Your Standards........for fun only!!!!

[Firefly9410]

This is tricky. I am so laid back I will put up with most things and happy to retrain anything that bugs me. I suppose the thing that would bug most others would be bucking and broncking, as long as it is done in excitement I could not care less and will generally laugh at the horse and allow it to carry on for a minute or two before asking it to stop. I believe in freedom of expression including in animals. Done to be naughty as an evasion they get told off straight away. Done from frustration or fear they get asked to stop but not told off. Most people dislike bucking so I think I am the minority with putting up with that.

The things I cannot tolerate are biting or kicking of humans and blind bolting especially if happens when ridden. If I accidentally bought a horse with any of those traits it would be swiftly sold on or pts depending on the circumstances.

 

[rowan666]

i can't bare horses that:
*kick
*bite
*barge
*won't load
*trouble to catch
*have any vices atall

i can't stand people that:
*yank on reins
*flap about
*can't keep heels down
*excessively use whips
*are way too big for their horse/pony

 

[ROMANY 1959]

I only have three main things that bug me...
People who tie horses on yard with a hay net..then don't clear up the mess

We are expected to leave the yard clean and tidy at weekends...there are only two or three of us on the yard who know how to do this!!!

"Younger"liveries who leave their stuff all over the yard, buckets with sponges and water in..hoses lying accross yard...grooming stuff left out all day long..

That's all!!

 

[Pennythetank]

I cannot and will not tolerate a small child pony that bucks out of excitement or mischief. Pain I understand and except. I lost all my confidence as an 8yr old riding unsuitable ponies who could and would buck me off due to my size and as a result I do not let any pony under 14hh buck for fun. Any pony bigger than 13.2-14hh I may leave of with the odd small bunnyhop buck.
I like my horses to move back when I enter the stable but with my own mare I kind of let it slide as she struggles reversing quickly due to arthritis. I settle for her turning her head so I can slide past.
General good manners are necessary and I cannot tolerate rude/bargy horses.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I wont tollerate head rubbing. At all. In the slightest. Even the horses at work get told off for it by me. I will also not let anything rub it's head on it's leg if it still wearing a bridle. All of mine know this and don't even try to but you can be sure that the very second the bridle is clear of the head then it is down getting a good rub off of said horses leg.

Biting is a complete no no as is kicking and barging. I expect all of mine to stand to mount and dismount and to do girths on.

The only one of mine that gets away with what most people would hate loathe and despise is Jeff runs through gates. He has space issues and even with a wide open gate he still shoots through. He is much better with stables and he now stops and waits for you at the other side of said gates but I still can't drill it into his thick skull that the faster he goes through a gap the more chance he has of injuring himself!

 

[hcm88]

Any nastiness I hate, I will not tolerate a horse biting or kicking or barging.

I also expect all of mine to stand in the stable when I'm in there. I should be able to leave the door ajar and not have them trotting off to the next county when I turn my back.

Pawing the floor is a bug bear.

Poor field manners too.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

I like my horses to be pleased to see me! They all live out, Tinner will leave the others to spend time with me and this makes my heart sing... So I can tolerate Harley, who I've owned for 18 years, giving me the 'don't you touch me!'look. I generally like them to be kind and mannerly, and mostly this can be taught if it isn't inherit in the horse. There is nothing that mine do that offends me greatly.

 

[Wagtail]

I don't know why, but tiny women riding huge warmbloods annoy me. It seems to be the bigger the better in some dressage circles.

 

[kassieg]

Barging, i despise horses who barge & invade personal space !!

my 3 year old i got at the end of January used to barge like a pig as soon as you opened the door she would be on top of you, as soon as you opened the gate she would be out.

I spent so much time backing her up & making her wait, now she will stand with her door open & won't come out until i ask

Just general manners are a big thing for me !

my big mare annoys me at times as she has very little spaceial awareness & doesn't realise how big she is & sometimes turns round & casually knocks me flying & doesn't even know she's done & i want to kill her but i can't cause she has no clue what she has done !! Haha

 

[EquiEquestrian556]

Barging, snatching haynets, biting, doing 'proper' rears or bucks out of naughtiness, kicking people (pain related or not).
Other than that I couldn't really care less, so long as they're not dangerous.

However, all of ours have good manners.

 

[Evie91]

Owners who think it's ok to turn up mid mornings at weekends to turn out because they fancied a lie in.

Owners thinking 24/7 turnout means they only have to vist once a day.

Riders too heavy for horse(can't bear this!!)

People who keep horses (a herd animal) on their own.

Mainly it's the things people do with/to horses that annoy me. I can forgive a horse most things - I think the majority of issues are created by the human anyway!

 

[Enfys]

Most of my bugbears are about horse people rather than horses

I think my main bugbear about horses are bad manners, any of them, biting, barging, fidgeting, not standing, blah, blah, blah, most all of them can be sorted. As Evie says, most problems are created by humans.

