Resurrection of 'Things you don't expect to see out hacking' thread

Bodshi

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Apr 23, 2009
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Remembering @newforest's old thread made me smile today because I took Raf on a lovely ride through the Yorkshire Wolds this afternoon - one of Ride Yorkshire's routes - and a couple of things cropped up that I wasn't expecting ...

I could see something on the path in the distance and was trying to work out what it could be, but I didn't guess this:


This happened - I've read lots of 'warnings' about it on FB but it's never happened to me before:


Then this, apologies for the terrible videoing and the voice, I talk to Raf all the time when we're out on our own:


I was feeling a bit down because I'd been to watch some fellow liveries at a show this morning, the eventers had been out and done well on Friday and a friend had won her class at a local dressage comp too. Everyone seems to be winning stuff and congratulating each other and I just felt a bit sad that I will never win anything on Raf, not that I've ever been into competing, but I always kind of thought that one day I'd have the option if I wanted. 9 years later and I realise I have made zero progress with jumping or dressage and I've never even attempted a show, and now with Raf's current health I never will. But after our lovely afternoon today I'm reminded that my horse is more of a champion to me than any dressage diva or Best in Show :)
 
I hope the sheep was OK. Jess would have lost her sh!t with the cows running over like that, we would have done a 180 and gone the other direction full speed at best, Raf was very good about it.
That moment when you realise you may have missed the chance to do something is heart wrenching, but what a star he is at what you do, I hope you're feeling better after your ride.
 
You’ve just won the prize for bravest horse.

Star used to be terrified of balloons, which made for interesting rides when there was a party on at the village hall.
And I think most horses would have turned and run at the sight of all those cows running towards them.

So a rosette and trophy on the way to you.x
 
Way to go. How many of those horses at your yard would have managed that lot. I would be one proud mum if my horse managed that.
You did the sensible thing round the cows, walked calmly on then stopped the horse and let him take it all in. Then gave the cows a shout. So many people started shouting at the cows the minute they start coming near and then there horses gets wound up and then bolts.
My neighbour was asking me the other day when I was turning the cows out as there horses dont like them and the last time she reckoned they chased them, so they would have to avoid the hill once they were out . Now I can understand them being chased if the cows were all young and inquisitive and had never seen a horse but as I ride my horse through them to check them and even canter through I would be very surprised if then chased her horses. Mine dont bat an eye lid as I ride through. My Billy was scared of the cows when I first got him but I have trained him by simply walking up to the cows that he is not to be scared and in fact the cow will turn and run before he does. I train the young baby calves each year and they soon learn to ignore a horse.
We rode last summer through a field of cows on springs last year. As soon as they got close I just turned the horse and walked towards and the cows ran away. If you keep calm the horse will learn from this and will become stronger and more bomb proof.
PS Hope you got off and rolled the sheep onto its legs. It's so distressing when then get onto there backs they just cant get up and eventually die.
 
Thanks guys - yes I feel a lot better now @Jessey. I don't know why I'm getting hung up on winning stuff, I always only ever wanted to hack, it's just peer pressure I guess :)

@Star the Fell, we've just had the Tour de Yorkshire come through the village so it was all decorated up with bunting, flappy flags, balloons and fab dummies poised on bikes/falling into hedges etc that some very talented people had made. It was really good practice for all the horses that ride through the village!

@chunky monkey I'm glad I did the right thing. It was at the back of my mind 'what would chunky monkey do in this situation?' haha. Raf is fab with cows and other animals (just has a problem with large traffic, which is the sensible way round in my head). The first time we met cows up close and personal, as in having to actually push our way through them, was on a hunt PR and because the other horses just got on with it Raf followed suit and he's never minded them since. I've always wanted to be a cowgirl, I think Raf would be quite good at it, but after yesterday I think I need more training :p

Should have said, I rolled the sheep over - wasn't sure how to do that either so I just grabbed it's fleece and pulled it towards me. I was worried it would spook Raf but he was just very curious. She got up, had a wee and ran off. Looked a bit stiff behind but otherwise ok. She was so wide though, no wonder she got stuck. When I got back to the farm where I'd parked I told the farmer's wife and she said sheep spend their whole time trying to kill themselves - getting stuck on their backs, in fencing, upside down in hedges etc. :eek:
 
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You did the right thing helping sheep to her feet. It's mainly this time of year they go on there backs with all the wool they carry coupled with body fat from the grass. Once shawn the wont do it. I'm lucky that my sheep dont grow fleece so I never have this problem. But I used to work on a farm where this happened quite a bit and it was usually the same ewes that would roll over on a daily basis in the spring.
Theres no easy way to roll the sheep over. Its brute force to get them to there feet sometimes. The main thing is to get them on there feet. The longer they are down the more cramps and stiff the body gets. Once one there feet the circulation gets going again.
 
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You and Raf totally rule!!!!!!!!!!!!! I just watched your vids with Mr T and we are both in awe! Respect is due to you - those cows would have reduced Storm and me to quivering wrecks!!! Yes stuck wooller. I used to live in the middle of a sheep farm, luckily only ever saw the one stuck and we got it rolled over asap. All I can say is - try not to feel too down about not competing etc. You have a wonderful horse - one to be proud of. (And he is gorgeous too!). Well done, if I could achieve half of what you do hacking, I'd be dead proud. Competitions pffft who needs those then?!!!
 
