Do you let your horse get away with things too often?

shockblue

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Oct 8, 2009
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I was thinking about this the other day as I was waiting for Maya to stop jerking around impatiently whilst I was taking her muzzle off.

I've had youngsters before (ones I intended to sell on) so was always quite firm with manners and I had great patience whilst teaching them all the basics.

Maya was my keeper but she has been the most challenging. I'm starting to wonder if my love for her is making her a bit like a spoilt child. Far too often I let her off for the little things. I would have never done that for my lovely little newforest project a couple of years ago. He had impecable manners even as a 3 year old.

My mum helps me out with Maya and she has MS. She's been struggling to take on and of her muzzle as it goes over her ears. Maya really doesn't help by flinging her head about impatiently. Because I'm quite able I just didn't pay it much thought! I have had to start retraining her now though to 'head down' and waiting patiently whilst I put the thing on so that my mum finds it easier.

I think because she is my horse and I love her I let her get away with things too often. I'll sort it out later kind of attitude.

I'm really going to start asking her to be more helpful and patient though. I can't have my mum falling out with her!
 
Its funny how it sort of creeps up on you and then just one more little thing makes you realise they have been getting away with far too much!

I don't know whether it is all down to manners though, I think some of them are just more impatient and spoilt naturally than others, although completely agree manners make a huge difference.
 
On the contrary, I think over the years of having Storm, I've perhaps been a bit too harsh! I have quite a fiery temper and will admit I aren't the most patient, I sometimes think looking back I was too strict when we first met. Nowadays there isn't a right lot she does wrong manners wise. Perhaps the strictness paid off?!
 
Yes!! They both get away with far to much, June because she is my princess and just gets away with murder! And jazz because he is too damm cute to stay mad at (not the best excuse!!) but they are both going to be put back into shape a's June is going back out on loan to a competition rider (a new thread entirely!) and when she does me and jazz are having some serious groundwork/manners lessons booked in!!!
 
You need to be consistant with what you expect and both parties should be careful of their manners round each other. Clear boundaries help make horses feel secure as they know what is expected of them (a bit like children and people in general!).
 
Joy doesn;t get away with a lot but there have been circumastances in the past where she has and then boy do I know it. When I moved yards I let her get away with stuff thinking was being kind because she had enough to deal with. In reality I took away from her the one consitent element in her life that she could be sure of, me!

Then with this business with her feet and going barefoot. If I'd asked the same from her as I;d always doen then I'd have know much sonner it was her feet. I don;t know how I could ever assume that a lack of forward goingness (is that a word?) was down to laziness. I made a rod for my own back there.

Littles is another matter. I'll be brutally honest here and say that he really is second to Joy. I have him as a companion to her. That means I don't work with him. He just gets fed and groomed. He needs work on the ground though as he can be a little sod to lead. Well perhaps that is a bit harsh, he's just not up to Joy's standard in terms of his manners.
 
I really try to be consistant with their manners and tbh both are fabulous
in that I am confident neither would attempt to kick me or bite me.

However, I do let little things go and then notice a few weeks down the
line they all mount up and I have to 'tighten up the boundaries' again.

I find I sometimes make 'excuses' as to why they are not doing what is asked and then have to tighten up the boundaries on MYSELF:wink:
I know they misbehave or choose not to play ball when I have shown them that that behaviour has been accepted.

My two are certainly happier/more settled when they KNOW what is expected and what isn't acceptable.:wink:
 
To be fair neither or my 2 kick, jazz nips but is reprimanded for this, we have lots of kids on the yard and I wouldn't want him nipping one of them. The main things they get away with is not standing still, walking off in another direction coming/going to the field (on the end of a leadrope, more a ooo mam whats that over there thing but at 5am I'm not in the best frame of mind to argue)
 
I am really quite stern with our lot. Manners is everything and when you have a lot of cart attached to a horse they MUST behave, you can have it no other way.

However, certain ponies/horses have earned a certain amount of space to be cheeky. It's the older ones who have proven they know what is expected of them...but try it on in a very gentle and cheeky way.
What I would let Anderwoo do and what a young horse is allowed to get away with are two different things.

They do have to earn the allowance to invade personal space, so long as it's done in the right spirit.....It's hard to explain, it's such an individual thing.
 
Oh I let Solomon get away with anything nowadays! Hes so old and just so relieved he is still actually alive that the big old beastie shuffles around doing his own thing and I just go along with him!:redface: But that was not the case when he was a younger riding horse I can assure you!

JJ and Dolly have to remember their manners at all times - but if I still have Dolly when she is as old and worn out as Solomon I dare say she will get away with blue murder too!:tongue:
 
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