Does your horse enjoy his job?
Nov 18 2010
I always think it’s a very interesting topic to ask if your horse enjoys the type of riding/driving you have him doing. It’s a funny topic because people will argue up one side and down the other that their horse LOVES the show ring, but when we watch, we see a horse with pinned ears, a wringing tail and a sour expression. Or in the Saddleseat ring, we may see a horse who is not bright and alert, but instead white-eyed and scared out of his mind. No matter what the owner/trainer is saying, many horses send a very clear message about what they do and do not enjoy doing!
Conversely, I’ve had to explain to my more radical vegan friends that I truly believe horses enjoy being ridden/driven/worked with and do prefer it to sitting in a field. The analogy I’d make is that even though work is tougher than sitting on the couch, most of us enjoy the social aspects of working with people and feel some enjoyment out of learning things and accomplishing things. I think horses are the same. Sure, it’s tougher to cart a rider around than sit in a field, but I think they genuinely LOVE the attention that is a part of it. Assuming you are basically a kind, fair rider (you don’t have to be an expert to be kind and fair – fairness, for example, is riding with a bitless if you know you’re a beginner and learning to have soft, giving hands), most horses are going to enjoy being ridden.
I thought of all of this because I saw this video. These ponies are having a freaking BLAST! This is equine glee for you! The pony who loses his rider keeps racing and jumping. Hilarious and so cute!
So what do you think? Do you think you’ve chosen the discipline your horse would love the best, or are you the parent making them do their arithmetic for their own good? Have you switched course mid-stream when you realized your first choice of discipline wasn’t your horse’s cup of tea or that he wasn’t physically built for it and it was causing him pain?
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I definitely know that our guys are happy just to get out of the pasture! We’ve been so busy & stressed lately, getting ready for our baby in February, that our horses have been regulated to pasture pets, when they used to get worked about 5 days a week. Yesterday I had the energy & time to give them all the attention they wanted-a deep groom & an hour long walk on the road, they loved every minute of it! I had to remind them a few times that I was the one walking them, not the other way around, but poor Bobby almost fell asleep when I was getting all the dirt out of his coat.
I know they both like going for rides along the road & exploring new places as much as I do, they tend to get bored when we just work around the home place. For this I try to make sure we have time before we have to work to go for a quick stroll down the road, even if it’s just to go fetch the mail & back
But then again….pictures are worth more words!
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=502433777698&set=t.117700018
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=502426651978&set=a.502426442398.344.117700018
(FHOTD in — if it doesn’t end with .jpg, .gif or .png, I have no power to make it show up)
My daughter’s horse was a camp “lesson” horse when we got him – with hopes of her showing in Pleasure. He hated it with a passion – he was very unhappy in the ring and it was apparent. Just playing around she started gaming him and it was quickly obvious that though Frosty had never seen a barrel before, he loves speed events. He isn’t built for it at all and shouldn’t be any good, but he and my daughter consistently do really well because they love gymkhana and he trusts her and she takes great care of him (they’re a fantastic team). Now she can ask anything of him and he’ll do his very best, but it’s obvious that gymkhana is by far his preference and therefore, that’s what they do.
At the Friesian farm I worked for, during sleigh ride season, the driving pair horses would all try to crowd each other out at the gate when they’d see us coming because they knew it meant giving a sleigh ride. They positively LOVE flying through the snow!
Of my three horses, two are perfectly content to sit in the yard all day and do absolutely nothing. The third, he starts getting ornery when he hasn’t been worked in a few days. He has done dressage and jumping in the past, and seems happy doing anything really. Mostly, he just wants to be ridden, kept mentally active, and LOVES to hack. Even my trainer (who is old as dirt but fantastic) says she’s never seen a horse who enjoyed hacking more than him. He just gawks around at everything!
OT, but this article disturbed me in many ways: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/17/AR2010111704945.html
On the one hand, I’m glad the guy is being thrown in jail. On the other hand, the authorities threw dogs off a bridge? The whole thing is crazy, but at least the horse is safe.
My horse loves having a job. We’ve had him for 8 years, and the better part of 7 years he was a pasture pet because at the time, he was too much horse for me. This year I decided I wanted to show western pleasure, and low and behold he is a finished pleasure horse, so we broke him out of the pasture pet job and put him into training and he looks forward to getting out and doing something. We’ve been to 2 shows so far and boy, he jumps right into that trailer to get there, he just loves the environment.
I know an oooold schoolie. Probably 30-ish. He’s ridden almost exclusively by beginners…so he gets kicked, cranked, yanked…people bouncing around on his back. Has to be the least fun job for a horse…surely.
This horse puts his head in the bridle, gives dirty looks if you go get the horse next to him instead and always comes out into the arena with his ears pricked. He loves having his picture taken, too. He’s a total gentleman and he clearly loves his job. Loves it. He’s pretty smart and I honestly think he enjoys watching riders improve.
And for every horse that fakes lameness to get OUT of work…I’ver met horses that will HIDE being lame…you have to be really careful with them because they won’t admit it. I sometimes think that’s a contributing factor to racehorse breakdowns. Running fast is natural to a horse and we’ve bred them to love it for generations…so a lot of them will compensate and hide a problem until its worse (then we give them bute to just make that worse). I honestly think that’s what happened to poor Eight Belles…
I have a six year old paint gelding. He is the love of my life. I am 75 years old and I can’t ride him as much as I would like to. Several weeks ago I decided that he was not a happy horse because he needed a job to do, show, barrel race or maybe have a younger rider. I was told that horses needed a job to do. I decided to sell him.
My daughter, the Trainer, sat me down and made me realize that he had a job to do, and that job was to make me happy. I take him out everyday, longe him, ride him, play with him in the water, brush him, take him for walks, bathe him and fuss with him. He loves me because he neighs every time he sees me. He follows me around like a puppy dog. I taught him to kiss for treats and he kisses everybody now. He is a real gentleman. My daughter says he one of the happiest horses in Southern California and he is doing his job. He is no longer for sale.
