Pictures What 'quirks' do you accept from your horse ?

[pastit]

Water buckets. My ex trotter hates you carrying them anywhere near him - flat ears, slitty eyes, the works Heaven help you if you have to carry a water bucket into his stable with him in it. He flounces about in a complete huff. Ive had him since he was 4 (he's now 19) and despite my best efforts, he has never changed in his dislike. Good as gold with all other chores.

 

[littleshetland]

One of mine is very protective of his stable. If your standing nearby outside its all ears back and 'snap , snap'. He never makes contact, but is very threatening. However, if you're in there with him he's a bit resentful but absolutely fine....and in all other respects he's an angel.
Chickens...he hates them! If they're in the school at the same time we are, he pins his ears back and gnashes his teeth at them!

 

[TheMule]

My homebred is the very definition of why they get a bad reputation. He is a spoilt little brat
But I think he's adorable and forgive all of his brattish little ways because I adore him. Probably his most irritating habit is pawing the ground. He's never allowed to do it on a surface/ somewhere antisocial, but he's an impatient little menace so it allows him to express his distaste without resorting to performing acrobatics such as vertical take offs.

 

[Pippity]

Annoying - she doesn't hack alone with me. I'm not confident enough to really push her on and get her past her fears. She's fine for the pro I occasionally pay to take her out, though.

Funny - if she wants a treat, she picks up all her feet in turn, then stands waving a front leg. It's a leftover from using clicker training to get her better with her legs being handled. Considering we've gone from not being able to touch her legs to happily standing in a Cleantrax soaking boot for 20 minutes on each leg, I'll take it!

 

[scats]

Millie will stand up if you put too much pressure on her when she’s ‘looking’ at something under saddle. So if she naps and you put leg on that she deems too strong, up she goes. I used to get frustrated about it, I now just roll my eyes! She also loads perfectly but once you first set off, she’ll boot the partition to the grooms area with her front legs for about 30 seconds so much so that my ear drums practically burst, and then stops and travels like a lamb. Everytime. If anyone has the pleasure of seeing us leave a showground or fun ride car park, you’ll hear us go!

Polly is the quirkiest, oddest horse you’ll ever meet. Try to groom her in her stable and it causes a box walking frenzy. If she’s being worked, I bridle her first and as soon as the bridles on, she will stand still. She does give me the impression that there’s some sort of faulty wiring going on, but 6 years in, I’ve just accepted that’s who she is.

 

[dottylottie]

lily has very lovely manners 99% of the time, i can lead her anywhere with slack in the lead rope and she happily plods along behind me - loses all sense of manners when it comes to a haynet! i’ve taught her to back up off voice commands, which she does for a bucket and initially for her net, but eventually she creeps up on me and edges her head on to my shoulder to sneak a nibble - i tell her to get back, but between me and all of you, i secretly think it’s the cutest thing ever

so far diva is proving to have lots of quirks that i WONT tolerate

 

[Jenko109]

Well used to have one that could not be left with a plastic bucket in the field as he would gallop about with it in his mouth and eventually shred it

 

[Lexi 123]

Mine hate people she doesn’t know touching her she will pin her ears and threaten to bite and acts up with novices because she knows that she can get away with it. She an angel most of the time she just is very fussy .

 

[vmac66]

Mine does the ears back and teeth bared when I'm doing the front of her rug up or putting her hoof boots on. She's also very sensitive, got wound up yesterday by hawthorn blossom blowing round her in the school.

 

[shortstuff99]

The fatty potato does the downward dog/ play dog pose when she doesn't want to do something.

 

[paddy555]

I have to accept the "quirk" that I taught mine which I later came to regret.
He was pretty useless at most things so I taught him to pick up his feed bucket and hand it to me over the door. In return he got a treat. Soon cottoned on. Every stable or yard he went into he brought all the empty buckets and hay bins to me for his treats. It became quite an endearing habit. Rather sweet really.
Then he ran out of buckets so he worked out that if I was so keen on buckets I could have the water buckets as well. To make it easier for me he very kindly emptied them on his way all over the dry stable floors.

