What’s the cheekiest thing your horse does?

[spotty_pony]

After a conversation I had today I thought this would be a good thread topic. So what cheeky bordering on naughty things do your horses do?

My boy is TERRIBLE for biting pockets - whatever is in there he will bite it (phone etc!) and he takes treats out himself whilst saying please with a front leg. ? ? Putting rugs on is a nightmare - he is not biting him nastily, just because he wants food.

I’ve had him for 16 years and unfortunately encouraged it as a child because I found it funny so totally my fault and at 22 I can’t really start correcting him now! I am the only one why handles him anyway so it’s not an issue really but I realise it is naughty and not to be encouraged.

What do yours do?

 

[pistolpete]

Mines not cheeky at all. Really shy always has been so when he does nuzzle me it’s a treat!

 

[planete]

I am afraid I am a very intolerant owner. No cheekiness allowed ever. I am a bit too long in the tooth to feel safe around cheeky horses. They are not even allowed to put any tension on a lead rope!

 

[PapaverFollis]

MrT likes zip toggles. You have to watch out. He also likes to remove wooly hats and play with the muck skep. He's generally very cheeky and playful.

The Beast demands treats as soon as she has finished work. Makes all kinda of mad whinny and whickering noises until she has been suitably rewarded for her endeavours.

Little Dragon will, if she gets the opportunity, do things to deliberately spook the other two. Like grab an out of use electric fence gate that was hanging in the barn and wave it at them. She also growls (no other way to describe the weird noise she makes) and stamps her feet of I do not put her dinner bucket in the right spot quickly enough. She also tries to drink the warm water I use to clean the feed buckets while I'm cleaning the feed buckets.

 

[Spotherisk]

When hacking Harley used to wait until a fizzy horse had just calmed down enough to walk and then throw in a couple of jog steps, just enough to blow their brains again!

 

[silv]

My lovely Arty will fiddle with anything within his reach, cannot leave rugs or ropes lying around, he will undo the gate of his yard and go for a wander and if able will let other horses out of their stables too, hence he has to be double locked. If I am working around him with a hat on ie Beanie or Baseball cap he will remove it and chuck it away so I put it on and the saga continues, here is lots of other stuff he does but these are the two that spring to mind. I love him to bits and love animals with huge personalities, he never oversteps the mark and is a big gentle giant.

 

[McFluff]

Mine loves zips. He’s actually polite about it, but it is really hard not to laugh when he unzips things. And he can unbolt his door. Oh, and if you leave his feedbucker in his stable, expect it to fly out at some point!

 

[Laurac13]

My boy used to like to grab your clothes in his younger years he would always put his teeth on my farriers t-shirt and pull it up ! I have a very holey blue t-shirt ? he’s grown out of it now ?

 

[DizzyDoughnut]

My old pony used to love zips and would do up/undo any zip and if I was ignoring him he would pull my sleeve, he was so cheeky but also so polite careful to never bite me or in anyway hurt me or overstep the mark.

 

[Peglo]

Not mine but my girls field mate. He is the stud of the field being the only gelding and about 11.2 (or something.. some stud!) he stops and looks at me and I can see his little brain scheming and he walks over and tries rubbing on me. Never his owner. Just me. Chasing him off I think is what he actually wants and the reason he does it to me as he knows he’ll get the reaction. He’s relentless. Also licks your hand and then sometimes does that weird wobbling his tongue thing on it. And of course unties the knot on his lead rope, bites zips and if it’s a good day pulls the zip up and down. He bites the other horses when they are down rolling too which i think is a cheap shot but very in character.

 

[PapaverFollis]

I did have one that no matter how much I tried to watch him would undo the farrier's chaps the second he got a chance.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Has been pretending to be spooked by his tail recently ?

 

[ArklePig]

If I have the cheek to give the mare next door a scratch, he looks me dead in the eye and rips his rugs off the rack outside his stable. If I have the cheek to ignore the two of them, she gives him a hand.

Other than that he is an angel so I have to admit it makes me laugh.

 

[Gloi]

When hacking on a narrow lane I often have to pull into the hedge and make him stand still to let a vehicle go past. He waits until the moment the vehicle is passing to grab a big mouthful of hedge, knowing I can't drag him away at that second. Damned opportunist.

 

[Sussexbythesea]

I’ve taught my ginger nut to wait patiently to be mounted when I’m out hacking by giving him a treat from my hand after I’ve mounted. He won’t move now until he’s had his treat. Makes him very safe to mount though. My old boy who gets hacked by my sharers with me has cottoned onto this and also wants a treat even though he hasn’t done anything. I can never say no as at 26yrs old he pretty much gets what he wants.