Forgot to say - those bloomin balloons show up all over the place! We lived two miles down a private road and found one stuck in our hedge :oops:
 
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I can kind if understand you're wanting to win something with Raf, but to my mind you already have 'won', the heart of a wonderful boy who clearly trusts you and will go anywhere for you, even Belle would have been a bit scared by those cows!
Who needs a rosette when you've got your amazing Raf, being able to hack like that with confidence is worth any frilly all day long. He's a star.
 
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I love the way he strolls up to it to check out the balloon.
We do get weird things here, it's the holiday season. The handgliders were up.

Sadly it's rubbish from people's lunch in laybys just now.

As for taking part in things. Have a go at interdressage. They do a mixed selection of things and some of it in inhand.
We won the hacking championship one year, gobsmacked. By that's what we do, hack. :)
 
Way to go. How many of those horses at your yard would have managed that lot. I would be one proud mum if my horse managed that.
You did the sensible thing round the cows, walked calmly on then stopped the horse and let him take it all in. Then gave the cows a shout. So many people started shouting at the cows the minute they start coming near and then there horses gets wound up and then bolts.
My neighbour was asking me the other day when I was turning the cows out as there horses dont like them and the last time she reckoned they chased them, so they would have to avoid the hill once they were out . Now I can understand them being chased if the cows were all young and inquisitive and had never seen a horse but as I ride my horse through them to check them and even canter through I would be very surprised if then chased her horses. Mine dont bat an eye lid as I ride through. My Billy was scared of the cows when I first got him but I have trained him by simply walking up to the cows that he is not to be scared and in fact the cow will turn and run before he does. I train the young baby calves each year and they soon learn to ignore a horse.
We rode last summer through a field of cows on springs last year. As soon as they got close I just turned the horse and walked towards and the cows ran away. If you keep calm the horse will learn from this and will become stronger and more bomb proof.
PS Hope you got off and rolled the sheep onto its legs. It's so distressing when then get onto there backs they just cant get up and eventually die.
Jess will work cows, including pushing into a herd, but a herd of anything (cows, sheep, horses etc) coming at her results in stupid behaviour :rolleyes: I'm sure if she saw them more than once in a blue moon it would help :)
 
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Thanks so much you lovely lot. I'm in a bit of a rush right now (off to a BBQ) so no time to reply properly, but you should all be life coaches or something, you're all so good at making one feel so much better about things and pointing out the positive. Love you all! :)
 
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I love the way he strolls up to it to check out the balloon.
We do get weird things here, it's the holiday season. The handgliders were up.

Sadly it's rubbish from people's lunch in laybys just now.

As for taking part in things. Have a go at interdressage. They do a mixed selection of things and some of it in inhand.
We won the hacking championship one year, gobsmacked. By that's what we do, hack. :)

Oh I hate those handglider things! Where we used to live they came right down over us in our garden :mad:It was awful, every nice sunny day they turned up and used to be hovering most of the day, I could even hear what they were saying! I am sure they didn't give us a thought but they annoyed me all the same. Horses didn't mind them after a while.
 
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Oh I hate those handglider things! Where we used to live they came right down over us in our garden :mad:It was awful, every nice sunny day they turned up and used to be hovering most of the day, I could even hear what they were saying! I am sure they didn't give us a thought but they annoyed me all the same. Horses didn't mind them after a while.
I don't mind them. I guage how windy it is to hack out. :p
Saying that if they go low and then come up the cliff it can make her stop and look.
When one landed in the field they all hid accept one. The one I had no idea who they belonged to as they were standing and pawing at it. Wouldn't be mine at that point in time!
 
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The cows would have sent my Marley over the edge:eek:..well done Raf he was a superstar. So glad that you got off and got the sheep back up on her feet, I had to do the same a fortnight ago but I was driving not on horse when I saw a ewe in the middle of a field with all four feet in the air...poor things their backs are like tables which makes it not too easy for them to roll back over.
 
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The cows would have sent my Marley over the edge:eek:..well done Raf he was a superstar. So glad that you got off and got the sheep back up on her feet, I had to do the same a fortnight ago but I was driving not on horse when I saw a ewe in the middle of a field with all four feet in the air...poor things their backs are like tables which makes it not too easy for them to roll back over.

She was actually on the opposite side of the fence when I spotted her. I thought she was dead because she was completely motionless, but then she turned her head to look at us, so then I had to find a gate to get into her field. Luckily it turned out that it was also a bridlepath on that side of the fence so there was a horse gate into the field not too far away. BTW I'm assuming it was a 'she' only because she peed backwards like a mare, but maybe all sheep pee backwards??
 
She was actually on the opposite side of the fence when I spotted her. I thought she was dead because she was completely motionless, but then she turned her head to look at us, so then I had to find a gate to get into her field. Luckily it turned out that it was also a bridlepath on that side of the fence so there was a horse gate into the field not too far away. BTW I'm assuming it was a 'she' only because she peed backwards like a mare, but maybe all sheep pee backwards??
You are correct a ewe pees backwards a ram pees from the mid section underneath. You went out of your way to save her, good for you. I love sheep :)
 
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