Why are horses so mollycoddled here?!

I think styles of management can vary widely, whichever country you are based in.
I'm in Oxfordshire on a yard with mostly racehorses and hunters. Believe me those horses are not pampered or spoiled, they are expected to do a job, and to behave well - they get plenty of turnout, are only rugged when necessary and wouldn't know a treat if it got up and bit them. Mine are treated exactly the same way.
 
the watcher said:
I think styles of management can vary widely, whichever country you are based in.
I'm in Oxfordshire on a yard with mostly racehorses and hunters. Believe me those horses are not pampered or spoiled, they are expected to do a job, and to behave well - they get plenty of turnout, are only rugged when necessary and wouldn't know a treat if it got up and bit them. Mine are treated exactly the same way.
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But isn't that the way it used to be before horses became 'affordable' for everyone. Certainly all the horses I ever dealt with as a child had impeccable manners, were turned out every day and worked.
 
marydoll said:
You sound like you care for your horses well, and you dont need to justify rugging your horses to anybody, or giving the occassional titbit.
My horses are rugged up when i feel its appropriate, i dont approve of titbits but after work if i choose to reward with one its my choice, and if it became a problem i'd deal with it. Op you make a lot of good points in your post, but because folks dont care for there horses in the same way you do doesnt make them wrong, or any less of a person, everything in moderation ! I agree some take it to extremes and treat horses like surrogate kids which drives me nuts.
I'd much rather see someone get a vet out if theyre unsure of what to do with an injury or illness having seen some real messes due to piss poor wound care
But ive never seen a horse neglected through calling out a vet.:)
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I do care for mine well, but they work hard and are not just things to "have" to say I have a horse. I'm not saying don't call out the vet if the vet is needed but surely everyone who owns a horse should know when is appropriate to call the vet and should be able to administer basic vetinery care?
 
the watcher said:
I think styles of management can vary widely, whichever country you are based in.
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I agree with this.
I'm in Ireland in a rural backwater and I've seen some seriously horrific sights. Not everyone over here knows how to manage horses, they may not get polos but they get driven (trotting often) when lame, hobbled full time to stop escape and 'thieving', turned out to breed year after year. Of course there are many, many experienced and knowledgeable horse people here as there are in UK but there are many who are not. :(

I don't agree you can equate polos with NH either. Polo feeding seems to be done on many yards the only yard I was ever on in UK the local shop sold polos by the box. Willy nilly hand feeding is imo a big problem but goes along with no consistancy or clear communication with horses. This is found imo in every 'type' of horsemanship.
 
I'm very much in agreement with YorksG.

However although mine are not mollycoddled in general and I don't agree with it, it does need to be remembered that different horses have different requirements. All of mine are unrugged at the moment but I am having to keep a careful eye on one of them as he is a bit softer than the rest and does feel the cold and drop weight alarmingly - he is an old boy with not the best teeth though. Last winter on an average winter day I had three unrugged and one in a heavyweight, one in a medium and one in a lightweight. They all get different feed and %age of bodyweight as well because on the "average" diet I'd get three "average" weight horses, one dropping weight like nobody's business and two wobble buckets.

I have some shod, some are unshod, depends entirely on their feet and the work required.

I guess however that's all part of the commonsense that's been lost - the understanding that there's no "one size fits all" solution".
 
I don't know why they are mollycoddled - depends on priorities I guess.

I've seen horses & dogs treated better than the kids! But then again, many can afford to keep horses as pets/extra kids and so, they are treated such.

I do wish I'd started a horse rug company though... I'd be laughing all the way to the bank.

I'm thinking about inventing this special water - water that is optimised for horses. It's got some equi-electrolytes in it. Improves performance, stamina & improves hydration :D Any marketeers here?
 
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My horses are one of only a few good things I have in my life so if I want to spoil them rotten and mollycoddle them I will and would never judge anyone else if they do things different to me.
Both of mine have good manners (most of the time hehe) and IMO and others are looking pretty good so I must be doing ok.
 
This post is spot on.

on a winters morning when the sun is rising and temp going up I drive past fields of horses wrapped up in rugs and returning they are still wrapped up.

Appreciate they may need to be kept clean but what about how hot they must be. Same heavy rug for night time and same for day time. I often think the owner is irresposible and cruel.

In past never saw the hard breeds rugged up to the hilt.Rugs were for ie racehorse types etc

Our old boy was rugged as we couldnt keep weight on him but if the temp went above 5 centigrade it came off so he could have a good roll/scratch. He was PTS 37 years of age. Rugs are hard work not easy...I was always watching the weather is rug on or coming off!

