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

[SDMabel]

I'm just curious really, Mable is a dude 98% of the time, she will hack anywhere and everywhere on her own / in company. She loves pigs and cattle - actively wants to go up and sniff them, Is also as close to unflappable in traffic !

She will jump anything you point her at , with a smile on her face even if the jockey isn't too sure ..

She's sane out draghunting , a little strong but does come back when asked . She's just a very friendly, cuddly mare who loves existing !

However, she certainly has got her quirks - something i thought may just be naughty antics when younger, re-surface sporadically and without any obvious triggers (see last photo) .
Sometimes she decides to wave her front legs about when tied up, not all the time , in fact it's quite rare now but does happen from time to time.
She also has to have an anti-weave grill on her stable otherwise she will just hop over the door from a standstill , even when everyone else is in with her, she doesn't go anywhere just stands outside and then pines for her haynet shes left behind

I've just accepted sometimes she has these sassy outbursts and try to work around it, I've accepted she can be like this sometimes as her good points far outweigh the 'naughty' episodes.

what quirks does your horse have that you've come to accept and dont think anything ?

 

[Nasicus]

Mine's a bugger for escaping if she's kept anywhere that isn't strong electric fence. She'll go through hedges, up little cliffs, over/under fallen branches/logs etc. Sometimes it's because she's hungry, other times it's just because she can.
Is it a pain in the ass? Yes. Is she worth it? Also yes

 

[sassandbells]

Little bit different, but I have a 6 year old Welsh, when she was younger I taught her to ‘hug’ - basically I stand by her neck and she brings her head round to like the girth area and hugs me.

This was cute, until she started doing it whenever I was poo picking & she wanted attention. If I’m not keeping and eye out and I’m bending over while poo picking, she’ll come up next to me and attempt to hug me and I end up being squeezed to within an inch of my life until she’s decided she’s hugged for long enough and then wanders off..

I don’t mind it, and find it quite amusing. Doesn’t happen all the time, normally if I haven’t given her as much attention that day.

She will however do it to any new person who comes down with me, and quite often I forget to tell them. Can be funny when I hear them ask for help and I look round and see Saff just giving them a hug

 

[Hormonal Filly]

I don’t mind most quirks.. they all have something but one thing I would not entertain again is being bad to catch. Spent 6 years of my life owning one.. never, ever.. again!

 

[SDMabel]

Little bit different, but I have a 6 year old Welsh, when she was younger I taught her to ‘hug’ - basically I stand by her neck and she brings her head round to like the girth area and hugs me.

This was cute, until she started doing it whenever I was poo picking & she wanted attention. If I’m not keeping and eye out and I’m bending over while poo picking, she’ll come up next to me and attempt to hug me and I end up being squeezed to within an inch of my life until she’s decided she’s hugged for long enough and then wanders off..

I don’t mind it, and find it quite amusing. Doesn’t happen all the time, normally if I haven’t given her as much attention that day.

She will however do it to any new person who comes down with me, and quite often I forget to tell them. Can be funny when I hear them ask for help and I look round and see Saff just giving them a hug

That's brilliant what a character !

 

[SDMabel]

I don’t mind most quirks.. they all have something but one thing I would not entertain again is being bad to catch. Spent 6 years of my life owning one.. never, ever.. again!

Yes I would certainly agree with you on that one ! Mabels fab to catch but worked at a yard where at least half of the yard of ponies were difficult to catch.
There was many a breakfast spent crying in shear frustration at not being able to catch them first thing !!

 

[pinkfluffy]

If you offer any slack on a lead rope he will try to pull it out of your hand and run off. Only good thing is this has meant we've done a lot of work on recalls and he is better than the dogs. When startled or excited he does lose the ability to walk like a four legged creature. Must become a 2 legged thing that hops to move forward but can also jump something invisible if needed. My greatest surprise in all of this is that I have started to laugh at him when he does it not burst into tears so I think I'll let him be.

 

[Ambers Echo]

I accept Lottie likes to be left alone when she is in her stable. I do insist she is polite about people going in and out, but I don't go in there unncessarily. I'll tie her up outside for grooming etc.

