Your spontaneous and not-very-sensible stories!

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Fransurrey

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I just want to know if I'm the only very norty person, here. ;)

I've had my girl for just over two years. I bought her as a companion, but also as a project. She was extremely nervous, wouldn't be caught, couldn't be trimmed and had to be heavily sedated to load. She'd had the odd kid sat on her, but hadn't been tacked up and never ridden, plus had got into the hands of certain types who had scared her witless (she's terrified of brooms/forks). She's 10 now.

Using Clicker Training and positive reinforcement, I solved most issues quickly (except loading, as she hasn't gone anywhere, but I doubt she'll need sedation, now). I've put the saddle on a few times (no reaction), led her round in it, leant on it, had bridle on and done same...

...but last night I had an insanity moment. I'd turned Henry into the grassy field for 15 mins, but she's well covered, so I decided to tack her up and practice leading/stopping with the clicker and herbie treats. Then, I put the body protector on and the hat and thought I'd stand above her on my bench. Cue lots of wobbling and I got down. She was fine, but I felt unsteady, so abandoned that. She was being a star, so I decided to put my foot in the stirrup (from the ground) and bounce a couple of times. Shift of weight, but that was it.

I then led her back to the haynet tied outside the stable/field shelter and she tucked in. Whilst she did that, I bounced in the stirrup again, before insanity REALLY struck. I just got on! No reaction. Nada. Zilch. Just happy pony shifting her weight under me, then tucking her muzzle back into her hay. I sat there for a few minutes, sometimes leaning forwards to give her a herbie treat and she was sooooooo good!!! I even turned her away from the net, but we haven't practiced the aids for a while, so let her go back to the net, before returning to my senses and getting off.

I know I'm a very naughty girl. I didn't have my phone on me, I was at a field by myself and my shoes didn't even have a heel.

So, have you ever done something which in your sane mind you'd never consider and triumphed? Two years ago I never thought I'd be the one backing her, but she's turning into the most fabulous (and sensible!) mare and I'm walking on air today. She's the first pony I've really had to 'Walk the talk' with. :D
 
there is a lot ot be said for intuition that the time is just right rather than doing someothing just because its day X on the plan :D :D :D


Having said that you had done all the preparatory work and this was just the next stage ........ yipeeeee that it was just done so quietly and successfully.

...and of course the fact that everything is now linked to positive stuff happening as far as you are concerned is bound to have helped :cool:

so yes, ok , maybe you should have had someone there, phone etc just in case ..... but thats not norty, just well, a little silly maybe :D :D :D



I do a few things that some other people think are "insane" / dangerous but they are usually considered and prepared for by me :D :D :D :D.



I suppose the most recent sort of "not very sensible" thing I did was to let the young lad in my sig below (who had cerebral palsy and legs that clamp tight and shake) ride Taz (who is very light off the leg indeed) without habituating her specifically to legs that do things "different". BUT she is has given loads children "lessons" and been around people with different disabilities, and is such a gentle soul who adapted her groundwork without standing on him so we took that leap of faith :D


actually your story sound soooo like mine and Taz's ........ I have a feeling that maybe one day your pone too will be a lovely all round family pone .... so carry on walking the walk :D :D :D :D
 
Fransurrey said:
So, have you ever done something which in your sane mind you'd never consider
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yes, when I was a teenager I had this issue whereby I almost dared myself to do stupid things because if I didn't I then convinced myself that I was a scaredy cat rider. So cue me tanking up a massive field flat out on my ID x TB, cantering bareback through the ford on the farm, jumping bareback and on one particularly stupid occasion I decided to ride in the school in just a head collar and lead rope. This resulted in my horse tanking and I consequently fell on to the fence, splitting my head open. I can't remember it as I came too drinking tea on the yard owners sofa. I had to have my head glued in a&e. Needless to say these days I'm far more sensible and I've learnt that there is no shame in being a bit scared sometimes. It's also called being responsible and knowing your limits!!
 
