Would you hit your horse properly...

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A raised voice is enough to scare Gin
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If a horse is misbehaving then they will get a smack, I have a habit of making them back up when they are being naughty. It seems to do the trick.

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My horse reacts very well to my voice too. Even if I raise it slightly, for instance if she's in my space, she'll move back immediately. If not, then I barge right back into her and for the first few times, she got a real shock from it, as she was quite sensitive. Now she just reacts to my voice, and I rarely have to barge or give her a thump in the chest in order to get her to move out of my area.
Even if she is desperate to go out into the field she won't dare barge me. Can't stand bargy horses. Even in a youngster I don't think it's acceptable (to a certain extent, for me, exploring and being 'youngstery' is perfectly okay).
 
Never had to with current horses because they are good boys but I have and would if they were naughty.

My dad used to have a seriously naughty horse and he used to get a bit of a beating on occasions. He turned out to be a great horse but had he not had very strong discipline I don't think he would have lasted very long!
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We never got him completely out of his bad ways - he could never really be arsed with XC and showjumping but did pretty well at dressage and was a fab hunter!
 
If I have a half ton of horse in front of me acting like a git then I will reprimand them. We have to remember what horses do to each other in the wild, it would take a lot of strength from a human to replicate the same amount of power and strength that a horse can give out.

How many times do you see a mare turn and kick at her foal or give him or her a nip or bite if they are being too rough when suckling.

I do not advocate beating horses, but we have to remember that they have the ability, strength and power to do a lot of damage to us, or ultimately kill us, which has tragically happened to people.

It would be great if all horses were 100% well behaved, but like humans the liklihood of this happening is slim to nil...
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I have given a good smack to a horse that went up and then took off for no reason before. He hasn't done it with me since riding him.
I have also bit a horse on the nose quite hard before because he clamped down on my arm and wouldn't let go.

I believe if a horse is diciplined then they soon learn what they're doing is not acceptable.
In some cases it is different though for instance a horse who is head shy or had past experiences.
 
Yes, if they behave badly/dangerously I would have no hesitation in hitting my horses, have to say though, I honestly can't remember the last time I did, mostly a low growl does the trick, but then they know me well enough to know that I will carry through a threat.

Totally agree with the huntsman's actions, I would have done the same thing in that situation.
 
Its important to discipline the horse, but also important for the rider to be able to exercise restraint. and judge the severity based on the circumstances.
I believe that there is no justification for hitting a horse more than twice (firmly) in succession, and at shows you will be dealing with the stewards if you exceed this. I have happily reported people at shows for literally beating the hell out of their horses (thinking they were out of sight), and they were dealt with accordingly. Dont get me wrong, all horse require discipline at some time, so by all means hit them, but not in the head unless you want to deal with a headshy horse in future...
 
Horses need discipline when necessary, especially youngsters when I feel it's my responsibility to make sure they turn out right for their future owners.
That said, I haven't raised anything more than my voice for about 2 years.
The worst I ever had was an 18.3 nappy big git who went through a stage of not leaving the yard - I could have smacked him all day long and he wouldn't have budged. I resorted to reining him back all the way from the yard to the indoor.....50 metres away!
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Yes, I've hit a horse.

One was a TB- would not stand still, used to jump on my feet etc. I get sick of being stood on one day and cracked him one on the shoulder. He stood nicely after that.

The other was a bolshy welsh D- he barged out of the stable and nearly broke my arm. He got a smack with a whip, and then I backed him into the box.
 
Horses are big animals and we are usually a lot smaller than them, I think in some instances, horses need to be taught right from wrong and in this case, the horse was or could be dangerous and the huntsman told the horse off and that was the end of the matter as the horse responded.

However, I do object to hearing people shouting, screaming and hitting horses for no apparent reason, ie at shows, this infuriates me.
 
It totally depends on the horse.
Some types seem to need a good smack once in a while and some only need some stronger body language and the behaviour changes.
It is never good to lash out in temper but I am not going to lie, I have done that in the past.
 
In my youth (a long time ago) an owner told me she had beaten one of her horses as he was becoming dangerous to handle. He never bit/kicked again, but was very afraid of the whip - I rode the perfect gentleman for years - but never carried a whip on her advice.

My own horse only understands the whip as an aid - not a punishment. If the lunge whip falls on him....I know I am sorry and can be hopeless..... it is not a problem, catching him by accident, no problem. He just looks at me as if to say you are an idiot human, but does not run away or panic.

But I have slapped him with the flat of my hand - and a loud NO, when he was young and was using his strength against me.
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But only on very few occaisions - to stop an accident.

My older mare on the other hand always thought I was a fool who required more training, but she was always "gentle" but firm. She was patient, clever and generous - she knew I could be an idiot, but I was good fun too!
 
I don't use any kind of whip with my horses, not a schooling whip, normal whip or a lunge whip. If other people choose to do so that is up to them. And if people want to hit their horses that's up to them. The biggest problem is when people don't get their timing right and wallop their horse ages after what he or she has done. If you are going to reprimand a horse in any way - verbal or physical - then it needs to be on the button and not seconds or minutes afterwards. Otherwise the horse doesn't understand why he or her has been hit.
 
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