What have your horses taught you?

Firewell

Firewell

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I very much think that the horses we meet in our life have the biggest impact over the riders and horse people that we become. Even more so in some respects then trainers and other influential people. Mainly because the relationships that form between a horse and a rider is so individual and private, a horse can effect different people in different ways and because they can't speak it's almost like you share secrets?

Going back through your pasts what horses have you come across that have affected you as a horse person and rider and in what ways did they influence you, what did they teach you?

This is a thread to celebrate old equine friends and to remember them and maybe we can learn from each others experiences with different horses :)

You are not allowed to mention every horse you have met lol but the main ones who have shaped who you are today.

Here are mine :)

1. Lulee. 13.1 19yr old broodmare semi-wild and unbroken off the new forest and my first pony :). I could say lots about Lulee but the main things she taught me were how to stick on! She taught me how to deal with a bucker and a bolter. At 7 years old I learnt to always get back on if I fell off, even if it was the 3rd time that day. She confirmed to me that I really was pony mad as nothing she would do put me off and I loved her :).

2. Barbie. 12.2hh 21yr old welsh saint. After a couple years of falling off Lulee my parents realised it wasn't just a phase and made the wise decision to get me a nice pony. Barbie was the ultimate mothers dream and she taught me how to do my first course of jumps, my first dressage test and my first XC. Most importantly she taught me how to have fun and many happy years were spent riding bareback in a headcoller and doing all the things a child is meant to do with their pony.

3. Rosie. 15hh Heinz 57 17yr old, my first horse. Rosie was advertised as a 'not novice ride' she hadnt been broken in untill 9, was grumpy and stiff with a big saggy belly and an upside down neck. At 11yrs and moving off my 12.2 she was far to big for me but she was all there was available. It took us 2 hours to load her when we went to pick her up, wouldn't tolerate being shod and would try and kick your head in if you so much as thought about taking a hose of water to her feet/to wash her tail.
She was too big, too strong and she scared the beejesus out of me at first! However I clicked with this grumpy girl and she gave me the greatest gift a horse can bestow... Confidence. Together we were unstoppable and no first prize escaped our clutches. I was devastated when her stiff body couldn't keep up with our aspirations, I swear she could have been an fei event pony in another life. There are shreds of the confidence she gave me still with me today.

4. Herbie. 16yr old PBA 15.3hh. Herbie taught me to ride. He gave me the feel of what is was like to ride something with effortless talent. He could jump a 1m40 oxer off a handbrake turn with half a stride and make it feel like nothing. To jump he was like silk. However he would also dump you at a X pole if you didn't ride properly. He was a great leveller and you had to ride every fence wether it be a rustic 2ft xpole or a 1m20 with the same respect. He knew he was good and if you didn't match up you would find yourself sailing over the fence without him. He taught me to sit up and keep leg on, you did not want to be leaning forwards on Herb. He was incredible though and the rosettes from winning pony club champs at hickstead and the area eventing are pride of place on the wall 14 years later.

5. Vayamos. My first youngster and biggest challenge. She taught me to always give the benefit of doubt. If something isn't going right then don't blame the horses attitude but ask yourself why. More often then not it's down to a problem of some sorts and the horse is trying to tell us something is wrong. She also taught me to think laterally, if one way isn't working dont keep plodding on but try another way. She was an incredibly kind, brave horse and I miss her everyday.

6. Jae my current horse. Who knows what lies in store but he deserved a mention because I know he is and is going to be just as important if not more so then the others. He's my 'one' if you know what I mean!

Ok those are my most important horsie relationships, Ive had more but these are the cornerstones so to speak!

