Horses neighing - would love to know your opinion

[Clare-22]

A while ago I went to a NH demo and I remember the guy saying that horses were not allowed to call out whilst working both in hand and ridden as it was a sign of lack of respect to you the handler and herd leader. I am not sure how I felt about that as who are we to silence our horses. But Bally calls a fair bit when she is in her difficult phases mostly in hand (to and from the field) and when lunged and occacionally when ridden. Should I be addressing this or it is fine to let her voice her opinion?

:)

[Stella2]

Mmm ..! I haven't heard this before. I see where they are coming from. Calling does mean that the horse is not focused on what the handler/rider is asking it to do. My mare Flora calls sometimes when ridden if she hears a friend coming in/going out etc. She also sometimes does it when in season to other horses in general. At those times, I am aware that I have lost her attention and that she is distracted. However, I wouldn't punish her for it, I just 'ask' again for whatever we are doing and her attention comes back to me. She tends to find it hard to maintain her concentration when in season. I still ask her to work I'm just aware that she is easily distracted.

Just as there are times when we become distracted without being intentionally inattentive, so do horses. I think we should just allow for it and 'ask' again for whatever we are trying to do! Which branch of NH was it?

[Volvic]

When I first started hacking Sky (the pony I used to loan) on her own, she would start calling if I forgot to talk to her for more than a minute! She soon calmed down as soon as I started talking to her again! :rolleyes: Silly mare! :p

[mister jones]

Mickey calls out to friends at shows and when in the lorry but never any other time. :)

[ponylover88]

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[Clare-22]

Thanks for all your thoughts :)

Interesting you should say that Stella2 as we believe the root of Bals problems is hormonal, hence when she starts calling I know there is trouble ahead in other areas :eek: I've been ignoring it as I don't believe in confronting her as she is obviously having issues but I am sure it is relevant to the problems I am having, when she goes through these bad periods she is on high alert for all dangers I struggle to keep her attention and she does not look to me for support. Are there any easy NH exercises I could do to which might help this?

The man was from Wiltshire, can't think of his name. :rolleyes:

[Moomin]

I don't see why they can't call out when they're working... I've never heard that in NH before???

Moo is a paticularly loud mouthed pony - she squeals and whinnys when she works, she is particularly vocal when she's learning new things or excited. The squeals seem to be excitement and the whinnys usually come if she's pushed too far outside her comfort zone, as a release of tension, she only does it once then she's ok! - or if she spots a hunky boy nearby!!

I personally don't think you should stifle a horse who wants to talk - imagine if you were told to shut up all the time?? I have known many, many horses who were too afraid to talk and never uttered a sound for years. I think you can frighten a horse into not talking.

I would never, ever chastise Moo for whinnying while working. She also calls out to me when I go to the field, and calls for me if she thinks I've left her too long on the yard (she is a demanding madam yes!), and talks when her dinner is coming, and I like those things.

[joosie]

Hmm... not sure about this one. Natural Horsemanship?? What exactly is 'natural' about preventing horses from being horses? Surely that's not what NH is actually supposed to be about? If we insist on stifling every single feature of equine nature, surely we are just viewing and treating them as machines and not as living, breathing creatures with characteristics, instincts and personalities of their own?

[jUmPingIsLifE]

i *think* that its not that they want to you stop the horse from whinnying, but that if you horse is whinnying he is more worried about other horses then paying attention to you. its not that they want you to try and stop them from doing it- but to become so closely bonded and have such a trusting relationship with your horse that they dont care about what horses are doing around them ect... they just are in tune to you so much they arn't paying attention to the other horses.

or at least i would hope that is it adn they dont want you to get mad every time they call out to anothe horse :eek:

[Funky MeerKAT]

I would say that the calling out itself is not the problem, just the symtom. She may just not quite trust you yet and when you get into situations where she is a bit worried or frightened she started calling out for other horses, because she trust you to get her through the situation.

So rather than not 'letting' her whinny you need to give her no reason to do so. do some ground work and bonding work with her, you need to show her that you will be able to get her out of 'scary' situations and that she will be fine.

[Stella2]

Interesting you should say that Stella2 as we believe the root of Bals problems is hormonal, hence when she starts calling I know there is trouble ahead in other areas :eek: I've been ignoring it as I don't believe in confronting her as she is obviously having issues but I am sure it is relevant to the problems I am having, when she goes through these bad periods she is on high alert for all dangers I struggle to keep her attention and she does not look to me for support. Are there any easy NH exercises I could do to which might help this?


Its certainly natural for a mare to have moments of being more interested in other horses than in their human when in season. After all its driven by instinct. Best to still ask her to come back and listen.

[Clare-22]

So rather than not 'letting' her whinny you need to give her no reason to do so. do some ground work and bonding work with her, you need to show her that you will be able to get her out of 'scary' situations and that she will be fine.

Do you have any suggestions what ground work and bonding exercises I could do with her? :)

[eeyore]

all the arenas are slap bang next to fields of horses he knows, but he doesn't usually call out.
he'll only neigh if there's some kind of chorus of neighs ringing about, and join in :D

[Volvic]

Originally posted by Clare-22
The man was from Wiltshire, can't think of his name. It wasnt Gary Witheford by any chance?

[jUmPingIsLifE]

Do you have any suggestions what ground work and bonding exercises I could do with her?

you dont even need to do exercises to bond with your horse. just simply spend all the time you can with her and love her lots and lots! personally i love parelli's 7 games for bonding/trust/respectfulness.

[Yann]

It's not something I'd look to punish either, new horses often do it in the school at our place as it's away from the yard and their field, so is a sign of insecurity. Rio used to do it when we hacked along the edge of her field, again probably insecurity.

Any basic groundwork, 7 games, Kelly Marks Foundation exercises etc. will help with a bond and establishing you as the leader. Setting boundaries and being consistent (firm but fair) in your daily handling is just as important.

[Clare-22]

It wasnt Gary Witheford by any chance?

Yes I think it was :)

[Wally]

It all depends on why the horse is calling out.

If you are in ultimate control then let them shout as much as they like so long as they are doing what you require.

If they are shouting out and ignoring you then a deeper leven needs to be adressed, not the whinnying alone.

[donkeydressage]

i dont really care if my horse neighs or... in my case.. my donkey brays whe nim riding or handling her/him... as lnog as they are like acting up or trying to citch me to go se theuir buddies i dotnmind at all.. but if its a behavioral issue then i make it clear that ts tiem to work... althought it IS annopying when my donkey brays really loud in my ear...

[Eli_Jay]

hmm... I think in some instances it isn't appropriate for horses to be vocal, but i don't think its correct to punish them. they are generally vocal for a reason, and if its a negative one, its your job to eliminate the cause (eg. if they're insecure away from a certain horse, get them used to it).
My geldings not very vocal. he whinnies when he sees me in his paddock and nickers at other horses (especially new ones and his best friend, Roly the 13h welsh mountain pony). My mare however is very vocal whenever she is taken from her comfort zone.