What did your horse already know?

Shantara

Shantara

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When it came to you?

Ned knew very little, but there is something he's always done that I certainly didn't teach him.

If I take my feet out of the stirrups, he'll just stop! It's very handy sometimes!


So, what did your horse already know and what have you taught it? :)
 
My old boy knew everything, and then a little more :D He'd got to a grand old age of 21 by the time I got him, where he'd evented, hunted and done all PC stuff to way higher levels than I ever would. He had a perfect 'retirement' ignoring me as we rocketed about.
 
My 12 yr old mare knew everything, she is a dream to ride.
She also knew that humans with headcollars do not move as quick as her when summer grass needs her attention.

I think I taught her that I was worthy of being given the benefit of doubt. That I really wanted to make her sore feet, mouth and back better. From being an explosive and fire breathing, unpredictable horse, she is now a lamb for farrier, dentist and everyone else.

My gelding knew absolutely nothing at 3 yrs, except how to be a horse. Never been stabled or much else. He has been a delight, with a no problem attitude to pretty much everything.
 
My horse knew how to run away with his rider. I've taught him to emergency stop to a firm tap on the side of his shoulder. I've also taught him to stop to a low 'brrrrr'. It was quite dangerous before as he wouldn't listen to seat or hands. Once the emergency stops and deceleration were put in place I could go back to basics on the normal stuff.
 
Pie knew how to gallop.... Very fast. But not how to stop. He also knew how to bite....
We have learned pretty much everything together through many many lessons. By everything I mean basic walk, trot, canter, jumping etc, he knew absolutely nothing about schoolwork when I got him and I was certainly not equipped to deal with a horse like him! Still, he's come good and I've learned a lot. Oh and he does kisses now rather than biting.
 
Our 2 knew very little when we got them & so everything they know now we have taught to them. They were bred to jump & they could do this, rather clumsily, but we could see the potential. Over the years they have done well show jumping & have also done well in the occasional outing to do dressage. We are jumpers who really ackowledge the value of flatwork & so do alot of it. This has improved the horses show jumping & as previously said they have been placed in dressage competitions, which we use as a measure of how their flatwork is progressing. :)
 
Chan, my first pony would do the same as ned, as soon as feet came out stirrups he stopped !! I put this down to him being x riding school and a kid losing stirrups probably meant they were going to fall!!

My current boy knew how to buck. . ...........!
 
Mine stops when I take my feet out of the stirrups to stop. She hasn't been taught this as I've done everything more. I put it down to change of though and change of posture/muscular signals. I can ride with no stirrups fine, but as soon as I take them out at "the end" she'll stop. I had to really focus on what I was doing with my body to begin with so now she knows the difference, or rather I 'm doing it differntly, to ride without stirrups, or stop.
 
absolutely nothing! :lol: well... besides being a well mannered young horse or his mum or one of the 2 other older horses would come and get him! Having been the only gelding in a field of mares for his entire life he knows to respect the ladies ... geldings on the other hand he will happily boss- won't let them near the mares!

handling wise he hadn't had a head collar on for 4 years (since he was a yearling) so these were things to snort at and run away from :lol:
 
CM - was a normal green riding horse (had never jumped though) but solid in-hand.

GM - bought as a weanling, so she was good having a headcollar on/off, lead in-hand (although I did have to teach her that rearing wasn't OK), could touch her everywhere and pick her hooves out.

CG - similar to the grey he was a yearling when I bought him (except without the rearing blip), plus he knew about being tied up and had been stabled at night - so knew about being stabled.
 
Frolic was 10 when I got him last year so knows everything I need him to. The only thing I guess I've taught him is that's it's ok when he's nervous and not to worry. He couldn't be clipped without sedation but he was last year with the help of a lovely patient lady.

Chester was 5. Bought him off my local hunt where he was the whips horse. So he knew hunting and was already brave with a great jump. They'd taken him round a xc course and he'd been and done a spot of show jumping with the masters daughter. So he pretty much knew what he was doing too. Plus he's so brave that anything new doesn't phase him in anyway.
 
Breeze was 15 months old when I brought her home, she knew how to tie up, how to lead, had seen some traffic and knew that a head collar meant beggar off as fast As you an! I baked her myself, and I swear she's an old soul in a young body , I've never clicked with a horse since the horseiahd as a teenager,mi often call breeze Mandy as that was my old girls name...... So alike but breeze hasn't had the abuse and poor start to life like y old girl did. Breeze has her old stable, where there ae still chalk marks from 4 am starts with Mandy to tan etc and my name signed above hers on the wall.

Breeze seems to know everything when I hack her , she also knows if my kids are having a sit on board to just stand still looking pretty....
 
Chloe was 11 when I got her, she knew little about jumping as all she'd really done with her owner was showing. Jumping with Chloe was "How fast and how high", she loves jumping and still gets so excited but now she's more controlled and is more inclined to stay with you. However as she'd done a lot of flat/schooling and will work in an outline, dressage has come quite naturally to her, she's also a major show off so "presence" isnt an issue! :D

Amber had done very little riding wise when we got her as she was only just turned 5, however she had manners and is a dream to handle, over the last 18 months, she has gone from strength to strength turning her hoof to dressage, show jumping and eventing! :)

Chan, I'm liking your seasonal/festive avatar! :)
 
My cob learnt everything that resulted him getting out of work or open any field stable or any gate that would result in him filling his face with any type of food including meat filled sandwhiches.
 
I ordered my mare to cook the youngster so that one was born here the others including the mum all came to me as almost unhandled yougsters. Mum was the best one she had had some very good groundwork when she came and had been bitted to show
 
Mine knows dressage to medium level whereas am still only at prelim. She won't do it for me, but rewards me with the correct move if I ask for it correctly! She does jump but no better than me so we've stuck together on that. She has hacked everywhere which is quite apparent and used to do shows galore which was not so apparent as I spent a year of pain trying to load her into a trailer in under 15 mins. Now she loads straight away, so think she was testing me a bit there! She is a Wiley old cow when she wants!!! But I love her to bits!
 
My mare knows to take off in flat out gallop as soon as her hooves touch any form of grass :rolleyes3: This is work in progress as it's not a particularly safe habit!
She also knows how to undo all gates, doors, ropes etc. Sadly she's been out of work this year due to various injuries / vet investigations so I haven't got to do anything very exciting with her yet as before her first injury we were just re-schooling and getting to know each other. I did take her to a fun ride where although she was like an unexploded bomb to ride, she amazed me with her technique and how incredibly bold she was over the big solid jumps so I think she will be wonderful to take cross country-ing if she ever gets better.

My first pony (who we still have) is very clever, he knew far too much when we got him, he was an ex-circus pony and has all sorts of crafty tricks hidden up his sleeve which he regularly uses to his advantage. He's in his late teens and gets naughtier by the day!

Third horse was very young when we got him and we taught him everything really - all he'd done was hunt.
 
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