# "Horsey people" that havent got a clue!



## Hoof_Prints (24 June 2013)

It does worry me when people know a little bit, but think they know everything about horses- they are far more dangerous than those who know nothing and admit to it! I was at a friend's stable yard and they had turned out the horse in a rug that only had one front strap done up- leg straps and belly straps hanging everywhere  When I asked why, they just said "that's just how I put it on earlier" . I've also found a horse rugged up for the night, still wearing a saddle... again, no logical answer to that one either.

Ive just had a message from a girl asking if her potential new loan pony can fit in to the stable with my 15.2hh gelding and then we could half the livery cost 

Someone I know decided that they were going to clip their horse for hunting (which they never got to), they clipped its face, legs and left a full hairy body on ! apparently this would keep it a good temperature in work. 

Oh and then I rang up a girl to tell her I'd given her horse a net of my hay as her poor horse was crib biting after having no food all night and day, apparently it was no problem because he had marmite on toast this morning (The horse died of colic soon as it left the yard I was at ) 

*HeadDesk* 

Someone please tell me it's not just me who find themselves wondering where common sense has gone!


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## HayleyDL (24 June 2013)

Still trying to get my head around the marmite on toast .. Not sure i want to understand the logic there!


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## vieshot (24 June 2013)

Seriously? I've met some divs but the things you have seen are unreal!


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## nix123 (24 June 2013)

I want to say this must be a joke right?? But somehow they are so stupid they must be real.  Whoever said common sense was common


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## Bexx (24 June 2013)

nix123 said:



			I want to say this must be a joke right?? But somehow they are so stupid they must be real.  Whoever said common sense was common 

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^^this

Met so many idiots in my time working at a livery yard


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## slumdog (24 June 2013)

I knew someone (in fairness she was a very enthusiastic teenage girl helping in a riding school) who brought the pony out for its lesson with the saddle on and done up- backwards. 

And someone else who brought their pony on to livery at the same riding school complete with its own bags of chicken corn. Mmm..tasty...


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## The wife (24 June 2013)

I really do hope these aren't real things that have happened. Extremely funny, unfortunately I have spat my tea over the kitchen table.


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## Lolo (24 June 2013)

"He's lame because he doesn't know his diagonals". Or because he's crippled by bad shoeing. But the diagonals thing sounds plausible too...


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## slumdog (24 June 2013)

Ooh and not horsey but I have a very tiny puppy and when I got her I was talking about giving her goats milk, someone advised to put so many scoops of powder in to make it up and I said "oh I've never seen it in a powder" for another girl to kill herself laughing like I was clearly an idiot and say "hahaha, even I know goats milk is a powder"

Pretty sure it doesn't come out of the goat in powder form...


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## Hoof_Prints (24 June 2013)

Unfortunately they are very real! The marmite on toast had filled the horse up for the day, so he didn't need any hay  I have also met the mother that bought her 6 year old daughter a naughty yearling as their first pony so they could grow up together and she could eventually ride it..


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## Hoof_Prints (24 June 2013)

slumdog said:



			Ooh and not horsey but I have a very tiny puppy and when I got her I was talking about giving her goats milk, someone advised to put so many scoops of powder in to make it up and I said "oh I've never seen it in a powder" for another girl to kill herself laughing like I was clearly an idiot and say "hahaha, even I know goats milk is a powder"

Pretty sure it doesn't come out of the goat in powder form...
		
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haha! I worked on a goat diary farm one summer, It just comes out like talc powder you know  Baby goats are fully trained to make up their own mix


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## Clare85 (24 June 2013)

There's a quote from Black Beauty, "Don't you know that ignorance is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness".

It frightens me how many people I've come across recently who have just gone out and bought a horse without actually knowing anything about them. I went to try a horse for share a couple of months ago, a recently broken 4 yo. The owners tacked her up for me and I watched and then had to remove all the tack and show them how to do it properly. When I got on her, all she wanted to do was nap, buck and stop dead. They then said, "well, we're not very experienced so she gets away with murder, bless her. We want a sharer to school her for us". I politely advised them that maybe they should be paying someone to sort the poor mare out, rather than expecting someone to pay to re-break her for them. Lovely horse actually, lots of potential sadly wasted.


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## StoptheCavalry (24 June 2013)

I used to feed my horse marmite on treats as a fly defence but think they may have taken it a little too literally! 

Did you know that thorough is a breed of horse... As in thoroughbred!?!


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## Hoopsa (24 June 2013)

Love these stories! 
My 'best' ones are about a novice livery who told me that his horse had suddenly become one sided and very difficult to 'steer'.  He hadn't put the reins over the head so both reins were on the same side of the neck..... Then he put the saddle on with the numnah on top!  I am not kidding and was very pleased for the horse when it got put on working livery.  At least it got looked after properly.  
Then there was another livery who was so happy to have bought her pony a rug to wear in the field.  Shame it was a quilted stable rug.....


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## HaffiesRock (24 June 2013)

I know a fair few idiots too.

A girl I used to know years ago had no clue at all. She'd had a pony as a child, done dressage, jumping bit of XC etc then decided to buy her own as an adult. I helped her find a nice safe cob (she wanted a brown and white one and thats all that mattered) but at the viewing she had a headache and asked me to ride the hors. I did and it was strong and not well schooled. I told her to get on and she refused,, but bought the horse anyway. She came to my yard so we could ride together. I was so excited to have a hacking buddy and someone to share chores with to get days off. Turns out the girl knew nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She could't put a head collar on, didnt know anything about feeding. She thought one bucket of hay would be enough to the last the night so I advised she needed enough to last her all night. Then she started feeding her enough build up mix in one feed to last a yard full a racers a week! How that horses didn't colic in the first few days I'll never know! She didn't even own a grooming kit. I bought a new one so cleaned my old one up and gave it her as the horse looked a mess.

She said she didn't want to ride with me until she got used to the horse (fair enough) A couple of months later I had a day off unexpectedly so went up to ride and found my friend in the school. I stood and watched from a distance as I'd never seen her ride before and the poor girl looked like she had never been on a horse before. She was flapping and bouncing around, shouting, pulling the poor horses mouth so I went over to see if she needed a hand and noticed the horses bit was in backwards! She had been riding her like that for weeks. 

We don't speak any more as after all the help and advice I gave in the first few months, she became a know it all expert and started critising what I did as wrong. I left the yard and I think she's still there, and miraculously the horse it still alive!