 

[meleeka]

I don’t mind quirks, but can’t stand bad manners. I have a Welsh, Chestnut mare (nuff said ). who spends a portion of her time with her ears pinned to her neck. I don’t mind that, but she does know better than to actually bite anything. She just has the most expressive face and everyone knows when she’s not in a good mood. I can do anything with her and love the bones of her (even if she doesn’t love me all the time). Despite the faces she pulls she’s actually the most obedient pony i’ve ever owned.

 

[SpeedyPony]

One doesn't stable, two break through electric fence/jump hedges, sometimes for better grazing (irritating but understandable) sometimes seemingly just for fun they're worth it, but sometimes, after multiple plastic and occasionally wooden fence posts have bitten the dust I wish they'd either stay in or jump it (both are quite capable of jumping the 3 or 4 ft fence, but will insist on just charging it because they know electric tape and wire snaps).

 

[9tails]

Mine dislikes being rugged. Pinned ears, snaky head, bared teeth, lifting her back legs. She still hasn't followed through with her threats, it's been 15 years.

 

[ycbm]

Mine has aural plaques and won't have anything taken off over his ears. You can put things on, but to take them off they have to be undone. It's a small price to pay, he's a big old softie in every other respect. I just bought him a clip on browband and use rein clips to make things easy for us both.
.

 

[SEL]

Microcob - underwhelmed by sheep and I have found myself taking off for home if we come across an unexpected cow. I have to lead her past the hunt kennels after last year's incident with a very smelly 'something has been dead a while' episode on our hack. She isn't always in the field she's supposed to be in. If she's at all damp she will roll in her shavings and will plaster them everywhere. Sometimes on a hack she gets bored of walking and wants to have zoomies. She will come back without a complaint but I can definitely tell she's sulking!! I'd forgive her pretty much anything though because she's such a lovely person

The Appy - I don't go in her stable when she's in there, especially if she is eating. She was a problematic youngster and a dislike of people in her space is the one quirk she's really held onto. She is also an expert muzzle remover which is an intensely irritating quirk on a horse who can't tolerate much grass.

Baby cob - grinds his teeth along the top of his door for my attention and it drives me mad!! Doesn't like barking dogs and spooks at burdock leaves like they are aliens about to eat him. Otherwise he's pretty easy going although cob backside itching on my fence posts is a quirk I could do without out.

 

[Barton Bounty]

I dont mind any quirks being ridden, will never buy a bad mannered horse though, manners on the ground are a must, riding? Most other things are easy to handle.
BB would wander around with a total novice all day, I get on and its wooohoo time. He can be a broncer when he is frightened that doesnt worry me too much though, its not often

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I dont mind any quirks being ridden, will never buy a bad mannered horse though, manners on the ground are a must, riding? Most other things are easy to handle.
BB would wander around with a total novice all day, I get on and its wooohoo time. He can be a broncer when he is frightened that doesnt worry me too much though, its not often

Ooo you wouldn't like my boy then!! Fab when ridden, I've pretty much done everything with him. On the ground he can be a bugger to lead, especially when coming in in winter. Absolutely fine in summer. He doesn't much like being out in winter. He also nips. I've tried all sorts but now I know him I can keep out of his way. My other horse cribs but other than that he is pretty much as good as gold.

 

[Barton Bounty]

Ooo you wouldn't like my boy then!! Fab when ridden, I've pretty much done everything with him. On the ground he can be a bugger to lead, especially when coming in in winter. Absolutely fine in summer. He doesn't much like being out in winter. He also nips. I've tried all sorts but now I know him I can keep out of his way. My other horse cribs but other than that he is pretty much as good as gold.

Ive had my fair share of working with them though lol its very satisfying if you manage to turn their attitudes around though

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Ive had my fair share of working with them though lol its very satisfying if you manage to turn their attitudes around though

I've tried all sorts leading wise. Now just use a chiffney for bringing in, least he is controllable in that!!

 

[Barton Bounty]

I've tried all sorts leading wise. Now just use a chiffney for bringing in, least he is controllable in that!!

Yeah sometimes youv got to just do what you can

 

[scruffyponies]

One of my smaller ponies reacts to being groomed or girthed by turning around and trying to bite you. It's not what it seems. Far from being a vicious monster, he's a cheeky character and it's a combination of wanting to 'groom' you back and just seeing what he can get away with. He never actually tries to hurt, but will steal your wooly hat in winter, grab zips and has been known to twang a bra strap.