Good Advice!
Thanks Jack, that made me feel good. I am 58 next month and have a 4 yr old paint gelding. I recently had a wonderful young lady start riding him for me, and she’d like to buy him. I’ve been feeling a little blue about keeping him when I know he’d get a very good home, and be with someone who would ride him more. I’ve been wondering where he’d be the happiest. He is also very bonded to me and will follow me like a puppy. You can’t put a price on that.
I need to show your comment to my mom Jack. She’s few years younger than you, but pretty disabled, but one of her great joys in life is making the long (for her) walk out to see the family horses, and pet them, and just be with them. She has a chair out there by the fence. We just got done extending the pasture much closer to the house so she doesn’t have so far to go.
I’m 53 and have a WONDERFUL 8 year old gelding who absolutely LOVES to go out. After doing badly at an ACTHA ride(finished third to last), I thought maybe he needed a younger and better rider and that I was doing him a disservice keeping him. But when I thought about it longer, I realized how much we are bonded. I know he could do more with a better rider than me, but he is genuinely happy to see me everyday. We are BEST friends.
He’s currently dealing with an abscess (YECH), so this weekend I borrowed a friend’s horse to ride. He stood the whole time watching us. I could just about read his mind, “what are you doing riding someone else?”
He’s not my horse; I’m his human. That’s what he thinks anyway!
OT, but Fugs did you see today’s blog by Joe Shelton? http://www.tbfriends.com/
Not yet – will go look.
I’ve seen horses who are perfectly happy to be ridden and horses who seem to be perpetually grumpy whenever a saddle is put on them, and have no enthusiasm whatsoever. Sometimes those horses are just lazy but it seems that a few really hate it. Or rather, they hate the discipline they are doing at the time. For example, I know a horse who will do anything to avoid dressage work, but is a terrific jumper and trail horse and enjoys it greatly too. But I think what always convinces me that some horses like their work is when you have a senior citizen on your hands. We’ve had a few that were perfectly happy to retire and sit in a field all day, being pampered and grazing. But I’ve known more that become depressed when not at work, and are brought back to at least be in the main barn where they will have the interaction with the people. A few are so down that the owners have agreed to let them have a saddle be put on them every once in a while and have very small children be led around on them. Those old timers just light up when they are being led around at a walk with a small child on their backs, and it always warms me up to watch it. I think those horses really do love their jobs.
Did you guys see the camel who does dressage? lead changes and everything! The camels name is Therese and she also jumps!!! Some English lady owns her and she’s perfomed for the Queen. They say she loves the camera and attention.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHsUuV3ljC0&sns=fb
That video cuts off the end of the performance where the camel… Well, I won’t spoil it for you. Suffice it to say I didn’t think camels were physically capable of grand prix movements. This one shows the whole thing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnsWQ4kNG-w
That was seriously impressive! I don’t care if the camel isn’t capable of doing Grand Prix level maneuvers, what an amazing testament to the trainer.
I think a horse who exemplifies liking her job is Zenyatta and I think John Shireffs has done a wonderful job keeping her heatlhy and happy. At the BC, she was hand walked & grazed several times during the day before the Classic. She gets loads of attention and treats as if she’s a queen, and she knows it. A lot of horses go to the gates with that jiggy, tight-lipped, ears back anxiety but not her. She’s ears up taking it all in, doing her little paw dance as if to say let’s get this show on the road, I’m ready! She had enthusiasm without fear, she knew her job and only turned up the noise when it was time to run. I so love that mare. As good as Rachel was, she didn’t look terribly happy to me but ran because it was expected of her.
Zenyatta’s heading to Lane’s End soon…..can’t wait to find out who her ‘husband’ is going to be. I’m kind of hoping she meets up with Curlin, but since Rachel’s going to him they’ll probably pick a different stallion. AP Indy or Lemon Drop Kid look good to me. Nice balanced stallions with good bone. Of course, I know zilch about TB genetics – they could be cousins for all I know!
Pony power! So adorable.
Loved reading your stories. I’ve learned along the way that for me it is about the relationship with my horses and not what I do with them. That’s included my retired mare who liked endurance but never had an unhappy moment during her two pregnancies as well as raising her kids. Her half brother couldn’t wait to see around the next corner on trail, loved endurance as opposed to “like”. The camping experience, the never-ending smorgasbord. He could jump pretty well but needed a ground pole after the jumps because he’d forget and want to speed off to the next one. He’s now in horsey paradise, on 5 acres of grass with a couple of buddies next to the biggest trail system in the state, his owner calls him “a dream on trail”.
I’d bred my mare without real desire in any one direction for the offspring, we would do what she wanted to do. It would be nice if she thinks endurance is fun. The desire she has expressed so far is for driving. One time I brought the cart out to the harnessing place before collecting her, and she whinnied at it. On her own she enjoys jumping, does a boatload of tricks without treats. She had some health setbacks that delayed her working career, I had about 10 rides on her before starting to cart, had ground driven for about a year though. Now 6, her 4th-10th ride was on trail where she was bold and smooth. One difference from her purebred Arab relatives is that if she is uncertain about something, the energy is UP rather than squirting forward, her spook is a rollback-and-halt, when the other horse along is rollback and bolt or skitter sideways. I think the “up” is in her genes, her other half is Lipizzan and she strongly favors that half in appearance and demeanor. In the cart, she is confident, precise, forward, stays in gait and will happily do working trot to square halt. Her younger full brother is equally happy in the cart, though he is not happy to halt nor stand quietly, waiting.
Here’s recent photos. I am a novice driver, yes, in the second shot she is cantering and the next image if I’d posted it was a beautiful downward transition.
I get away with all sorts of sloppiness because of our bond.
So we’ll see what her future holds. It might be cow work too, I’m not ruling anything out so far. If I had bank, she’d probably be doing CDEs.
Goodness she is gorgeous!
Thanks Dom. She can make some fantastic faces like your horse too. Including the llama one, I have photos of each of her parents doing that too.