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## Sprocket123 (24 June 2013)

Cant quote but agree with clare85 ive also been shocked how many people have gone and brought a horse with little or no knowledge about them. 
Ill always remember a lady who came to try my welsh d,  she went yo get on from the wrong side, blamed my make of saddle...when I pointed out she was getting on from the wrong side she exclaimed oh I havent practised getting on from the other side yet. Needless to say she was asked to leave


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## Sprocket123 (24 June 2013)

That should say ' when she couldnt get on she blamed my make of saddle. - sorry on my phone!


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## Elf On A Shelf (24 June 2013)

I've had some crackers! One girl replied to my advert for an exracer that wasnt to jump and needed schooled with - would he be able to go out hunter xcing all winter, be ridden once a week, live out and only need checked every 3 or 4 days as she couldnt drive and could only get a lift then and not need fed. Her credentials were that she had been riding at a riding school for 6 months and had been looking after a 'beautiful palamino arab stallion' for 12 weeks and had gained many awards with him ... it was a gameon facebook ...

Another (scarily a person I work with!) Asked if she could try the above horse out and having just said to her the horse had never been hacked out before replied with - thats ok ill just trot him up the road to the yard and back. Said horse had not been said road was a stupidly busy main A road! Eh naw love! Gou aint having my horse!


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## Hoof_Prints (24 June 2013)

EKW said:



			Her credentials were that she had been riding at a riding school for 6 months and had been looking after a 'beautiful palamino arab stallion' for 12 weeks and had gained many awards with him ... it was a gameon facebook ...
		
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OMG  hilarious but scary !


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## all about Romeo (24 June 2013)

I get people asking me what breed my horse is and when I say thoroughbred they say ok but what breed is he? I then have to explain that thoroughbred is a breed!


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## slumdog (24 June 2013)

I also have the opposite problem with my other half. He doesn't ride but he can do everything else and is quite competent, yet will suddenly forget and say "Well I don't know how to do it" if I'm busy and I need him to do something


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## Shantara (24 June 2013)

Some of these are REALLY scary!!

It baffles me the lack of knowledge some people have.

There's a woman on my yard who's bought a young, firey pony for her very young daughter with absolutely no knowledge. She left her on the yard alone with this pony!!!! YM turned up a few mins later and saw this poor lass and helped her out. Thankfully the mother is usually very very good and will ask whenever she's unsure.


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## Silvermiyazawa (24 June 2013)

I have to admit I've got on with my reins crossed. My poor lad kept turning to the fence and stopping, poor confused beast. I did notice pretty quick (I was worried something was up with him!). I had had him about 15 years at this point!

A family on a yard I used to be on left someone else's 18 month old tied up in the field shelter as he was bugging their pony whilst they were getting it ready, they then went off for a ride.


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## Shantara (24 June 2013)

Silvermiyazawa said:



			I have to admit I've got on with my reins crossed. My poor lad kept turning to the fence and stopping, poor confused beast. I did notice pretty quick (I was worried something was up with him!). I had had him about 15 years at this point!
		
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I will also admit to doing this 
Thankfully Ned let me know before we got very far


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## djlynwood (24 June 2013)

A lady at our yard was sprinkling bute powder on her horses leg as he was lame on it. I asked her if she sticks a paracetomol on her head if she has a headache. She still didnt understand! 

The same lady was giving her horse a calmer suppliment mixed with treacle as he would not eat it otherwise!


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## RainbowDash (24 June 2013)

My friend used to be on a dressage yard.  One of the ladies there would keep her youngsters in the paddock next to the arena 'so they can learn what to do''


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## Silvermiyazawa (24 June 2013)

RainbowDash said:



			My friend used to be on a dressage yard.  One of the ladies there would keep her youngsters in the paddock next to the arena 'so they can learn what to do'' 

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Another lady and I had a request to keep out horses in when the dressage comps were on. Their field was next to the arena and they would wait for a particularly tricky bit in the test and arrange a gallop past, complete with bucking and squealing. Apparently it was off putting!


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## Karran (24 June 2013)

RainbowDash said:



			My friend used to be on a dressage yard.  One of the ladies there would keep her youngsters in the paddock next to the arena 'so they can learn what to do'' 

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I've ridden for nearly 20 years and still part of me hopes that this will be true


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## chaps89 (24 June 2013)

On the local facebook page some-one has posted a photo of a pony tethered on a common, looks like a trotter type rather than heavy cob but you can imagine who it probably belongs to. People have posted saying if some-one can transport it to them they'll have it & they want it etc  Last time I checked, if a horse is tethered it probably belongs to some-one and probably not some-one you want to get to involved with so what makes you think you can help yourself & what will you do when it's healthy and boisterous & it's winter and you have less time & less money? People just don't seem to think sometimes!

Have also seen tendon boots put on upside down and back to front, quite an achievement!


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## Mo-Jo (24 June 2013)

chaps89 said:



			On the local facebook page some-one has posted a photo of a pony tethered on a common
		
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I know the one you mean! Someone's commented saying "He looks so skinny! " and this is the photo they are making this judgement on https://fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd....403/998987_10151513301332913_1156618091_n.jpg


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## poiuytrewq (24 June 2013)

I had a call about my 15.3 TB advertised as highly strung needs quiet confident rider as can be quirky. 
This lady was very very experienced and had owned/ worked with horses all her life. She was going to have my horse (didn't need to see him, we could just deliver) for her 3 year old daughter to learn to ride on..... Umm really?


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## Hoof_Prints (24 June 2013)

I haven't managed the crossed reins yet, but I have managed to have one rein on the snaffle ring and the other on the gag ring on my universal  took me a good 5 mins to realise why he was responding weirdly to my aids! 

The more I read this thread, the more I remember... such as when a pony has a phase of not loading, this bloke thought he was some kind of horse whisperer and claimed that he would get the pony loaded- by running up  behind it with his arms out shouting 'GERRR OOOONNNN IIITTT!!!' . The bloke was quite overweight so couldn't move very quickly and ended up in pretty much the same situation as the pony.. on his backside in the middle of the yard! But of course, not to look a fool he THEN went on to lecture on how he'd connected with the pony and would therefore eventually be able to load it after a few days, would you believe it?!


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## armchair_rider (24 June 2013)

Karran said:



			I've ridden for nearly 20 years and still part of me hopes that this will be true 

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It's got to be worth a try.

This thread is hilarious


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## bexcy-bee (24 June 2013)

Another one to admit crossing the reins over the head, good job my pony was so good!

I had a mates mare at my yard once, she was terrified of it, so mum volunteered me to reschool it so they could get the price they paid for it back. It was out in a field with other mares and geldings.

Lad who bought her was obsessive that she was pregnant, because she was milking, explained she couldn't be as only geldings in field. He told us we were paying for vets bills etc if she was, so we began to worry that maybe she was and it had happened before she moved there, or my pony was a rig.