Tell us about your stars :)
 
Nice thread :)
My first horse at age 15 was a 5 year old recently imported russian trakhener chestnut mare! Not a great idea as a first horse but my god did she teach me to sit a buck. We never really got anywhere competitively due to ongoing lamenesses but 13 years later I still have her and owe her most of my confidence!
Then when I finished uni I got my little arab to fulfil some competitive aspirations. He taught me everything I know about schooling and jumping! He was so upside down and inflexible and I had never realised what a bad rider I actually was! But have had him 7 years now and the change in both of us is quite something - I'm still no expert by any stretch but we are pretty reliable up to about 90cm SJ and XC and beyond that its really his height and scope that hold us back!
And now I have Roo too - never throught I would find anything like J - he is and always will be my most influential horse of a lifetime - but thanks to all I have learnt from him and from Tia I am hopefully now not making a complete hash of bringing on what was really an accidental purchase of a seriously talented young horse, and I have hopes that he will be my horse of a lifetime in terms of reaching competitive levels that J just isn't built to to (being a 14.2hh croup high arab with essentially rather short legs and stride but a heart of gold, as opposed to a well bred 16.2 uphill built sports horse with bags of talent and scope to burn!)

Never could have coped with any of them without the one before if you see what I mean? Tia was a b*tch at times in her younger days so nothing J ever does ever worries me, but equally he is sharp and quick - in contrast roo feels like he gives you 28 days notice of a spook!
 
Great post! Sounds as if you've had some very interesting horses!
Umm, there have been lots, but the main ones are:
Orville - 4yr old ISH. My first real event horse. He went from baby to 2* CCI, sooo easily. He loved the game and found it all a real hoot (sometimes a bit too much, in the dressage!) He was incredibly brave xc, as well as clever and nimble as a cat, and gave me such confidence, he never looked at anything. He broke down after I ran him at a 3-day on hard ground, wish I never had. (That taught me to pay more attention to my gut instincts and less to what other people were telling me.) A brilliant little horse who had so much more to give. He was a headshaker and taught me how to cope with that, too. I had him till the end of his days, and even as an old boy he was a total mickey taker. He was very intelligent and taught me so much.
Doris, my wonderful flying grey. 6yr old ISH, bought when she'd only sj'd. Opinionated, freakishly scopey, silly-brave xc till the fences got big. As a novice I nicknamed her Mrs Murphy...! Impossibly tricky on the flat, for me and for my very talented trainers (she had a chronic atlas/axis problem so found it painful to give at the poll). She taught me that winning isn't everything, and that it's much better to be a little fish in a big pond! She also taught me exceptional tact on the flat, and that some horses, once they've done big stuff, will never be safe doing little stuff again - she was ridiculously arrogant and naughty round an Int once she'd done Adv. She taught me that with the right horse you can surprise yourself how far you can get, never to take anything for granted with a horse no matter how brilliant s/he is, and to cope with the huge rollercoaster that is horses, and eventing.
Twiggy - my first ever homebred. A very sweet, easy, trainable, but athletically limited chestnut mare. She was totally genuine and generous, and taught me never to ask too much of a willing horse. I'm proud of the fact that although the temptation was there (she was doing Ints so easily, they were a walk in the park for her), I didn't push her to do more than she was capable of, even though I was itching to do big stuff again. She just did not have an inch more scope, and at Adv, you need that extra. She taught me that I can train a horse from birth to be a totally rounded eventer, on my own, and that my dressage trainer's system absolutely works. She's still going strong as a super dressage schoolmistress. retiring her was hugely disappointing for me, but the right thing for her. so, another rollercoaster moment.
 
I haven't owned all of these horses but they have all been important in my life.

1. Bliss, 12.2hh NF pony. I part-loaned Bliss who is possibly the coolest pony a girl could wish for. He isn't particularly pretty (he still lives across the road from me) but he had a great jump and is a real confidence giver. He could also be a cheeky monkey when he wanted to but he was the pony that made me love riding again when I had lost confidence on a different pony

2. Jack, 13.2hh pony. Jack was a pony I rode and he taught me how to sit bucks and how to fall off from them! He had been a carthorse all his life and so didn't canter at all. It took a year of kicking to get a few strides out of them. Then he bucked......and bucked.......and kept bucking until you went flying.

