What do you do as an owner that is slightly 'obsessive'..

Horse wise, not too bothered as long as they are happy on healthy.

Normally? I compulsively check that the hand brake is down every 5 minutes when driving....
 
Ginger_Nut said:
Wow binky your horses are immaculate! Good on you for keeping them that way
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Thanks!

However....I'm now sat here knowing the fact that the big grey is out in the field, no rug and now fully brown coloured :/ And fighting the urge to go and bath him. Right now. LOL.
 
Yard sweeping and stable door and yard gate and field gate checking....really quite OCD about it all :D Don't think it's an obsession as I think that involves choice and I'd rather not have to keep checking but can't seem to stop it!
 
Mine is the Canter mane and tail conditioner. Both of mine get groomed every day and attacked with the mane and and tail everyday. I get through bottles of the stuff but cant help it, i love silky manes and tails. My mate throttles me when it comes to plaiting up tho :D
 
So - between taking the weekend thread about what you do that others wouldn't approve of and this one, we seem to have both the extremes covered (sometimes by the same people..... humm..... interesting.....)

OK - I admit - I'm boring. I'm parked firmly between the two groups.

BUT it does seem to me that we all have one thing in common: our horses are the first thing on our minds in the morning and the last thing we think about at night. (Plus, if it's peeing down in the night and we've got the rug situation wrong, we think about them then too..... a lot! Lol)

And as long as we love them as much as we seem to do, then either end of the scale and all points in between are pretty much ok - don't you think?
 
OMG, I really am a total slob then. As long as my horses are happy, well fed, have regular turnout and work I dont really care. As long as their beds are clean and poo free I dont care about how flat they are, or how the banks are. As long as their water buckets are clean and their hay nets topped up, who cares. They bot get as much turnout as they want as yard offers 24/7 turnout, and they go out with mud on them regularly. I dont care what I wear, and as long as they have clean saddle cloths once a week, who gives a dam about the colour. One does not wear boots and the other wears any old pair that fit. Tack gets cleaned when it needs it, rugs get washed when they need to be, horses get groomed when needed. I work full time, have 2 nags and life is far to short to be OCD about things. I love my horses as much as the rest of you, I just dont get all this OCD stuff as the horses dont care and my horses are very happy. Get a life ladies, please, and I mean that really nicely.
 
My big obsessive is when I poo pick every bit has to be picked up. I liken it to us eating off a dirty plate, its just not nice.

Other than that, I am a pretty laid back person and whilst I try to adopt good horemanship practices I am not obsessive.

(Oh, I do like a nicely groomed mane and tail.)
 
Definatey the gate/stable door checking. It really gets me down and drive back to check sometimes.

And like another poster said, even tie the lead read round the gate on field.

Thought about putting some bright tape on the kick bolt so that I can 'see' the bolt is in the correct possession.

I do it at home too with the cooker knobs, just to check they are off. Hate being like it, but there you go...I have now got it off my chest!
 
TheoryX1 said:
OMG, I really am a total slob then. As long as my horses are happy, well fed, have regular turnout and work I dont really care. As long as their beds are clean and poo free I dont care about how flat they are, or how the banks are. As long as their water buckets are clean and their hay nets topped up, who cares. They bot get as much turnout as they want as yard offers 24/7 turnout, and they go out with mud on them regularly. I dont care what I wear, and as long as they have clean saddle cloths once a week, who gives a dam about the colour. One does not wear boots and the other wears any old pair that fit. Tack gets cleaned when it needs it, rugs get washed when they need to be, horses get groomed when needed. I work full time, have 2 nags and life is far to short to be OCD about things. I love my horses as much as the rest of you, I just dont get all this OCD stuff as the horses dont care and my horses are very happy. Get a life ladies, please, and I mean that really nicely.
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I'm with you on this one! Just reading this is tiring me out :-)

No point in getting my horse beautifully clean - he is a mud monster
No point in getting myself beautifully clean - the mud monster will get me too!
I often only have time to groom or ride, especially in winter. Exercise will benefit my horse more than grooming so that's what I do (plus I get to ride :-))
No point making his bed square and level - he will trash it in minutes
I have never bought my horse a watch and he cannot tell the time, so if I change our routine a bit he isn't bothered

I see most of the things I do e.g. turn out every day, feeding ad-lib hay, regular farrier visits, poo picking regularly as basic horse care not OCD. The only thing I might be a bit obsessive about is checking I've bolted his stable and locked the tack room.
 
I don't have my own, but with the Riding School horses. All straps have to be tucked in to their keepers, and each horse has to be in its head collar, not some one else's.
 
[The one thing I am obsessive about is worming and poo picking. I really do not get people who spend hours on their horses bed and then leave them in a field full of poo to pick up worms.]

