Youngsters are ridiculous

Jenko109

Jenko109

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New one for me.

I have a Highland colt. Sweet thing he is. Get's a bucket feed each day. Just some chaff and sugar beet. Nothing exotic.

He's kept in a field. Just a field shelter there (about the size of two stables) which has a big metal container inside with the feeds. They all mill about when feeds are being made. They can come into the shelter while they are being prepared if they want, so long as they are respectful.

Today the routine was changed up slightly and they were locked out of the shelter while feeds were made. Its just a gate that locks across. This does happen sometimes. Not the first time they have been locked out while feeds are made.

So today, it was apparently highly unacceptable. He decided to try and jump into the shelter 🙄 front legs hanging over the top of the gate like a bloody Labrador.

Told off and very firmly sent back off the gate....apparently not firmly enough as he gave it another shot.

Usually youngsters may get stupid and try and jump out of a locked stable. Not known one try to jump in one before 😅

So what absurd things have your youngsters done? Or mature horses for that matter.
 
Oh mine goes on absolutely ridiculous once the feed comes out. mini bucking against the stable door rearing, then tries to self pacify smooshing her face against the stable door before exploding in excitment again. Otherwise a very well behaved placid 18 month old, ties up politely all feet up, leads polite. I try make it out of sight then sneak it in before the excitement builds
 
Mine as a 3yo learned to kick the door in the morning from the horse opposite, he doesn't want hay or feed or to go out, he wants attention and he rarely does it when I am there as he knows it's naughty so I can't correct him. In an effort to not spend £400 on a quitkick I put two trugs of water in front of his stable door in the hope he'd kick that and it would have the same effect... well I came back to him with one foot in each bucket, kicking the door and splashing himself in the process but without a care in the world. Apparently all that work we did to get him to not be spooky worked very well and is both a blessing and a curse.
 
I keep my rising 3 year old with a 10 year old and a 19 year old. I put them in a huge pen on hard standing and with a shelter for last few days as it’s been so wet. Today I put them back in the winter field and watched the youngster running about with joy. Went and did a few jobs, came back 15 mins later and he was still cantering about like an idiot! Older horse just had their heads down grazing😀
 
Those of you thinking your youngsters will grow out of that behaviour the hooligan
- lobs his feed bucket over his door at me regularly
- grinds his teeth along the metal rim if he isn't getting attention when he wants it
- runs into the flock of starlings in his field - spooks them, which spooks him, which means the zoomies. When they land it starts all over again.

He'll be 8 this year. My farrier just looked at me in amazement and said I thought he was 5. We've had the same farrier since he was a 4yo, but I think he'll be 5 in his head even when he's a veteran
 
How much time do we have - I could write a book series on the stuff Rabbit has done in his near enough 3 years on this planet 🤣

1) Yesterday evening, Rabbit chose to use Baggs' arse as his personal teething toy, whilst I'm trying to rug Baggs up and whilst Baggs also has his dinner in with him. Give Baggs his due, he waited till I was out of the way before giving Rabbit a bollocking over the stable wall - did that deter the overgrown Labrador from trying again - did it heck! When I left Rabbit was resting his head on Baggs' arse and dear old Baggs was looking at me as if to say "Mother of all creatures WHY did you pick this one?!?!"

2) Rabbit decided the other day whilst getting him used to tack that "fling the saddle cloth" was a great game - as I put it on his back, he'd turn his head around to the side and fling it off. I couldn't help but laugh - and thankfully he didn't try it with the saddle......

3) He once licked the electric fencing (whilst it was on mind you - thankfully not mains connected!) and then looked rather annoyed when he got a zap

4) If I don't put the electric fence posts in the ground deep enough, he'll pick them up with his teeth and place them on the floor

5) He drinks out the hose like a human would

6) Every day when he gets fresh water the first thing he does is grab a mouthful of feed and dump it in there - I say that he is flavouring the water to my dear Mum who had just spent the last 15 minutes scrubbing it clean and sparkling for him.....

7) When he wants a treat, he'll pop his head to the side and smile - he reminds me of Donkey from Shrek when he does it!

8) When he has his feed, he'll bury his face deep as it can go into the bucket and eat without a care in the world - does the same with water too

9) I've inadvertently taught him to "hold" stuff for me when I had my hands full and needed something extra but couldn't carry it myself - now any time he sees me coming, he'll grab the nearest thing and then look at me to make sure I've seen him

10) If the rain is torrential/ weather really bad, and I ask him if he wants to go out, he'll go over to his haynets and bury his head between them as if he is hiding
 
Robin (Satan's apprentice) picked a fight with a turkey stagg on his first day with us - the turkey won. I think this has defined a long standing hatred of anything feathered. He's chased seagull, black birds and anything that lands in his field without permission. The poor Pheasants that taken shelter from the local shoot don't last long in our field, they move on to next door pretty quickly. He has also drowned several of my chickens. They used to sit on the edge of the water troughs and robin would come along and nudge them in with his nose.

My livery thought it was funny to buy him a squeaky dog toy chicken. Robin thought this was the best thing ever because all the others were terrified of the noise so they were chased round the field by Robin with the squeaky chicken. It was hilarious to watch but we did eventually catch him and remove the toy from his possession to give the rest a break. The chicken ended up having it's head pulled off - clearly it upset him somehow.

Robin firmly believes he was destined for life far superior to the life he has with us. The fact it rains and he has to walk throw mud is quite frankly an insult to him. He is currently naked as he's rather round, but you can see him seething when it rains. My life is currently in danger every time I enter the field.

Robin has the biggest personality, but honestly a little less of it would be appreciated at times.
 
SEL said:
Those of you thinking your youngsters will grow out of that behaviour
Click to expand...
Oh, I'm not under any illusions Pippin will grow out of this kind of behaviour. For one, he's a boy, and from what I've seen, geldings are generally more playful and babyish than mares. My older mares are both too dignified to engage in this kind on behaviour. Time will tell if Sassy stays playful or not. She currently indulges in some baby playing like picking things up, but she also seems to want to apprentice to Little Madam as boss mare in second, so we'll see.

I forgot: Pippin stamps at dead leaves if the wind blows them at him and is deeply offended by man hole covers, which require airs above ground when going near them.
 
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Chasing birds is a great game, despite being spooked by pigeons when riding they are fair game out.

They often chase a pheasant who run along then eventually get into flight and hop the wall. Then they all stare longingly at the creature who has magic'ed themselves into the long grass field - most certainly plotting how to fly !!!
 
We used to keep a large sow at one end of a barn, and the horses used the other end as a field shelter. ( definitely pig-proof horses).

The chickens liked to roost on the dividing wall. That was until one horse and the sow hatched a cunning plan. I've no idea why they offended this horse, but she learnt they could be got rid of pretty effectively by waiting until the sow was in position, and giving the poor chicken a nudge into the waiting jaws. They had no idea what was happening until it was too late. It wasn't until we saw it in action, as a very deliberate and well timed execution, that we realised the hens weren't just wandering in to the sty and being too slow to escape.

The grandson of the chicken killer horse has killed two half grown sheep, very deliberately. Quite a murderous line. Probably just as well I didn't breed any more!
 
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