Horses have been humanised and I think this is why I cannot find a proper horse most have been spoilt and ruined. A young horse near me that has demolished its fence eaten it as soon as it rains its put straight back in its stable. During the snow I never saw it for weeks goes around in circles in the school thats it! Spotlessly clean and obviously FRUSTRATED thats why it eats its fence! Thats my theory anyway! And its owner wonders why? too much ££££kkkk. Pays people to come in to sort it out.
 
Because people enjoy mollycoddling and treating their horses and most of the time its all quite harmless.Treats are too but you would be wise to have rules about them, so they know when to expect them and when not, then there is no problem.As for people complaining to the RSPCA about an unrugged Shetland.Well of course thats ignorance but isn't it good that people watch animals and complain if they think they are being neglected?
 
eahotson said:
Because people enjoy mollycoddling and treating their horses and most of the time its all quite harmless.Treats are too but you would be wise to have rules about them, so they know when to expect them and when not, then there is no problem.As for people complaining to the RSPCA about an unrugged Shetland.Well of course thats ignorance but isn't it good that people watch animals and complain if they think they are being neglected?
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A shetland in the snow neglected??

We'll I'll be.......:rolleyes:
Isn't it funny that when it comes to animals, people rush to help and stick an oar in (talking majority here, lets not bring up Amersham or anything like that). A child being abused up the road? A homeless human sleeping in the snow? No one gives a toss.
 
...:o

So i may have put a rug on P last night, it was bloody cold-(i had to wear a jumper AND a hoody) and peeing down with heavy rain until this morning....

let it on her this morning because it looked the same as yesterday, but the suns coming out so im going to go take it off her in a bit (but she looks SO pretty in it!)

I left the welshie rugless... but at least he has the sense to stand out of torrential rain unlike P, god forbid she go without food for two seconds!

They dont get treats though, hate nippy ponies, they get cuddles and scratches though and i dont think its a bad thing, if i want to mollycoddle i will :)
 
I was fairly shocked myself when I went to Ireland to work a sport horse yard for a summer. My riding improved more in 3 months out there than in 5 years in England, the horses were 3/4 year old ISH's full of oats yet better behaved in the most part than 90% of the riding school ponies I know over here. The horses were skinny....no wait, they had glowing coats and with an anatomy chart you could have picked out every muscle but their ribs were covered...they looked skinny till I got used to it then coming home all the horses looked like hippos. :D

Big fan of the 'Irish way'.
 
It always makes me have a giggle when I see a Shetland with a rug on....., where the hell do people think they were bred to live.

Cold, windy, wet and no shelter even from trees that is the place they call Shetland. The clue is in the name :)
 
I think it's good that perceived cruelty is reported, but I do find it offensive when supposedly horsey people think that you are cruel for not rugging or ad lib feeding your overweight,unclipped native.

It is far more cruel to over rug and over feed in my opinion as the health risks are very real and can last for life.

I hate to see our local livery yard horses that aren't allowed to be horses, rugged nearly every day if there is so much as a chance of a shower, even in hot weather; bathed all the time so any protection from the elements is removed anyway, never ridden as owner too busy bathing/rugging/feeding. It seems to have become the norm on such yards that horses are rugged/fed/stabled or else you are perceived as an uncaring owner.

I also hate to hear rugs called 'rain macs' and pyjamas.

I've no problems with anyone getting the vet for minor stuff and rather that than an infected wound or damaging bandaging, or worse case I saw was an owner who'd sewn up his horse's bad wound himself with fishing line!

As long as people aren't harming their horses then I feel that they can do what they like, but 'mollycoddling' in some cases can be harmful.
 
Dont most top event riders ( I know mary king does) turn their horses out after the season unclipped, un shod and let them have 'horse time'. I agree lots of horses are very spoilt and have no manners we have a few at our yard, mine gets the best i can afford and will always get a telling off if their naughty, the new one doesnt get sweets because he can get a bit nippy, so we solve the problem by not giving him any! The worse which drives me to madness is foot scraping!! ARGHHHHH people just let their horses stand outside their stables and do it, wo betide mine if they do it! One girl at our yard her horse will do it constantly, she does nothing!!!! Madness!!!
 
There are very few of the old fashioned horsemen left, in Ye Olden Days a young child would be introduced to an old pony by a knowledgeable parent, and would be expected to "brush over" the pony after "work", this still occurs in some places, but more often the child has persuaded parents to buy her a pony for christmas, it is seen as a pet or a toy, rather than a working animal, treats and cuddles are seen as part of the norm, seen as essential for the "bonding" there are pony-mad magazines [pink and fluffy] with advertising aimed at the innocent.
There is a need for a common [horse] sense approach, but it is difficult for anyone to gain a lifetimes' understanding and knowledge in the first few years, and more often than not the child loses interest when boys and booze are the alternatives to poo picking and daily maintenance in winter.
 
