What makes a favourite horse?

[Wally]

I would love to hear from folk that attend riding establishments regularly, about their favourite horse at the stables.
What makes him your favourite?;
Is it that you consider him a challenge or is he sympathetic to your individual problem and you feel you cope best with that horse.
Do you feel you are on the same wavelength, or do you feel you can conquer the problems this horse throws at you?

It is something that facinates me.
We have one little chap who folk will fight duels over, he's nothing fancy, he's not very good at anything if you want to be critical. Gets over a fence by the skin of his teeth. He's miserable with all the other horses, but loves people. Everyone loves him. Little orange hair ball who piggy paces everywhere.
Give them a well schooled mare who is willing to please they don't want to know. WHY?
Please tell us about the horse you love to ride and why.

 

[DaveB]

The horse that I learn on is a wonderful Welsh Cob mare. She is the horse that is given to beginners because she is so laid back. Not a lot of the other riders like her because she is too lazy and slow, but when she gets going she is lovely. According to my instructors, she likes me and for some reason I can get her to canter a lot easier than some of the riders who have been there for ages.

 

[*Anna*]

At my last regular riding centre my favourite was a little grey welsh pony. At first he was considered "wilful" after offloading a few kids and a tendancy to gallop off along with his rider to make friends with the local herd of wild ponies. Initially I got stuck with him cos all the children refused to ride him and I am pretty small for my age so sometimes rode some of the ponies. He was my favourite because we just clicked - for some reason he went for me better than he went for anyone else and everyone commented on that. He always kept up with the ride and never tried to run off, did everything that I asked of him - I got riding him down to a fine art, it felt like I only had to think something and he would do it. I took him on his first long trail ride over the mountains - he was a little bit on the dippy side always taking long hard looks at sheep (even though he saw well over 1000 he always stopped to check they were definately all the same every now and again). He was a real character and I loved him to bits - after a while though I moved away and got in touch with the centre but they said they had to send him back to his owners (he was on loan I think) because he refused point blank to go over a bridge one day and therefore was considered unreliable for the work he was doing - which was fair enough I suppose. I was quite upset about it though - I've got a picture of him on my wall and I always wonder where he is now and what he is up to... One day though I will try and find him.

 

[Rebecca]

Lovable rogues

My favourite horse is in the process of changing; I haven't been riding that long (this time round) so I haven't got to know the horses at the stables hugely well. My favourite was Parker, a 16.3 7 yr old bay, whom I fell off twice (it was my fault, but was basically caused by his dislike of not having another school horse to follow nose to tail). I was a little scared about this, but I rode him again, and got to ride him better so that I had some idea how to get the best out of him, not that I always could. I'm still fond of him, but am now increasingly enamoured of a 17 hand ex-racehorse called Swagman. He is notorious for being sluggish in lessons, but the last two times I've ridden him I've been feeling like I'm really getting somewhere. On Friday we were doing an exercise individually where we turned down the three-quarter line and leg-yielded (!! - big new thing for me) to the wall in walk, then picked up canter back to where we started, and after a few goes he was doing really well, even going straight into canter when asked, whereas when I rode him a couple of months ago I couldn't get canter at all. This makes me wonder, and I think this is borne out by the previous postings, whether we tend to like horses that pose challenges, but challenges we feel we can solve? I think Heather says in her book that it's the feeling of achievement that keeps people learning, so maybe it also makes us like the horses that are doing a lot of the teaching. Swagman is a chestnut and very sensitive to being groomed, which makes him a trouble to the people who work in the stables, but I have noticed that although they speak fondly of all the horses, a lot of them have a real soft spot for Swagman. So maybe its the ones that are a bit difficult that we end up loving?

Rebecca

 

[Laya]

My Horse is My Fave

My horse is my fave because he's hilarious and he's my best friend. We just click and we learn from each other. We may not be the best, but we do understand each other and get along.

 

[Anne]

fave horses

I agree with Rebecca ... like difficult people, they are very often the most genuine once you get to know and understand them, and the ones you want to be with in a difficult situation.

My favourite horse when I rode at riding centres didn't like other horses much, and a lot of the more experienced riders didn't like him at all, but I loved him, and we gelled almost immediately, so I was pretty devastated when I learned that he had developed degenerative bone disease and the yard decided he must be put to sleep!

