Was just pondering this on the school run! It's one of those bits of horsey terminology that seems to cover a multitude of sins. I'm still not entirely sure I've completely figured it out. Would you say a spooky horse was a sharp horse, for example?
What does the term 'a sharp horse' mean to you?
- Thread starter squidsin
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No I wouldn't say spooky tho that can be part of the "sharp" package. I would say with a sharp horse there is very little room for rider / handler error. They learn fast and can just as easily learn the wrong thing. And also sharp is used for when a horse has had time off - I've heard folk say "oh, he's a bit sharp because he hasn't been ridden or turned out" etc.
Bud is spooky but not sharp, he wouldn't know how to be sharp.
Sharp to me means very sensitive, doesn't suffer fools gladly, generally very forward going, can take a hold, a bit of a professional ride, can put in a nasty very quickly, may be too smart/thinks too much.
Suze is not spooky but more sharp, if you are wrong she bloody tells you, if she gets out of bed the wrong side, you soon know. She learns fast, is very intelligent, a bit intolerant. She has got better with time.
I am sure everyone's definition of sharp will be very varied!
Sharp to me means very sensitive, doesn't suffer fools gladly, generally very forward going, can take a hold, a bit of a professional ride, can put in a nasty very quickly, may be too smart/thinks too much.
Suze is not spooky but more sharp, if you are wrong she bloody tells you, if she gets out of bed the wrong side, you soon know. She learns fast, is very intelligent, a bit intolerant. She has got better with time.
I am sure everyone's definition of sharp will be very varied!
Just wanted to add - I think we all have a different interpretation of these things - bit like the term "not a novice ride"....
I think its subjective as well based on rider confidence and experience. Mine is quick to learn, intelligent and has opinions but she isn't sharp though. Out hacking she is spooky and strong but I wouldn't say its sharp.
My tb was sharp and I can only describe her as on the ball, you needed to keep her together and focused, she was a bit stressy and highly strung.
My tb was sharp and I can only describe her as on the ball, you needed to keep her together and focused, she was a bit stressy and highly strung.
Very much varied in the mind of different riders I think. Dolly can occasionally be spooky but never sharp. Sharp to me is very quickly, well instantly I suppose, extreme reaction to low key situations. Also almost over sensitive to the aids, ride it like it is a ticking time bomb and with a very light seat or the dollies will be thrown out of the pram PDQ!:giggle:
Not to be confused with a very well schooled horse who can be ridden with very light aids as it is just a joy to ride. Two very different types IMO!
Not to be confused with a very well schooled horse who can be ridden with very light aids as it is just a joy to ride. Two very different types IMO!
Mine can be a total dobbin but that's deceptive because she can and does buck, bronc and do massive spooks seemingly out of the blue (i'm sure there's a reason in her horse brain, no idea what it is though), so as a rider, you need to be on your toes. So although she's not sharp in the classic sense of a snorting, forward-going fresh horse, she kind of is, really.
To me "sharp" just means reactive or switched on - a horse who is always paying attention and alert to their rider/handler and what is going on around them. I would describe all of my boss's competition horses as sharp as they have naturally "active" brains and are very forward-thinking - and actually that aspect of character is one of the main things she chooses them for, as showjumpers it is important that they're switched on at all times and able to react quickly and sort themselves out if something goes wrong. They are well-mannered though, I don't think "sharp" equates to "naughty", although a sharp horse with an inexperienced and/or unconfident rider can so easily develop naughty behaviour when their energies aren't channelled correctly.
As for spooking, I don't think it necessarily means a horse is sharp, as spooking is just a natural reaction to a frightening or surprising stimulus (you cannot expect a flight animal not to react to potentially dangerous things!). However I do think that sharp horses tend to spook more often, because their eyes and ears are constantly open to their surroundings and they "find" things to spook at more easily than a horse who goes along in their own little world!
As for spooking, I don't think it necessarily means a horse is sharp, as spooking is just a natural reaction to a frightening or surprising stimulus (you cannot expect a flight animal not to react to potentially dangerous things!). However I do think that sharp horses tend to spook more often, because their eyes and ears are constantly open to their surroundings and they "find" things to spook at more easily than a horse who goes along in their own little world!
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Spooky does not come with a sharp horse for me either. Our Icelandics, the ones just in from Iceland are sharp, but safe......but not maybe suitable for a person with a busy bottom or someone who does not know they are giving mixed messages. Certainly not spooky, the Icelanders call it "willing"
A girl at my last yard had what I would clasas as a sharp horse. He was always very switched on and several times she has cantered out of the yard sideways, he used to spin going out of the yard and was just generally very reactive to everything. She was a very good rider and hunted him regularly, but he was not an easy ride.
I think sharp to me means over reactive.
I think sharp to me means over reactive.
'sharp' to me is reactive, which may include reacting to the busy bums Wally mentions or reacting to 'confusing cues'. I don's see 'sharp' as spooky or scary either. I was lucky enough to ride my RI's competition Icelandic many moons ago. He was 'sharp' but a complete and utter genius at the same time!
To me it's a horse that's very reactive/over-reactive, both to the rider & outside stimuli. It doesn't mean a nasty or naughty horse, though if the rider is out of their depth it can feel that way. Usually need calm, competent, focused riding - not necessarily just for professionals because sometimes the relationship is as important as ability, but certainly not for a novice, nervous or switched off rider.
According to my friend her 4yo that I shot down in flames earlier for wacking a waterford in its gob for schooling ... who she is now looking for approval for on chit chat and tack. But that's a different story
A sharp horse to me has a sharp mind. It reacts to things quickly. My cobby is as sharp as a tac. He reacts quickly be that by going forwards backwards or upwards to something. But he reacts bloody quickly. Hes 10 steps ahead of me
A sharp horse to me has a sharp mind. It reacts to things quickly. My cobby is as sharp as a tac. He reacts quickly be that by going forwards backwards or upwards to something. But he reacts bloody quickly. Hes 10 steps ahead of me
With Carthorse on this one. Ginger is not sharp or very spooky, when he does spook it is fast and when he reacts to something it is extreme but he is far from sharp.
Chanter on the other hand is. He has extreme reactions to the wrong aids and you never relax when riding him.
Chanter on the other hand is. He has extreme reactions to the wrong aids and you never relax when riding him.
Sharp is to me almost over responsive.
Some horses are like it occasionally eg after a break, others are like it all the time. Sharp horses are seldom ( unless they have other issues) naughty but need a very sensitive well balanced rider to avoid serious misunderstandings. CK describes sharp horses as needing a 'spidey' sixth sense to pick up what the horse is planning before it does it...in a sharp horse the horse will often pick up what the rider wants before they conciously think it.
I personally would prefer a sharp horse to a nappy/spooky/stubborn one. As long as the rider is balanced , still and quick in the brain the talent can be endless. Problems arise when sharp talented horses meet less talented riders. My best ever horse was like this, I would either have an amazing ride or eat dirt in a spectacular fashion when I got it wrong!!!
Some horses are like it occasionally eg after a break, others are like it all the time. Sharp horses are seldom ( unless they have other issues) naughty but need a very sensitive well balanced rider to avoid serious misunderstandings. CK describes sharp horses as needing a 'spidey' sixth sense to pick up what the horse is planning before it does it...in a sharp horse the horse will often pick up what the rider wants before they conciously think it.
I personally would prefer a sharp horse to a nappy/spooky/stubborn one. As long as the rider is balanced , still and quick in the brain the talent can be endless. Problems arise when sharp talented horses meet less talented riders. My best ever horse was like this, I would either have an amazing ride or eat dirt in a spectacular fashion when I got it wrong!!!
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