Anyway, he paid for a vet to come out, stated it wasn't pregnant. Lad said it was rubbish and that she definitely was, so paid for another vet to come out.

Upon the 2nd vet saying it wasn't pregnant, the lad decided the mare must have 'absorbed' the (by now 6 month old) foal! Idiot!!

Bexcy-bee x


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## Bobbly (24 June 2013)

My friends husband was left in charge of the pony while friend went on shopping spree and was asked to rug it up if the weather turned to rain. It did and he went to rug her, she stood quietly by the fence while he proceeded to dress her unwittingly having included the lower fence rail in the surcingles. Luckily the pony being a poppet had accepted she was 'tied up' and stood still until someone rescued her later that day!!


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## maree t (24 June 2013)

We just bought my son a new horse from a lovely novice lady. He was advertised as a 14hh irish cob 5 yrs. When we got there he was bigger but that was fine with us we fell in love and bought him home. We decided to measure him a few weeks later and when we contacted her to let her know how he was and told her he had measured in at 15hh she said "wow you must have good grass " 
Bless her she still thinks he grew that much in two weeks


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## Jamie-lee (24 June 2013)

Hoopsa said:



			Love these stories! 
My 'best' ones are about a novice livery who told me that his horse had suddenly become one sided and very difficult to 'steer'.  He hadn't put the reins over the head so both reins were on the same side of the neck..... Then he put the saddle on with the numnah on top!  I am not kidding and was very pleased for the horse when it got put on working livery.  At least it got looked after properly.  
Then there was another livery who was so happy to have bought her pony a rug to wear in the field.  Shame it was a quilted stable rug.....
		
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I went to a livery yard once where the "Yard Manager" quite happily turned the "Full and Part Livery horses"
 out in their stable rugs!!!!!!!


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## Mike007 (24 June 2013)

The ignorance is astounding. I find it hard to believe that there are so many people who think its ok to drive a badly maintained horsebox.


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## Cop-Pop (24 June 2013)

I got on with crossed reins during my Riding and Road safety exam   Luckily they realised nerves had got the better of me and I'm not a total div (maybe) 

I used to be on a livery yard with a lady who bought a very tricky, fit TB because she felt sorry for it.  She'd ridden once when on holiday in NZ but thought it would be ok because she could ride a motorbike.

There are people on my current yard who treat their pony like a proper child - right down to buying it new things 'because she likes showing off new rugs' to over rugging it 'because she likes to be cosy'


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## DabDab (25 June 2013)

Brilliant thread! (scary that there is so much material for it) Just some of the ones I can remember:

A buyer who turned up to try a horse and asked how to put a headcollar on (the frightening thing about this was that she was not going to keep the horse on a livery yard - just at home by herself)

A foreign riding trainer who had worked with horses for 40 years but on the odd occasion he did yard work managed to put a rug on backwards and I had to rescue him from a yearling who had put her ears back at him (when I got there the yearling was calmly stood at the front of her stable looking quizzically at the large man curled up on the floor in the corner)

A woman who turned her horse out in high vis so that the other horses wouldn't accidentally bump into it.

And perhaps most worryingly - a woman who asked quizzically why sugarbeet pellets had to be soaked, since the liquid in the horse's stomach would do the same job, and surely that was how the manufacturers had designed it to be fed.


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## WelshD (25 June 2013)

Bobbly said:



			My friends husband was left in charge of the pony while friend went on shopping spree and was asked to rug it up if the weather turned to rain. It did and he went to rug her, she stood quietly by the fence while he proceeded to dress her unwittingly having included the lower fence rail in the surcingles. Luckily the pony being a poppet had accepted she was 'tied up' and stood still until someone rescued her later that day!!
		
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what a good pony lol


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## ZondaR (25 June 2013)

My friend, who has been a horse owner for 12 years bought a 4yo in January this year.  I commented that the hoofs looked very long and friend delightedly told me how great this horse was with shoes. 15 weeks and they still hadn't fallen off!!!!!!!  I killed him, I read and spelt him.  The farrier did the same. Horse now gets shod every 6 weeks.  He also insisted that his other horses' saddle was a perfect fit on the new one. He wouldn't listen to anyone until the horse was visibly flinching.  Is it any wonder the horse lost a load of weight and was very ribby and hippy.  Of course friend didn't notice, it had to be pointed out.  I eventually managed to persuade him to get lessons from a very good instructor so at least he is not ruining the horse any longer.

I'm amazed at how clueless he is.  He has a great relationship with his old horse but it is obvious who wears the saddle in that relationship.  He is treating the new horse as if it is the old horse and it is not working for the new horse.  However, he is learning and doesn't repeat his mistakes.  Those are all the big mistakes.  It is going a lot better now.


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## Dogrose (25 June 2013)

I used to work in a book shop and one day an older lady came in and asked if we had any horse care books. she said her son and his family had just bought two horses and didn't know anything about them, she said they didn't even know how to brush them. She was so worried about the horses, bless her. I felt sorry for the horses and her.


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## PingPongPony (25 June 2013)

Theres a girl at my yard. She recently arrived with a fly rug for her horse. Horse is 15.2hh, takes 6ft-6ft3 rugs. She arrives with a 4ft9 rug, puts it on her horse and turns it out. When we got there, the poor thing was rubbed all over, so we took the rug off her and texted the girl saying ''we took your horses rug off as it was rubbing her raw, it is about a foot and a bit too short. So she calls us going mental ''you are going to pay the vet bills when my horse gets skin cancer from getting too burnt in the sun!'' your horse is dark bay, with no white whatsoever, and no pink skin anywhere 
That same girl also watched me pour hibiscrub into one of my feed buckets, what she didn't see was that i actually cleaned the bucket before that, and i was going to use it purely as a washing wound bucket from now on, as my horse had a nasty overreach cut. Next thing i know, the amount of my hibiscrub has gone down by half. We check her horses stable and sure, she added hibiscrub to her horses feed  luckily poor thing had enough sense not to touch the feed! 
Wrapped her horses leg in vet wrap, just because it had grazed its skin, it wasn't even a cut. The bad thing was that she wrapped in round so tight that the skin above and below the vet wrap was bulging and restricting blood flow. I took it off as soon as i saw it!
She also regularly turns her horse out in fleeces, stable rugs etc. 
She also once put on its fly veil, and turned it out with the fly veil tied to the horses mane, no headcollar, nothing. This was harmless though so we just laughed about it. 
I probably have a lot more but am to sleepy to think of them all


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## Meowy Catkin (25 June 2013)

I was once told that only small ponies got laminitis by someone with many years of horse ownership behind them. Very scary.


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## tankgirl1 (25 June 2013)

OMG this thread is scary!


