worst advice you have been given

OMG - there's sssooo many I don't know where to start!!
I've picked my top 3...

1. Your horse is naughty because he has too much turn out....how i kept a straight face I have no idea!
2. That horse can't jump, it won't jump because it hates it...yeh really - check out my profile pic of the horse that hates jumping and couldn't do it! haha! :)
3. If you can't stop him put the bit onto your bridle backwards that will stop him when you pull! Oh lordy....
 
…..'Don't even think of buying that horse - he is too common!' Nearly 18 years later, me and my boy have laughed, argued, had a go at most things, won some frillies, and overcome two major illnesses. He is full of character and kindness and he is absolutely my best friend.
 
I was once told to solve a saddle slipping issue; to change the interchangeable gullet to one size bigger and then pad it out with a riser pad.... to me that just defeats the object! its makes the saddle wider... more likely to roll and then makes it narrower again so we have the same issue without having to change the gullet... needless to say i ignored said advice!
 
I took my TB to a local show last year. In an in-hand class, the judge placed us last and then told me she was underweight and I'll always struggle with her weight and to keep her in with 'high starch bulky feeds' I kid you not. She was not underweight at all and I just humored the judge. Needless to say, I did not follow this advice and she is still on small high fibre feeds out 24/7 and looks like this...

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How staggering is this evidence that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. And unlike other activities where I'm sure they have just a many "ex spurts" it affects a poor helpless animal - well done to everyone for recognising bad advice when you come across it.
 
Arniebear said:
I was once told to solve a saddle slipping issue; to change the interchangeable gullet to one size bigger and then pad it out with a riser pad.... to me that just defeats the object! its makes the saddle wider... more likely to roll and then makes it narrower again so we have the same issue without having to change the gullet... needless to say i ignored said advice!
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I've also been told this!!
 
When I was reading the ad for knobberpony,a woman marched up to me and said 'I wouldn't touch that,it's a walking vet's bill at that age'.

I bought her,and it was the best money I ever spent,3 years on,fit as a fiddle at 24,does everything asked of her and has taught my girls well.I have a queue of people wanting to loan her when she is outgrown,but I think I'd miss the grumpy old bat too much to let her go.
 
That my horse who has been slightly footy since literally weeks barefoot (I'm not a Taliban before anyone says a word ;) long story but shoes have had to come off for now) needed and I quote 'love heart' shoes on.
 
Not the worst, but certainly the cattiest "perhaps you should try just a walk and trot test" from a woman who rides an ex riding school pony, who can literally be riden by anyone! Admittedly the Appy had got confused and thought that we should gallop down the long side, she does enjoy a good indoor show :D
 
sherry90 said:
That my horse who has been slightly footy since literally weeks barefoot (I'm not a Taliban before anyone says a word ;) long story but shoes have had to come off for now) needed and I quote 'love heart' shoes on.
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Oh you have just reminded me of a good one! Apparently qualified and well respected vet advised me not to take my TB's shoes off (she had awful pancake, underrun feet) because "her heel will be closer to the ground then". I seriously find it hard to put faith into these people nowadays *facepalm*
 
My dumbarse horse got spooked by a helicopter when he was in his field and managed to jump a wooden fence and tangle himself in the barbed wire fence the other side. Ripped his back legs open, blood everywhere and was chilling in the field next door with a couple of other horses. He was very scared in the early days and we couldn't catch him for love nor money even after a hefty dose of sedalin in a bucket of feed.
Was told by owner of this field that I'd be best off rid of him as he would never amount to anything and was down right dangerous. At this point even I had my doubts as to my sanity. Same horse is now in his 5th week at the breakers and doing super :D
 
The worst horsey thing I've ever been told came from my mother.

"Your sister wants to have riding lessons. The best class for her is on Saturday afternooon when Dad's playing rugby. You're going to have to come along so you may as well give it a try. You don't have to carry on if you don't like it, you can just watch."

That moment will haunt me for the rest of my life :D
 
bakewell said:
Possibly drunk instructor ordering "whip him until he does it" (pass another pony) Amazingly at about 9 I said I don't think that's going to help. She then hit him without warning pretty hard behind with a lunge whip. He bolted at full tilt, around the arena, over the jumps, banging the boards, no kidding about 10 times. When I pulled him up, she came over to "show him who's boss" with the whip and he went up and boxed at her. Think he might have had a beating once or twice...

Happy ending: my father (watching, possibly not realising seriousness of incident, shouting keep your seat) asked afterwards what I thought of it. I said horse was great but I never want to go back to that riding school. He bought (I think a threat of legal action was involved with the offer) the horse. He never bolted again.
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Horrendous instructor who needs whipping herself but glad pony got a nice ending and bless your hero of a dad!

Got told horse needed large amounts of hard feed, probably because she was older (at 18). Horse was mostly belly with generally good muscle but never put on weight all over. Actually what she needed was a good wormer, adlib hay and to be turned out for more than an hour a day. Slightly peeved that this came from a professional in the business and luckily saw sense. Horse now on strict diet (!) and turned about 15-20 hours per day.
 
annagain said:
The worst horsey thing I've ever been told came from my mother.