I think the problem comes about when people start projecting their human ideas onto horses - 'I'm cold, so he'll be cold too, better throw on a rug'.

Boo sucks to anthropomorphisation! It does horses no favours at all.
 
It can certainly be said that my ID x who was born and raised in Ireland has a completely different attitude to life than any other horse i've ever owned! He's well mannered and tough as old boots and he wouldn't know what to do with a polo either - it's quite refreshing to have something that takes each season as it comes , sun , rain or snow. Ok I do rug in the winter if it's wet as they are quite exposed. But he's plays , sleeps and mooches with his mate , out 24/7 365 , but tied up and tacked up he's definitely in the work ethic zone , it's amazing , and a big thank you to the lady in Ireland who didn't spoil him and molicoddle him , she's done my boy a huge credit , which he'll keep all his life no matter what..
 
SophieLouBee said:
Well I quite like dangling a carrot on a stick and clicking a device when I eventually teach my horse to sit and/or stand on a bucket. :D :D
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Oh dear, you guys are going to hate me then!
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In my defence, I don't do Parelli, and neither polos nor sticks are involved! I also don't play with my horse as a substitute for riding, he does dressage, trec, XC, hacking etc, but he enjoys being given puzzles etc to do so i see it as no different to pole work and other in hand exercises. I would also like him to be my trick riding horse one day.

I don't tend to fuss too much about rugs or minor cuts etc, I just let him be a horse. My worst habit is that i chatter too much to him, so that there is too much 'white noise' around him and my actual voice aids get lost. I am trying very hard to be quieter around him.
 
On our yard only 1 person puts her horses in if it's raining, and 'mollycoddles' them. Must be because I live in a very rural farming area where animals are treated as animals, because we certainly don't have a majority of spoilt horses, we have fit healthy working animals who enjoy as much of a 'natural' life as possible. Interestingly enough the only person who used to 'mollycoddle' his was the P2P trainer...Irish fella he was. ;)

And yes KatPT I dislike your photos, I'm strongly against circus tricks for any animals and those are way too close to the bone for me..no matter how they are achieved. (And don't get stroppy people, she posted the pictures so an honest reply is to be expected.)
 
I do some Clicker work with my horses under saddle & in hand which obviously involves treats, im not a tree hugger or NH person but i do think out of the box which is what a good horseman should be able to do.

I dont care if people see it as mollycoddling tbh as my results speak for themselves.

TBH in most of the Top dressage trainers yards ive been on ive always found a box in the school filled with sugar lumps.

Im conservative with rugging, but thats because im from a generation where when we didnt have Rambo's we had horrid rugs.
 
My horse is definitly mollycoddled and I couldn't give a toss what people think.

He is out 24/7 at the moment, fed no cereals just fibre and is worked twice a day or once properly.

However he is in a l/w today as it's peeing it down and I'll put a m/w on tonight if it's still raining.

I spend pretty much every penny on him and he has the best of everything. He has dentists twice a year, back treatments every 3 months, shod every 5/6 weeks, saddle checks, new saddle.

I'm meticulous with EVERYTHING. From his numnah being clean, comfy and pulled up to the prolite comfy pad on his headpiece of his bridle. I'm meticulous in the way he's worked, always warming up and down properly never riding fast on deep or hard ground.

He gleams, I groom him every day all over, he is booted up every time I ride. If he has a little scab I wash it and treat it straight away.

I also give him cuddles and lots of affection (no treats though!!). He is not allowed to misbehave but I like him to have a personality and be free to be his own person. If he moves when I'm grooming him yes I'll push him back, if he goes to bite I elbow him but if he has fun picking his bucket up in his teeth and waving it around I laugh at him and tell him he's clever.

If he's wet I towel him off and put a dry rug on. His stable is cleaner than my room!

I've seen horses that have had their personalitys squashed out of them so they are like robots and I don't want my horse to be like that! I've also seen horses that tread all over their owners.

I know I spoil my horse but he looks amazing and feels amazing to ride, he's so happy and confident and I feel we have a partnership of mutual respect.

I think people should just look
after their horses the way they want. It doesn't really bother me if someone feeds their horse a polo or puts one too many rugs on it, the only thing I don't like is when ignorance causes a horse pain or confusion but I don't think anyone likes to see that.
 
