What does 'sharp' mean to you?

MotherOfChickens said:
I don't like shut down horses either-I like them to be forward. I guess its just where the cut off is.
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Lovely forward horses are made, IMO. They are confident but still full of fun. OH's Charlie Horse was one of those. He could buck his way round a collecting ring yet it was hilarious. He knew exactly what he was doing, would never put anyone in danger. If the rider shook a little bit loose he would stop and put his angelic look on. If the collecting ring was busy he would wear his angel face and be foot perfect too.

A sharp horse does not look round before they do what they do. As I said above, they don't think then do, they do it before they or I know what they will do. A sharp horse could knock into another horse, albeit not intentionally.

A sharp horse can become just fun with time/training/care. I think often sharp horses have some low grade pain (saddle fit, joints, ulcers etc) or are not confident with the rider/handler.

My wonderful Jay horse was very sharp when he came. He was very reliable after 6 months or so.

I too list myself as one who would not take on a sharp horse now I am older and creaky!
 
Red-1 said:
A sharp horse does not look round before they do what they do. As I said above, they don't think then do, they do it before they or I know what they will do. A sharp horse could knock into another horse, albeit not intentionally.
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I think this is a salient point - bad sharp (as opposed to responsive, sharp off the aids), is a horse who reacts fast, without really thinking, even if there's something in the way. The sort of horse who, out hacking, you worry as much about collateral damage as you do about falling off / the horse being hurt.

I don't like shut down and unresponsive either - I often think novice / nervous types are encouraged to mistake these horses for "safe" which they really aren't.
 
JFTD said:
I don't like shut down and unresponsive either - I often think novice / nervous types are encouraged to mistake these horses for "safe" which they really aren't.
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Exactly... or what I would call numb. Very hard to ride actually.

I think good sharp is sensitive and reactive.... loke most competition horses, especially top show jumpers and dressage horses hover it can spill over to bad sharp with over reaxtive and explosive which isnt so fun!
 
I would define as sensitive and responsive and potentially reactive / explosive depending on situation. My Welsh D can be sharp in that he's the sort of horse a professional (no idea what sort would want a 14.3 pony who is higher maintenance than most international competition horses but there you go) would have hours of fun with as if you're as sensitive as he is and your timing is spot on he can be feather light to handle / ride and he can pick up on tiny cues (he also gets worried / confused if you DON'T ask him properly or if your timing is a bit lacking which can lead to explosions). Sadly I am not nearly as talented as he is so he spends most of his life waiting for my brain to catch up! He is also quite reactive / spooky with it (he is very brave about some things and then totally loses the plot over others) but I wouldn't say the two always go hand in hand.
 
sharp to me, is a hyper reactive horse, in many riders hands this is a very bad thing but sharp horses with the right riders will make fantastic competition horses as they are lightning quick to react but it generally in my experience makes them liable to spook if not ridden very sympathetically and positively and even then a spook aint out of the question... imho if you cant sit a dramatic spook don't ride a sharp horse!
 
JFTD said:
I think this is a salient point - bad sharp (as opposed to responsive, sharp off the aids), is a horse who reacts fast, without really thinking, even if there's something in the way. The sort of horse who, out hacking, you worry as much about collateral damage as you do about falling off / the horse being hurt.

I don't like shut down and unresponsive either - I often think novice / nervous types are encouraged to mistake these horses for "safe" which they really aren't.
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Well I've got one who is both bad sharp and also numb :D we have, on occasions, collided with other horses when doing 180 degree turns for no apparent reason, yet the following day I've had a job to get her out of kickalong mode.

She's learning to be forward in a good sharp way :p I think mine is the product of poor experiences as a young horse.

In the last 4 or 5 years I've really had my eyes opened to the power of utterly unfailingly consistent training. I have had a bad-sharp horse come good, and a nappy backward one turn forward and good-sharp, so I'm quite positive about my oddball turning into a nice horse before too long :)
 
I don't think sharp is necessarily hyper-reactive. Sharp horses act on an instruction instantly, which doesn't necessarily make them dangerous, but does mean you need to be on your toes. One of my driving ponies will stand there like a rock to be harnessed, but you know his ear is following you around the yard, and the moment he thinks you've taken the reins, he's ready to spring off. I need to be very careful to give him advance notice of turns and changes to keep fine-tune control and get the best out of him, otherwise I get what he thinks I mean, which might be halt to gallop, or 90 degree sharp right, when a gentle curve would do. :D
 
For me sharp=unpredictable. My old boy was very silly, ridiculously excitable and spent a lot of time on two legs (always in perfect balance - not one did I feel unsafe when he did this) because, if he wasn't allowed to go forward, that energy had to go somewhere. I would never have called him sharp though. He was totally bombroof (even after a pillock in a van drove into him) and the only time in 14 years he spooked with me (totally understandably!) was when a squirell jumped out of a hedge and landed on his neck. You knew what he was going to do 20 seconds before he did it.
 
