What will YOU put up with?

WellyBaggins

WellyBaggins

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 February 2010
Messages
1,787
Location
Sunny Shrops
Visit site
Just a musing really, what quirks, behaviour is acceptable/unacceptable to you? What are your boundaries for high spirits/naughtiness? What would make you stick with a horse/give it up? How long would you be prepared to persevere?

I hope the rambling sort of makes sense ;)

Answers on a postcard :)
 
I accept B trying to tank off when schooling at the moment! I am thrilled he is starting to be enthusiastic about schooling, he pulls up straight away, but he is pretty excited throughout the canter transition!
He is very well behaved on the ground, and I won't put up with barging and such like from any horse...
I can cope with genuinely spooky things, but spooking at bins/grass/his tail I don't approve of!
 
I accept cheekiness - bucking, having a bit of spirit and personality etc. Basically they have to be capable of doing the job I want and they have to want to do it (most of the time!!) - every horse and human is entitled to off days.

I don't accept rearing or broncing in a determined I WILL get you on the ground sort of way. They have to be good to handle on the ground as I have always had other people have to help with them sometimes be it parents, husband or now children. Would not put up with biters or kickers (have only ever had one) and I have to say all my horses have had manners instilled in them from day one and have been really nice "people". Their nature is one thing I will not compromose on. I have always said there are enough nice natured horses out there to waste time on a bad natured one.

I have also learnt over the years that talented horses don't have to be quirky :rolleyes:
 
DarkHorseB said:
I accept cheekiness - bucking, having a bit of spirit and personality etc. Basically they have to be capable of doing the job I want and they have to want to do it (most of the time!!) - every horse and human is entitled to off days.

I don't accept rearing or broncing in a determined I WILL get you on the ground sort of way. They have to be good to handle on the ground as I have always had other people have to help with them sometimes be it parents, husband or now children. Would not put up with biters or kickers (have only ever had one) and I have to say all my horses have had manners instilled in them from day one and have been really nice "people". Their nature is one thing I will not compromose on. I have always said there are enough nice natured horses out there to waste time on a bad natured one.

I have also learnt over the years that talented horses don't have to be quirky :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this.
 
Ditto DarkHorseB! When I bought Mally my only real 'must have' was that the horse needed to be nice - if it didn't have the talent to take me as far as I wanted to go, I had a nice, schooled up horse to sell on and if it broke I would have a horse that I enjoyed looking after!

The 'talented horses have to be quirky' is often the last resort of someone who's horse scares the bejeesus out of them IMO. The console themselves with the fact that although they don't particularly like the horse, or are terrified to get on the thing, at least that means it must be talented.

As long as some progress was being made and I felt I was capable of sticking it out I would keep going with a horse, if I liked it and it would do the job I wanted. However the second I didn't look forward to riding it, or felt scared to be around it, it would be gone quicker than you could say boo to a goose!

Although Mally has really proved to me that there are horses that make everything easy, she is capable of being a competitive horse at most levels, hacks out easily, wants to do whatever job you offer her and enjoys her work immensely, is easy as pie to handle, she isn't spooky or silly and just generally likes people. I wouldn't settle for anything less after her!
 
yep, i agree with all that. enough nice good natured horses go to the knackerman every week... the horrible nasty ones should go instead. i will NOT have a nasty horse around. too flipping dangerous, they can hurt you badly enough totally by accident fgs.
i don't mind rearing (no flippers though) as i think it's something i can (usually) get to the bottom of and cure... so far anyway. i won't have a bronc'er, and am not at all keen on 'drop shoulder spin and run' ners either.
i do tend to give them the benefit of the doubt for a very long time though, and do my best to get to the bottom of WHY they're doing what they're doing... ime very few are naturally nasty or difficult, they've been made that way, and it can be unmade too...
 
Errrm, most things actually. I do not mean that I condone them, before anyone assumes that! I just mean that were I to buy another horse/school a horse/compete a horse...