3. Apple, 14.1hh Appaloosa - my first pony. Apple was my baby. She was rude, naughty and very opinionated but we still adored each other. She taught me to be very patient and how to jump. I have never felt a jump like it since and I recently rode a very talented and successful showjumper - he didn't compare. If I had had the time and money I would definitely have affiliated her but as I was a 12yr old who didn't really know what she was doing I stuck to unaffiliated. However, she had back problems which she hid for a long time. When the pain got too much she suddenly started stopping for no real reason and started rearing. Vertically. I'm not the most confident of riders so this really worried me. I also knew that something was wrong but unfortunately I was surrounded by PC instructors and YOs who told me to stop being silly and force her. Two months later I finally persuaded them that something was really wrong. The poor girl could barely move by then. This has taught me to stick with my gut feeling and to be more assertive. It then took over a year to stop her rearing at least 5 times a ride.

4. Mr T, 14.3hh Andalusian. This little horse taught me perseverance and cunning. He would do almost anything to get out of work and had separation anxiety. I spent over a year slowly getting him better - luckily I had help as for the first three months I really found him to be too much. By the time I sold him he was a brilliant hack and his schooling was coming on really well. In fact, if he had been two inches bigger I would have kept him as he was a real character and great fun to have around.

5. Byron, 15.2hh tbxwelsh. Byron is my forever horse. I actually can't think of anything else I love more on this earth. He is grumpy, hates strangers, constantly loses shoes, won't hack on his own, throws hissy fits when jumping and cantering in fields, is a complete wuss and a general idiot but I absolutely adore him and wouldn't change him for the world. Actually I would make him 10yrs younger (he is 22 this year) because it is getting harder to keep condition on him. He always makes me feel better when I'm sad and he has taught me dressage! This is quite an achievement on an ex-jumping addict. I now barely jump at all. He is so comfy and I always feel like he's looking after me, even when we're spending half of our time in ditches :rolleyes:.

6. Ted, 16hh Welsh Sec D. Ted is simply a bit awesome. He is a really funny horse and although is uber-fast when he wants to be, often decides that snail-pace is better. I have definitely learned how to kick with this horse. Another bucker, I have perfected my sitting-bucks technique and now don't fall off as much as I used to (touch wood) He has taught me to enjoy riding for riding's sake.

Sorry, longer than I intended but those are the most important ones :)
 
Joey taught me that horses break hearts. He was an amazing pony who gave me so much confidence. In a year I went from being a scared little girl to giggling as he did vertical rears out hunting, jumping anything that got in our way. He died a year to the day after I got him. Truly amazing little pony, who had a waiting list a mile long of children who wanted him after me. My mum came to get me from school the day it happened and I knew as soon as I saw her- which doesn't make any sense as he was a (very very!) fit 9yo pony who had never had a sick nor sorry day in his life.

Patrick taught me patience, determination and a little bit more about how much horses can hurt you. He was the Joey replacement, and was an ugly little coloured thing with awful conformation and a real attitude problem about jumping. Got eliminated at every competition we went to, until one day I lost my temper massively and when he stopped I smacked him very very hard. He bucked, so I hit him again. And we continued like this, in front of a 1' x-pole, until he didn't buck again. Turned him, and he popped it and didn't stop again. Until that point (and after) I never really hit him. We did an ODE shortly afterwards, and did a clear round SJ, and went clear XC bar an issue at the water which meant I was eliminated. But proudest moment of my life. He did both his back tendons out hunting (best hunting pony ever) and I had to hack him home, sobbing. He's now a happy hacker, and is pampered and loved by his loaner.

And Cheeky. Who taught me that riding is fun and that I CAN do it! I loaned him for 5 years, and in that time he gave me back so much confidence despite his mad, bad ways. He was unstoppable/ uncontrollable out hunting and so after 3 years of trying I gave up (because if he's getting stronger each year he gets older, you're fighting a losing battle!).He routinely pissed off with me doing dressage, or did his ministry of silly walks (he could walk with the inside hind and fore moving together, and the outside moving together, like a person would...) or pulled faces at the judges. He was unbeatable in a jump off, and bold as a lion XC. He made me laugh so much I cried, and made me cry so much all I could do was laugh. Truly, truly was the horse of a lifetime. This summer, he was retired, and then PTS. Which taught me to never ever ever take your horse for granted, and that with horses, the hardest thing to do is normally the right one. He was 27 when he was PTS and still acted like the naughty little 4yo he thought he was.
 