 

[spotty_pony]

My boy bites my pockets for treats I wouldn’t allow any other horse to do it and I don’t really like him doing it but seeming as I’ve had him since I was a child and used to find it funny I can’t really start telling him off now so he gets away with it!

 

[Goldenstar]

You can’t guarantee to lead Fatty anywhere he has to wear a bridle , he loaded because he chose to and would feel the need to explain that now and again .
He was excellent at his job and such a funny horse I just laugh at him Everyday.

H is not quirky now ,he’s very honest he was a very quirky youngster and it took a lot of effort and time to turn him round . He had very rushed start to ridden work followed by immediately being hunted he was frightened and had been rapped .

Blue the cob I would not call him quirky he’s very easy but he’s suspicious of strangers .

Then we come to Sky he has ADHD he throws his bowls around if he’s hungry he drives the others about the fields ( he’s field boss ) he‘s quirky about traffic because of this he’s not for a nervous rider he’s not problem because with us he knows the rules if he got on top of someone he would be awful .
He arrived very naughty in the school he would spook in one corner the scoot up the school extremely ruse that’s cured now he’s a very nice horse but he will always need a rider to keep him straight .The devil makes work for idle hooves in his case .
Hes had a KS op how much that drove the issues I am not sure he’s a nosy cheeky clever horse . He loves people who he thinks are for care food and entertainment.
he’s defiantly a very quirky horse

 

[Julia0803]

There's a very sweet neighbour near to our yard, whose house we pass on our shortest 'round the block' hack that we used extensively whilst rehabbing and now use sometimes to warm up before going int the school etc. Unfortunately due to bad luck we have had a lot of rehabbers on our yard so there's at least one horse going around this circular cut de sac 5 times a week. This lady likes coming out to say hello and my coblet is super friendly (and food orientated!) so loved a fuss. She would ask if she could give them a treat, to which of course HIS answer was always yes! She then started leaving a small bag of chopped carrots or apples out, tied to her gate, for us to pick up as we walk past.

Now food orientated coblet is not born yesterday and knows exactly what is in those bags. If I see it and pick it up to take it back to the yard to share it's a bloody nightmare getting him to walk nicely back to the yard. I sit on top legs flapping like some thelwell pony clubber, whilst he plants, head turned round expectantly. Eventually get him moving... slowly, I can feel him listening for the crinkle of the plastic bag, any noise or movement from the bag, brakes go on. We can just about crawl back to the yard... until we get to the crossing where I have to signal. As soon as my arm goes out to say I'm turning, the breaks slam on and head whips round... obviously if my arm is going out its because I am about to reach forward and give him a treat, right?? Very embarrassing when there's anyone else around and he is refusing to move!

I absolutely cannot carry food/eat food whilst riding without him thinking we should share and grinding to a halt to do so.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I couldn't deal with bucking or rearing and never again would I have a bad loader/non loader.

 

[Upthecreek]

I would never have a wind sucker. Biting or kicking no. Separation anxiety also no.

 

[smiggy]

Despite being 17 likes to play with things with his mouth, grabs reins if over his head, unties ropes etc, runs his teeth down my light housing on corner of the lorry while tied up.also screams for his bestie when bestie gets ridden, despite having plenty of other company.

 

[Caol Ila]

Hermosa -- Young horse stuff, to be honest. She went through a phase of turning in circles when I saddled her up, but I rejigged the saddle fit and then worked on it with lots of +R, and I seem to have fixed it. She doesn't like going in front past where all the trailers live, but it's a weird place. I think that will sort itself out with time and mileage. She can be quite distracted by horses in fields when you're riding past them, but I think that's a baby thing that will improve with more time and mileage.

Fin -- Many. Doesn't hack alone, which I am not wild about but is what it is at the moment. You can't deal with any problem by using shouting or escalating pressure. When I first got him, he also circled around the stable when you saddled, so I got into the habit of giving him a few pony nuts when I put on the saddle. Now he expects that. Most annoying one is that he does not catch for people who he doesn't have a relationship with and/or who don't have a deep grounding in horsemanship. If he doesn't know and trust you, you can't march up to him and put the headcollar on. He'll run away. You have to approach him on a curving line, no eye contact, relaxed body language, treat in hand. That means that the yard staff can't catch him so I have to make constant arrangements with friends. Once you're in his inner circle of trusted humans, he will come to call. He also doesn't like rugs. Or fly masks.