I tolerate bucking (and either ignore it or push forwards or sometimes give a smack). I don't like rearing, but if it's a really good horse and the rearing is not constant or in a 'I will kill you' manner it doesn't put me off. Tanking off I can tolerate. I don't like horses who kick when being handled. That I don't tolerate, when you go into stables and they turn around on you and kick nastily.

Nor do I like horses who stop nastily at fences. My horse has the occasional stop, but it's not nasty and it's always been related to either pain (saddle fit) or because of a loss of confidence, due to aforementioned pain that he's now associating with jumping. Dirty stoppers are no fun and I hate coming into a spooky fence or getting a stride a bit wrong and then having the horse slam it's brakes on and try to catapult me into the fence.

I'm not saying I enjoy bad behaviour, but I don't mind putting up with it/trying to fix it, and most behavioural quirks can be improved if not fixed. :)
 
Have put up quite a lot with a couple of naughty boys we've had in the past. Not sure I'd have the balls to put up with much now though TBH!!
 
i dont put up with much but to combat it(sul has taken to broncing which i dont mind as one end doesnt go higher than the other so not too phased!) I just ignore him and push him through it...
owever sheep were being sheared in the field i rode past yesterday they had tents up trailers playing music etc and throwing sheep about sul wen to spook but slipped on the road and reared vertical but i didnt mind as even i was pretty freaked out!
 
While I agree that a horse doesn't have to be quirky to be talented, it does make it easier to tolerate a quirky horse if they are talented - provided they will work with you anyhow most of the time. I quite like some little kinks - it makes working with them more interesting and challenging. All I really don't like is ones that say get off.
 
Exactly as darkhorseb and the others said really! Don't mind a playful buck or a bit of bouncing but wouldn't want a horse that actually wanted me OFF!
 
I put up with a lot from Bronson - vertical rears, tanking etc. Because I trusted him implicitly (it was only a 'stop asking for that' rather than a 'get off me!' reaction) and he was so bloody good to jump that it didn't matter to me what he did before the fences :p He was also an absolute git on the ground - spin and run off - but you learnt a way round it. Did mean I couldn't trust him with anyone else though, and couldn't ever get off hacking or out hunting etc.

In comparison, Wilby's broncing fits that occur once in a blue moon are nothing! Except for they get me off whereas Bronson's airs above the ground never did :rolleyes:
 
Like the others I don't mind putting up with a bit of personality! I don't mind if something can be a bit sharp spooking or who will put in the odd little buck or whatever.

What I won't put up with in anyway shape of form is a horse that means to put me on the floor! No way, not ever. None of my horses have ever been like this.

Also after having a horse that was difficult to handle, to load and shoe I would also not put up with that again. I have my horse as a hobby and I want to enjoy looking after them on the ground as well as riding! Shows are stressful enough without wondering if the horse will go on the box at the end of the day!

I like a horse with a nice attitude and who wants to please and enjoys working.

I usually end up with TB types who yes have their moments usually down to excitement or getting themselves worried but who are 200% committed to doing a good job and showing everyone what little stars they are.

I also wouldn't put up with a horse that's a stopper or is spooky to jump. I love how genuine my horse is to a fence :).
 
oldvic said:
While I agree that a horse doesn't have to be quirky to be talented, it does make it easier to tolerate a quirky horse if they are talented - provided they will work with you anyhow most of the time. I quite like some little kinks - it makes working with them more interesting and challenging. All I really don't like is ones that say get off.
Click to expand...