Hmmm, well, when I was looking to buy a horse, I originally wanted a 8-10 year old school master...

Ooops, saw my boy, instantly fell in love and bought him on the spot. Slight issue being that he was a 3 year old unbroken stallion!!! :eek:

However, 4 years later and he is the horse of my dreams (now a gelding!!)! Yes we've most definitely had our ups and downs, but I love him more than anything!! :D
 
In my teenage years, decided to ride bareback in from the field with just leadrope round my mare's neck, got to the stables and she wanted to head out, I thought 'what the heck' and went. We did a full route (around a mile and a half) of a nearby bridlepath and along a couple hundred yards of country lane to get back with just my body and a leadrope guiding her (no hat either) utterly foolish but over twenty years ago in my defense. I have grown some brain cells since then :rolleyes:
 
I sat my 8 year old daughter on my 16.2hh Oldenburg x tb at the weekend....she had been at PC camp all week and I told her if she did well in the eventers challenge at the end of the week she could have a go on her...well she only went and bloody won it! To be fair my mare was good as gold and daughter rode her nicely even if she did look like a pea on a drum! It won't be happening again in a hurry though, not til she's a tad bigger!!
 
Tormenta said:
In my teenage years, decided to ride bareback in from the field with just leadrope round my mare's neck, got to the stables and she wanted to head out, I thought 'what the heck' and went. We did a full route (around a mile and a half) of a nearby bridlepath and along a couple hundred yards of country lane to get back with just my body and a leadrope guiding her (no hat either) utterly foolish but over twenty years ago in my defense. I have grown some brain cells since then :rolleyes:
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Oh I've done that so many times, I thought it was normal, lol! I was particularly bad when Henry was recovering from a ligament injury and also after LGL. Both times he was about ready to be ridden and I was taking him for walks, to make sure he wasn't going to be a loon before I got back on. Every time I would end up jumping on and we'd have a lovely hack around the forestry, with just his headcollar and leadrope. I'd like to say it was 20 years ago and I've grown brain cells, but...20 years ago I didn't have a pony (got him nearly 12 years ago) and so I had to make up for the childhood years in my mid to late twenties (so strictly speaking I am now a horsey teenager!). :D
 
It was a beautiful summer evening and I fancied a ride but hadn't brought my tack with me. So hopped on my arab mare's back with just a headcoller on, work clothes and no hat. All the horses were in so I thought I'd have a ride around the field. There was no-one else at the yard.

We were about half way round when the horses next door came galloping over which of course made my mare light up. She very quickly realised that I didn't have much control. Rather than have her bounce on the spot I let her go forward into a steady canter. Which got a bit faster and then faster still.......

I headed her towards a jutting into the field hedge bush tree thing but soon realised that Perissa had no intention of stopping. She was thoroughly enjoying herself!!

To this day I have no idea how 1. I stayed on and 2. How I left my cardigan on the tree

I'd had to to lean forward to get under the hedge bush tree thing and she took off like a rocket. It was GREAT!!!! When she pulled up at the gate, she did so in a manner that she kept me on her back rather than my skill at staying on because at that point I was laughing so much I'd gone all weak and floppy. Her face was an absolute picture. A very fond memory.
 
Years and years ago as a 14 year-old, I was riding my father's latest horse (a steeplechaser just out of training), up our back lane for a quiet hack on the fells when I was cut off by the local hounds, in full cry. The Master, who was a friend of ours, shouted "What are you doing, idling about? Come on!" So I did.

I had no idea of how the horse would behave, and he was just in an eggbutt snaffle with no noseband. The run was on the fells so there was no jumping except for the drainage ditches, which he flew. It was the ride of my life. The magic ended abruptly when a rein suddenly broke. The good boy just sensed something was wrong, and stopped.

I've never forgotten that ride. R.I.P. Finglass Road.
 
Yes, deciding pink was going so well that i could let her off following OH and have her on her own. Cue her going really well for a minute, listening to everything (even seeking out a light contact and maintaining it !!!!) and then getting confused with left and right and taking me under a tree!