I know what you mean...I poop pick every night, i don't understand how people can care so much about how their stables looking good but can let their fields fill up with poo?!!? People make excuses like "i don't have time" or "it will rot away" but they have time to stand around gossiping etc and as for rotting away...yes eventually but in the meantime it attracts flies, causes worms and the grass won't grow underneath it so you end up with bald patches...i want my horse to eat grass not poop.
If you did it every night or every other night you wouldn't have 5 barrow fulls at a weekend to do. It takes me 10 mins to go an pick up poop and there are 3 horses in my field...surely everyone can spare 10 mins?!!?
Don't even get me started bout people who don't Rag Pick!!!!
Yes my stable is clean, tidy and bedding has to be a curtain depth and the banks have to be the right height. My tack is clean and brushes/grooming kit has it's place. I even wash out my wheelbarrow after using it.
Some people call it OCD but i call it pride and the fact that i have worked hard to purchase these expensive items, so i look after them.
I groom my horse everyday as it helps me to bond with him but also gives me chance to check him over for lumps and bumps...that's not about being tidy or obsessive thats called looking after your horse.
Everyone should take a little pride in their own and their horses appearance and not be ashamed of it.
 
Cliqmo said:
*smiles and backs away from this Obsessive Compulsive Disorder conference*
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Hmm. Much as I'd like to be obsessive I'm afraid I have a full time job, a family and a million other things to do!

Fine if you work full time with horses or don't work at all!

Having said that I have to remove eye bogies
 
Im not particularly OCD at all, but thats not to say my horses arent healthy or happy or well turned out.

But a couple of things i can get a bit funny about:
- Warming up/Cooling off
- Hosing legs down after -every- ride
- Fly spray/ointment before riding.
- washing off sweat after a ride.
- checking my horses are locked in their stables properly before leaving the yard.
 
I work full time and have many other things to do but I make time for my horse and the jobs that need doing.
I agree that a little pride in what you do doesn't take anymore time and in the long run will save time.
If your horse is such a hinderance in your life then don't have one...pay to ride at a riding school when you can fit it into your busy lifestyles.
 
My horses turnout! My pony always has to be completely sparkling, a bit difficult considering he's a skewbald ;) no grass stains allowed on his socks! So we have special boots for winter turnout, and boots for in the stable.. My friends get annoyed when I insist on combing through every inch of his mane and tail and then washing his legs when we're only going out for a hack... ah well, at least he looks smart! :D
 
not too much - and they're not my horses but YO agrees on the same things :-)

leadrope clips must face back and I like leadropes rolled up
correctly fitting tack, and nosebands not tight (room to flex)
beds must be deep, with decent banks
clean water and ad lib haylage
turnout as much as possible

couldn't care less what myself or the horse looks like (well to a point!) as long as girth, saddle and bridle area are clean. I do prefer trimmed tails and pulled manes but only when time
 
I find it odd some people think what I consider to be basic horse care - eg poo picking, clean water, regular turnout etc - to be 'obsessive':confused:

I do find all the relentless whisker trimming and matching clothes a bit odd, mind you;)
 
hudsonw said:
I work full time and have many other things to do but I make time for my horse and the jobs that need doing.
I agree that a little pride in what you do doesn't take anymore time and in the long run will save time.
If your horse is such a hinderance in your life then don't have one...pay to ride at a riding school when you can fit it into your busy lifestyles.
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I think there is a difference between jobs that need doing and OCD though. My stable needs mucking out every day - I am happy to do it and to ensure my horse has a nice deep, clean bed. However, having to ensure it is completely level and square adds nothing to the quality of care of my horse.

Not that I've got a problem with people who want to have their beds level and square as long as they don't look down on my because I don't.
 
Agree with you completely Hullaballoo! If wearing matching stuff, keeping horses perfectly trimmed and polished, having spirit-level straight beds etc. keeps some owners happy then that is up to them. But if they start thinking it makes them some kind of superior horse-owner then they are delusional as the horse doesn't give a monkeys whether he is colour co-ordinated, has a whiskery chin or the banks of his bed is perfectly straight!
 
Im obsessive thinking about whether my horse is warm enough or if he is too warm! I hate leaving him for other people to bring in or turnout! I worry they will not look after him properly and he may have cut his legs and they wouldnt notice! I worry about him full stop as he is my pride and joy and would be devastated if anything happened to him! I was a mess when he ended up having colic surgery! Seeing him afterwards was heartbreaking waiting for him to have a poo! I supose im just obsessive in general! One more is feet picking he has to have his feet picked out twice a day!

I could go on but you would all thing I needed to be locked up! lol

Lizx
 
Bed has to be immaculately clean and perfectly level.
Dylan has to be groomed every day.
Clean tack! (I don't clean it every day, but if there's a mark on it it MUST be removed!)

Apart from that I'm just sort of ... practical.
 
I'm obsessive about correct tack, and either have to tack my own horse up or thoroughly check it over to the point it may be seen as offensive if someone else has done it. Although it does surprise me that some people think it's ok to put the girth up without pulling the girth sleeve straight to avoid creases etc.