 

[atropa]

Oh god...funny cheeky a couple of mine will knock over mucking out tools if left nearby, pick up towels and throw them etc.
Seriously cheeky...mare 1 will nip out of the electric fence gate to be first in. Mare 2 is awful for trying to mug for treats if you have them, hangover from her being out on full loan. Mare 3 will have vertical fits of rearing as napping behaviour.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Oh and several horses at my yard hold their feed bowls on the stable door and eat it from that - and then chuck it over the door when finished!

 

[millikins]

My 10.3hh driving pony had lots of tricks. She'd check every gate latch or door to see if had been left undone, she'd let herself out of the yard and if she didn't get the desired reaction, *nooooo Trixie" turned round and came back in. She'd flick the kick bolt over if you were inside the stable and she was out, again there was the desired cry of "nooooo Trixie". If they had their water in a skip bucket she'd stand with her front legs in it. She freaked if shut in a stable so always had a chain across the opening, she'd hang a front leg over it, initially I'd rush to rescue her but it seemed to happen so often that one day I hid and watched her; when nobody appeared she quietly lifted her leg back and carried on eating her hay.
She was such fun, I miss her.

 

[Flame_]

My companion pony did a funny thing the other night. He's an odd character. It's like he should have been a really cheeky, boundary pushing little beggar, but he's suppressed it beneath mistrust, anxiety and some level of contempt for humans. He's a monkey with my arab as much as he can get away with but he doesn't dare try to wind up people as a rule, except sometimes it instinctively sneaks through and he forgets it might be a bad move.

Anyway, he got his knickers in quite a knot about all the fireworks and was hot and on high alert. I mostly left him alone just popping in to check him a couple of times. The second time I went in his box to skip him out, he set off to march around the box, which is standard for when he's stressed, but instead of walking around the box in a circuit (which I leave clear for him) like normal, he stomped straight up behind me, whacked me smack straight across the back of the head with his chin, looked me right in the face as if to say "do something about this bleeding stupid racket", then spun round and stomped back to the door. My arab is bossy but even he wouldn't try a move like that!

 

[Pippity]

I used clicker training to teach Blue to pick her feet up. Now, when she thinks she really and truly deserves a treat, she'll pick up all four feet in turn. This is funny in her stable, but less so during 'halt and immobility' at the end of a dressage test!

 

[Trinket12]

If I’m chatting and Sugar is in the cross ties, untacked and groomed I get a little harrumph and a paw of the ground to say “I’m done Mum, put me in my paddock!”.

Also when I first got her she was in a big field, I wanted her to come to me and would entice with a treat (she’s super food motivated, I think she was a lab in a previous life ?). Anyway, if she came to me then she got the treat. Fast forward to now and the new barn and when she’s turned out in the paddock, she still expects the treat even though she’s walked five steps ? heaven help me if she doesn’t get it (she doesn’t do anything really other than slobber on me).

 

[PurBee]

Sounds like plenty of us have cheeky beasties ?

Mine are cheeky with curiosity of general yard stuff. Theres no way i can have rugs hung over their doors, or their headcollars hung in their area…no brushes or tools….wheelbarrows…they take everything and play with it. All thats in their area are water troughs and haynets, absolutely nothing else would survive!

One winter i was doing a full stable bed clear-out, got hot so took off my winter work cashmere jumper, threw it over the dividing wall in their barn, and forgot to fetch it once i was done. That night, sudden rememberence hit me, eyes wide i ran out there to find it mixed into the fresh bed of shavings, stomped on….i was distraught ?

My gelding weaves himself through electric fencing to get to hedgerow goodies. Despite having the fence on super-zap most of the time, i turn it off when im doing yard duties - and sometimes forget for an hour to turn it back on. He knows the ‘down time’ of the fencing and thats the opportunity to fence weave for snacks! The other day after doing their feet, i went in for a cuppa, went back out to put on fence only to find him amidst the fence, looking guilty. He stood still like a statue, faking innocence with fence posts pulled up around him!

 

[J&S]

My ponies are generally really good and respectful, but the old mare can be so quick to see if the gate of the yard is left open for any reason and is out eating round the vegetable patch in seconds. She also has a huge obsession for toast and marmalade. (I tend to race out in the mornings as I am always late to meet my hacking firend!)

 

[southerncomfort]

Not my ponies, but when I used to work at a stud I used to have to go in the yearling colts field to top up water etc.

