Very "knowledgeable" people- but they are wrong!

McNally

McNally

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Nothing in particular just its happened hundreds of times to me and i always agree and am grateful sounding but do as i know to be best/right (or at least what i think i know!)

eg- I have been told my fat pony should be left in all day with no hay to loose weight then turned out over night to gorge himself as he's starving- I know this is not the correct thing and give him soaked hay instead.

umm, to leave a open wound uncovered and with no fly protection near it as the flies will eat the flesh and prevent infection??? (I think maggots will eat rotten flesh but as far as i know flies CARRY infection)

That i should pierce and tightly bind a windgall- this will force the fluid out and therefore get rid of the windgall!

Not to let my pony eat from the same hay net as my horse as he will catch the sarcoid thats inbetween his back legs!?

These statements are just a few that i have had from well meaning but wrong knowledgeable horse owners at my yard- whats the worst you heard and how do you receive such comments? I guess its a case of as i do or argue the point?
 
the worst advice i ever heard (this was 2nd hand, told to one of my liveries) was that to cure his box-walker, he should leave a few pitchforks flat in the bedding, so the horse bashed his legs on them and learnt to pick his feet up, and therefore not disturb the bedding. this was from some redoubtable old boy who had visited the Riding Club to spread his amazing knowledge...
as a great way to possibly cripple your horse, that has to be right up there. pitchforks?!?! ffs.
after that, i'd believe that an 'expert' could say absolutely anything.
as a mate of mine used to say... "'ex' is a has-been and 'spurt' is a drip under pressure..." ;) ;)
good idea for a thread.
 
Oh theres loads!!! Many stem from what would have happened 100 years ago.... horsemanship as with everything moves on, but some who have been doing horses since they could stand up don't...... same with everything really

What exactly are you supposed to pierce a windgall with?
 
Smile and carry on!

I had all that last year when my pony had laminitis and the vet made me starve her (1% bodyweight soaked hay). I didn't like it but the bottom line was I trust my vet so I did it and my pony made a full recovery. Other liveries were telling me how cruel I was, stomach ulcers, and trying to sneak her extra hay when I wasn't there despite me putting up signs! I'm sorry but if you think you know more than my vet than off you go to university, get your vet degree, publish some groundbreaking research on laminitis and when you show it to me I will be really interested to hear what you have to say. Until then, my horse is sick and this is quite hard enough. Either support me or go away.
 
The worst thing i've heard is shut your horse in the stable , top door as well if it has separation anxiety , so it'll get used to being alone, safely , whilst you ride your other horse .....just cruel and ignorant .. sometimes people say that old horse methods are the best , but some seem barbaric to me.
 
Oh my word that's a list!!

Nothing immediately springs to mind, apart from the occasion I was told to turn my horse with a bad stifle injury in with a new herd on a very hilly and waterlogged field...

Not impressed!!!

I generally just nod and smile and then do my own thing- no point in fighting, people never listen (my age doesn't help though I think- because I'm in my twenties, of course I can't know anything ;))

The leaving wounds open one is quite dangerous- as well as te obvious infection risk, there's a possible link between flies, wounds and the transmition of sarcoids, so I'm always super careful now!!
 
lexiedhb said:
Oh theres loads!!! Many stem from what would have happened 100 years ago.... horsemanship as with everything moves on, but some who have been doing horses since they could stand up don't...... same with everything really

What exactly are you supposed to pierce a windgall with?
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No idea! at this one i cringed and told them to shut up as im known to be slightly wimpish about such things!

I am also at work told to pick off ALL scabs?? surely the scab is to protect healing skin? I thought that nowadays even mud fever scabs are not to be picked?

I may be wrong myself on that one but i never pick off injury scabs and they heal fine?
 
The worst so far is from several vets, including AHT at Newmarket, that a mare's nappy behaviour and refusal to go forwards was behavioural even though her owner and myself knew she was in pain. A year and several investigations later (all paid for by the owner as insurance wouldn't pay as vets said no physical problem) she was found to have severe gastric ulcers and bone spavin.
 