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## tankgirl1 (25 June 2013)

I have seen a horse owner of 6 years, terrified to ride her own horse, put her new brushing boots on upside down and back to front and then ride out in them.... I thought that was awful ignorant owners... this thread is just OMG! There should be a competency test before you are allowed to keep a horse!


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## Hoof_Prints (25 June 2013)

PingPongPony- That's the lack of common sense I was talking about  how can..? ..just.. no words..

Oooh the laminitis post just reminded me of when my friend's Shetland suddenly went lame on the lush grash- I said to the owner, 'get the vet out I think that pony has laminitis'

But guess what?

She was insistant that the pony had itchy legs from the grass (because she had itchy legs herself) and that's why he was walking funny. She did get the vet out thank god


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## windand rain (25 June 2013)

Young lass took my pony out for a two hour hack was a little disgruntled when she struggled to gallop however was deeply embarrassed when she got off and realised the reins were firmly crossed behind the pony's jaw. Good pony had just done what she was asked in spite of not being able to move her jaw.


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## tankgirl1 (25 June 2013)

tankgirl1 said:



			OMG! There should be a competency test before you are allowed to keep a horse!
		
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I'm not saying I would pass btw


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## tankgirl1 (25 June 2013)

Hoof_Prints said:



			PingPongPony- That's the lack of common sense I was talking about  how can..? ..just.. no words..

Oooh the laminitis post just reminded me of when my friend's Shetland suddenly went lame on the lush grash- I said to the owner, 'get the vet out I think that pony has laminitis'

But guess what?

She was insistant that the pony had itchy legs from the grass (because she had itchy legs herself) and that's why he was walking funny. She did get the vet out thank god
		
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OMG is she still your friend? Was the shetty OK?


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## Crazy_Caz (25 June 2013)

I must admit when my sister and I were younger, after much nagging and many riding lessons my parents gave in and bought us a pony to share.... we didnt have a clue...but had someone to oversee us... but the funniest thing was the horse dealer who sold me my second horse... and who I asked to clip my horse declared "you should not clip a dun horse!"  "you just dont clip duns!"  weird!  lol


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## Cherrydan (25 June 2013)

Have to admit, I was one of them idiots who thought hey, I can ride a bit, so a nice ex racer will be great....woah...reality check. I thought I was real confident, pah! No, it was ignorance...I couldn't even put a bridle on, the headcollar was like a Rubiks cube, I'd laugh, but it really made me fear horses...so my stupidity cost me a hell of a lot. Now, I have a cob x, but still can't get back on him, because of my first experience of the thoroughbred. Hey, I aren't as bad as some on here, lol, but I am and have always been willing to learn. But ladies, we have to start somewhere, so please for the horses sake, help out the novices when you can, show them the ropes and cut them some slack. I was just excited to fulfill a childhood dream of ownership, don't worry, I paid the price, strapped to a hospital bed...I was a bloody idiot, hands up x


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## Mike007 (25 June 2013)

Yes , cut the novices some slack but teach them.Have to agree with you cherrydan. The sad thing is that with each generation we loose so much of our equestrian heritage. I have been so privileged to have learned from ,for example the old git who used to come down to the yard where we kept our horses. But the old git had been a "corporal of the horse"during the first world war (think war horse) . What he didnt know ,probably wasnt worth knowing. He must have thought we were such mugs yet he never said and he always helped . Rest his soul.


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## Cherrydan (25 June 2013)

Thank you Mike007, the old git sounds lovely, lol, I could have done with an old git a few years back, but hey that horse taught me a lot, some of it I'm grateful for, a lot I'm not. Thank god I was on a livery yard with just another guy, I think my ears would have been burning, lol, had it been women. And when I look back, I can honestly say I've never wanted that horse soo much, I had no right to own an ex racer, but while he was with me he was soo loved and well looked after, albeit with a badly tied bridle. I just can't wait to be confident, but that's another bloody issue....x


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## Mike007 (25 June 2013)

Confidence is like a bank account. you have to keep putting small amounts in and avoid any major withdrawls and eventualy you find ... you are confident.  PS I am seriously overdrawn at the moment


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## Cherrydan (25 June 2013)

Lol, I like that, trouble is I'm not even spending, but its still taking standing orders. I think it's brave of us to admit it though, lol, god, I'm in awe of anyone brave, three years after my horse accident and it still cuts like it was yesterday. My horse has a real good time though, mooching about a field, no riding, just eating...little beggar!


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## Mike007 (25 June 2013)

small steps , small steps.


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## mandwhy (25 June 2013)

Aaah that is so true Mike.

Loving these little stories. I think my favourite is the post about having experience with the beautiful palomino Arab stallion from the facebook game, I must add computer game related experience to my CV... I've been a plumber, a hedgehog... 

I mostly think it is quite sweet when people get it wrong and am happy to help out. Some of these are shocking though! 

My friend who has had horses for years and years was told by some other 'experienced horseman' that they can't get laminitis til they are 4... bet they're dreading that birthday!


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## NaeNae87 (25 June 2013)

OMG people!! If those stories are true then I am terrified! Never, ever selling my horses if I can help it!!!

I haven't had anything as bad... 

One lady turned her ponies out one a rainy day, in cottons.

At TAFE, after 6 months of handling horses 4 times a week for 4-5 hourse each day, we still had a few idiots who would put halters on upside down, couldn't saddle a horse to save themselves and put boots on upside down, inside out and back to front.

But the worst was a lady who spent 45 mins trying to load her 4 yr old stallion (who was a bargey little maggot with no manners) onto a float with a float boot that was worn by a mare, thinking because he could smell her, he would load straight away. After 45 mins, I couldn't take it any more. I grabbed a bucket of feed and pretty much turned myself into a molasses covered treat (because said stallion liked to throw his food everywhere too) to get the little prat (ok 16.3hh soild as a brick s**tter) onto the float. With the help of the feed bin, a bum rope and a whip... he loaded in 2 mins.


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## Echo24 (25 June 2013)

A friend's horse was suffering from colic a few years ago and someone on the yard told her to keep it lying down by sitting on top of it


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## slumdog (25 June 2013)

"The ignorance is astounding. I find it hard to believe that there are so many people who think its ok to drive a badly maintained horsebox."

In fairness, you would think that about mine if it drove past! It's 900 years old and previous owner has painted it in some kind of house paint that is falling off so to look at she's not the prettiest. But, she flew through her mot and is solid as anything. Good old Betsy!


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## Auslander (25 June 2013)

charcoalfeathers said:



			A friend's horse was suffering from colic a few years ago and someone on the yard told her to keep it lying down by sitting on top of it 

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Sitting on the neck is actually a very effective old school tactic to keep a horse down and quiet!