My old Morgan/Percheron gelding, Bum, loved everything that meant attention. We did ring jousting, Medieval Games, parades, carriage, western games, team penning and trails. I never had him act upset or like he didn’t want to do something. Bum had a special dance after we made a perfect 3 ring run at a tournament. And once at a Markland War event I had to actually fight him to stay out of the foot soldier combat games. He thought he was a War Horse. He always worked with his ears up and acted like he loved what he was doing except for the very few times I tried to just school him. Then he gave me attitude. It was like “I know what to do, why work on it?” When I had to retire him due to a torn tendon at 20 he would get upset when I left for an event. Once he was loose in the yard while I was grooming my other horse and Bum loaded himself in the trailer. He stood there in his spot with the door open, just patiently waiting to leave. Now he takes his current job just as seriously. He is in charge of my 3 year old Morgan colt. He is teaching Blue manners and how to behave around other horses. He’s very good at his job.
My current riding horse, Amos, is very different. He isn’t as happy to work unless you get out the cart. He becomes a different animal when you put on his harness. He loves to road trot along the back roads. And in parades he acts like the perfect harness horse. Amos is OK under saddle, he is happy on the trails. He will do the Medieval games but we had to give up the jousting. He just wasn’t happy with that game. Most horses love being able to gallop in a straight line for 80 yards and then stop. Amos just gets frustrated, like it isn’t long enough or interesting enough. So now I stick to trails and driving to suit him.
My colt, Blue, is starting to show the same attitude about things that Bum has. He is interested in everything. He loves going for walks with me. I put on his surcingle and halter and his little ears perk up. He doesn’t mind leaving his buddies at home to go with me on a walk. He is learning to accept bicycles on the trail and dogs along the road. Cars no longer bother him. I am hoping that next spring when we actually start the riding part that he will a good replacement for Bum. Then Amos will get to be the driving horse he wants to be.
I absolutely believe this. I retired my all-around gelding in 2009 and started retraning a former reining/working cow horse for the all-around events. Now, a year later, I’ve figured out she does NOT want to go slow, so she’s for sale. And I’m bringing my gelding out of retirement for some light showing and riding and it’s obvious he’s really enjoying having a job and getting attention again. I do think they let us know their likes and dislikes…if we’ll simply pay attention and listen to them.
Pyrros makes it very clear when she likes or hates a job. She HATES flatwork. Hates it. Circles, figure-eights, walk/trot/cantering around and around… She tries to cut corners and after a few times around an arena she will start pinning her ears and throwing little irritated bucks. It’s a good thing I’m aiming her towards being an endurance horse, because she seems to like the trails. She never pins her ears or bucks, looks bright-eyed and alert, and wants to go, go, go when we’re out there. She’s like a completely different horse.
I don’t know if this will help anyone because it might get lost in the large amount of posts here, but I wanted to post anyway as it could help someone else.
I believe it isn’t right for us to force any animal to do something that we want to do versus what they want to do. Now, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t listen to us when we need to do something they might not like, but giving them a lifetime of stuff they don’t want to do isn’t fair to them. For example, we don’t get into frisbee competitions with a basset hound, and if we try we will most likely be disappointed. But we can find something that both the basset hound and us enjoys to do equally, like agility for similar dog types. It’s the same with horses.
This is my best example. I had an amazing blue roan TWH gelding that I showed all naturally (only a keg shoe) and won A LOT with. He had very natural animation, a long stride in the back, a gorgeous head nod, a strong back and excellent conformation, and was a show ring wiz. In our first show we won or placed in the top three of all the novice classes, then we moved up and even got a Reserve Championship one year. His gait was so natural and so phenomenal, all I had to do was ride him right and keep him exercised to get it. However, I learned that he absolutely HATED the show ring because he developed ulcers. I had been told by numerous trainers and my vet that ulcers can certainly be controlled and he can still show. But I decided it just wasn’t worth it. Why should I keep showing him if he doesn’t like it? It’s not like us humans where we choose to push ourselves if we get sick or develop a condition, but he is not choosing to show. I’m the one who wanted it, not him. So I gave up showing and I sent him to a wonderful guest ranch where I can see him anytime I want and he is being used for trail riding. He loves it there and loves the attention. I know it was the right thing to do for him.
I have a friend who is a wonderful horsewoman and gives her horses the best possible care she can give. She does see them as working animals, however. They are not pets to her–she does not dote on them or love on them like a lot of us do with our horses. She has a gigantic TWH gelding named Cooper who has the best heart rate and capabilities to do endurance. He is currently in training for the Tevis. However, he has no drive to go fast and keep up a good pace (which is why he’s in training). He has the makings of a perfect Tevis horse, but he honestly doesn’t want to do endurance. So she has a lot of expectations for him, and in return he shows he doesn’t want to be around her by refusing to be caught by her or gives her trouble in the saddle because he doesn’t want to work. In contrast, he has never given me any trouble and always lets me catch him because he knows I don’t expect anything out of him. It’s unfortunate that she sees him like that, and I hope he doesn’t hurt her in the long run (although he has a big heart and truly loves people–I don’t think he’d do that). The worst part is she has another amazing TWH gelding named Bobby who LOVES to go, but his heart rate and the fact that he won’t eat while out on a ride make him unable to do more than 25 mile endurance races. She said if she could just get Bobby’s brain and put it in Cooper’s body, then she’d be all set!
I have also worked with a spiritual healer and an animal communicator (two different women). I was trying to train my husband’s horse to show after I sold Indigo, and when the healer asked him about showing, he walked away. She said he doesn’t want to show–all he wants to do is trail ride. The animal communicator said the same thing about him and my mare. So that’s what I do with them because it makes them happy–they are only trail riding horses.
My goal right now is to turn my 6 mos colt into my “everything” horse. He is a TWH/Percheron cross, and I chose two horses with big, correct conformation and big love to create my colt. Both are very amiable and don’t get upset in crowds and they both tolerate a lot of activity and people around them. I am exposing my colt to everything I can right now so he will grow up understanding what I want his job to be. I plan to ride and drive him and use him in parades, exhibitions, driving competitions, and probably do low-level dressage with him. But if he shows me any sign that he doesn’t like what he’s doing, I’ll quit.
