear they realise before I do, they just give me the stare !
mine are also very chilled about having a rug on the floor behind them where I forget to remove the leg straps before taking rug off.