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## natalia (25 June 2013)

Your completely correct to sit on a horse who is down with colic. It stops them thrashing about and if they are just down laying still its the best thing to do! Sitting on top of neck/ head stops rolling and getting up. I've been taught keep them up and moving or down and still.


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## Hoof_Prints (25 June 2013)

tankgirl1 said:



			OMG is she still your friend? Was the shetty OK?
		
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I haven't seen her for a couple of years now, she was a well meaning lady but was dangerously optimistic about her pony's problems- which did him no favours! Unfortunately the Shetland pony did end up having to be PTS after months and months of being shut inside and hobbling around in hoof boots  the vets kept telling her to put him to sleep but she said they were just being cruel.


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## ShadowFlame (25 June 2013)

Hoopsa said:



			Then there was another livery who was so happy to have bought her pony a rug to wear in the field.  Shame it was a quilted stable rug.....
		
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I remember one yard years ago, a guy who claimed to be fairly competent went out and bought a "posh" new rug for his 8yo TB. Does-the-works-indoor-outdoor-whatever-you-will kinda rug. Turns out it was a HW stable rug, but they left it on indoor, outdoor, cold, rain, burning sun... the works, despite being told it wasn't suitable and despite people taking it off for him.

Horse was found dead in the field around a month later, mid winter. They claimed it was colic, but there were no signs of any thrashing / rolling. "Not having a clue" can be pretty funny in hindsight, but it can be downright disasterous aswell.

On a lighter note, we had a lady move onto our yard last year with an unbroken TB... they were going to learn together as she wanted a baby. She had no idea about rugs, put him "to bed" at 2pm one afternoon, to come back and find him in a state at 3pm the following day, couldn't put a headcollar on, found rising trot nigh on impossible... 

Thankfully the guy she'd hired to back him gave her a stern talking to, and she moved off shortly after that. No idea if she kept the horse, but it was an accident waiting to happen.


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## Sleipnir (25 June 2013)

When I bought my gelding from a yard I used to work and take lessons at, a lady who was supposed to be the most experienced instructor, gave me a parting advice - never spend more than three hours in a row with your horse, because then he will become unable to live without a human and vicious in interaction.

Wait, what did you sell me again - a horse or a gremlin that is not to be fed after midnight?! 

The yard itself was a scary place. The YM would postulate that any supplements cause laminitis, the YO taught that horses should be ridden on the forehand so that they are unable to take off or be too fast, and they thought their young breeding stallion wasn't self-conscious enough, so they put him in a small pen with an older gelding and let him beat the gelding to pulp. And that's just some of the things... It was my first lesson yard and I knew no better back then, but moved away and took my favourite horse with me as soon as I understood what was going on.


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## Embo (25 June 2013)

Unfortunately, there are a few people like this at my yard.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing it all, we all have to start somewhere. If the person is willing to admit they need help and willing to learn, then great. 

It's when you get the know-it-alls who have ridden only a handful of times, yet they obviously know more than the people who have had horses for many years... they are just downright dangerous.

I will admit, I almost put my horse's boots on the wrong way... it was an early morning lol but luckily I remembered after only putting one on that the straps do up on the _outside_ of the leg! Whoops! 

There's also a lady on my yard who has two rescue horses that cannot be ridden. She literally just looks after them, which is really nice in itself. But she once rented a third stable for a time and filled it with sand and pebbles so that it resembled some sort of beach... and both horses were each made to stand in the sandy/pebbly beach thing for an hour a day.

I'm not sure for what purpose as this happened before my time at the yard but the sandy-stable is no more.

Very odd.


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## Meowy Catkin (25 June 2013)

But she once rented a third stable for a time and filled it with sand and pebbles so that it resembled some sort of beach... and both horses were each made to stand in the sandy/pebbly beach thing for an hour a day.

I'm not sure for what purpose as this happened before my time at the yard but the sandy-stable is no more.
		
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I'd love to have something like this, but as part of a track system. It would be great for BF/unshod hooves. Don't forget that filling a stable with pea shingle is sometimes advised for horses with acute laminitis. 

I would guess that as her horses were unshod and retired, she was putting them in there each day to give their hooves stimulation and to help keep them in good condition.


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## NellRosk (25 June 2013)

A lady has come to our yard this weekend after buying a pregnant gypsy cob at a local sales. She has never ridden a horse before and has nothing for the horse or any riding clothes/ boots for herself. This cob is 8 and has never been broken and she hopes when it has had the foal that she can just get on it and go. Unbelievable, I feel so sorry for the poor horse and for her when she inevitably has an accident


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## Hoof_Prints (25 June 2013)

I am worrying now about the amount of idiots I know so I am getting reluctant to post  but here goes.. I have a couple more.

I was hacking out past a some fields where a chap keeps a collection of horses he's picked up from sales (varying from welsh 2 year olds to ex racers to retired eventers). I saw him sending a horse round in canter, on the wrong leg with two lunge lines both tangled around its legs- I was just passing when the guy called over that it was natural horsemanship  I assume he'd just watched The Horse Whisperer or something and decided to have a go 

I stopped my horse and remarked that the horse was very tangled up, unbalanced and looked a bit scared, apparently he was gaining respect at this point. I then turned to leave when the chap said 'you can have this one if you want, just take him, he's free' In all seriousness ! he wanted me to take the horse then and there. 

A few years ago when my pony went lame after a tendon injury, I was asked to ride someone's horse who was talented, well bred and absolutely stunning. When I arrived the horse was stabled, and apparently he had been all week! The owner proudly stated how much he horse loved him because he was so happy to see him at weekends. The horse was locked up all week and cared for by the YO until he got back from his lorry driving job at weekends and the horse was sooo pleased to see him  . I got on the horse and the bloke hardly gave me a chance to ride because he was too busy telling me how he'd impressed Tim Stockdale at a show by telling him how to get a horse on the bit ! I then got told that you should NEVER start a horse with a snaffle, you should only use a Pelham on the bottom ring or else the horse will never learn how to go in an 'outline'. Anyway I was just dismounting and getting ready to leave when I hear a scream- the YO had decided to turn out her youngster who had also been left in all week  she was in the stable throwing brushes at it and screaming because he didn't want to have a headcollar put on. The bloke went over and put a lead rope on its neck (once it had stopped rearing in the stable and charging at the door),  then got dragged across the yard while it reared and kicked out before breaking off and charging towards it's mates in the field.

I tried for a while to buy the horse from the bloke but he was having none of it, apparently the horse wouldn't cope without him as it loved him so much. OH and I also asked if he was this competent show jumper who impressed Tim Stockdale, why he didn't ride the horse- his answer? Because he rode in wales once and it was such a nice place to ride, he couldn't bear to ride back at home.