I don't mollycoddle.
I demand good manners, because a horse is too big to walk all over you! I expect them to stand still when I want to fiddle, stand at a mounting block and not wander off! I *Hate* it when they mug you for treats. Buffy gets treats from her bucket or carrot ball.
And stable manners. They shouldn't walk out the second they see a slightly ajar door, they should move over when you ask.
After all my mare gets 22hrs of the day to do what she wants, surely when I want to fiddle and be annoying I can be :D
However she is well mannered, very rarely needs a stern word, infact she gets praised more then told off.
She is a Dutch Warmblood imported from Holland. She is left til October/November, naked, until I clip her. (Might rainsheet her to keep her clean)
She winters on a handful of Hi Fi Lite and a handful of bran and hayledge.
I don't call the vet out for every single thing. I don't feed treats, I don't feed cereals/mixes, only straights.
I have a happy healthy horse who trusts me and who looks great at the moment :D
Oh and she has next to no bedding which is apparently cruel :rolleyes: Nothing to do with the fact she is a messy bugger and is fully rubber matted in her stable?! :o
 
No offence taken, I realise that people have very different ideas on what a horse 'should' or shouldn't be taught. The interesting thing in those two particular photos though is that they are both things he did by himself. I placed the step in his paddock and wandered off, he walked up, banged on it like a drum and then stood on it for a good 5 mins staring around enjoying being tall. In the sitting photo, he was having a roll, then sat up and started merrily scratching his bottom on the floor, but he sits almost every single time he gets up from lying. He also does Spanish walk.

But I absolutely understand that some people don't like it. I am happy that my horse is safe, supple, healthy and happy, but I would not push other people to do similar things with their horses.
 
firewell said:
My horse is definitly mollycoddled and I couldn't give a toss what people think.

He is out 24/7 at the moment, fed no cereals just fibre and is worked twice a day or once properly.

However he is in a l/w today as it's peeing it down and I'll put a m/w on tonight if it's still raining.

I spend pretty much every penny on him and he has the best of everything. He has dentists twice a year, back treatments every 3 months, shod every 5/6 weeks, saddle checks, new saddle.

I'm meticulous with EVERYTHING. From his numnah being clean, comfy and pulled up to the prolite comfy pad on his headpiece of his bridle. I'm meticulous in the way he's worked, always warming up and down properly never riding fast on deep or hard ground.

He gleams, I groom him every day all over, he is booted up every time I ride. If he has a little scab I wash it and treat it straight away.

I also give him cuddles and lots of affection (no treats though!!). He is not allowed to misbehave but I like him to have a personality and be free to be his own person. If he moves when I'm grooming him yes I'll push him back, if he goes to bite I elbow him but if he has fun picking his bucket up in his teeth and waving it around I laugh at him and tell him he's clever.

If he's wet I towel him off and put a dry rug on. His stable is cleaner than my room!

I've seen horses that have had their personalitys squashed out of them so they are like robots and I don't want my horse to be like that! I've also seen horses that tread all over their owners.

I know I spoil my horse but he looks amazing and feels amazing to ride, he's so happy and confident and I feel we have a partnership of mutual respect.

I think people should just look
after their horses the way they want. It doesn't really bother me if someone feeds their horse a polo or puts one too many rugs on it, the only thing I don't like is when ignorance causes a horse pain or confusion but I don't think anyone likes to see that.
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But then I think there is a difference between keeping tack/stables/horses clean and well groomed, which is just good management, and mollycoddling, and I'd take issue that putting one too many rugs on IS actually harmful and uncomfortable for the horse.:)
 
I agree about the polo mints. I worked briefly for a Qantas pilot a long time ago who was enlish and brought horses back from uk regularly. He had a stallion that he bribed with polo mints, but it was mean and nasty piece of work. Not the way to handle a stallion.

Neverthe less, you must know little about NH methods, as they are basically just good horsemanship methods and if you looked into it you would probably find that your approach is not dissimlar.
 
KatPT said:
No offence taken, I realise that people have very different ideas on what a horse 'should' or shouldn't be taught. The interesting thing in those two particular photos though is that they are both things he did by himself. I placed the step in his paddock and wandered off, he walked up, banged on it like a drum and then stood on it for a good 5 mins staring around enjoying being tall. In the sitting photo, he was having a roll, then sat up and started merrily scratching his bottom on the floor, but he sits almost every single time he gets up from lying. He also does Spanish walk.

But I absolutely understand that some people don't like it. I am happy that my horse is safe, supple, healthy and happy, but I would not push other people to do similar things with their horses.
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I'm totally with you, if you horse wants to do it and he's certainly a healthy looking beastie then it's fine..it's just not what I would do (or tbh what my lad would do cos he doesn't do anything I ask anyway!). ;)
 
My point is I'm happy to let people look after their own horse the way they see fit unless it is obviously being mistreated or abused. Otherwise I would drive myself demented because they arent doing it the way I would do it!
That's why I don't work with horses anymore. I had enough of being told to shovel buckets of Alfa oil and haylage down the neck of a fat laminitic pony.
You can't tell horsie people what to do (me included) they just go crazy ;)
 
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