I have one of these - an absolute prat to handle from the ground but fine from the saddle and the most talented one I've had which is why I put up with it. If he was useless (or even average) I wouldn't see the point. He's in no way nasty, just short on concentration and constantly finding new ways to amuse himself. He gets a serious telling off about once a fortnight and constantly reminded where 'the line' is. It doesn't give him better manners though, just stops him getting worse. Every other horse I've had has been a saint so I'd like to think that it's him not me! ;)
 
Will put up with quite a lot TBH after years of bringing on 'problem' ponies/horses :D

I do think that most things can be worked through. My current lad was a regular biter when I got him but with consistent handling (and ulcer treatment) has not bitten anyone for over two years. He is still grumpy sometimes on the ground but is generally much happier and has excellent manners with farrier, moving around etc. He is the most genuine horse I've ever had under saddle and I do put up with the occasional face pulling these days.

However, I will not tolerate/waste my time on confirmed rearers or kickers. Not interested in dirty stoppers either.
 
I will put up with most behaviour, that is not nasty, if the horse will do the job I need it to. I have only given up on a 3;
One that came from racing as he was too slow, but he was never going to do anything other than a race as his only desire was to go as fast as possible in a straight line ... lovely kind horse but couldn’t get his head around going in circles to the point of a complete mental break down, he went to friends and is a wonderful point to pointer now, decided quickly with him, about 3 months.
One mare who would drop you ... very nastily with out any reason and no warning, she was very nasty and would also come at you in the stable, about a month.
One mare who is now in foal because she couldn’t not cope with dressage from past experience’s in Germany as a youngster and while she was awesome jumping I was given her and wouldn’t have wanted to pass her on ... I spent 3 years before deciding with her and got her to Novice BE.
I have a wonderful gelding who has taken about 5 years to get a 'proper' dressage test out of, but he is amazing xc very kind and easy to do and well worth the effort.
So I think as long as they are nice people and can do the job you want them to, that are genuinely being naughty because they think that is the only answer and not dangerous then they are worth the effort ..... saying that it costs as much to look after a bad one as it does a good!!
 
Well from Comet I put up with:
  • The inability to catch him without removing all horses from the field or lunge lining him into a corner with help of several other liveries. I would estimate that this happens roughly 5 times a year.
  • The occasional buck, primarily in winter when he's stabled.
  • Dirty stops when he doesn't want to jump. Only ever really happened if he feels overjumped or doesn't have confidence in me with a bigger/spooky fence. I find that these have become less as we've progressed together.

Maisie's 'vices' are usually a result of being green:

  • She used to buck into canter but with schooling lessons this has stopped completely.
  • She used to be strong and try and run off on hacks, I changed her into a dutch gag on the 2nd ring and had superb control but now we can do it in a snaffle.
  • She cannot jump and gets incredibly snitty if you don't let her- this isn't fixed yet but we're hoping by concentrating on her flatwork she will somebody be able to leave a jump standing.

If I was looking for a new horse I would not have something that was nasty, reared or bronced. I would be discouraged by a horse that didn't load as I compete so much. I wouldn't want a horse that was awful with farriers and vets as they're a compulsory part of endurance and currently we're able to leave our horses in and have the farrier attend without our supervision. I could tolerate mild napping cases, like a spin and bolt or trying to turn but nothing that was going to rear with it!
 
I work for a dealer so have to be prepared to put up with most things, however I do not like horses that bronc. I have damaged muscles in the lower part of my back and find it really difficult to ride a bronc.

Both of my horses came to me with 'quirks' i.e they had developed behaved that scared their old owners and learnt that it got them out of work, mainly rearing, refusing to forward, bucking, napping. However a few weeks of getting to know them and not allowing this behaviour and the 'quirks' disappear and they are now lovely to handle, well behaved and talented horses that are a pleasure to be around.
 
Henry had lots of talents:

Being a swine to catch
Being a swine to load (until he had a whack)
Spinning round on a hack on his own, as he wanted to go home (he just span round, never ran off)
Being unpredicatbale and tempermental at competitions
Learning that if he stopped three times at a competition he didnt have to do any more work.