"Your sister wants to have riding lessons. The best class for her is on Saturday afternooon when Dad's playing rugby. You're going to have to come along so you may as well give it a try. You don't have to carry on if you don't like it, you can just watch."

That moment will haunt me for the rest of my life :D
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Yes, me too when my Mum suggested riding lessons when I was six! Even she now wonders at the sanity of that idea.
 
Recently ... your horses are starving try running them in more pasture - they are good doers and restricted for a reason.

and the classic from the same person ..... can't you just give up work, sack your help and let your hubby pay for you and the horses. Why should / would he and why would I ??? - I'm an established professional in my area of work with a national profile and I've worked really hard to get there.
 
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"You should clip his legs, shorten his tail and cut his mane. Then he'd look more classy and as a sports type!" - Uh, thanks, but no, thanks. He's a light draft. He looks great with his feathers and naturally thick mane/tail. If I wanted a "sports type", I'd get one!

"Your horse is very fat and should be kept on strict diet." - coming from the proud owner of a very lightweight pony. Did I mention that my gelding is a light draft? You know, they are supposed to be slightly heavier than ponies... (Honestly, he isn't fat!)

"He is heavy on the forehand. When he does that while you're riding, keep a dressage whip in each of your hands and hit him with them under his neck. That will get him light and off the forehand." - Not sure where this came from.

"You should never spend more than three hours straight with your horse a day. He will become dependent on you and, gradually, will turn unmanageable, crazy and wild while you're away." - Must be coming from the same place as the previous one.
 
Some of these are brilliant!

I was told not to handle my foals, let them be babies.. While I agree to a certain extent, I've handled them as much as I planned to and now they're 2yo's, people tell me they are the best behaved Shetlands they've ever met. They're far better behaved together than my 6yo is who was left to be a baby far too long!
 
I was told not to clip my horse, he hunts in the winter, jumps every weekend and schools 5/6 days a week ! as well as fast hacking. Apparently it was very cruel to make him cold like that, they are designed to sweat and cool off that way... I didn't even answer ! I was told to feed my horse competition mix to calm him down, there was a reason given but I cant remember it. I was advised to break a pony in a Pelham to teach him to go in an outline from day 1- I could then move to the snaffle once he had learnt to go in an outline :eek: the scary thing was- this guy had actually done this himself on horses of his own :( I must whip my horse continually with the whip to desensitise him to it, he's terrified of whips and flips out if he sees one, I was lost for words tbh. There are so many more but these came to mind first
 
To "see saw" on my horses mouth and boot him until he brought his head down and then keep jabbing him in the mouth so he remembered where to keep his head... Not sure when I asked for this advice from this teenager livery when I was working in on a long rein encouraging him to go long and low. He comes up ino a contact as soon as I take up my reins and do 10 minutes of transitions... I'd been at the yard a whole of a couple of days!
 
Not advice exactly but when purchasing my mare I questioned the fit of the saddle they were selling her with. It touched her withers (and clearly had a broken tree) to be told "no it was professionally fitted she is so round it needs to touch on the withers or it will slide off" really what kind of a plonker did they take me for!!
 
Take a whip in with you, my lad is from traveller stock and freaks out at the sight of whips, four years of having him, he will now stand and have a nice scratch using a whip, I do have schooling whips, lunge whips but never use them on this lad, for one thing he refuses point blank to lunge, thank god for schooling on hacks
 
One that I heard a lot a few years ago was 'they settle down/stop shying with age', they were right, now my gelding is 17 years older he rarely spooks!

The other could have been more serious. My horse had gone down on the road and both knees were broken. I rang the vet, spoke to the receptionist, cue a vet I hadn't met before arrived with a gun, ready to shoot the horse with two broken legs... Not remotely funny to me even ten years later.
 
Not worst advice, but have had a fellow hacker crack my old loan horse over the arse for napping without any warning at all! FWIW it didn't make him go forward, and I won't be hacking out with her again!
 
I got my mare straight off the track so she had very poor ground manners initially. One "helpful" person suggested I hand walk her in a bit and "yank her mouth hard" every time she pulls. I didn't - she has lovely manners now and a soft mouth.

I've heard a thousand times that the way to "pull" a horse into a frame is to load him up with martingales and gadgets - often by instructors who are charging a great deal of money and should know better.

I think the saddest was one I heard when I was a kid - one girl had a pony that was obviously very sore through his back. He was one of those honest, stoic horses that wouldn't just dump his rider (as my mare would!) but just kept trying, but he drew the line at jumping and kept refusing. The girl's mother, who was experienced, was calling from the sidelines "He's just lazy, hit him harder and MAKE him go over" until my riding instructor (whose property the show was on) marched into the ring and told the girl she was eliminated and that she needed to have her pony seen by a vet.
 
I was told not to clip mine as 'his roaning will never grow back'

Hes 19 as was clipped every year when his owner's daughter competed with him! I think thay person was under the impression that clippers must break the skin? (Is the only way I can think that the roaning wouldn't grow back!)

Funnily enough I did anyway- only a trace so he was oddly stripey through the spring (never again- full clip this year!) And guess what? His roaning grew back!

Ax
 
I just remembered one from ages ago!
Was at a horse fair, and I asked if one of the horses had ever been wormed- The owners answer?

"I just give him a full bucket of carrots, that gets rid of any worms"
 
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