You can get hurt with an animal who doesn’t want to do what you want to do, or the animal can become unhealthy. So overall, to me, it’s not fair to force an animal to do what you want to do–it’s better to go out and find or create the horse that enjoys what you want to do.
Oh, I meant with my colt, if he shows me any sign that he doesn’t like what he’s doing, I’ll quit and find something else he’d like to do.
I plan to keep him forever, so my only issue will be making sure I find a job he likes so we can be happy together.
I am an eventer turned AQHA rider turned wanting to event again (my heart truly is in the thoroughbreds and that’s what I’m focusing on. I hope to get back into eventing once I’ve established myself in the thoroughbred industry). That being said…
I purchased my now 6 yo AQHA mare when she was 3 to do the all around on her. She’s a wonderful mover with a great mind but more forceful training tactics were used on her than I would have liked and it was clear to see that while she was GOOD at it, she didn’t ENJOY it. I whipped out my piece of chalk this past summer, brought her home to to Kentucky with me and after a battle with a mystery lameness, she’s sound. I’m currently not riding due to a shoulder injury but in the past few months she and I have gone on trails, galloped around the gallop oval on the farm (and boy let me tell you, that girl LOVES her gallops!), gone over fences… just trying to do different things. She’s a completely different horse and is always willing to try for me. In the foreseeable future she will be nothing but something that I go out and see everyday and ride when I can and I’m perfectly happy about that. The best part? She’s happy about that too. She’s a very busy horse and while she enjoys being out in the field, she LOVES to be in work and she loves to learn!
She truly is an example of make the program fit the horse rather than fit the horse to the program.
I love that story. I bet she thinks she died and went to Heaven!
Great blog!
My last horse did NOT like his job. I tried to make him a show horse, and a trail horse that could lope- but now that he is with his new mom I see that all he really wanted to do is walk and trot on down the trail. And get cookies. That’s it. NOTHING is wrong with that, we were just a bad match… So, I “divorced my horse” and bought a new one, one that I knew would suit me. A son of Luke at Me with legs from here to ya-ya and he is just fantastic. He actually knows and likes to get into that show ring and do his thing. He is genuinely happy everyday I head out to the barn. I’m so happy I decided to move on- and I know my past horse is too!
How precious is the Shetland Grand National!! They run all year, and the top riders go to the Olympia Horse Show in December. And HOW CUTE are those clipped pony bodies with the super woolly legs!!!!
My quarter horse was originally trained as a cutting horse wth a view to showing, but apparently did not like it, so was switched to jumping which she enjoyed. I don’t know anything about cutting horses who show, just the real work I’ve seen done on ranches. I think she would have been a good working ranch horse – an all rounder with variety of work. With her speed and nimbleness she could have been a nice amateur polo pony.
Another horse was a big old rangy TB. His owner gave him to me when he went to rehab and his wife divorced him. (He never sobered up.) He wanted to make sure the horse had a good retirement home. The horse was in his 20′s when I got him and had been in a lot of local rodeos. He was too big for that kind of work. He had sore shoulders and apparently bucked off anyone who bothered him. If you gave him suitable work, he’d go all day. Point him to a barrel or at some steer and he’d say ‘”Are you crazy? Off you go!” He also would not tolerate RUI, “Riding under the influence”. If a sack of potatoes beginner rider was on board, he was the kind old gelding. Anyone else, he had their number. Self preservation indeed!
My “heart horse” was a 14.2h Boston Mac bred QH named Sue’s Bomb (apparently he wasn’t what his breeders were aiming for, exactly!), aka Shorty. He looked like someone stuck a vaguely Appendix-ish body on Shetland pony legs and plopped a big ol’ head on top of the whole mess. Suffice it to say, he didn’t really fit into any “type”. My father acquired him from the local cattle trader for the grand price of 5 round bales of cow hay and an elderly Angus named “Crazy-ma”, and after my mother declared him “too opinionated”, he became mine.
He may not have enjoyed all the crap I made him do, but he definitely loved and was good at what I think he considered his “real” job: “raising” horse crazy little girls 
He had undoubtedly never so much as looked at an arena, let alone an English saddle, but he somehow had perfect form over fences. I was 12 years old and fearless/stupid, so I constantly was coming up with new disciplines to throw at him: Despite more than likely never being driven possibly ever, I decided Shorty would be good at it. And so, using a pony harness let out with twine to fit around his barrel and pony cart with shafts that ended midway between his flanks and girth, I somehow hooked it all together, jumped in, and said “let’s go!”. He looked back and cocked his head at me, and off we went. He was the same with team penning, trail riding, WP, eventing, bareback high-jump contests with my PC friend, playing the Headless Horseman’s horse in high school plays, etc.
Looking back now, I don’t know if he really enjoyed all of those things so much as he seemed to enjoy seeing what I could come up with, lol. He definitely had a sense of humor!
When he turned 22 and started to get creaky, I started to worry that I’d ask him to do something beyond his capabilities and knew he’d never refuse, so I decided to retire him. That lasted about 3 months, during which he became all snakey and crabby and would lay in the pasture having what looked like nightmares…
He needed a job, and it just so happened that a family in the barn was needing a starter horse for their little girl. I agreed to let her take him for 2 weeks to see how they got along….and at the end of it, I walked into the barn to see my dorky little boy braided with purple ribbons, in a purple halter, in his purple blankie, answering to “Sparkle Sandstorm” with the happiest look I’ve ever seen. Needless to say, he found a new home until he’s ready to retire for real, after which he will come back to finish out his time with me.
That story made me tear up! He sounds like a fantastic horse and I am sure is making that little girl very happy! I can just picture him all dressed up in his purple sparklies!