I am also obsessive about washing off or at least a very good brush after a ride, i can't leave dried sweat on a horse to attract flies. But again, i see that as basic, it seems strange to me others don't.

I am also obsessive about tack fitting, and hate seeing any bumps, lumps, slight rubs, uneven hair etc. Unfortunately as i don't own my own and share, i have to deal with these apart from informing the owner. It makes me twitch though, really does bother me a lot.

I'm obsessed with feeding and weight too. I like to know as much as i can about what food does (same as tack) and feed accordingly. Again, since i share, i have to put up with whatever they are fed. To be honest it's not anything drastic, especially where i am now, but i have a dislike for 'mix'.

I'm not an obsessive poo picker though, i hate it! I do the worst of it, but if there's a few blobs left i'm not too fussed, it's a big enough field. So i guess i'm not perfect :D

And i used to spend about an hour mucking out one stable with my last share, there was never a spec of poo left in there. Doing 4/5 over winter when they were stabled all day cured me of that pretty quickly though :p
 
Personally I think it is a brilliant thing that you are that (as you call it) "obsessive". Though as far as I can see, it just means you care very much about your horses and take pride in them.

Obviously it has to be appreciated that most people do not have time to do this on a daily basis. But it is so good to know that our YO has the same OCD (as some would call it haha) about beds, feeds, grooming and general appearence of the horse and it's tack.

There are other mad people out there :)
 
HarrietLong said:
Personally I think it is a brilliant thing that you are that (as you call it) "obsessive". Though as far as I can see, it just means you care very much about your horses and take pride in them.

Obviously it has to be appreciated that most people do not have time to do this on a daily basis. But it is so good to know that our YO has the same OCD (as some would call it haha) about beds, feeds, grooming and general appearence of the horse and it's tack.

There are other mad people out there :)
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I don't have OCD - I still care very much about my horse and take pride in him.
Lets be clear - OCD behaviour is for the benefit of the owner to make them feel good. There is nothing wrong with that but many of the things people have listed add nothing to the wellbeing of the horse. It doesn't make them any better or worse an owner than many of the rest of us.
My horse receives a good standard of basic care - the fact that his bed isn't level, he's not colour co-ordinated and he's not groomed to within an inch of his life does not mean he is less well cared for. Anyone is welcome to come and see how well he looks - if they can find him under the mud!
 
Arabelle said:
I find it odd some people think what I consider to be basic horse care - eg poo picking, clean water, regular turnout etc - to be 'obsessive':confused:

I do find all the relentless whisker trimming and matching clothes a bit odd, mind you;)
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I've been on some yards where clean water, decent beds, and regular turnout are not the norm :(
 
Rowreach said:
Good grief, do any of you actually work with horses?:confused: I do an average of 10-12 horses by myself (with sporadic help from 2 small children and an unwilling OH).:D
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I do, and at one stage (working for an evil dictator of a woman!) I was doing 22, yes, TWENTY TWO boxes in the morning, and all my beds matched and were immaculate. Because my way of mucking out is the norm for me, I can muck out just as fast as most - my average if I'm not rushing is six straw boxes an hour, or nine shavings boxes an hour.
I'm lucky that people that I've worked for, and now my clients, really aprecciate my OCD on the yard.

To those of you saying that the horses don't give a monkey's...well, no they don't I'm sure, but my horses are an advert for both myself and my yard, and so I do like them to look a certain way, and all liveries to be hacked out in my yard colours - purple and black numnahs and exercise sheets. This is because I feel it gives such a good impression - immaculate beds, gleaming tack, smartly turned out people and horses etc. I'll never forget the first time I went to Houghton, we only took one horse that first year, but I saw a rider who had brought six. They looked incredible - their colours were maroon and gold, and all the horses had matching kit, as did their grooms. It looked so professional, and I'll never forget that sea of maroon and gold, and thinking how scruffy I felt in my jeans!

I worked for someone who had a stunning yard, but nobody ever believed that it was her business, solely due to the fact that she always looked such a mess - wearing jogging bottoms with holes in them, trainers, dirty hoodies etc. when running and representing a 5* showjumping livery yard.

I know I'm lucky in that I work with my horses and spend all day with them, but I managed to keep to the same standards when mucking out mine and 16 others before and after school whilst doing my GCSE's then my A levels. I don't even think about it now! Someone once said to me that my OCD would drive them bananas if it meant that I spent hours fiddling with everything, but because it takes me no longer than most people to do what I do, and I do it so neatly, it's fab!

I want people to know which yard my horses are from instantly - the lorry matches, all the numnahs, exercise sheets, travelling kit, headcollars and leadropes etc. but that is just because I think it looks so smart and professional.

Obsessive tendencies aren't for everyone, but I have to say I'm proud of mine. I love the feeling I get when I'm out on one of my horses - so proud to own them and lucky to have them, and the fact that they're gleaming just makes it better!
 
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