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## RLS (25 June 2013)

"A woman who turned her horse out in high vis so that the other horses wouldn't accidentally bump into it."

Dab Dab, at my old yard the yard owner/ manager and another livery refused to put the horses out one day as it was a bit foggy and they might bump into each other!


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## FubsyMog (25 June 2013)

Some of these are priceless! And also terrifying It does sort of give me hope though - as  a RS rider, my knowledge is fairly limited but I'm confident I wouldn't get myself into some of the situations described here! I think I also know what I don't know, which is probably useful


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## DabDab (25 June 2013)

RLS said:



			"A woman who turned her horse out in high vis so that the other horses wouldn't accidentally bump into it."

Dab Dab, at my old yard the yard owner/ manager and another livery refused to put the horses out one day as it was a bit foggy and they might bump into each other!
		
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What, and they didn't think of high vis - how unimaginative!

Love the Tim Stockdale man story, particularly his reason for not riding


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## RLS (25 June 2013)

DabDab said:



			What, and they didn't think of high vis - how unimaginative!



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Yes, I know! I think I should text the YO and suggest the high-vis. A very good idea, thank you.


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## Mistywoo (25 June 2013)

We have a few "All the gear and no idea" types in this area. One lady was recently hacking out on her horse who had on very expensive brushing boots all round, hock books, knee boots and over reach on his hindlegs as well as the fronts. He also had a saddle cloth, a numnah and a prolite underneath the saddle -which probably did fit before the addition of all that, a breastplate with both running and standing martingale attached to his flash and chelt gag bridle, which of course was ridden with two sets of reins. And a crupper. I just kept my mouth shut as we passed other than to say good morning and tried not to stare. It was almost like she brought every single piece of tack going and put it all on him! 

We also seem to be an area for clueless horse care. If your horse isn't hugely overweight you need to feed conditioning foods as they are under weight. And the amount of people who put the saddle far to far forwards beggars belief. Lots of people seem to ride on the neck. Oh and the epitome of being a good horse person around here is having a horse who is virtually un-rideable and tries to kill everyone. Clearly you have to be super skilled to handle such a beast, and anyone who has a well behaved, calm and obliging horse has brought a 'dope on a rope' because they are very novice-y! 

It was very hard when we first moved here as we are definitely the odd ones out, after 8 years it's now water off a ducks back. We don't boot unless we need to, we use the minimum tack possible -saves me lots of un-necessary cleaning, we ride on our horses backs and not on their necks and all our horses are the right weight. We also treat our horses like horses, which means feeding and handling them appropriately so they are nice and enjoyable. If that makes us look like novices then that's just fine with us!


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## Dunlin (25 June 2013)

Most of these are hilarious but some are truly worrying!!

A friend of mine was helping me give my horse a bath before a DR comp later that night, she had gained interest through me and had only had a few lessons at that point. Quite simple instructions, wash his face then body with yellow sponge, then last thing wash his bum with pink sponge. She used the pink sponge for his bum, then sheath, then body then face. When I asked why she completely ignored what I said and risked giving him an eye infection she said "you shouldn't pamper him like this, you need to be the boss". Fast forward 15 years and she's just had her first baby... I worry!


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## Antw23uk (25 June 2013)

I must confess to my 'All the gear ... No idea' moment last night because sometimes I do actually feel like a complete no nothing! 

My new horse seems to really dislike the flash noseband and although it does its job for me I just feel horrible riding him in it so I'm taking steps to rectify this by trying a Grackle on him so I fanny about with this grackle last night before a hack and ive got two other riders sitting on horses waiting to go ... then the new martingale I have is twisted so im faffing about with that all the time Gizmo's head is getting lower and lower to the ground and the yawns are getting bigger and bigger ... Thanks mate!!  

I then decide that sod it, im now running so late i will take the nsoeband off and remove the martingale ... im now riding an ex racer with a simple no nosband bridle  so thats not a good idea because he is so fresh at the moment so I then thread the flash back on without taking said bridle off and eventually get a saddle on and mounting .... so i started off tacking up the horse with a flash noseband and after all that messing about he ends up tacked up exactly like he always is which was soon pointed out by my friends 

Last night I just felt like a total dunce. I could just not get my bum in gear so I must confess ... I'm a bit of an 'all the gear ... no idea' kinda guy sometimes


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## tiga71 (25 June 2013)

I also confess to some complete muppety moments. When I got Izzy I was very, very novicey but that's why I had him on part livery.

Have had to get people to help me with his bridle when i have put it together wrong after cleaning it. Usually when it is halfway on his long suffering head

The other day I was putting his magnetic rug on and did up the neck and chest fastenings, then someone came to chat and asked me to look at something. So I wandered off, then went and got diesel in the lorry etc. Came back to get Izzy to load for our jumping lesson and he was standing there  looking a bit confused as to why his magnetic rug was around his feet, hanging from his neck. Note to self: Must do straps up and not get distracted! Good job he is such a good pony and just stood waiting for me to rescue him.

I am generally much less numpty but do still have my moments.


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## Pigeon (25 June 2013)

Yes!! Seen people tie up their horses by the reins, and put bits in upside down or back to front. I'll admit it has given me a paranoia so I google every new bit of kit before attempting to attach it to the horse! 

Also the standard following of the Parelli Guide to a Headshy Horse... 

I'll admit I often realise halfway through a ride that my saddle is too far forwards  He has no shoulders to speak of so it slips a bit when we go downhill...


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## LaurenBay (25 June 2013)

Some of these are scary!

We had a bloke at my livery who bought a Horse just because his ex had them. He couldn't tell one end from the other. We went to pick him up, he couldn't tell us any of the Horses details apart from "it's a boy" and his name. Had no idea what we were turning up too. It turned out to be a well mannered 18YO 16.1 Liver chestnut WB. Owner caught him, with headcollar on upside down and gave me a set of travel boots and said "someone said I should put these cushions on him" so I did the boots and corrected the headcollar, owner lead him out to the trailer, dropped the rope and then tried to push the Horse in. Luckily his Horse has the patience of a saint. 

He did improve loads at my yard, we all helped him and YO even gave him lessons on her School mistress and brought his Horse back into work. He did so many stupid things though, my fav was when his Horse was lame and rather then hold the hose, he tied it to his leg with twine and walked off. He did this twice a day for 20 minutes each time, til I caught him and told him how dangerous it was. 

He also said that the dominant Horse kept biting his Horse because he didn't like the owner and wanted him to pay out more lol. 

He left to go onto grass livery now.