Reminds me of my “heart horse” Leo – of course a Leo bred Quarter Horse that I got when I was 6 and he was 12. He loved going to fair and he was game for anything I threw at him. EXCEPT braiding his hair. If I ever put a braid in his forelock or mane he would plant his feet and flat-out refuse to leave his stall! He was a character and I lost him to colic when he was 28 and I was 22. I still miss him.
Awwww, what a heartwarming story! And I can just picture your cobbled together starter driving set, what a great guy.
My mare loves her job (trail riding) although she would rather stay in the pasture eating. The game she likes to play is called “Make the Human Chase Me for Five Minutes then Stand Still and Sigh a BIG Sigh” after that she lets me put the halter on and we get along fine. My husband’s horse comes walking right up to you though when he sees his halter! Just once I would love for my girl to do that.
LOL hey mine learned that same trick and they love doing it….rotten, spoiled 4-legged heathens
My gelding is an ex-harness racer. Whether he was abused during training, but we know for sure that after a failed racing career he was bought by someone who neglected him to the point of being a 2 on the body condition score… they most likely also abused him because he has some ‘issues’ still, 7 years later. He’s scared of men and loud children, he can’t stand enclosed spaces or narrow gates, and I suspect he has either been twitched excessively or had his face whipped, because he’s quite head shy. He has no problem with bridles and halters, he just doesn’t want your hands or any other items near his face.. Anyway, he can deal with light riding, and some in-hand showing as long as you take it easy and are attentive to his stress levels. But I’ve learned that the thing he really loves doing… IS TRICKS! XD
and yoga… lol
Yes! My guy does tricks too
Yawn, smile, say whaaaat, hugs, kisses, which hand, bow, fold like a pretzel, and back rub! I’m trying to teach him speak.
OMG! I love this post! Not only because of the video, which was AWESOME, but because of the content. SO. BLOODY. TRUE. In addition to the idiots who say their horses like what they’re doing when they obviously don’t, and the vegan types who think they must hate their work when they obviously love it, I’d add a third kind – I’ve actually met professional horsemen/women who think horses have no opinion at all. No joke. Professionals. Who think horses don’t have “real” opinions. I’ve heard it said that they don’t have a preference of in work vs. out of work, and as long as they’re ridden correctly, they’ll respond correctly. While there is truth in the latter statement, it’s too machine-like an analogy for my liking. You may ride your horse correctly, but thanks to a brisk wind, a mare in heat, a new location, or a million other factors your horse may just not be into it that day. Or, conversely, you might have a very poor rider on a saint of a horse who performs well, because they know their job and they’re kind enough to do it anyway. Each horse is an individual, with their own opinions about everything.
Sure, and different disciplines suit different conformation! So it is nonsense to say a horse can do everything equally well if he is ridden correctly.
That’s the kind of insanity I’d expect from people who had never worked with or owned ANY animals. My cat has more opinions than some people I’ve met.
I’ve had many horses over many years. I like to think they all enjoyed their jobs. Personally I think a horse that proves it enjoys its job shows it not just by doing the work, but by doing with a step, a kick, a little bit of life. I’ve seen plenty and plenty of horses that ride and drive perfectly well for their people, but they just do it like they are drones. Some horses just have that type of personality, they’re happy to do the work, but they may not necessarily enjoy the work they are doing.
I have had several horses that I’ve felt really liked their jobs. My first mare was a hyper and crazy thoroughbred that after a few months with me really came around and worked for me brilliantly. You can read about her here:
http://willowtreephotos.webs.com/ladysstory.htm or watch her story here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4SmddBxxdU&feature=related
My second horse was a belgian/QH that went from bucking every. SINGLE. PERSON. off every time every way. He was a total snot when he first arrived to the riding stable, and he was supposed to be a new lesson horse addition. Needless to say, he did not work as a lesson horse. I bought him and he went on to school 3’6″ and compete at 2’6″ – 2’9″ and did great. He had a sense of humor (a dirty one), but he really understood his work and loved doing it.
This is him: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMOjHOhUfVA
Fast forward to a few years later and I bought a mare. A beautiful mare I named Spyder (Charlotte’s Web). I wanted Spyder to me my dressage horse and if you watch this video, you will see how much this mare hated not only me, but her work. She was miserable, nasty, aggressive, and in the end, I could not even touch her. She hated me and would attack me and I could not sit on her. I took her to my hunter/jumper trainer and they NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH HER. She quickly learned how to jump and they eventually sold her as a hunter, she was jumping 2’6″-2’9″ at the time and doing lead changes. My experiences with her ruined my confidence and it took me from 2006 until this year to find the confidence that I’m not that bad of a rider and finally bought a new horse.
Here is the story of Spyder: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuZZbRdX7Ew&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
Back in 2007 we bought a hackney pony for my husband to drive. The pony hadn’t been driven in years but he quickly turned into an awesome driving pony, he’s been shown a ton and won everything he’s been put in, and he does everything with such life and ZING. He’s super great to drive and really gets into it when we try something new, (for confidence sake’s I’ve been encouraging my husband to canter and the pony just loves it) He’d like to try CDE’s if we had the resources, and I think the pony would love it. I really truly feel Luke enjoys his job because not only does he do so well about his job, but he puts heart and effort and spunk into every step.
Of course, Luke has a YouTube video too: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0APE3MYApho&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
And he does some tricks that I’ve been teaching him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcgXDzDc0J0&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
About that new horse I’ve just bought back in August, he was a barrel horse turned into a trail horse and now I’m training him for hunters. He’s been started over fences and he LOVES it. He perks up, but doesn’t run forward like he’s nervous. He just looks for the fence, listens to my leg and collects up or strides out when asked. He has a flair that I see and feel and my trainer sees and he’s been jumping better and better and better every time. It’s really nice to have a horse to ride again that I trust and build my confidence back on, and that really is doing more than exemplary at his work.
