What's your horse's tantrum style?

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skewby

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How does your horse "throw his toys out of the pram"? Just pondering, mine takes off. If you press his buttons wrongly enough, it's his evasion. A few months back I was taking too long to shut a difficult gate (too idle to get off) and after a bit he just lost it, took off through it (yes it was still open) and p|ssed off down the length of the field we'd just come across (and it's a big field, and I had to run him into the trees at the end to stop him!). Years ago I remember a particularly inept instructor getting on him in a massive field where we were practising SJ in one corner, and my horse took off so fast all the stuff came out the guy's pockets!

On the other hand he never bucks (only little ones in excitement, very very rarely) or rears, or naps, or spins, or headshakes, or anything else. So I consider myself lucky and try not to press the wrong buttons too often.

What does your horse do, when he/she considers you've overstepped the mark?? And how much "overstepping" does it take?
 

Grey - head in the air like he don't care!
Bay - mini rears, essentially stamps her feet!
 
Mine has never reared, napped, bolted, shes bucked literally twice in 2 years! She does have major tantrums sometimes where she'll just throw her head around, snatch the reins and go wherever she pleases!! usually towards the stables...
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mine - all toys thrown out the pram, dummy spat out on floor, snorting, tail twirling likes a propeller blade! rearing, bucking, bunny hopping, feet stamping, head shaking, jaw crossing, reversing, spinning, cantering off.
 
We like to go 180 degrees if we arent happy.
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Or nap / shake his head around to evade/ skip around like a tart.
"Spook". Although, his spooking is only when it'll bring him some benefits e.g not going past the gate..
He has bucked in the past with excitement on hacks etc, and he's bolted once but that was due to another pony..or so we tell ourselves.
Dont get me started with jumping ... anything a horse can do, he'll probably try.


Eddited to add - drops his shoulder too. Its the most annoying thing by far!
 
Tucking his head right down on his chest (I ride bitless and on a long rein) and reversing or spinning like a nutter if asked to stand still when out on a hack (ie OH is trying to get back on his horse having done a gate) . Also will do both front legs off the ground and bounce if another horse canters past him and he wants to go! It never lasts long and he usually stops when he realises he's not going to get what he wants.
 
rearing with a 180 spin one way and as soon as our feethave touched thefloor a 180 back the other - thankfully this only occurs as the bottom of our drive hacking out on our own in one direction. in the school we get the occasional fly kick but nothing too major
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Vertical rears sometimes with a pretty spin in aswell as a lot of bucking. She currently thinks she's in a rodeo and buck, broncs and spins like mad. But i love her
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Genie will stomp her foot and get very stroppy. If she's made to wait around (e,g. at a show and not in the class where people are looking at her) she'll threten to rear, but never has and if she ever does she will think twice about doing it again! I keep her walking right until we go into the ring whenever possible to avoid this.
 
Mine lowers his head as far as he can, and is off. Nothing can stop him once his head is low enough. I've galloped round the school for 20 mins like this. Was not fun.
Also, when he decides he doesnt want to go somewhere, he just plants his feet in the ground and doesn't move.
 
mine does mini rears or naps through his right shoulder setting his neck and buggering off like a rocket. He is a stubborn and opinionated chap but I love him and wouldnt want him any other way lol
 
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Dont get me started with jumping ... anything a horse can do, he'll probably try.

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Ah go on, tell!
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If pushed slightly to do something he doesn't want to do, Murphy mutters under his breath at me...it's really quite strange.

His tantrums usually involve stomping his feet and walking backwards if I'm on him, but he gives up if I put my leg on, or thrpwing his weight around if I'm on the ground - but he has learnt that this is not acceptable.

Generally he is a very happy, good natured pony, and his attempts at tantrums make me giggle!
 
He got my friend off 4 times in ten minutes
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Thats with refusing/ dropping his shoulder for example which he does a lot :/ . He also tanks off after we've jumped. If he doenst want to and he's right up against the jump he'll back up with his head on the floor or rear
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So, for the past year we've not bothered with jumping needless to say haha, we're sticking with the flatwork
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Hopefully when we start again he'll have more faith in me, and i'll have more confidence to get him sorted
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Thats what i hope anyway!
 
Head on chest and bucking is the main one. We also do a pretty good reverse but only into bushes and when on the tracks. Last week a tap down the shoulder for flinging himself about evoked a kick out and stamp with his front foot - proper toddler stylee!
 
When she spooks at something, Queenie stops dead (no matter how fast she is going!!!), shoots backwards and tries to sod off back the way she came- so when I try to turn her back she leaps up and spins round.
Stupid mare
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i have 1 that can reverse at a rapid rate of knots, rather amuse when u can pass people that are cantering when you are going backwards no particular reason thinks he just gets bored
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Mine stops dead, sets her jaw and then turns her head so she can see me out of her right eye when I'm on her back. She then flares her nostrils and looks at me showing the white of her eye - looks like she's saying "oh yeah, so what are you going to do about it then?"
Doesn't happen often and when it does she gives in after a minute or so
 
Poppy chatters her teeth really loudly, if she is held back or anxious about something. Lolly just has problems standing still for long. Guess all in all it could be worse.
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Lol back in the good old temper tantrum days with my old mare we were both asstubborn as each other and we'd BOTH end up on the floor, me still on her too may I add. She'd evade the bit, go fast, then when that still didnt work we'd skip the bucking bit and go straight in stropping around, backing up and going straight up then, leaping off her back feet forwards and then end up on the ground sometime after then lol most the time lmao :/ Never once bucked with me properly or anything like that in the time I've had her though.
One time we had a strop doing a 5 bar gate and ended upgoing over it from a stand still. Couldn't help but be slightly impressed by that feat considering I hadn't jumped her before at that point LOL.

Ah chestnut mare's
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LOL. She came right in the end though and them cases were only limited to very rare extreme tantrums lol.
 
Flies off without notice when schooling - by the time you've got your knitting back you're at the other side of the school!

Other one is tiny rears, then striking out with a front hoof.
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George doesn't really do tantrums, but if he's not keen on doing something he will stick his nose out and head up and snort! But a growl soon puts him right!

If he's scared of something he snorts and tries to spin round, i've found I need to let him stand and take stock and tell him he's very brave, he will then usually tip toe past!
 
When I'm on him, Murphy puts his head on his chest and broncs - and then when he realises I've not fallen off, he stops bucking and does a very fancy extended trot (look how pretty I am, you're not mad at me for bucking, are you?!), then he goes back to normal. On the ground, he stamps his feet, and then either refuses to move, or buggers off in a very purposeful walk and refuses to turn around or stop.

Savannah doesn't throw tantrums as such, she is far too afraid of what might happen to her. But if she gets stressed she will spin in circles / sideways / backwards until everyone gets the hint that she is a delicate soul and has been upset.
 
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