The thing they loved most of all was playing Grandma's footsteps. So I'd be walking across the field and have a vague feeling I was being followed. I'd turn round and 2 naughty little colts (they were welsh mountain ponies) would be right behind me. If I took a step towards them they'd run off but the minute I continued walking towards the trough they were back creeping up behind me. They were hilarious!

 

[TwyfordM]

If the doors unlocked, she pushes it open with her nose and just stands there looking at you for a reaction ? doesn’t attempt to escape though.
Any hint of a treat and she goes through a performance of tricks I’ve taught her. Getting increasingly more dramatic (think big Spanish walk ??‍?) then stops, looks at you as if to say - earnt myself a treat right?

If she’s bored, anything in grabbing distance will be launched

 

[HorseLover5810]

Stan will take any opportunity to escape his stable, including jumping over wheelbarrows in the doorway when he’s being mucked out!

When he wants turnout, he’ll rear up over the stable door and whinny ??

 

[smolmaus]

I used clicker training to teach Blue to pick her feet up. Now, when she thinks she really and truly deserves a treat, she'll pick up all four feet in turn. This is funny in her stable, but less so during 'halt and immobility' at the end of a dressage test!

I've only had Sadie a week and a half but she has already learned that carrot stretches are the only reliable way to get treats off me, she had herself tied in a pretzel last night when I was actually asking for her to move her quarters. "I'm doing the thing so good, GIVE TREAT"

There is a very cheeky boy at the rescue who has a special scratchy spot on the inside of his hind leg and he WILL swing his ass right into you and knock you over to ask for scratches please. I have to explain to all the new volunteers that he is NOT swinging his bum at you to be aggressive-rude, he is just being idiot-rude. He also has the attention span of a challenged gnat and if you tie him anywhere he will grab anything within stretching distance and throw it (or just pretend he is going to bite you). I love him very much, he is my favourite.

 

[Mosh]

Angel is pretty chilled but the tack/feed room is literally 2 feet away. If you come out with a banana and aren't paying attention and it's in reach she will just take it. Isn't remotely sorry.

She always sighs at an appropriate moment. Such as when you are talking about her cushings and always being on a diet she'll sigh and practically roll her eyes. Every time

 

[Peglo]

I've only had Sadie a week and a half but she has already learned that carrot stretches are the only reliable way to get treats off me, she had herself tied in a pretzel last night when I was actually asking for her to move her quarters. "I'm doing the thing so good, GIVE TREAT"

There is a very cheeky boy at the rescue who has a special scratchy spot on the inside of his hind leg and he WILL swing his ass right into you and knock you over to ask for scratches please. I have to explain to all the new volunteers that he is NOT swinging his bum at you to be aggressive-rude, he is just being idiot-rude. He also has the attention span of a challenged gnat and if you tie him anywhere he will grab anything within stretching distance and throw it (or just pretend he is going to bite you). I love him very much, he is my favourite.

new girl started doing the bum swing but if you walked away she’d keep backing into you for a tail scratch. Luckily she’s pretty switched on so I only rewarded her with a scratch if she’d stand still and she is less aggressive with her request now ?Same can’t be said for old haffie who stands on your pooper scooper, knocks into you, neighs at you in annoyance, has knocked my full wheelbarrow over and will not give up until I scratch her. And also has to be in the right spot! Her manners have all but gone in her old age and she has decided she doesn’t need a head collar on anymore and is more than capable of taking herself in.

 

[Apercrumbie]

I have a shetland, so as you might imagine there are many examples....
You can't put anything on the floor in his field, as he will pick it up and then run around wanting to be chased. If you don't chase him, he will run circles around you, then slowly walk up behind you and nudge you on the bum. Obviously I have never chased him (not a good game to teach a horse I think) but I think others have in the past and he finds it funny. He is basically a big dog.

I discovered one thing he does last year which had me in stitches. Over the years I've managed to train him to be a well behaved little pony in the vast majority of circumstances. He knows that he must lead nicely without pulling on the leadrope. He knows he has to turn around and wait politely for me while I do the gate and not pull on my hands. What I didn't realise is that when he is really excited, he still sticks to the rules but still expresses "enthusiasm". He was particularly eager to go out one morning, but he remained polite (or so I thought) while leading and let me fiddle with the gate as usual. A passing lady exclaimed "he's rearing!" so I turned around and there he was, gently on his back legs. He hadn't so much as tugged on the leadrope so I just hadn't noticed him doing it! I've since occasionally spotted him doing it out of the corner of my eye, then I turn around and he's a little lamb again. I will now correct him, but it's not behaviour that actually worries me (ie. he's not striking out or being aggressive)