Would you have moved your horse?

T

tasel

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 April 2008
Messages
1,318
Location
On the go...
Visit site
I have a Warmblood and in the livery yard she was at last summer, she just looked so totally out of place. Most horses there were nice gentle hacks, going on small competitions, but nothing too drastic. Most horses were also much smaller than mine, and were - in my opinion - more like plodders.

Mine on the other hand was difficult to handle compared to the others and looked a lot more sporty. The YM thought I shouldn't be owning my horse as she is a "proper" competition horse who should be ridden by a professional, not suitable to me who happens to have a full-time job. This is despite me buying the horse off a stud farm whose owner thought she'd be perfectly fine for me. Because she looked so much more like a "sports horse" than all the others on the yard, she caught quite a bit of attention... which really, I hated. For some bizarre reason, my horse really misbehaved there as well - but that coincided with her having people around that were quite wary of her (well, it's kinda different holding a plodder and then all of a sudden having to hold a more flighty sports horse). It felt like she was playing up to her "image"?!?

After moving her to another yard that had people who were just very calm, and now having moved her to the current yard we are at - which has plenty of nice, big competition horses - she is like a changed horse. She is still not the easiest (and currently on boxrest = uncontrollable!) but she seems to have mellowed down a LOT!!! I don't know how to explain this, but it seems like she fits in much better here... like the peer group she is with suits her better. Basically, here... she is just one of many... rather than anything special.

When I was contemplating the move last year, I got a lot of slack by other people for wanting to move my horse to a yard where she would just be one of many rather stay somewhere where she would be regarded as "special", etc. But I think it is the best decision I have made!!!

What would you have done in that situation?
 
sounds like they were jealous!

I have a similar situation, my horse is bred for competition and has all the fancy papers (non of which i understand - kwpn, pink papered etc) and i just keep her in grass livery with my other horse with no menage (of which i miss) lol
 
I would have moved, sounds like you and the horse were not happy there!

I am surprised in this day and age that anyone still think WB should only be kept be professionals as top class competition horses. If that was the cases the Dutch studs would start seriously struggling for business! WB are what you make of them, some are slightly too highly strung for the average rider but I think in general most experienced riders could cope with one
smile.gif
 
i have the same probs with my 18.1 sports horse in the siggi. it got to the stage where someone demanded i seperate my two (second horse big as well) from the remainder of the liveries (all smallish ) Well i was very upset at first as a lot more went on besides this including somebody getting him in from the field because he kicked a pony that was hanging off his side by its teeth ! - with out me being there and without my permission. it has worked out for me though cause i have half a field to my self away from the other liveries - its great. People just dont get it half the time and i think jelousy comes into it as well. the insults from someone included my horse was a giaffe. well a giaffe that can jump like a stag and do laterals with changes must be a very talented one. you done the right thing, in my opinion. im fine as me and my daughter keep ourselves to ourselves.
 
I suspect it was people's jelousy that made them comment in the way they did about your horse. And people's general lack of experience that made her behaviour seem a little more amplified.

Perhaps you are now at a set up where people are used to dealing with the sharper horse??

Difficult to say if I would have moved her or not - she certainly wouldn't have had a clue that she was 'special' whilst others were plods. And perhaps this attitude, coupled with your horses slightly more highly strung nature - made staying at the original yard difficult......
 
Sounds like the new yard is more professional and all the people around you are used to, and not wary of, horses such as your's. Enjoy!!
 
If you were unhappy and you felt it was to benefit your horse then yes, but then you would with any horse, any horse can be a little more difficult and mis understood at times, no matter what breed, cost or ability it has.

You should not of been driven out just because your horse was not as laid back as the rest though.

Good to hear things are better now.
smile.gif
 
well I think it is certainly possible that people were intimidated by her and if they had to handle her. I for one do not like handling big horses, I can be ok when I know them. I have had very little exposure to them in the past and although I have done for friends I always feel they are a little bit beyond me and they do sometimes need handling differently. Hence I have a big pone!


also some horses are just happier on different yards and you can't always put your finger on it. My friend had a big, stressy showjumper. She was better on a big yard or a busy small one and was noticeably more settled.
 
I think its just horse snobbery in general. Some yards are rife with it, others aren't and it doesn't matter whether you are on a "competition" yard or a "happy hacker" yard. If people want to find fault, they will. Personally I don't agree with the term "difficult" in relation to a horse, just lack of understanding from those that think it is difficult. A little understanding and patience can go a long way when a horse needs a calming influence, just as a calm atmoshpere, which generally means being on a yard where people know what they are doing, and obsolutely do not panic.... rare as hens teeth.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Perhaps you are now at a set up where people are used to dealing with the sharper horse??

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes, the YO at the current place definitely knows how to handle them - that's also the reason I hope we can stay at the place for a few years at least.

What did get me really annoyed at the place last summer was that I told the YM what type of horse I had before moving there. The YM was actually going to back her for me. I told her my horse was a WB, and that one very competent trainer with decades of experience had already failed to train her (i.e. horse is challenging). I was given the impression that it was going to be fine and she had loads of experience, etc. I am now doing the backing process on my own, and yes, at times it's a bit hair-raising... but a little bit of trust between the horse and rider goes a long way, I figured...

Good to know I am not the only one who had this problem... I just wished some people would just be upfront and say that they can't handle certain types of horses.

 
[ QUOTE ]
I am surprised in this day and age that anyone still think WB should only be kept be professionals as top class competition horses. If that was the cases the Dutch studs would start seriously struggling for business! WB are what you make of them, some are slightly too highly strung for the average rider but I think in general most experienced riders could cope with one
smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

I informed the YM that in Germany - where the horse is from -, loads of normal riders had WBs because that's the most common breed over there... for goodness sake, when I was in high school there, my classmates had Hanoverians!!! YM just said that the stud farm owner who sold her to me must have lied to me about her potential (in that case, why would they sell a 5* horse with all the potential in the world for a very average sum to a non-professional rider!?), and YM was shocked when she found out I actually got quite a bargain.

Didn't help that the locum vet who visited the yard was of the opinion that stud farms on the continent only sold problem horses to overseas customers (my horse was actually on sale in the domestic market, too, stupid vet!)
 
Yeah but i have the other way round where people with finer types will look down there noses at my cob so unfortunately it works both ways people should just get on with there own horse IMO glad horse is more settled now
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top