 

[PolarSkye]

My biggest bugbear? Judgmental people.

P

 

[cattysmith]

Actually, I'll tell you what really does piss me off. This measuring in cms thing. HANDS AND INCHES PLEASE! Jump height I can cope with just but NOT horse height.

Also if it's over FOURTEEN - TWO, HANDS HIGH... ITSNOTA****INGPONY. >:-(

 

[Illusion100]

When people finish riding, get off their horse and then see to their own comforts before their horses, eg take their hat off, have a drink etc before they even bother loosening the girth, let alone untacking, brushing down, offering food and water etc.... drives me nucking futs!!!!!!

THIS really irritates me too.

 

[Nessa4]

AHAHAHA!

My horse has learned to 'ask' for a treat and her dinner (I didn't teach her that's for sure!). She stands with one front leg tucked up or waving underneath her and when she gets excited, she swaps legs quickly, making her look hilarious.

Not so funny when you go to grab her in and she is the other side of the field waving a leg around waiting for you..... It would be a pet hate as clearly she does it on the days I am pushed for time.. but it is funny!

Mine does this (only on yard,never in the field for some reason). He decided that if he could ask with two legs he would get double treats and spent several minutes trying to lift near fore and off hind. I looked across and he appeared to have managed it - there he was, waving two legs at me and looking ever so hopeful, I went to investigate and the little cheat was leaning on the wall. He got his treats.Who says horses are unable to solve problems!!

My pet hate is also head-rubbing ; especially when they are wearing a pelham type bit or a fulmer. And any form of bad manners - it is very easy to teach good manners, and benefits all concerned.

 

[littleshetland]

People, who when they ride kick / every/bloody / stride /// and then say their horse is lazy.
People who use running reins incorrectly (this is about 99% of people who use them I reckon..).

 

[Aoibhinn]

I'm OCD about the horses and how they are looked after I'm afraid

Everything has to be neat and tidy, in its own place.

Head collars need to be put on the RIGHT horse. I often find my horses ones mixed up if dad lets them out for me, don't even know how this is possible as their names are on them....

Can't stand horses with bad manners or ones that drag you all over the place when leading.

Horses that scratch their heads off of people/walls/troughs with their bridles on!!

All of mine tie up and stand quietly for however long they are asked. Horses that paw the ground drive me nuts!

They also need to learn to stand in their stables untied while I muck out/generally faff about. They are quite good to do this and it makes life so much easier!

I'm not too pushed about standing still to be mounted. Tend to just hop up on the move. I let them walk off but it torments my sister and she tries to make them stand still, poor horses haven't a clue what's going on 😂

I do despise people that look after themselves before their horse after a ride. First thing I do is loosen my girth the second I'm finished working them.

Didn't realise that my list was so long.....ooops! I'll probably think of more in a minute

 

[The wife]

Kickers: I will not under ANY circumstances own a horse who has ever lifted a leg (unless seriously provoked) to man, horse or dog. It's my very first question when buying a horse. My reasons being is we have a tight America barn set up where horses have to pass one another fairly close, same with the dog and humans and so a kicker has no place in my yard.

Have manners when being dealt with: I do pride myself that all of my horses are generally beautiful to deal with on the ground. Be it to tie up, lead, skip out etc. If they don't arrive with good manners they quickly learn them. However, GT can be a monkey to bring in when it's very windy and rainy, I accept this, most horses are and he is a very big, usually very fit competition horse.

Generally they can be as bad as they like while ridden, although we do try to avoid it. Ridden issues are not a problem at all to me but I am set up with a very talented and brave little sister who will get on most things and get a tune out of them and will work with their strengths and weaknesses.

The kicking thing is my definite 'no go' and I would sell a perfectly decent animal to ride if he ever lifted a leg.

 

[NZJenny]

People who refer to their horses in derogatory terms - eg she is such a b**ch or he's such an a*sehole. I can't help but think the horse is obviously channelling the owner and why do they bother having a horse if they don't like them.

My pet horse peeve is horses that don't pay attention to you on the lead either hanging back or walking over the top of me.

However I also expect my horses to stand still to be mounted, stay tied where I tie them, be able to pick up feet and change covers without faffing around with halters and you get to eat it when I have put the bucket in the tub, not before.

 

[PolarSkye]

Horses who rub / kick doors / barge / fidget or are generally rude.

Horses who lean when you're riding them and don't move off the leg in all directions. Worst of all horses who ignore you point blank because they've been screwed around so much. Charging into fences, or spooking at very silly things (I'm looking at you, Fergus...).

Riders who don't wash their horses off after working them - sweat stains the next day.

Riders who tug and fiddle and tweak at their horse's mouth to get them "on the bit".

The phrase "on the bit". Also "outline".

People who tell me how high they can jump as though it's indicative of skill.

People using tack incorrectly - gags, or worse, pelhams with only a curb rein, no martingale stops, over-tightened nosebands, misused bits, gadgets.