Here he is for his third time jumping: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOktdwbOoL4&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL
and you can read all about him on my blog:
http://www.kshai1715.wordpress.com
A Barrel Horse Learns to Jump
Now I’ve got a couple
I have a 5 year old pony mare that always has her ears back. We purchased her at an auction and I thought she was the grumpiest horse I’d ever met. Yet she loves to be hugged and petted and just loved all over. And her ears will still remain in the rear position!!! I have become to truly believe that it is her “thinking” position. She has issues but over all is just a really really sweet mare. And I really think that the ears mean she is thinking and analyzing and trying to figure out how to best deal with the current situation. How sweet is that!!!! I hope that we will see more forward ears as she grows to trust us and realize we only want the best for her. But for now I know that she isn’t grumpy just thinking
I didn’t realize some horses did that till I met this black mare here at the local retirement/rescue ranch. She pins her ears even when getting treats! (As in, she pins her ears while eagerly walking up to check you out and sniff your hands and see if you have goodies…) It’s so odd, the rest of her body language says “hooray do you have snacks” or “scratch my back, wait a second do those hands contain food” so I don’t know what the ears mean in her case, haha. Just a habit?
This is off topic but passing this info from the people who save the Camelot auction horses in Cranberry, NJ. They do a fantastic job of networking the horses in the kill pen and this would be the first time in a year that they have this many by this time. In the past year they have saved all the horses in the #10 pen which is the kill pen. The ones left ship for slaughter noon today. If you or someone you know can help…HELP! I donated to save one coming to a rescue near me but cannot help beyond that or I would for sure.
http://www.facebook.com/#!/album.php?aid=45654&id=159567607387049
Not to be off-topic, but I just had an idea that I think this blog could be able to put together.
You talk a lot about finding the reputable rescues to donate to, etc. What if we put together a list of good rescues for every region/area/state/and Canada? If anyone has had a good experience with a rescue, it could go on the list. And for areas that we don’t have as much information on, a few volunteers could go and look around, and then tell us which ones are good and which maybe aren’t as much.
I know it sounds like it could be a lot of work, but people from all over the country (and the world!) read this blog and I think it could be a fantastic resource. I for one have a lot of trouble finding rescues (at all, not just good ones) in my area, but I know they’re out there! I can’t adopt a horse at this time but I’m a big believer in donating my time and money, and I’d love to adopt a rescue when the time (and my experience level) is right. If this seems like too big an undertaking, I understand, but I also fully believe that there are lots of people out there who would love to have a list of rescues that are specifically in their area who are doing a good job.
Well, I think GFAS (www.sanctuaryfederation.com) is on top of that. They are doing site inspection/financial audits to determine who the good rescues are. The problem with an informal list is the rabid supporters of whatever will say their rescue is good, just like they do now. It wouldn’t be a reliable list.
My little Morgan/Paint cross loves his work. When I first got this little dude he’d dance at the mounting block, so eager to be off. Nine years later we’re a little more professional, but he’s always game, and if there’s anything I can say in my own favor it’s that I’ve never dulled his enthusiasm. He’s a three-ringer and I ski behind him in the winter. You’re lucky if you start with good stock, though: a youngish animal with no rotten experience and a mind that’ll allow for curiosity and discernment both. That’s done in the breeding shed and on the ground when the foal’s at his dam’s heels. Mama had better be pretty, solid, and smart.
OT. This mare for sale on Equinenow looks cute, but what is the owner thinking of? As a sales point, she brags that she put the mare in a 4-hour ride “in the fast group” with no conditioning and the mare remained sound! Why would someone admit to doing something like that? Wow. Better to gamble in Vegas than with your horse’s health.
“Ameera is a 15.3 5 year old Thoroughbred/ Morgan mare. She was bred to be my next up and coming eventer but I have a newborn and this mare needs a job!! She is unhappy being used sporatically and needs some miles.
I have been riding and competing for 32 years and she is the smoothest moving mare I have ever ridden. When schooling I have to remind myself to post!!
She would be a great endurance mare and she enjoys the trails and roads. We did the annual checkmate 4 hour ride in the fast group and she was still raring to go when we got back to the barn and this was without any conditioning! Her feet are rock hard and she has never needed shoes.
I do believe she would be a great Hunter Under Saddle prospect as she loves to work long and low. She has the mind to work cattle or game. She is a thinker but I haven’t had the time to do much work with her over fences. She has done trails and has some schooling X country. And has no vices “
Here are a couple of horses that seem to enjoy their work.
Charm here are the latest videos of Lizzy. This is her at Warrenton and at the WEG.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sdepDkK2NEA&feature=sub
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kx_gu0rcxy0
Just thought id share this
I have two 6yr old warmblood/TB crosses. a mare and a gelding. one i bred one i brought as a three year old.
The marei bred as an eventer. The gelding i brought as a dressage prospect.
The mare wasnt bold was slow, would jump anything i asked bt had sloppy technique and you did have to ask her to jump. She loved her dressage she would go around with her head down in and engaged active rythm until the cows come home.
The gelding loved jumping he was animated, great technique, to ride cross country you just had to point him and he would figure out the rest. In dressgae, he struggled to keep a steady contact, he changed speed every ten steps and found it hard to focus.
The mare bred for eventing is now my dressage horse i occasionaly jump her for variety. she enjoys the little jumping she does do now, bt mainly is happy doing dressage.
The gelding has become the eventing horse, and progressed qucikly through the grades. His dressage has improved now that he gets a wider variety of activities.
Both thrive doing what they love!
every horse can do every movement of a grand prix dressgae test. every horse can jump every kind of jump (some not as high or as bold as others). But you will get to your goal a lot faster on a horse that enjoys your chosen discipline and is naturally capable…
dont be afraind to change disciplines even if that was not the plan you started with for your horse. try new things you might realise you love doing what your horse loves too…..
This is totally off topic, but WTF????? Check out this mare for sell and then check out the price!!! They must be smokin’ something really good there, LOL……Not only is she skinny and fugly, but of course they have been breeding her ….check out the foal in the background someone is having to hold while they take the picture of the mare. I think I’ll go puke now.
http://www.golsn.com/listings/farm-livestock/horses/1713935.html
To be fair, she might look less like a yak if she had any muscle on her and weren’t being held like that, but 100k?