On his last day I went up to see him at 5.am in the morning ... he was in his field, and we had about an hour together, chatting (me trying not to weep!) and I fed him apples and polos, and I tied my small scarf to the fence before I left him, with a final hug, and teary goodbye, and I took a few last pictures, with the rising sun behind him, and I'm getting pretty teary right now thinking about it ... it was awful, and I still miss him, and wonder if I could possibly have done anything to save him ... although I was assured there was nothing to be done.

Anyway ... there it is ... he was definitely my favourite horse ever ....

Anne

 

[Wally]

Judgeing from the replies, it really does seem to be an unspoken feeling that passes between some horses and riders. No one seems to be able to put into exact words what it is that makes them like a particular horse. It's almost at an animal instinct level.

I'm glad every one else has trouble quantifying what it is that happens while with their fave. horse.

I have been trying to anylise what it is that makes me get on with my nutter. His last owner had not ridden him for six years and no-one would give him a chance. I new his reputation when I got on him, but some weird feeling told me that we could understand each other. He is as mad as a brush but willing to do almost everything I ask of him.
I wish I could put it into cold scientific terms, but some things you just can't.
There is a horse out there for everyone, sometimes in the most unlikely partnerships!

 

[Sonia]

You're right Wally, there is something magical and beyond explanation about the horses we like. For me it's the first look, when a horse looks you in the eyes - some type of message passes between you and then you just want to hug 'em.

Sonia

 

[fran]

Wally - excellent question...my favourite horse at my riding school is Killarney, 16hh chestnut gelding. He has a monster movement, and sitting to his trot is incredibly hard. And he hates having pressure behind his girth, so you ask for canter very carefully. But he tries his heart out, and he is always listening to my somewhat clumsy aids. He has the most gorgous face, and really rewards me when I get something right. I guess this proves your point about how difficult it is to put into words - he's just a lovely kind horse, and makes me feel very privilaged to know him.

 

[Anne]

Fave Horse

First loan horse I had Fran was a chestnut mare .. 3/4 TB X ID ....

She had a lovely temperament ... also a huge stride, and she certainly disproved the myth about chestnuts always being the most difficult .... a lot also depends on rider attitude, don't you think?

Anne

 

[Nancy]

Sweeney Todd was a feisty, small, bucking,bolting arab/quarter mix when he came to the barn I ride in. I was brand new and didn't know anything. I was told to groom him with a curry, hard brush and soft brush. I picked the hardest brush I could find in the box, it was a hoof brush. The poor boy didn't try to bite or kick, he just dipped his back and gave me a pity look. Then for the first few months of learning to trail ride, I just couldn't find my seat. I was always slamming down when I should have been up. I was also afraid to go as fast as the other horses in the group. I was always holding him back, much to his dislike, but he never tried to hurt me. He is a dream to ride now that I know what I am doing. He has a great smooth canter, you can sit the trot with no effort and it only takes the slightest touch to get him to do anything. He has heart. His new name is Sweet Sweeney. All the others in the barn want to ride him, but they are all large men, so I get lucky by default!

My other favorite to be around is Zippity Do Dah, Zippy for short. He is a large quarter horse with a dorsal stripe and striped legs. He's hard for me to ride but he has the best face and personality. When I come in the yard with treats, he sticks his tongue out and rolls it like a 3 year old kid. The other morning I was practicing Tai chi excercises in the field, all the horses kept grazing, but Zip watched me the whole time with a quizical look like he was trying to learn how to do it!

Big Red , a quarter horse,is the best and safest trail horse. He will take you anywhere and never spook. I find it hard to ride him because his hind quarters are so strong that I always feel like I will get caterpulted over his head.

Diaoblo (DeeMan) is a fine large quarter horse gelding, trained in a little dressage. He's a pussycat with children on him. He is a show stopper, but if you get between him and his mare on the trail, he will turn, puff his chest, flare his nose and charge you back, he thinks he's a stallion.

It's hard to pick a favorite. It just takes time to learn about each one and work with their quirks and personalities. Each has offered me joy, confidence, peace, and a heart stopping rush of fun. After 10 years or so of riding, a few injuries and alot of fears, the balance still tips to love.
Happy trails