I wouldnt have swapped him for the world, as he was a very nice horse to handle; it was also fairly obvious that he liked me owning him. However, as nice as he was, I never want another one like him. One I have now is of similar description to Mally (altho perhaps not quite as talented). It makes a wonderful change.
 
a fair bit.
CS doesnt hack safely and only jumps on his terms, and is stupidly sharp when you first get on at a show, his first reaction being to stand up vertical.......

...but he's a nice person, a gem to handle, and a winner, so its a fair cop.
 
I will put up with most things as long a the horse doesn't so them in a way to get me on the floor. Don't mind bucking at all rearing in not so keen on! Also biting is a bit annoying as I have a 4yo sis who love to mess with them so would have no fingers left!
 
oldvic said:
While I agree that a horse doesn't have to be quirky to be talented, it does make it easier to tolerate a quirky horse if they are talented - provided they will work with you anyhow most of the time. I quite like some little kinks - it makes working with them more interesting and challenging. All I really don't like is ones that say get off.
Click to expand...

I'm with you here - quirky untalented is totally unacceptable (and there are plenty of those around), quirky talented is ok. In fact I have a totally straightforward 6yo at the moment and, to my chagrin, find myself bored by him :o

Also, I WILL put up with a nasty nature, again, if the horse is worthwhile: my most talented ever Advanced horse was beastly on the ground (although better with me than most people). It was a real pain, partly as I did have small children at the time, partly he was difficult with some freelance grooms at 3 day events etc, but he was good enough that I would forgive him pretty much anything. Also, I don't think it was his fault, I think he had had a difficult childhood :D

I am a stickler for manners on the ground, but even in that respect have been known to make exceptions: T's current pony is a total nightmare, having been indulged all his life due to extreme cuteness, but we make huge allownances for him as I feel it is very important that he retains his current "I rule the world" mentality in order to do the things we ask him to do. I do set boundaries, but they are far wider than they would be for most of our horses :rolleyes:

So, basically, I think how much I will put up with depends entirely on the individual concerned :)
 
With ponies, we put up with a lot. To find a decent 14.2hh on loan, you have to be prepared for quirks and oddities. Ellie would take chunks out of you if you did her girth up and weren't careful, had a really nasty stop (rarely utilised it though- she stopped about 5 times in total, and every time Al came off) and was generally a bit miserable to know (unless you were one of her chosen people, when she was sweetness and light...). Henry barged (you climbed into his stable...!), jogged constantly, had to be lead in a chifney by an adult at shows and had a trick of suddenly stopping on a flat bit XC and refusing to move. Both were easily put up with because they were good!

We had a horse who would buck and spin and rear until her rider fell off, and then she started pouncing once the rider hit the floor. Went back as soon as it started the pouncing!

In hindsight, now we have Reg who is lovely to own despite the fact he is quitre a worried horse (although he rarely stresses or gets himself in a tizz any more), we wouldn't put up with much. Bucking and squealing and being a douche is fine for a few minutes as long as it's him being exuberant and he's not in company, but mum always says if we got a horse that would rear as a way of saying no it'd be gone asap.
 
Glad I am not alone ;) just interesting to hear other peoples thoughts and opinions, my boy can be a little tricky but I am used to it now so don't really mind, although I would rather he didn't have his quirks :rolleyes: lots of people think I am mad, on reflection, they could be right :p;):D
 
TableDancer said:
I'm with you here - quirky untalented is totally unacceptable (and there are plenty of those around), quirky talented is ok. In fact I have a totally straightforward 6yo at the moment and, to my chagrin, find myself bored by him :o

Also, I WILL put up with a nasty nature, again, if the horse is worthwhile: my most talented ever Advanced horse was beastly on the ground (although better with me than most people). It was a real pain, partly as I did have small children at the time, partly he was difficult with some freelance grooms at 3 day events etc, but he was good enough that I would forgive him pretty much anything. Also, I don't think it was his fault, I think he had had a difficult childhood :D

I am a stickler for manners on the ground, but even in that respect have been known to make exceptions: T's current pony is a total nightmare, having been indulged all his life due to extreme cuteness, but we make huge allownances for him as I feel it is very important that he retains his current "I rule the world" mentality in order to do the things we ask him to do. I do set boundaries, but they are far wider than they would be for most of our horses :rolleyes:

So, basically, I think how much I will put up with depends entirely on the individual concerned :)
Click to expand...