Gypsum -- Christ on a bike. She could not be turned out in a herd because she would try to murder other horses. But she had to be in individual turnout surrounded by other horses or she would fencewalk. Her routine had to be obvious and predictable, or she would fencewalk. The juju/feng shui of the yard had to be right, or she would fencewalk. She needed solid walls, not bars, between her stable and other stables, or she would try to beat down the walls to kill her neighbour. She did not like small, quiet yards. She did not like living in barns shared by only one or two other horses. She did not like yards where the turnout was geographically very separate from the stables. She would lose her f(ckin' mind during her fiirst strong spring seasons of the year. She was an okay loader when I had my own trailer in the States and went places regularly, but she became a terrible loader when we were here and I was not doing it all the time.

Things I Have No Patience For -- sh1ite ground manners. I hate handling horses who will try to run you over to get a bit of grass.

 

[Cherryblossom]

Poppy hacks out beautifully alone, and is great in company as long as she’s in the lead. If not, it’s ears back, not moving forward, generally grouchy. The first time it happened I had the vet out as I was so convinced something was wrong!

Bubbles can remove any bridle or headcollar with little more than a shake of his head. I’ve now created a contraption from a daisy rein that allows me to grab a handle and pull back as soon as he goes to do it, but i have to be on constant high alert. I blame his tiny Welsh ears!

 

[shanti]

Mine have a few that I accept (and a couple that I would like them to stop)
Archie - Paws the ground when he is waiting for dinner, does not like to be interacted with unless he has a halter on, or he initiates it and absolutely doesn't want to be touched when he is eating his hard feed. He is very mouthy, probably because he is young, and while he has never actually bitten me, yet I would very much prefer him to keep his mouth to himself.
Remmie - Takes a few minutes to catch, nothing major, just walks away then a few minutes later gives in and just stands there. I have to mix his worming paste in with his feed and then hand feed it to him. He will not float without sedation; he was involved in a float accident when he was younger and is just plain terrified. People keep telling me to float train him, but he is 15 and I don't take my horses anywhere anyway and don't see the point in causing more stress for him. If I ever did have to get him somewhere he will just be sedated.

 

[SEL]

The Appy adores cats & dogs - but she has no concept of how big she is and how tiny they are. If they'll stay still she'll groom them so I have to be careful stopping to talk to dog walkers. She's always gutted if they run off.

At an old yard all the cats used to sleep on her rug rack or in her stable with her. She did start picking one of them up by its tail which bothered me more than the cat!

 

[little_critter]

Mine has an odd way of being bridled. I can’t put the bit in his mouth in the normal way (cradling it in my hand and gently sliding it into his mouth) it resulted in lots of fussing and missing. So now he has to grab the bit himself, I can’t put it in his mouth.
He’s very keen to grab it, but is not a very good aim so end up grabbing reins, cheek pieces, noseband etc first.
I have to try to pull everything I don’t want him to grab well out of the way and try to deliver the bit to right under his nose.

he is also very nibbly but gets away with it because he’s such a charmer.

And he chews wood. I truly believe it’s not a stress response in him, he’s on a very horse-centric yard with loads of turn out and buddies. Even when he’s in he has a yard to mooch around in, he just likes to chew.
The other week we were walking through the field gateway to turn him out and he took a chunk out of a rotten post as he walked past it.
Luckily my YO is very understanding.

 

[Auslander]

Alf is pretty easy, but we have a thing called "Law of Alf" which I abide by, because it makes life easier for everyone!
Law of Alf is that at no point during a procedure he does not wish to be part of, may anyone touch the front of his face - so you can't put a hand on his nose to worm him, clip his face, have his teeth done, etc etc. It's surprising how often I put my hand on noses to do something, and how hard it is not to!
If I leave his face alone, I can do anything to him. If I forget and put my hand there, he kicks up an almighty fuss!

 

[muddybay]

Mine tries to kill me in the same two weeks of September every year

 

[NinjaPony]

My Welsh is extremely quirky. So much so that I got his opposite to ride and handle because I couldn’t cope with two dramatic divas!