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## Pigeon (25 June 2013)

LaurenBay said:



			Luckily his Horse has the patience of a saint. 
.
		
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That's the thing I find funny, often the clueless ones end up with absolute darlings of horses who put up with everything without batting an eyelid!


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## Horse* (25 June 2013)

My favorite was from a young boy 'the best way to cool a pony down is to gallop it around so it gets the wind in it's face' 

I'm sure we've all had many of theses silly moments, we've just been luckily enough to have knowledgeable people around to correct us.


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## Pinkvboots (25 June 2013)

A friend of mine works in a livery yard well a new family turn up with there new pony, the two teenage daughters come and find my friend to say the pony was on its way being delivered they had only just bought it, so my friend says have you got his stable ready, they reply oh yes, she walks round to have a look they had put one section of straw on the floor as a bed, so my friend goes to find them to explain its not enough so she shows them by putting a few bales down, she then says wheres his hay, one of the girls says there pointing to a handfull of hay in the corner, seriously how can you buy any animal and not have a scooby about how much it needs to eat, think they thought it would be like feeding a rabbit, luckily they have had loads of help and the pony is an angel they would only ride him on a lead rein at first but now one of the girls is cantering and hacks him out, thank god for livery yard workers I think.


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## LaurenBay (25 June 2013)

I just thought of another. Same bloke. This is before my Yo's lessons, so he had never sat on a Horse before and his Horse hasn't been ridden in almost a year. He decided one day when bringing in he was going to get on him, so he climbs on from fence and sits on him. No hat, tack etc. Not knowing how to ride he didn't have a clue what to do, so booted his Horse hard. His Horse was a saint on the ground, but sensitive to ride. I got to the yard just in time to see him fall off onto the concrete.


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## chaps89 (25 June 2013)

A few years ago when my pony went lame after a tendon injury, I was asked to ride someone's horse who was talented, well bred and absolutely stunning. When I arrived the horse was stabled, and apparently he had been all week! The owner proudly stated how much he horse loved him because he was so happy to see him at weekends. The horse was locked up all week and cared for by the YO until he got back from his lorry driving job at weekends and the horse was sooo pleased to see him  . I got on the horse and the bloke hardly gave me a chance to ride because he was too busy telling me how he'd impressed Tim Stockdale at a show by telling him how to get a horse on the bit ! I then got told that you should NEVER start a horse with a snaffle, you should only use a Pelham on the bottom ring or else the horse will never learn how to go in an 'outline'. Anyway I was just dismounting and getting ready to leave when I hear a scream- the YO had decided to turn out her youngster who had also been left in all week  she was in the stable throwing brushes at it and screaming because he didn't want to have a headcollar put on. The bloke went over and put a lead rope on its neck (once it had stopped rearing in the stable and charging at the door), then got dragged across the yard while it reared and kicked out before breaking off and charging towards it's mates in the field.
		
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This wasn't in Leicestershire was it?!?!?! Sounds quite scarily similar to some-one I used to know.


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## Hoof_Prints (25 June 2013)

chaps89 said:



			This wasn't in Leicestershire was it?!?!?! Sounds quite scarily similar to some-one I used to know.
		
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Will PM you!


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## Antw23uk (25 June 2013)

Pigeon said:



			That's the thing I find funny, often the clueless ones end up with absolute darlings of horses who put up with everything without batting an eyelid!
		
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This is so me and Gizmo, he puts up with me without thinking twice and has the patience of a saint ... He gives it away with a big sigh or a yawn every now and then though but how can I blame him for that with an owner like me, hahaa


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## fatpiggy (25 June 2013)

Stories like this are one of the main reasons, having lost my old girl last year, are why I will NEVER have a horse again - I've seen so many examples of stupidity, neglect and downright cruelty I don't want to be associated with the horse world any more.   At the first yard I was on was a really weird family. I'm sure they took it in turns to have the brain cell for the day.  One had had several horses over the years but was prone to copying what other people did and clearly didn't have an original thought in her head.  I put my impetuous mare into a 3 ring Dutch gag with double reins, so she went and bought the same.  I hacked out in brushing boots so she started doing the same -with the striking pad on the outside of the leg, buckles to the inside (WTF?) and having seen me put on overreach boots, went and borrowed a pair and fitted them ABOVE the fetlocks.  I made the mistake of mentioning in her presence that I was adding some oil to my horse's feed and a couple of day later I noticed her lovely arab mare with a bucket of food on the door but not eating.  I went and took a look - it was like an oil slick.  She must have put half a litre of cooking oil in, the poor poor pony. She also thought that a single pad of loose hay chucked over the door was sufficient for a 14hh-er at night.  Then there was the family that turned up (a work colleague phoned and warned me they were likely coming our way) with a lovely purebred Connie, the daughter having had precisely 7 lessons.  They had no idea how to tack up, even put on a headcollar or use a hoofpick, no idea what ponies ate or where to go to buy it.  In fact, no idea about anything.  Fortunately they didn't last too long and moved to another yard.  Then on my last yard there was the novice owner, first horse who was actually pretty scared of the animal, which knew it, and thought it was fine to leave the shoes on for at least 20 weeks or until they fell off, fine to clip it fully then leave it out all night in a November storm with no rug on, or go away in July (without telling any of the other owners) leaving the horse with a heavyweight waterproof on.  The temperatures were in the high 70s.  We took the rug off.

Yep, that's me well out of it and as far away as possible


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## chaps89 (25 June 2013)

Hoof prints - sounds intriguing. It certainly sounds a very familiar story altho with some slight differences to the variation of story I got


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## Brightbay (25 June 2013)

This thread is terrifying 

Although I have to admit, I do know a novice owner/saintly horse combo myself - if that horse could only talk!  Funny thing is, they seem to be the kind of horses you'd shudder if told they were "first horses" - the one I know is an OTTB.  Owner has had about 10 or 15 riding lessons from ex.  But horse takes him out solo hacking.  I have no idea who's deciding the route, but hey, it seems to work


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## soulfull (25 June 2013)

The problem is what you don't know doesn't worry you'
I too made the same mistake as many. Daughter started having rising lessons. I soon realise it was cheaper to loan a pony than have 2 lessons a week 
We were so so lucky that the person we loaned off worked with redwings and taught us what we needed to know
Next mistake 6 months later after daughter outgrew pony was to buy a 3 yr old welsh cob, cos it seemed quite and oh so pretty 
Again redwings friend was there to tell us how to deal with worm an Lice  riddled pony
At the same time I read everything I could get my hands on and now healthily and feisty pony was sent away for 5 wks schooling 
Oh boy did we make some silly mistakes!!  

