What have you given up on with horses?

[Hippophilia]

My tb won't tie either, he just pulls back, snaps the twine and then scares himself and bu**ars off!! He's an exracer and very sharp so I reckon he'd been cross tied one too many times in the past! It's difficult isn't it! I did a couple of years ago manage to get him tying up and then I went away for a day, put him on full livery, the staff who knew him and knew he wasn't to be tied up (told them lots of times, wrote instructions!!) thought they'd be able to cure him and thought they knew better! They tied him up in a barn, then immediately got a hose pipe and turned it straight on at his legs, well he freaked,(they didn't tie him onto twine as they thought he wouldn't be able to escape that way?) and then he pulled the ring out of the wall and galloped off! What made me more angry was they knew he wasn't to have his legs washed by anyone other than me! He was blistered in racing so is funny about his legs also! He only trusts me to do things and that's taken 5 years to gain! He's a very funny chap!

Oh my goodness there are just so many things wrong with that picture! Not just tying a horse they were told repeatedly didn't, but tying it in a way that was guaranteed to freak him out when he pulled back and hosing a tied horse they didn't know 100%! Its lucky your poor boy wasn't injured.
I bought my girl from my coach and so knew all her little foibles really well. She's never raced and I have no idea where her phobia came from but it is here to stay. Apparently she would tie quiet as a lamb for months and then something would set her off. She stands super quiet in the stall for tacking up and grooming, so I guess the only downside is having someone to hold her for the farrier and at shows. Lucky I have a husband!

 

[OneInAMillion]

We don't even bother trying to hunt him anymore and we don't bother schooling at home, all he does at home is hacks and jumps and then you can pretty much guarantee a 70% dressage test from him

 

[hessy12]

Show jumping, because of DJD. Shame as I love it, but love my boy too much to risk it.

 

[cyberhorse]

Showing, after the last judge said "well it was nice for you to come along and provide the entertainment" the previous one said "there is no way I would even sit on that". Instead of concentrating on his show my 12yr old showjumper in his first showing season is still going in and prancing around wondering where all the fences have gone before trying to lock onto the five bar gate at the side of the ring. Still trying the workers though as the judges at least have something nice to say about his technique and OTT enthusiasm over the jumping phase!

 

[monkeybum13]

I've given up on dressage.

My scores would be pretty impressive if I was eventing, shame they're percentages not penalties!

 

[Saucisson]

I'm considering stopping doing a plait in my horse's forelock. He doesn't like plaits generally but he goes absolutely potty when I take the forelock plait out. He seems to think the shrivelled forelock is a flying, biting insect that's out to kill him.

Last time I took it out after a little comp and a judge walked past and said "maybe he has a wasp in his ear" - he didn't

When I do the plaiting he just gives me "looks". When I start undoing them he drops his nose to the floor and pushes me into a corner - thus "forcing" me to remove the evil things.

TBH, I don't even like plaiting, maybe it's better for both of us to go without

 

[Phoebe+Sophie]

With my little mare I have had to give up schooling. She refuses to move and we just end getting frusrated with each other. Theres no point at her age (20) to carry on, so school out hacking to keep her supple.

 

[SJcrazee]

Showing - I hate the way horses are expected to be so fat to get placed.

 

[FanyDuChamp]

With my little mare I have had to give up schooling. She refuses to move and we just end getting frusrated with each other. Theres no point at her age (20) to carry on, so school out hacking to keep her supple.

Glad I am not the only one with that problem!
Fany refuses to school as well. She hates it, plants her feet and won't move.
Still they are what they are and you have to work with that don't you?
FDC

 

[Phoebe+Sophie]

You have to when they are stubborn mares!

 

[FanyDuChamp]

You have to when they are stubborn mares!

She is stubborn and also very, very strong.
FDC

 

[Hullabaloo]

I'm considering stopping doing a plait in my horse's forelock. He doesn't like plaits generally but he goes absolutely potty when I take the forelock plait out. He seems to think the shrivelled forelock is a flying, biting insect that's out to kill him.

I gave up trying to plait my horse's forelock years ago. He hates anything around his ears and it just stresses both of us out so I don't bother any more. On the rare occassion I do get one in, I struggle to get him to let me take it out again!

The only other thing I don't do anymore is hunt him. He loves it, but is so badly behaved he frightens the life out of me. I've never been that bothered about hunting, so it doesn't matter that much to me. However, if he wouldn't hack or jump then I'd probably sell as that's what I really love doing and the reason I have a horse.

 

[miss_c]

Showing - I hate the way horses are expected to be so fat to get placed.

Not sure I'd agree with you on that one I'm afraid... I'm very very careful with Genie's weight and she does exceptionally well.


I have given up being quite so anal about sweeping my area of the yard - it still gets swept at least twice a day, but I was doing it a LOT more than that as everytime I swept it somebody would carry loose hay over it or something. I figured that at the rate I was sweeping there would either be no yard left to sweep or my broom would die!

 

[MaisieMooandCometToo]

I've given up on having a social life

With Comet we've given up on clipping him, it's a major pain in the ass as he is one of the few horses whose winter work warrants a full clip (and I have a sexy heavyweight that has been relegated to snow duties.) Ho hum, sweaty mammoths are fun!

With Maisie we've given up on trying to keep her clean overnight, she will poo on her white hocks bandaged or not! Her jumping looks like it could be a write off but she's still a work in progress at the moment.

I've also given up on explaining that having a horse that can plod for 3 hours doesn't equate to having a future endurance champion! Argh, it makes me cringe when I press the endurance filter on horsemart

 

[Victoria25]

Luckily nothing serious but I taught my arab whilst she was a baby to beg for treats … funny at the time but now at 11 whenever she wants something she still stands there with her leg in the air as if to say ‘just pop that carrot into my mouth’ haha yep, I’ve given up trying to stop her from doing it! Just too cute

 

[scrumpyjackles]

I've given up trying to get a decent score in a prelim dressage test!

I have a very talented Andalusian who unfortunately suffers from Attention Defecit Disorder when we go out to do stressage. He will easily do 1m SJ and x-country courses but as soon as we hit the dressage arena he whinnies all the time, bongs about like a pratt and generally wont allow me to ride him. He's awesome at home.

I'm lucky to scrape 50 and when we event, the lowest I've had so far has been 43. Shame when you can do double clears at 1m no problem. Stops us being competitive!

Any ideas

HAHAHA this made me laugh so much as it sounds JUST LIKE ME !!!!!!!!!

 

[maxapple]

I've more or less given up jumping my pony. He was affiliated in the past and as far as I understand out every single weekend - so has just been very over-jumped and has had enough. We're going to the odd clinic in the hope we will be able to 2'3 classes again happily at the odd show. We're focusing more on dressage and will look at doing some endurance instead next year.

I've also had to give up doing anything more than hacking on my horse after he fractured his leg last year - but we are just so happy to still have him and be able to still ride, that it doesn't matter at all.