In terms of quirks I was happy to accept with my connie:
-at a show, he would not stand still for you to get on. I had to get someone to grab hold of him while I flung myself on, once I was on the move he was absolutely fine.
-he wouldn’t stand still to be plaited so the whole thing took ages
-he was fizzy in company unless he was allowed to go side by side or in front
-he wouldn’t come up to you in the field ever, and always stood as far away as possible
-his sweetitch made him quite intolerant of flies so he had to be hacked out in a ride on fly rug in the summer
-he could be sensitive to loud noises and clapping so I used to compete him in a fly veil to muffle sounds slightly.

In all ways he was such a joy to own and ride that I was happy to accommodate all of those minor quirks and would again for a horse like him.

My Welsh has so many quirks it’s hard to know where to start, but none of them include major issues: he’s great to clip, load, travel, and take out to shows. He leads beautifully, will even canter by your side politely.

The downsides:
-extremely needle phobic
-badly behaved in the wind
-tries to kill the vet regularly in a panic
-bad to worm
-terrible at having any kind of medical treatment
-grumpy in the stable
-constantly trying to nip you and then running off to the back of the stable because he knows it’s naughty

The one thing I wouldn’t want again is anything prone to EMS/laminitis because that is by far the most difficult part of looking after him. I would also prefer not to get something grumpy in the stable again, only because now my connie has gone, I miss the cuddles!

 

[tatty_v]

I have to preface this with the fact that my boy is a legend to ride. He has always been fabulous - solo hacking, hacking in company, schooling (in his younger years) and jumping. Just an all round superstar, everyone loves him.

However.

He jumps out of anywhere he does not want to be. Regardless of the height of the fence/5 bar gate/cars parked etc.

He has extreme separation anxiety in the field and the stable (horses must not leave him, but he can leave them). He now has a permanent shettie companion. This also extends to competitions - he cannot go with someone, and then have them leave him. I have sat in the corner of so many arenas whilst his friend does their test/SJ round and we just scream at them to come back One lady once kindly told me he’d be better when he was older. He was 18 at the time

He is a dodgy loader - we have a system and it works most of the time but it is stressful. He very nearly didn’t come home when we bought him and my lasting memory would have been chasing him round the car park.

I could go on but in the words of my OH “he is a knob, but a fabulous one”

 

[Xmasha]

Finn is an absolute poppet. However, if hes being schooled/hacked alone does like to sing ( very loudly). I swear hes singing 'help' . hes not what you would call spooky, but he waits until you are relaxed on buckle end and tests to see if you are awake.
Aria kind & gentle until you turn her out/bring her in in the wrong order.
Pip piaffes out hacking which can make you feel a bit sick
Dream ( new mare ) havent found anything yet. But im sure we will.
Amara ( 2yo) can unbolt her door.
Rustle (yearling) just a bit thick.
Nelly is like the friend that stalks you.

 

[Glitter's fun]

New share is a very sweet & safe old lady's hack but has a liking for diving sideways if he sees a bush that looks good to scratch on. Took me by surprise at first because if your horse is suddenly very alert, looking at something you expect him to spook away from whatever it is, not shoot towards it!

 

[Annagain]

When he was in work, Archie hated being brushed. Now he's retired and it doesn't matter, he loves it!
Monty always walked to the side of the trailer the first time you presented him at it. Turn him around and re-present him and he'd load himself. The whole thing only added 5 seconds to loading so we never felt the need to correct him.
So far we haven't found a quirk with Wiggy. He's known as St Wiggy on the yard (although he did have to move fields as he was bullying the poor old boy in his first field).

 

[Hallo2012]

Raf hates being washed, he swings around all over the place waving legs and swishing his tail and scowling (and thats with nice warm water!) but in all other aspects of life he is a doddle.

Sprout is a slow loader-walks to ramp, has a treat, waits about a minute, walks half way up has a treat waits a minute, finally walks on. whole thing can take 3/4 min which is fine. He will also only cross tie horizontally across the wash bay or tie up at the back he will not tie up at the front or facing out from the back.