She is well gated (to keep their equally fugly studs away?) stands to be ferried across bodies of water, and I can’t even figure out what the last sentence is supposed to mean.
“We are selling due to health problems. her blood line goes back to beginning of spotted saddli horse ass.”
Okay, saddli is clearly a typo. But what do horse asses have to do with anything?
Sometimes I think it is easier for me to figure out what my horse doesn’t like! When I met him he was a polo pony that did NOT like polo (although to be honest, I think what he really disliked was being manhandled by dummy-jar bad riders who would yank his face off. He was always a good for me and my favorite horse to ride in chukkers.) I bought him from polo team and retired him permanently from polo. His favorite thing seems to be running around like a dumbie. I think the most fun he ever had was bolting with me on the trail- not out of fear, but he just seemed to want to relive his racetrack glory days (although he wasn’t even a good racehorse!). He’s iffy about trail rides- sometimes he seems to enjoy them and be interested, and sometimes he seems nervous and ready to go back to the barn. When I took him to the beach he spooked at seashells. He’s very anxious and easily riled up. He would probably do really well at barrels and poles, but I know that it would make him bat-shit nutty. Before I got him he did some eventing, and I think that he would probably really enjoy jumping. Unfortunately, he’s 20 years old and I just don’t know if his legs could handle it. So right now we’re doing dressage. It’s completely new to him, so he’s just figuring it out. I don’t know if he likes it, but we’re still in the process of learning the basics. I feel like it’s the best thing for him now in terms of keeping him feeling young and sound, so that’s what we’ll be doing! What he really doesn’t like is when I have other people work with him or ride him. He used to be ridden by a bunch of people all the time, then I bought him and was the only one to ride him for about a year, and he got used to me. Now he always gives my new trainer the stink eye, and the last time I had my friend who is a great rider ride him, he threw his head up in the air and was a disobedient butthead.
My mare loves her job, which is carrying around my beginner rider mom 2-3 times a week, at a walk/trot. Whenever I get on her and actually make her canter and do a little lateral work (like once every 3 weeks) she acts like I’m making her run the Kentucky Derby- lots of big, annoyed sighs. I got her and retired her from polo this summer. She had been a serial cribber all her life (even when pastured 24/7). She seemed to enjoy polo, especially riding others horses off, but interestingly enough since I retired her from polo she completely stopped cribbing. She hasn’t cribbed once since I’ve had her, and she is stalled at least 12 hours a day, which makes me think the stress of polo made her crib.
LOL that video was absolutely ADORABLE!!!!!! I just don’t have the time to ride mine much at all and when I do it’s just up in the hills on trails, which they love. So they just have to be happy getting fed and being fat, spoiled pasture pets
they don’t seem to be pitching too big of a fit about it though lol
Just throwing it out there, but can we stop using the word ‘vegan’ as a derogatory term on this thread? Example:
“In addition to the idiots who say their horses like what they’re doing when they obviously don’t, and the vegan types who think they must hate their work when they obviously love it,”
Some of you seem to think vegans believe owning a horse and having it work is equivalent to abuse…. I don’t know where you got the idea, but I’m vegan, as are many of my friends, and I have never met anyone who thinks that!
Vegans might eat the same foods, but we don’t all believe the same things, so please don’t brand us all as extreme liberationists and ownership abolitionists. Plenty of us live with and love animals, and have very ‘standard’ views about animal rights. We just choose not to eat animals or the things their bodies produce.
I don’t think having a horse ‘work’ is abusing it- I actually think most horses like going out and having a change of scenery. It’s refreshing for them, just like it’s refreshing for the dog when you take it for a walk in the park, or for you when you finish work for the week and go out somewhere with friends. Having a horse do trails or riding lessons (or whatever you do with your horse) is also a way to spend quality time together, which I think is nice for both horse and rider.
So let’s get over this “every vegan must be a crazy, paint-throwing PETA subscriber!” stereotype shall we?
As a vegan, I don’t appreciate being labelled like that any more than an omnivorous person would. Last time I checked, we vegans don’t have a collective mind and consciousness, so please don’t treat us as if we do. I have my own opinions and beliefs, just like you do. The fact I choose to eat fruits and vegetables exclusively does not mean I follow this or that belief. All it means is that I like fruit and vegetables, and I would rather eat those than anything else!
“Some of you seem to think vegans believe owning a horse and having it work is equivalent to abuse…. I don’t know where you got the idea, but I’m vegan, as are many of my friends, and I have never met anyone who thinks that!”
Oh, I have! I have met people who think humans should just serve animals, with the animals not doing anything resembling a task, and I’ve also met people who think everything should be wild…’cause dying of starvation is so much better than being owned and sleeping in a nice bed.
But as with everything, OF COURSE that is not ALL vegans. Just like it’s not all vegetarians (of which I am one).
I was the lucky rider of a 26 year old anglo-arab gelding. I outgrew ponies at 13, 5 years before I couldn’t legally show them A circuit anymore. I wasn’t mentally ready for a horse, but I was too tall for any type of pony (for hunter, anyways). My long time family friend had an anglo-arab who had shown her daughter how to event, do pony club rallys, international dressage and had taught many other students to ride. I took “Good Sport” and rode him for 3 months before our first jumper show. I switched to jumper in hopes to eventually event (which I do now with my 9 y/o OTTB from Kentucky!). We did a series of 3′ to 3’3 jumper schooling shows. He took me to be Champion for the season. Reserve Champion was my sister and her OTTB who was deemed “too deformed to race” as he is SO over at the knee. I was the only one who beat her in a jump off all year. Her on her 10 year old OTTB and me on my 27 year old anglo-arab.
After I finished the jumper series I was ready to get my own horse and KNEW I wanted to event. My mom started riding Sport and did some events on him at 28-29. One day she went out to groom him and turn him out. He was happy in the cross-ties, pawing, and wanting to go out for a ride. When she went to turn him out though he wouldn’t budge…. We put him on stall rest and he was always happy to come out and be groomed, and would go out the front door of the barn, up the driveway, but not out into the field. After a month of this we decided it wasn’t fair for him to live inside. He didn’t want to leave the barn unless he had a saddle and bridle on. His message was clear. If I’m not being ridden, I’m not going outside with those thoroughbreds and hunter ponies. I think he didn’t want to admit they could now probably beat him in a jump-off.