I came off with the tree, and she stopped and looked at me like i was going to die or something bless her.

Got back on and she was perfectomudo again so it didnt seem to bother her. I however, ache like a bugger all down my left side. joy!
 
I sold my old horse for a fair wedge and could have bought my self a nice riding horse.


I bought Samba........She is beautiful but erm its taken me a year to go hacking and to tie her up, catch her etc.
 
A friend and decided to hop on bareback with just headcollars and leadropes to ride our horses back to their fields. It was dusk and I'm not sure we even had hats on (I know, I know) but all was fine until one of the ponies on the yard got loose and came careering up behind us, our horses took off at a gallop with me and my friend holding on for dear life with me shouting 'Mel are you ok' every 2 secs because she looked like she'd fainted. Thankfully they stopped at the gate, we turned them out and went home for a stiff drink. Embarrasingly, it wasn't that long ago - she was 40 and I was 32. We shoud have known better!!!!
 
At 13 years old (many moons ago) I used to go to a filed where there was approx 20 different horses/ponies kept, there were always different ones there so Im guessing now that it was some sort of holding field before they went to market.

There was a tree I used to sit in, some of them were friendly and used to come over, so I would slip out of the tree on to their backs and off we'd go, the whole herd!! :eek: shocking when I think about what I did now!!
 
Out hacking as a teenager we came across a load of stuff that had been dumped on a piece of common land that we used to hoon around on. so we did what anybody would do and dragged out the old bed, mattress and doors and made jumps out of them. Trying to prop up the mattress with a few branches that came off trees was a bit interesting so we gave up in the end and put in front of the bed which was standing on its side to simulate a water tray:eek:

I don't think I would do it now - but I would be more concerned about touching a manky mattress than jumping something so stupid:rolleyes:
 
BorgRae said:
Hmmm, well, when I was looking to buy a horse, I originally wanted a 8-10 year old school master...

Ooops, saw my boy, instantly fell in love and bought him on the spot. Slight issue being that he was a 3 year old unbroken stallion!!! :eek:

However, 4 years later and he is the horse of my dreams (now a gelding!!)! Yes we've most definitely had our ups and downs, but I love him more than anything!! :D
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Im not alone horrahhh :)
he was not a stallion but he was 3 and untouched lol
 
Jumping my sisters lunatic pony in our field by myself, must have been 14 or so at the time. Anyhoo, he jumped at Mach 3 and ran out of a double, and I smacked head first into the wings, then had to chase pony across 6 acre field to catch him. Not sensible when you have no phone etc, and it was the day when your mum would drop you off and pick you up 3 ish hours later.

Getting on my horse in my wedding dress with no hat and no shoes on?! :D
 
Piccy said:
Im not alone horrahhh :)
he was not a stallion but he was 3 and untouched lol
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lol! You are not alone... Which means I'm not alone!! Hooray!!

Oh how we do silly things!! haha!

... "bitten off more than I could chew" came to mind! But thank god, it's all good now (well, some minor issues, but who's counting! hehe!) xx
 
Hacked out a loop and came back along the grassy riverside bridleway. The river had burst its banks and the bridleway was under 3-4" of water. I was on my own but stupidly decided it would be great fun to canter through the flowing floods.

I forgot about the dip halfway along the bridleway and as we hit it, we went belly-deep for two yards then back to 3" deep.
My horse leapt in surprise as the deep water hit his belly and I fell off and landed body-length-wise in 3" water with a huge splash so every part of my body and clothes were soaked apart from the hair underneath my hat. Horse trotted onto the higher ground away from the river and then waited for me.

I've often thought about that incident since and thought what a good job it was that I wasn't knocked unconscious as I would have drowned.
 
Stencilface said:
Getting on my horse in my wedding dress with no hat and no shoes on?! :D
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Im planning on doing this when I get my dress back from the cleaners!! I will ride him home in normal clothes, hat, high viz etc and then have photos in the front garden with OH there but I had such a lovely train, it will sit nicely over his big bum!!