People pitching up for lessons without having made at least some effort at basic turnout - hair out of the way, horse looking at least reasonably presentable etc.

Basically I hate anyone and everyone.

Are you me?

P

 

[Auslander]

I don't give a monkeys what other people do with their horses, although I'm happy to help/offer advice if its requested. As long as my horses are polite, friendly, clean and tidy and happy, then I'm happy.

 

[JFTDWS]

Are you me?

P

Yes - you're an internet troll and you didn't realise it

 

[Auslander]

Yes - you're an internet troll and you didn't realise it

She's a holy terror, that one!

 

[el_Snowflakes]

Hmm I probably have quite a few by the main ones that spring to mind are biting, door kicking & head rubbing! Couldn't tolerate any of those!

Oh, also hate hearing about horses needing to have their heads brought down/in!

 

[Swift08]

In regards to horses, I don't tolerate barging, biting, anything bad to catch or lead and so on. I tend to break/school/ride ponies that will end up in the hands of children and therefore I feel they have to be 110% on the ground. I'm only small myself so if they were to knock me over or something, then just think of what they could do to a child. Thats why I spend a lot of time doing groundwork, bombproofing and working on voice commands. I appreciate that horses do have their quirks though so I will adapt when necessary. My first horse was an absolute sod to lead in a headcollar, no matter what was done to work on it, he would give a nice buck and go on his merry way. However, the moment he had a bit in his mouth he would lead like an angel so thats the way it stayed. He was wonderful in every other way though, and I knew him inside out, plus I knew he would stay with me forever so that quirk was fine. It makes me so happy to see other ponies I've worked with go on to make children happy, do their jobs and build a riders confidence. Because of that, I feel I need to put the work into them. They many not all be plods, but they need to be safe no matter what.

Rider-wise... so many things get on my nerves! Like those who put their horse into a stronger bit because they want the horse to be in an 'outline' or those who rely on gadgets but have no idea what they are actually for etc. The worst had to be hearing a very well thought of instructor tell a bunch of us riders a few months ago though... "I don't care how you get it moving. You can kick it with your spurs, beat it with your whip, just make sure it bloody well moves, and fast" - this was at a competition where the horses would have several riders and be doing several timed jumping rounds. The horses were tired, many old and not competition fit. I was horrified and I refuse to go back! So basically, those who do not encourage good horsemanship are my absolute pet hate!

 

[southerncomfort]

People who don't brush the horse off after riding. I'm always berating my daughter about this!

Also, people who sell a horse and send if off to it's new home with dirty tack, dirty saddlecloth and rugs full of holes (personal experience here, not sure how often it actually happens!).

Horses that don't seem remotely interested in humans. I've only ever met a couple but they had no interest in having any kind of relationship with their human. And these were decent owners too.

 

[Blanche]

I expect all the horses I have anything to do with to behave. No barging out of the stable, lead quietly etc. I don't treat and I don't allow rubbing on me mainly because they knock me over. I knew a man who was holding his wife's horse at a show and it rubbed on him as normal. It had a fulmer on and when it threw it's head up it managed to get the cheek under the mans eyelid and pick him up. He was very lucky to only have a ripped eyelid.

It is people that drive me mad. Not mucking out properly, the smell of ammonia in some peoples stables is literally eyewatering and some of those people are professionals too. Dirty water (and buckets). Too much food or too little. Over rugging . Beating seven types of ***** out of their horse for any reason . The whole tackshop on the horse when ridden. I could go on but this has given me a headache. I do try and live and let live but when it affects a living creature and makes their life miserable it does rile me.

 

[Nessa4]

Thought of another one: When using a large round bale of haylage or hay why don't people unwind it in layers instead of randomly dragging lumps out of the top until it resembles a chrysanthemum and noone cat get any out?? Just done me back tipping a nearly new but ruined bale onto its side to try to free it. Same applies to the slices of straw from a large bale, people will not bend to releasethe bottom half and it just snarls everything up!

 

[windand rain]

I like horses to be polite, easy to catch, allow you into the field with five feed buckets and wait for their own, walk straight onto a lorry or trailer and stand quietly either beside you if held or tied up wherever they are. Most of this is achieved with my nativesand they are never ever allowed to eat with a bit in their mouth if I am there I know some people let them but I will not.

Hate seeing people on yards lunging on passoa and other aids yelling "oh good boy that is lovely are you not going nicely" and being told that they are so well schooled when all you can actually see is a horse with its head tied to its knees, dragging itself along on its forehand hocks two counties away.
Hate people second guessing me I am willing to learn but if I make a on the ground decision for my ponies it is for a reason usually a long considered one. Especially youngsters that barely know one end of a horse from the other but have degrees in horse management. I have over 50 years of practicle experience, read excessively and go to lectures so am quite prepared to keep up with new thinking.
Other than that my pet hates are much the same as JFTD and will add to them never washing bits after riding