Easiest way to keep him happy is to tickle his top lip as you girth him up. He likes that.

 

[smolmaus]

They're out 24/7 atm so it's not a huge deal but she won't go in her stable AT ALL because the shavings have been lifted (till I get it power hosed) and the bare mats freak her out. So we eat and get tacked up on the yard where she takes huge green shits and I have to scrub stains off the concrete. This isn't a shock with a cob mare but if she says no, it's a no. She won't be bullied, she can sometimes be bribed, but once she's decided she's definitely not doing something that is the end of it. She doesn't say no very often, which is fortunate, so I just pick my battles.

All her worst spooks have been at shadows, normally her own. 60mph traffic fine, tractors fine, sheep fine, a slurry tanker passing us on a one lane road was fine, loose horses galloping round is fine so I wouldn't change her for anything in the world but it is just so so silly. Also gates. Normal 5-bar gates are dodgy but an ornamental gate? An ornamental gate with PILLARS oh lord above it's going to open up and eat her. Someone opened their automatic gates as we were passing a week or so ago and I thought that was going to be how I passed from the world but as soon as there was a car in front of them (to be eaten first, presumably) she was fine.

Hates all geldings. We also had a colt foal born on the yard (now gelded) that I genuinely think she would have murdered if she got at him. Very embarrassing as he was a lovely wee thing that all the other horses loved and very polite, not colt-ish at all. As soon as he was in her eyeline she was like a velociraptor until he was removed.

She will also go through electric tape the second it is turned off. Sometimes when it isn't but that's normally to follow someone else who has already jumped it. I can't even be mad about it, that's fair enough imo.

 

[Abacus]

It’s funny how we wouldn’t tolerate behaviours in a horse we might buy but put up with all sorts in our established horses. I don’t put up with bad manners in any horse I might one day sell. But my old boy can really do as he likes, I don’t ever have to justify him to a buyer! Thankfully he’s a saint to ride - literally never bucked, reared or bolted, and has stopped at a fence maybe twice, in the 19 years he has been with me. He hates being stabled, and has a few small habits - like chewing anything in sight, and stamping as his bridle goes on - that I really don’t worry about. He rubs his head on me (I don’t allow the others) and will charge through a gate to better grass (hey ho, when I’m about 93, I’ll probably be rude about wanting my evening g’n’t or lounger in the sun). He deserves anything he wants at this stage. He’s nice enough that these things have never morphed into bigger bad behaviours.

 

[JBM]

Likes to trash her stable but has a poop spot in the field
Also likes to wave her front right leg around while she’s eating..for no apparent reason
Lately refuses to lift her back right because she’s shedding and any time you touch there she looses her mind (in bliss) and wants you to scratch it til the cows come home

 

[Melody Grey]

Never a dull moment with monty:

-tricky to catch, unless you have a bucket. Will ‘lunge himself’ round you in a ‘ha-ha I win again’ kind of way without the bucket (at least he won’t get stolen!)
-unties himself when tied up. If that fails, will rub off headcollar/ bridle.
-turns taps on and has flooded the yard…not so funny in winter when it freezes!
-loves licking bars- gates, door bars, lorry window, he loves it.
-hold on tight if it’s windy.
- drains are problematic, well specifically two road drains, unfortunately immediately as you leave the yard.
- habitually stretches down to scratch at the end of a ride, usually just in the moment my feet are out of the stirrups and leant forward to dismount (cue pony club style accidents!)
- a bugger for eating on hacks!
-insurance write-off, so constantly on his ninth life at last chance saloon when the vet is needed.
-has had pros refuse to transport him unless sedated!

….so definitely stuck with him!! On the plus side, he’s grown up a bit (is 15 now!)

 

[Hepsibah]

Ruby will not be schooled. She gets huffy if she's mounted 10 feet away from the field gate and made to walk and wait to check for traffic. Puffs and blows and generally behaves as though she's going to explode into a bucking/tanking off fit but as soon as she is out of the gate, good as gold. Neither too forward or too lazy just nicely off the leg and steady and well behaved. It's an odd quirk but I accept it as part of the package.