My Dad and I were talking about this the other day and saying that despite having no horsey experience, my Parents have done a good job (and been very lucky!) to find me the right horse at the right time. Each one has had their own faults, but came at a time I was equipped to deal with it.

1. My first pony, Bonnie. 11.2hh Welsh X Shetland. Threw me off and broke my shoulder the first time I rode her :D But went on to give me more confidence than any horse previously. I used to gallop and jump her in just a headcollar! She was a saint, just enough naughtyness to make you ride her properly, but tolerant enough to put up with a lot. I used to hack her alone (Mum and Dad following on foot), cross a main road and she never put a foot wrong!

2. My second pony, Trigger. 12.2hh of stunning black welsh pony! An absolute pet on the ground, but the most stubborn clever sod once you were on board. Taught me a lot about asking in the right way and sticking on when I asked in the wrong way! I used to cycle to the stable, so could never manage my saddle, riding him bareback really taught me how to stick on! :D

3. My first horse, Indie. 15.2hh TB. First horse I ever rode that had been properly schooled, so taught me the difference between riding and influencing the horse. Also taught me that horses go lame and plans don't always work out!

4. Henry. The most special one of all! 16.3hh Shire X. Bought to be a happy hacker, I had absolutely zero confidence and I think if he hadn't come along, I'd have given up riding. He taught me that having a horse with willingness and heart is more important than anything else. He taught me patience, that hard work pays off and that if a genuine horse says he can't do something there is usually a very good reason.

5. Mally. 16.2hh ISH. Even though I've only had her since December, she has taught me that perhaps I'm not as useless as I think! She is reinforcing that horses with nice temperaments are fun and that everyone should have one :D and that patience is the most important thing in life!
 
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:D :D :D
 
1st pony at age 9 (non-horsey parents!): 12.2 Exmoor = Devil Incarnate. Little heller, would buck for England, lost count of how many times he dumped me and p!ssed off with me. Should never have been sold to a child TBH - in the end had to go as I couldn't deal with him. Lessons learnt: don't trust dealers who say something is a "child's ride" & when experienced horsemen/women say something is dangerous, you better believe them!

2nd pony: 14.1 dapple grey. Went to see another horse, and he was, well, just there, sorta thing, you know how it is. Sat on him just to compare with other one and that was it, like sinking down into a lovely soft feather sofa. Bought him when I was 13 and he was 5 - everyone said it was a disaster waiting to happen. First pony club rally was a paperchase over the common; he behaved abysmally - but I couldn't admit defeat as I knew he'd be got rid of if I said anything, so stuck on (somehow!) using experienced gained with first pony. By the second pony club event we'd bonded - and he was a real treasure, a pony in a zillion zillion, every little girl's dream pony. You could be out hunting on him and all hell would be let loose, horses galloping past him in front, behind, whatever, and he'd just stand there resting a leg, totally chilled out. I told him all my teenage secrets, we went on lovely long rides together just him and me, what a treasure, what a friend, until one night he was in a field with a pony who was a breaker and this pony knocked the fence down and he fell down a bank into the road and chipped a bone in his hock. Probably they could have done something now; but not then. Rest in peace my little man, I know you'll still be waiting at the gate for me one day. You taught me to trust my horse, to get to know what's in his mind, to cultivate that wonderful bond of being with a powerful creature in wild remote places and to feel totally safe.

(break from horse ownership for 8 years), THEN along came a big bay gorgeous looking man who suddenly appeared in a friend's field; and "happened" to be for sale. The rest is history. After three glorious years he developed laminitis/early onset cushings, and, bless him, suffered so much towards the end. It was his dignity, love, and gentleness that I shall remember always. RIP my big boy, I still love you lots.