You said what I was trying to say, only much better and with proper reasoning beyond my 'we can't afford nice and talented'!
 
I think what you put up with depends on what you want to get out of the horse. I enjoy competing, I want do some eventing BUT my horses are primarily a hobby for me and therefore it's important I enjoy all my time with them. Perhaps if I was more driven by competing I'd be more concerned with how my horses performed, rather than the ability to hug them :D
Plus I'm the biggest wimp going, so if my horses were naughty on a regular basis I'd never bloody ride them :o :D

ETS - I also spend most of my days schooling the RS horses that are on the 'naughty list', so couldn't be arsed with then having to school my own horse if it was 'quirky' to ride!
 
Last edited:
I don't mind sharpness or silliness and put up with the fact that Dol is a nightmare to clip....she needs to be heavily sedated! Generally for any quirks or silly bits any of ours have they make up for a thousand times over in their work/results. We don't tolerate bad manners but treat each horse as an individual and allow various quirks etc according to the horse
 
Like most have said - I'll put up with most things as long as the horse isn't aiming to dump/injure you on purpose. I've heard people say that no horse 'aims' to hurt you and I have to disagree. I DO think there is always a reason, whether it be a deep-seated psychological issue or a pain/discomfort response, so I can UNDERSTAND this and if at all possible will do my best to try to work on it/combat it, but at the end of the day I need to be able to work in order to actually afford to have a horse so have to consider my safety as well.

The most terrifying experience I've ever had was with a horse who would happily have severely injured herself to get me off her back. She's the only one like it I've ever known - most horses have the innate sense of self-preservation even if trying to ditch you which gives an element of confidence that there's only 'so far' they will go to get you off, but this one would, I think, have jumped off a cliff if it meant she got her rider off. Fortunately she wasn't mine!!

I actually enjoy dealing with quirks and issues under saddle, and from the ground too. Keeps things interesting and I think you learn so much. But I do also enjoy getting out and about and, having had one who would take hours to load if she felt like it (some days she would walk straight in, other days go up vertical, other days plant on the ramp and fall asleep!!), non-loading is something I won't put up with. Purely from a convenience POV to be honest! And because my mum handles them now and again i have to think of her in terms of behaviour on the ground - she's entirely competent and knows her stuff but I'm very protective and aforementioned 'non-loader' did knock her over a few times, after which I vowed I wouldn't have one like that again.

So really, the only thing I won't put up with is horses that aim to kill (!!) and bad loaders.

What I find more interesting to know about is, what would you put up with from other PEOPLE in terms of your horse, or when you're watching them with theirs!! I think we can probably all admit to having been 'busybodies' at some point, but it'd be interesting to know if there's any time you'd seriously 'step in' - e.g. mistreatment of a horse at a show/on your yard, or if there are any 'little quirks' you have - e.g. when I'm tacking/booting up at a comp NOBODY is allowed to do it except me. I even get a little annoyed if someone does up my throatlash or tried to straighten a saddle cloth!!! :)
 
I don't think i'll put up with alot to be fair, all of my horses have to be pretty much saints or I get cross. They are all alowed to be themselves, express themselves in a suitable manner, but no naughtyness or bad manners are tolerated. I am the boss, and I will be obeyed :D

I think, the way I will word it, is I will tolerate reasonable behaviour, like if a horse reacts to something it doesn't like/is scared of, thats ok, because there is a reason behind it. But horses that just do things for no reason make me a bit stressed, there is no need to do that so why do it?
Again, if you have a horse that has a deep rooted psychological problem, it's totally different!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top