Why do they speed up as soon as you ride on grass?

[[59668]]

Why do most horses suddenly go faster when you get onto a grass surface out hacking.
I now have some beautiful orchards to hack round, and as soon as we turn off the road we get a real power walk!
Why is this? They all seem to do it!

 

[el_Snowflakes]

Im quite lucky. My WB mare doesnt seem to notice when you are on grass!

 

[sophiebailey]

I wish my boy wouldn't got bolted off with AGAIN yesterday because I asked (with the slightest twitch of my heels) for trot. So fed up I'm beginning to dread hacking

 

[icyfreya]

There is a long stretch of grass (maybe like 50m long, 10m wide?) by the side of the road where i hack out / sort of like a tiny park, it has a few benches and bins etc on it, anyway it has a MASSIVE sign saying strictly no riders! soo i thought i would just walk along the first bit after a long hack with lots of roadwork...haha i thought wrong...as soon as mick's hooves touched the grass he was off, in full gear *i am a thoroughbred my dad was a winning racehorse* gallop...got some interesting looks from passers by to say the least he always goes way faster on grass

 

[CobSunshine]

I was out in an open field today, my boy is very good in open space. Soon as we came on to the field a gray dog came out of know where and started to try and bit my horses back legs. So he bolted in to a full.gallop never experienced any thing like it. The dog just kept runing behind. Tried my best to try and pull him up,but because my friends horse bolted as well and was some distance in front, he just wanted to catch up to him. Sooo angry wanted to go back and find the owner. All the time i have had my boy he as never bolted and was so close to comeing off as i have never galloped b4.

Sorry about the long rant.

In regards to your question lol. Horses just love grass get excited and feels nice on there totsies.

 

[FoxTrotx]

Hmm having no school does have its advantages with this issue as I have no choice but to school in an open field (about an acre which I'm far too lazy to section off until I want to graze it). Sorted my mare out a treat as she never knows quite what I'm going to ask her to do or where to go so she really has to listen.
Although she still enjoys a bit of a leap and a buck if we do go fast

 

[CobSunshine]

I was out in an open field today, my boy is very good in open space. Soon as we came on to the field a gray dog came out of know where and started to try and bite my horses back legs. So he bolted in to a fullgallop. Never experienced any thing like it. The dog just kept runing behind. Tried my best to try and pull him up,but because my friends horse bolted as well and was some distance in front, he just wanted to catch up to him. Sooo angry wanted to go back and find the owner. All the time i have had my boy he as never bolted and i was so close to comeing off.

Sorry about the long rant.

In regards to your question lol. Horses just love grass get excited tastes yumie and feels nice on there totsies. Like us walking on a bed of yumie food.

Do you tense up when you go on to the grass? Because he/she will sence it.
Do you hack out alone? If not try hacking out with another.
When you canter do you all ways canter on grass?
How is he/she when your leading on the ground on grass?

 

[wtdnh131]

perhaps she has the mind of a racehorse?? mine is a lazy sod in the school but you take her round the field and she loves it, perhaps its because school means schooling and too much schooling she gets bored, and when i take her round the field it usually means a fast canter, and she prefers that than schooling

 

[CobSunshine]

Not sure why it posted first reply sorry.

 

[AprilBlossom]

Because 'grass means go'! It's like asking why people start driving off at traffic lights when they see the opposing lights going red/the second an amber light lights up...lol

 

[Peegeesmum]

We have two young donkey geldings that we are traffic training,& even they get hot under their hooves when we get to a grassy track!

I even got dragged onto my knees & had to let go when the two year old bolted with excitment on grass!

 

[SophieLouBee]

We have two young donkey geldings that we are traffic training,& even they get hot under their hooves when we get to a grassy track!

I even got dragged onto my knees & had to let go when the two year old bolted with excitment on grass!

Lol! Sorry but that is super-cute

Mines reason is that: "I am a tank, and can do as I please because I'm so huge you can't do a thing about it"

The youngsters haven't quite figured out what it means yet, and get mightily confused when he takes off into the distance at hyper speed. I look back to see a little face looking about the place like "I don't know what to dooooo, please comeee bacckkkkkk"

Bless.

 

[CobSunshine]

oh something else i forgot to mention. Horses are fight or flee animals, put them on an enclosed bridlepath and they feel safer from threats. As soon as you enter an open field, their eyes go beady and their ears prick up looking for these threats like in the wild. They are far more exposed in an open space, hence become quirkier, faster and ready to flee!

 

[Luci07]

And also look to yourselves guys....do you always pick up speed when you hit the grass? Be honest! I never ever canter on the last leg home albeit on grass and make sure we never canter on the same areas...

 

[Elsbells]

This is an intresting thread.

I posted once asking why horses want to canter and gallop about the fields with us on their backs, there is no doubt that they do and really love it?!!

I know for sure that if I were a horse, I couldn't wait to dump the great lump!

 

[traceyann]

Out of all four of mine the only one that does is my exracer but so learns his lesson hes schooled in the field until he relises not all grass is fun now if there jumps in the field thats another story wouldnt hold the cob or warmblood they love jumping

 

[[59668]]

Nope I never canter on the same place twice in a row and actually havent cantered much this year out hacking cos it's so wet.

 

[Burnttoast]

Almost always because they are conditioned by their riders to expect speed. Same goes for those nice uphill stretches... At the moment 99% of my hacking is grass (I have to make an effort to do a bit of roadwork for his bare feet) and at this time of year we have the use of hundreds of acres of hayfields. The boy, being ultra-spooky, is much nicer to ride right in the middle of the fields as there's nothing for him to goggle at (except funny colour patches of grass ) and because he's on grass from one end of the hack to the other he's happy to walk/trot/canter wherever he's told to. The only time he power walks is when he knows (or thinks, lol) he's going home.

 

[LeneHorse]

Oh dear, I have an abnormal horse! Whenever we ride in the fields all she wants to do is get her head down to eat. It's a constant battle. We do have some canters but I have to be careful in case we go from canter to munching - this can result in an unscheduled dismount. And no I'm not 8 and she is not a *****land!

 

[Penny Less]

Cobsunshine, you have answered one of my questions! I have always wondered why mine is superspooky etc on a wide open space and better on a track with trees or a fence.
I always thought it should be the other way round they would be more spooky on the track because of hedge monsters etc and calm in the open because they can see if anything is coming. But I think you are right !

 

[monkeybum13]

I bet 90% of the time it is due to the rider. Either the riders always canters in the same place/pushes horse into canter every time the find some grass/ rider tenses on grass because they think their horse is going to bog off etc etc

 

[MiCsarah]

I bet 90% of the time it is due to the rider. Either the riders always canters in the same place/pushes horse into canter every time the find some grass/ rider tenses on grass because they think their horse is going to bog off etc etc

Completly agree