Depends on the definition of knowledgeable. Just because someone's been around horses for years does not mean they understand what they're talking about. I've come across a number of 'middle aged' ladies, who've owned horses and ponies for decades, yet you'd think they were new to it, with the amount of nonsensical rubbish they talk and practice.
 
paddy irish said:
The worst thing i've heard is shut your horse in the stable , top door as well if it has separation anxiety , so it'll get used to being alone, safely , whilst you ride your other horse .....just cruel and ignorant .. sometimes people say that old horse methods are the best , but some seem barbaric to me.
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hmm, as an alternative to something literally breaking its neck trying to jump out, though, i think that's better.
i had a youngster with ridiculous separation anxiety. i had to put a board across her top door for quite a while. she survived it and now happily copes with being the only horse 'in'... she would definitely have tried to jump out before, and over a 4'3" stable door, i don't think she'd have made it...
sometimes these 'cruel' things are done to protect the horse from itself.
 
Oh yes I've plenty of rubbish like this. The thing is, that situations differ. My old horse seems to have a tendancy for any tiny little wound getting infected. It will be the smallest little nick,and you can clean it and put cream on, or leave it alone, but whatever you do, it will get a scab, look like its healing over and then a week or so later, swelling and pus. So now I don;t let the scab stay on as it seems to trap infection underneath. I have to say though I don't take any notice of my other horses little nicks, it just the old boy.

I was told off for riding my Tb without giving him any breakfast - as in on a saturday I would get to the yard at 8am and tack up and go, and was told off by some knowledgeable people that it wasn;t fair to ride him without feeding him first. 1)he still has half a haynet in his stable, as he has ad lib hay and has been munching away all morning so he is hardly starving, and 2) he doesn't get breakfast....... and 3) I get there and ride and have him out in the field while the knowledgeables get there, take horse out of stable, muck out with it tied up outside, groom, faff, groom, faff and by the time their horse is in the field (still no breakfast....) mine has been there an hour!

I could go on but won't ;)
 
McNally said:
eg- I have been told my fat pony should be left in all day with no hay to loose weight then turned out over night to gorge himself as he's starving- I know this is not the correct thing and give him soaked hay instead.
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I was told to do this a few days ago, pony isnt fat but was told to do it to avoid laminitus. Was told it by my YM, apparently she does it with all the school ponies, as she is much more knowledagble than me I assumed she was correct! So I should give him soaked haylage instead? Hate people giving me bad advice I didn't ask for!
 
LOL!


Most horse owners do not know what they are talking about..

I pretty much ignore what people say unless they seem logical or are proven knowledgeable horse owners.
 
LOL, ive just been dyeing my hair thinking exactly the same thing after reading some articles on appaloosa breeding and characteristics.

A freinds ''knowledgeable'' girlfriend who has owned horses for years and worked at a race yard told me that;

Barefooting is cruel because most breeds of horses feet sink into their heel and have to be PTS.

that Appaloosas are; hotheaded, psychos, bad doers, complete vet cases, prone to colic, scatty, have terrible teeth, prone to back problems, have awful feet, are the results of bad breeding lines, not actually a breed but a type, terrible youngsters... on and on with a breed assasination of them...

AND that if i wanted a horse to go for an ex racer instead... ???

It very nearly put me totally off getting pink, but then i did heaps of research, looked into her breeding (which is superb) read countless testimonies on character, spoke to people with appys and then spent time with pink myself.

Im glad to say she is totally wrong, and experts views are the total opposites of hers. i know shes a die hard racer fan but she must have a real issue with appys!!!
 
kerilli said:
hmm, as an alternative to something literally breaking its neck trying to jump out, though, i think that's better.
i had a youngster with ridiculous separation anxiety. i had to put a board across her top door for quite a while. she survived it and now happily copes with being the only horse 'in'... she would definitely have tried to jump out before, and over a 4'3" stable door, i don't think she'd have made it...
sometimes these 'cruel' things are done to protect the horse from itself.
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Agree with this actually! I had to tie lead ropes across my horses door when we stayed away at the BRC horse trials when my sister took her horse for xc, otherwise mine would have been through the stable door (as getting his head over would allow him to put his weight into it).

Can't think of any others at the moment, but I must have loads - there was one on here the other day about cow parsley being poisonous though :)
 
An old one I was told amongst others is if your horse is fidgety and uptight, give him a jolly good gallop to get rid of the energy!!!!! I think not!!