We called his owner and she came out with her vet. The vet told us there was nothing unhealthy about him other than his hooves being a little warm and joints stiff from being inside. He lunged sound, and everything else was normal. His owner, my mom, me and the vet realised that he was not happy anymore unless he was going for a ride and was with his humans. We decided he would go back her his owners farm, and be euthenised there where his grave could be visited and he was most comfortable.
The day the big needle came Sport’s “bio-mom” took him out for a ride. He soared over 4 foot by 4 foot oxers, he galloped full out between combinations. He was truly happy. It was our realisation that this was how Sport wanted to be remembered. Not as an old decrepid boney swayed back arab (not that they don’t deserve love too, I love the old fuglys!). He will always be remembered as a horse who proved he LOVED his job.
My husband’s four-year-old Appafino definitely enjoys his job–no matter what it is Keith asks of him. The minute he sees Keith come out of the barn with a halter and lead, Kokopelli leaves the herd and heads for the gate to meet Keith, and sticks his head into the open halter.
CUTE ponies. Little stinkers.
My late mare seemed happy for the first time in a long time after I rescued her. She was my pleasure horse/ occassional show horse. She livened up at the shows not crazy or anything but more “alive” if you will. The was the best thing that ever could have happened to me and I miss her more than anything. She was so patient while I tried new training techniques and she would let me know if the technique sucked or not and would allow me to pamper and prim her mane and tail and groom her all day if I wanted. Her job was to enjoy the last part of her life and be my best freind/ “daughter” in a kind of way. I sure loved her like she was my child. She was so much fun to ride after being cooped up in her stall for to long and esp if the day is brisk and she had been up, boy what an awsome ride we would have. Her job was just to be happy for a change.
My horse in an ex-racer, and when I got him he’d done nothing really. I have always been big into showjumping, but after months of schooling over fences I realised that maybe he’s just not cut out to be a showjumper. He likes jumping, but he’s a bit too speedy to be really careful over fences, and a spooky filler? Forget it!
So now we do cross-country, and he loves it! (And I do too) he’s just got the right amount of speed, endurence and bravery to be a good cross country horse. And I can tell how much he loves it
If Buster is happy, I dont mind what we do.
OFF TOPIC……is this a legitimate rescue? I found this ad on CL here in Eugene, OR:
http://eugene.craigslist.org/grd/2085214765.html
and then googled the number and found a facebook page as well. It seems like they are selling horses directly from the feedlot and threatening that they are going to slaughter if not sold. Has anyone heard of the rescue?
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Phantom-Meadow-Equine-A-Nonprofit-Corporation/103659559675355
Oh and here is their website as well…..
http://s2.webstarts.com/PhantomMeadowEquineRescueRespiteRehabilitationRetirement/index.html
Nevermind, I looked it up and found a previous blog post. I thought it might have been CBER but wasn’t sure. Now I know!
I used to do Parelli with my horse and she just didn’t enjoy it one bit. I’m not anti-parelli and I think NH can be a great tool if you know what you are doing, plus I’ve met horses who just light up when they see a carrot stick. My mare just sure wasn’t one of them. I swear, she wanted to roll her eyes every time I asked her to do something and then proceed to accomplice the task aaaaas sloooooowly aaaaas sheee pooooooossibly could. If I asked for more snap, she would just get annoyed and pin her ears. She always did what I asked, because she’s just nice that way, but she clearly thought the whole thing was pretty stupid.
We started riding classical english because of unrelated physical problems that needed to be addressed with systematic workouts and she did well enough at it. She also learned how to jump though she wasn’t really good or thrilled about it at the beginning.
It wasn’t until I saw her at a cross-country course when it became clear she had found her calling. My horse is ‘meh’ about trails, ‘meh’ about galloping, but LOVES cross-country. Here is a video of her doing an indoor course last winter: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zns0A6jqYE Note the attitude at 2:10, after more then half of the course is through – tired much, sweetheart?
Unfortunately her swelled legs last season might indicate that the training load involved might start to be a little too much for her small and relevantly straight hooves. So this summer we went to an competition where there was an eventing class with only a dressage test and show jumping. There was also a real eventing class with cross-country and a friend of mine who had her horse stabled next to mine entered that one. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself, but my horse pretty much freaked out when she realized (and somehow, realize she did) that the horse next door was going cross-country and SHE WAS NOT! She circled her stall and pawed at the door. When that didn’t help, she proceeded to sulk with her head in the corner the rest of the evening.
Honestly, I’m not sure what to do about her.
I know this is an old post, but I just had to…
One of the things I like about horse racing is there’s no way to make a good horse out of a horse that doesn’t want to be a race horse, and they often find new careers really quick.
“fancyas” is currently sitting in the pasture doing nothing, and it’s making him crazy. He’s known for not being an easy horse to ride, not because he’s mean, he just loves to work and gets excited. He won just about every derby in Canada, and had been retired for a few years now. We decided to throw a stock saddle on him and go for a trail ride and he just loved it. Now that he knows what our other horses get to do when we get them, he gets really jealous when they leave without him. Lol. It’s too bad my boss’ wife had a fit and he’s not allowed to go anymore.
I currently loan a horse that loves to gallop about and jump, she gets really bored in the arena and sometimes mucks about (she makes her own entertainment by bombing off or spooking)but if shes doing something fun or fast ih the arena she enjoys it, drill and dressage she will give you a good bucking to make her opinion known, so i mostly do cross country and hacks with her, she loves it.
Another horse i know loves to jump, my stables had a jumping day in the feild and we left the jumps up, and turned some of the horses out into the feild, he went about jumping them, whenever he sees so much as a pole or blocks being put in the arena he gets really excited.