Current horse: had on winter loan from a trekking centre and couldn't bear to hand him back! The most challenging of all my horses so far. A complex guy; big and strong, but sensitive with it, and quite a lot of fears and phobias to deal with. Sweetie pie, you've taught me not to give up; to know that with horses there's ALWAYS an explanation and a reason; and to think around corners coz there will probably be a solution - and it might need a bit of thinking outside the box. Also I've learnt to ask for help rather than struggle on alone; and to trust my horse implicitly coz he knows where he's putting his feet better than I do in rough country; but the most important thing I think I've learnt is to ride the horse you've got not the one you've had before. Thank you for that my sweet man; and thank you for your patience in helping me to learn it.
 
crikey.... where do i start

started off aged 3 riding a selection of V ropey V green ponies, think my mum had the theory i'd be hook regardless & learn to ride them properly or get terrified whitless & save her lots of money... i'm still here :) :)

i got a super 14.2 when i was 12, & he gave me so much confidence... jumped my first 'proper' hedges on him, had some wonderful days hunting (really got me hooked) & took me from a very uncertain 12yo to a very brave 16yo! also gave me my 1st taste of proper eventing (PC novice area champs stuff)

then had a 'phase' of being V V stubourn & riding real dross, the kind of things no one else would even hold, most of my contemporary's were doing JRN etc & i was concentrating on getting my horse to trot! learnt how to sit on & cope with allsorts, so taught me alot about coping with different challenges! (during this time was lucky enough to ride my mum's hunter, who in his past life had been a YR event horse.... so i got to learn a lot of technique on him & although he wasn't up to the rigours of eventing anymore, he was a great schoolmaster)

then got really hooked on eventing, & produced a lovely 5yo to PC open level (as a 7yo)... he broke.... i learnt then that no matter how hard you work & how lovely your horse is, sometimes they just can't stand up to the work... tough lesson aged 18,

by then i'd bought & started to produce a 3yo, he was very quirky, very difficult & turned into a fantastic hunter & team chaser (had got hooked on that by this point) by this point i'd also got into Point to pointing, & all those horses taught me lots of different things in their own way (had a break from eventing after the big horse broke...) P2P & TC for the next 3-4 years... then one mare showed some talent for dressage so i reschooled her to got eventing, but after a really tough racing career she couldn't stand running on hard ground, so i sold her, but she reawakened my eventing aspirations!

that a) reawakened my eventing lust & b) got me into re-schooling racehorses, of which i've now done about 10, & although i'd love to P2P again, i've now got a super horse who i'm juggling around small children & aiming up the eventing ladder... he did his 1st season last year & fingers crossed for this year.... :D

but.... a lesson i learnt all those years ago (& has been reinforced a number of times since) is that horses break, drop dead, or get injured & may never realise the potential you think they have... so enjoy every minute, learn from every mistake you make & make sure they are well insured! ;)

too many horses have influenced me in little ways, but my 14.2 probably deserves the most credit, my current horse is probably the most sensible & straight forward i've ever had & without him, i wouldn't be able to do all that i do! so he deserves a special mention!
 
Pip, 12.2hh Welsh Section B.....taught me how to be a confident rider....
Murphy, 14.1hh?? TB X....taught me riding was fun....
Paddy, 14.2hh Connemara....taught me to use my strength and my brain at all times.....
Bruce 16.2hh ISH....taught me that riding is not always going to be easy....
 
in a nutshell, humilty, patience, and to pick myself up and carry on when the ***** hits the fan and that life with horses is an emotional roller coaster.