Ahh read this back and realised the error of my ways - choccy is dark bay, dress will be cleaned and ivory - ho hum never mind!
 
Ah, I did mine on my wedding day, so dress got nice and filthy (+ hoof polish) and now is in the cleaners, looking forwrad to seeing how successful they are with removing hoof polish! :D

I had a nice big train too, from behind I look like some centaur thing :D
 
I had a horse when I was a teenager, but then became life-threateningly allergic and had to part with my boy. 35 horse-free years later, the allergy's finally gone.

So, at 55 years old, creaky and rusty, I returned to riding then just became overwhelmed with the urge to own my own again. I'm on a low income (support work with learning disabled adults) but blew my paltry savings on buying a horse.

I set out to find a safe, bombproof hack "looks not important", I said.

I ended up buying (via an old friend) a mare I'd never met, who travelled 300 miles to come to me. She's nervous (and so am I...), a head-shaker, 17 years old but she's utterly beautiful.

I'm off to work now, to do one of the many extra shifts I'm having to do to pay for her keep, shoes, and pending investigations re the cause of the head shake.

I'm completely irresponsible. But very, very happy.
 
I really wish there was "like" button on here as there is on Facebook! I want to go through "liking" all these funny posts! :D
 
Perissa said:
It was a beautiful summer evening and I fancied a ride but hadn't brought my tack with me. So hopped on my arab mare's back with just a headcoller on, work clothes and no hat. All the horses were in so I thought I'd have a ride around the field. There was no-one else at the yard.

We were about half way round when the horses next door came galloping over which of course made my mare light up. She very quickly realised that I didn't have much control. Rather than have her bounce on the spot I let her go forward into a steady canter. Which got a bit faster and then faster still.......

I headed her towards a jutting into the field hedge bush tree thing but soon realised that Perissa had no intention of stopping. She was thoroughly enjoying herself!!

To this day I have no idea how 1. I stayed on and 2. How I left my cardigan on the tree

I'd had to to lean forward to get under the hedge bush tree thing and she took off like a rocket. It was GREAT!!!! When she pulled up at the gate, she did so in a manner that she kept me on her back rather than my skill at staying on because at that point I was laughing so much I'd gone all weak and floppy. Her face was an absolute picture. A very fond memory.
Click to expand...

I just laughed out loud :D Oh I used to love that mad insane laughter that creeps up on you when you are on an out of control horse jetting round a field, so breathless but exhilarated when you stop and realise you are still alive :D
 
what?!?! its not ok to be walking through the field with a headcollar and leadrope and just jump on the nearest thing to you and take it out bombing around the countryside? oops! hmm...maybe i shouldn't mention that last time i did that it was with a 3 year old that had only just been backed..... ;) :D
 
This is going to sound gross... :eek: but last night was just finishing off the horses nearly dark and found an itchy place on the underside of one of them :eek:, it was a bit soggy and lymphy so inspected it with my torch. What it needed was a wipe with a tissue to dry it off and some aloe vera gel on it to stop the itching.

No tissue. Nothing whatsoever on me to wipe it with.
So I took off my shirt :eek: - it was perfect :)

I had a flourescent jacket on as well as cycling home so it was fine.

No it was not fine :eek: OH comes bumbling across the field worried because I wasn't home. Where's your shirt he says...:o
 
Years ago I had no one to hold a young colt whilst I got on for the first time. He had already been used at stud so was a bit perky. I had done all the usual leaning over and he was used to a saddle so I just got on whilst he was tied up, leant down and untied him and off we went. Don't try this at home :)
 
Was walking a shetland across fields because his saddle was away at the repairers, Got bored of walking and hopped on bareback with just a headcollar (no leadrope) and a riding hat and flat out gallopped across the field jumping everything in the way stearing with my legs and seat, I would love to say that this was years ago but it was a month ago :p
 
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