Also if a saddle doesn't fit, stick a few numnahs underneath to pad it out. They are the only ones I can think of at the moment
 
The worst pactice, that i have seen was a girl with her AH pony club so not old and should know better convince a BHSAI who also should of know better that in order to get a fat horse thin one needed to ensure he couldn't eat for 16 hours a day! :eek:I told them both what i thought nicely :)and was told to shut up as i was cruel as muzzling which is how control weight worse:eek:
I left the yard as it just disgusted me and thinking of that poor horse, who was in full work starving every night just makes me so cross and angry and sad. :(
 
kerilli said:
hmm, as an alternative to something literally breaking its neck trying to jump out, though, i think that's better.
i had a youngster with ridiculous separation anxiety. i had to put a board across her top door for quite a while. she survived it and now happily copes with being the only horse 'in'... she would definitely have tried to jump out before, and over a 4'3" stable door, i don't think she'd have made it...
sometimes these 'cruel' things are done to protect the horse from itself.
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100% AGREE with this!! some people are just too ignorant to understand that sometimes what is being suggested is the safest option for all involved.
 
To be fair, when mine are fit and we haven't galloped for a while, they do need a good gallop to make us both feel better!!! :D :D

I don't mean the out of control kind though, and not just because the horses are naughty- sometimes you just need to get it out of your system :)
 
My horse is out with an open cut with sudocreme on. She is AB's but is definitely out.

Vets advice too.

The ones which amaze me are that I still hear white hooves are weaker than dark and that stable vices are catching. Don't know why they persist but I get them quite often from people who are 'knowledgeable'
 
jesstickle said:
My horse is out with an open cut with sudocreme on. She is AB's but is definitely out.

Vets advice too.

The ones which amaze me are that I still hear white hooves are weaker than dark and that stable vices are catching. Don't know why they persist but I get them quite often from people who are 'knowledgeable'
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haha, ive heard the white hooves one. and the vices one.

The mare in with pink has come into season and the other horse, a late gelding keeps bothering her so she has started to weave, and my OH was like ''well cant they stop her, it'll teach yours bad habits''!!!
 
This is why i don't miss being on a big yard. The amount of rubbish i've heard spouted from self proclaimed 'experts' is beyond a joke. Thankfully none of it was ever (or hardly ever) directed towards me as i made it perfectly clear if i wanted someone's opinion on something i would ask, otherwise leave me to look after my horses please :p I'm so greatful to be on a nice, small-ish yard now where no-one offers useless advice and keeps out of other peoples business unless asked. It's lovely :D


ThePinkPony said:
that Appaloosas are; hotheaded, psychos, bad doers, complete vet cases, prone to colic, scatty, have terrible teeth, prone to back problems, have awful feet, are the results of bad breeding lines, not actually a breed but a type, terrible youngsters... on and on with a breed assasination of them...
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I'm so glad you didn't listen to her, my part bred appy has been the most wonderful girl i've ever had. The only thing in the above list that could relate to her is the one about the vets- she is an accident prone madam but i'm pretty sure thats nothing to do with her breed. (but i am biased :p )
 
Blaise said:
I'm so glad you didn't listen to her, my part bred appy has been the most wonderful girl i've ever had. The only thing in the above list that could relate to her is the one about the vets- she is an accident prone madam but i'm pretty sure thats nothing to do with her breed. (but i am biased :p )
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So am I. Pink is 1/2 appaloosa 1/2 morgan X AngloArab and the sweetest thing you have ever met. She is incredibly smart but its like she wants you to know what she wants and not get cross, and is a sucker for praise and cuddles. touchwood she isnt too acc prone as she seems very careful, She wants to look where we are going and loves human company all the time.

Shes got a couple of issues but they are all easily solved :D
 
"Expert " advice I have been given:

Turn out is overrated because all the horses do is stand around. :rolleyes:

If you catch your horse with a carrot, it won't respect you as the alpha. Cue scene of "expert" Monty Roberts wannabe chasing horses all around the field with a lead rope to get them to yield to her awesome alpha status while I quietly fetch my horse in with a carrot. I guess I was doing it wrong! :D

You have to feed your horse EXACTLY what the feed company tells you, no less, even if you have a native good doer who gets fat if it even looks at its feed bowl.

And Welsh Section Ds are the devil's own ponies and should never be ridden by a novice. But non-Welsh cobs are apparently always angelic and bombproof saints who can be effortlessly be ridden by grannies and beginners.
 
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