Also learnt that I have one hell of a temper when roused/upset/disappointed and how to control it (99.9% of the time).
 
to be patient
to be sad
to be disappointed
to be angry
to count to ten
to be economic with your money

to realise it doesn't matter how much work you put in it can still go wrong
but to be shocked with amazement when it goes right

to be proud
to love and be loved (OK mainly at tea time)
 
How to land well after being bucked off (according to my instructor today!) - apparently I tuck and roll instinctively, then get up and get back on :D

But other than that - hard to quantify - what trust really means in a horse/rider relationship? My Selle Francais schoolmaster was amazing, I did things with him I had only dreamed about, but little Bob (TB) has taught me how to ride rather than be a passenger.....:):):):)
 
Three main ones.

My first pony, Twiggy - 13.3hh 8yr old NF pony. An impulse buy and not a very wise one. I was 14, having mostly only ridden at a riding school with non horsey parents. He was my pony for the week on a riding holiday, but he was very green with some very bad habits - sensible enough to ride but not schooled at all and only ever really popped the odd single jump. The main problem was that he was really bargy and very cheeky, and for me being on a small private yard with nobody to help me, it very nearly put me completely off as he wouldn't even let me tack him up. Luckily I got a good instructor at this point who totally turned us around, and it really gave me the experience of training and dealing with a real horse and overcoming problems.

My loan horse, Jasper - a 15.3hh ex intermediate eventer - he completely changed my life. Up until I got him, I'd only really ridden RS ponies, Twiggy, who was very naughty, and a few youngsters and unschooled ex racehorses. I'd never really jumped bigger than about 3ft, and that was a struggle. Jasper was like a rolls royce in comparison, he was so well schooled. My instructor took me out xc schooling just after I got him, and we jumped round the 3ft6 open course - it was a total revelation to me how easy it was for him and how fun it could be. I did lots of competing with him, and he really taught me how to ride a bigger fence and a proper course - and it gave me the bug of competing which I'd never had before - it opened up a whole world I never even knew existed.

Finally, my project horse, Taz. 16.2hh tb, 10yr old. He was a total fruitloop when I got him - actually my YO rode him when I tried him out and he fell on her and put her in hospital. People thought I was mad to buy him and I was, but I just felt an instant connection with him. He'd been really abused and passed from home to home, and he was hyper sensitive - the slightest touch on the rein or squeeze with the leg and he'd be leaping about all over the place with his head in your face. He couldn't canter at all because he'd just tense up completely and constantly change legs and go disunited and leap about instead of going forward. He really taught me patience, and sensitivity, and problem solving - and showed me what a bond can do. In the end he could w/t/c in a lovely outline, and jump a course of fences, albeit in a rather kamikaze fashion.

Twiggy and Taz, and others like them are the horses who've made me the rider I am today, and given me the skills and experience of improving horses. Jasper was the horse who gave me confidence and showed me what I am capable of on the right horse.
 
the mare i used to ride taught me a lot!
what it was like to ride a proper horse, i thought i was quite good and even though i stuck on it kind of brought me back down to earth! she also i would say how to ride, she developed my seat, helped my leg position and also my hands. i went from just trying to pin the horses head in and she helped me with my feel and softness. she gave me plenty of experience too. from only competing at around 80cm to then 1.15 - 1.20. my flatwork improved endless amounts and my confidence cross country was stupid. i hate it with a passion but jumped a few 'large' fences at tweseldown and all of the biggest at boomerang.
i was so so so lucky to be able to have had the opportunity to ride her. though i think she almost instilled a false confidence in my ability too and she carried me through my B test, personally i don't think i was good enough to have passed.

the mare i have now has given me patience. she's ruined my riding as she's not exactly 'textbook' but she's a hell of a lot easier than i though she'd be. i've heard horror stories from when she was in my pony club several years before and i haven't seen any of that personality come out. i've seen how and i've seen why, but i don't understand why she'd be put in that position anyway. she's tense naturally and a worrier. if i lose my patience with her she's not nasty she's worrying. she takes time to relax and settle so she was given that time. she bounces and has a soft mouth yet was in a pelham/gag, but ridden right i've had her in a snaffle for a year and have taken her hunting and cross country in them. i just don't know. she's taught me patience. she's just started jumping again and is going better than ever.
 
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