I always thought of 'sharp' as a negative (unless you liked that unpredictability) but actually I would say my mare is quiet sharp to ride. She is super forward going and quick/ sharp off the leg because she is keen to get on and do a job. She has a work ethic I've not experienced before and this bundle of nervous, confident, intelligent, trusting, forward going energy that makes her a cracking ride but she is hard work because there is no let up, there is no lazy strolls out on the buckle or relaxed anything about her and that can be draining but i guess thats why i have my gelding where on the buckle is his thing and even after a gallop or a jump where he lights up he can go straight back to walking on the buckle without a care in the world. They really are polls apart :)
 
Sharp to me is sensitive and reactive.
This can be good sharp or bad sharp depending on the horse and situation!

I like sharp but safe horses. However if I saw a horse advertised as sharp I’d probably assume is was naughty sharp!
 
For me sharp is a good thing. I look for sharp. Sharp has a work ethic, wants to travel forward, learns to go off the leg and be in front of it. You still have your leg on but never have to kick. They are not unpredictable at all but may get their blood up in certain situations - galloping out/competing - and can need tactful riding and handling in those situations, usually leg and and let go forwards. They are willing partners always looking at what's in front of them or thinking about what's being asked. Smart, sometimes smarter and quicker thinking than their humans, and that's what causes trouble! You should still be able to let them down and walk on the buckle, though this is a skill they have to be taught I have found.

The idea of over reactive, spooky or dangerous is usually due to poor riding and handling of these horses, especially where they have been hung onto and encouraged to be backwards thinking. That's when they get spooky.

I have a 5yo homebred that I am backing, someone the other day commented that she is sharp, made me very happy!
 
Over reactive.

Sharp shouldn't be confused with forwards or even reactive. Sharp is an over reaction.

Both of mine are sharp but one is genuine with it and the other is not always so genuine with it.
 
I would class sharp as over reactive.

Not something I would consider going to see these days if I saw it in an advert.

Mine is forward going and responsive to the leg, can be a bit spooky but not what I consider sharp.
 
Sharp to me is over reactive as well, something that goes off a slight leg aid and is forward thinking is just that “forward”. I like forward, I don’t like sharp. This is why buying a horse is a mine field! Everyone has different definitions.
 
I'd class mine as sharp - like I said in another thread, if I cough and I'm riding him he'll shoot forwards, he'll do big sideways spooks at his own shadow etc.

Sharp to me isn't forward going, it's silly.
 
nikkimariet said:
Over reactive.

Sharp shouldn't be confused with forwards or even reactive. Sharp is an over reaction.

Both of mine are sharp but one is genuine with it and the other is not always so genuine with it.
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This. Nothing to do with forward going or not, even if most sharp horses are forward going, and certainly doesn't mean off the leg. In fact, I would describe the sharp horses that I have ridden as being extremely intolerant to the leg which is just as bad as ignoring it.
 
SpringArising said:
I'd class mine as sharp - like I said in another thread, if I cough and I'm riding him he'll shoot forwards, he'll do big sideways spooks at his own shadow etc.

Sharp to me isn't forward going, it's silly.
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yeah, both of mine will spook at each other blowing their noses :D The younger one fell over spooking at a pothole last week :rolleyes3:

Silly is the word for it.
 
The sort you sit on and p*** off from underneath you. Generally, when I see this on adverts it's the sort I avoid at all costs. There's definitely a difference between forward going and sharp.
 
scats said:
I class it as something switched on and reactive, and that can be both in a good and bad way.
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Exactly what I was going to say! I would describe my ISH as sharp - he's sensitive and bright as a button, learns quickly, and you don't have to push him for a response. On the flipside of that, he's easily bored and can over-react MASSIVELY if he's having one of those days.
 
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