 

[Nasicus]

Likes to trash her stable but has a poop spot in the field
Also likes to wave her front right leg around while she’s eating..for no apparent reason
Lately refuses to lift her back right because she’s shedding and any time you touch there she looses her mind (in bliss) and wants you to scratch it til the cows come home

That's a really common one, funny until they kick the bucket across the stable and spill food everywhere haha

 

[marmalade76]

I sold one last year because I wasn't prepared to put up with the quirks he had. He was horse aggressive and food aggressive when other horses were around. He kicked a friend's horse I had on loan to keep him company and to help the friend out (she'd just had a baby), nicked an artery which was pretty horrific and cost me £300 in vet bills (and I got off lightly because fortunately it didn't happen out of hours). He also kicked me twice, once because the horse the other side of the fence still had food and he'd finished his and the other time I was skipping him out when the lady I now share the yard with was mixing a feed for her horse at the tap between the two stables - basically if there was food and another horse present, he would lose the plot and kick out randomly. There are lots of quirks I'm willing to put up with and work round, but this wasn't one of them. He would also buck when cantering in groups which was annoying but I was coping with that (only came off the once).

As I felt I would struggle to sell him because I am not prepared to be dishonest, I offered him to someone who had loaned him in the past and therefore was fully aware of his quirks but loved him anyway so he went to her but for half what I paid. I didn't want to feel like I was flushing money down the toilet so bought a cheap pony in need of sorting out so I got a "horse for a horse". Pony has turned out lovely, she's never going to set the world on fire but she's very sweet, doesn't buck me off and doesn't kick me!

 

[Barton Bounty]

Ruby will not be schooled. She gets huffy if she's mounted 10 feet away from the field gate and made to walk and wait to check for traffic. Puffs and blows and generally behaves as though she's going to explode into a bucking/tanking off fit but as soon as she is out of the gate, good as gold. Neither too forward or too lazy just nicely off the leg and steady and well behaved. It's an odd quirk but I accept it as part of the package.

Sorry, this made me laugh! Gets huffy!

People do not believe me that BB gets huffy If I have company

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

The old boy does what he wants. I can't contain him anywhere bar a stable. But he is 32yo and he has been our stud stallion for more than 20 years so he is kind of allowed to do as he pleases.

 

[RachelFerd]

I accept all sorts of quirks from my older TB (and these are quirks, rather than actual problems) - he's allowed to stand on the mountain block before I get on. And he's allowed to rest his head on my shoulder for as long as he wants whenever he wants to do that (which is quite often). He's also allowed to go and chat to anyone that he wants to chat to when I'm leading him around - which is pretty much everyone he sees. He's a real social butterfly!

He's not wonderful to hack out alone, but that's a trade off I'll take for the fact that he's a proper competition horse that has helped me achieve a lot of my dreams.

I also accept that the younger one is allowed to do chats with everyone he sees - he absolutely adores being part of a group of people chatting. He's also a proper social butterfly. His unique little quirk which I'm perfectly happy to tolerate is that when loading he has to touch the ramp with his nose, and then stamp on it once with one front leg, before he walks up. He loads perfectly happily if you just give him the freedom to do his 2 little tests.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I accept all sorts of quirks from my older TB (and these are quirks, rather than actual problems) - he's allowed to stand on the mountain block before I get on. And he's allowed to rest his head on my shoulder for as long as he wants whenever he wants to do that (which is quite often). He's also allowed to go and chat to anyone that he wants to chat to when I'm leading him around - which is pretty much everyone he sees. He's a real social butterfly!

He's not wonderful to hack out alone, but that's a trade off I'll take for the fact that he's a proper competition horse that has helped me achieve a lot of my dreams.

I also accept that the younger one is allowed to do chats with everyone he sees - he absolutely adores being part of a group of people chatting. He's also a proper social butterfly. His unique little quirk which I'm perfectly happy to tolerate is that when loading he has to touch the ramp with his nose, and then stamp on it once with one front leg, before he walks up. He loads perfectly happily if you just give him the freedom to do his 2 little tests.

I had a Welsh mare who would walk to the bottom of the ramp, stop, rear and go sideways until she side on the ramp then she would hop up and go in quite happily from the side. It took 2 seconds and was just how she did things.