My point being we had no idea at all how much knowledge was needed to own a horse!   Had I have known I would never have bought one when I did. 

Now many years later I don't forget that without that redwings friend I dread to think what would have happened to us or pony. Of course at the beginning  we also had no idea how lucky we were to have her!!


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## misst (25 June 2013)

I am sure I have made loads of mistakes and will continue to do so but my favourite ever question was from a lovely lady who bought her son a very nice WB for their first horse. Luckily it was kept on livery so well cared for and they loved it very very much. However the day before the mare was going on her first hack with the son she panicked and asked me "do we need the farrier out to get different shoes on for hacking" I did manage not to laugh.


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## moana (25 June 2013)

Some of this incidents are potentially funny, but most are seriously worrying.

Many years ago I worked in a Riding School / Livery yard and it was horrifying the number of youngsters and their parents who who thought because the child was learning to ride, they were now able to own and look after a horse.


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## Joanne4584 (25 June 2013)

OMG this thread is brilliant!! Well, for me to laugh at, maybe not for the horses involved 

I'll admit I was a novice when I got my first horse on loan. I had never put on brushing boots before so had to ask how to do it. I could put a headcollar on and tack up though  I moved the horse to a yard nearer to my house and the YO asked me to go and get a haynet. She then asked me if I knew what a haynet was. I was rather insulted by this, but after reading this thread I can see why she asked!

The thing annoying me the most at the minute is teenage girls not warming their horses up. Within 5 minutes of getting on their horse they are cantering round the school and jumping. I was always taught to warm my horse up properly. Maybe I'm just old school.


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## tessybear (25 June 2013)

Joanne4584 said:



			The thing annoying me the most at the minute is teenage girls not warming their horses up. Within 5 minutes of getting on their horse they are cantering round the school and jumping. I was always taught to warm my horse up properly. Maybe I'm just old school.
		
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Have faith  I am 17 and my mum who teaches me but is old-school instructress has always told me to warm up. I suppose it's like pulling yourself out of bed or from lozzing about the house to run a marathon ! 

But saying that i know someone who decorated her horses food bowls, and made them pink and sparkly  it was a gelding but hey ho. I asked if it was to stop others on the yard taking her food bowl... I got 

" Oh no no, it's  so the boys in the field don't bully samson, the alpha has been chasing him away so perhaps they will think he is gay and not after the mares" 

This was a good 4 years ago and has stuck with me since  Mental lady, but again saint of a horse and he was well cared for.


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## Joanne4584 (25 June 2013)

tessybear said:



			Have faith  I am 17 and my mum who teaches me but is old-school instructress has always told me to warm up. I suppose it's like pulling yourself out of bed or from lozzing about the house to run a marathon !
		
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Totally. The girls then wonder why their horses keep refusing the jumps


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## tessybear (25 June 2013)

Joanne4584 said:



			Totally. The girls then wonder why their horses keep refusing the jumps 

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It's a shame as they are giving them every indication possible ! Ignorance seems to be a theme in horsey people that don't have a clue


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## Hoof_Prints (25 June 2013)

As I mentioned in my first post, although it is dangerous I do not mind novices making mistakes as you learn from mistakes and nobody knows everything. What I do mind is 'experienced' (and incredibly deluded) people behaving dangerously or just being plain annoying with BS information, and acting as a role model.

My sister's friend who lovey as she is, doesn't know much about horses but as she has ridden mine a few times she thinks she does! She stood there telling my horsey friend how she now knew EVERYTHING there was to know about horses, how she'd galloped flat out hacking (steady canter that soon broke back to a trot) and then repeated everything I said immediately after to sound like she knew what she was saying  

For example..
Me: He's a lovely pony, but a little parrot mouthed
Her: Yeah I thought that too, parrot mouthed.

... she had only seen the pony from a distance, you couldn't tell it was parrot mouthed without looking as it was only very slight.. and she didn't have a clue what parrot mouthed means!


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## vieshot (25 June 2013)

It's hard because you don't know how experienced you are until your faced with the challenge! I know I made some mistakes with my first pony. He got turned out in a stable rug (I knew it was a stable rug but didn't think it an issue if it wasn't raining!) I thought a small scoop of cheap nuts each day was enough when he was in hard work. Of corse he lost weight but luckily I had some common sense to ask for advise on how to manage his weight so he soon picked up with a change in diet! 

I didn't even know horses needed the dentist! It was just lucky that a good friend was taking her pony and asked if I wanted him done at the same time! I boxed him up to the tack shop and thought it was fine for a random lad that worked there (not a saddle fitter) to just plonk tack on him and tell me what was right. I used to 'use shoes up' in the sense that I would just ride until they fell off, not realising how important the 6-8 week rule is.

I was a daft teenager and the poor pony must have had a difficult first year with me! Luckily I learnt TONNES in that first year and as a result my horses want for nothing now. They get their shoes routinely, stable rugs stay in the stable, saddles are correctly fitted by a qualified saddler and they get more than just a scoop of crappy mix


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## vieshot (25 June 2013)

Oooooo also, when I was very young and only just started at a riding school, I must have been about ten, two friends that had started with me asked me how big I thought the pony I was riding was. I answered 'he's got to be at least 13.7...maybe even 13.8' lol!


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## Jamie-lee (25 June 2013)

Embo said:



			Unfortunately, there are a few people like this at my yard.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with not knowing it all, we all have to start somewhere. If the person is willing to admit they need help and willing to learn, then great. 

It's when you get the know-it-alls who have ridden only a handful of times, yet they obviously know more than the people who have had horses for many years... they are just downright dangerous.

I will admit, I almost put my horse's boots on the wrong way... it was an early morning lol but luckily I remembered after only putting one on that the straps do up on the _outside_ of the leg! Whoops! 

There's also a lady on my yard who has two rescue horses that cannot be ridden. She literally just looks after them, which is really nice in itself. But she once rented a third stable for a time and filled it with sand and pebbles so that it resembled some sort of beach... and both horses were each made to stand in the sandy/pebbly beach thing for an hour a day.

I'm not sure for what purpose as this happened before my time at the yard but the sandy-stable is no more.

Very odd.
		
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I may be wrong but I am guessing the sandy/pebbly beachy stable was some sort of " barefoot conditioning" !!!


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## Cinnamontoast (25 June 2013)

What gets me is experienced horsey people who refuse to call the vet when there's obviously an issue or keep a really poor or far too heavy sharer just for the sake of the money. Why let a horse suffer?  It just horrifies me. 

I see unclipped cobs in heavyweight turnouts in warm weather because the owner hasn't got a rain sheet and an unnecessary grackle because 'it's pretty'. Jesus! I will happily admit if I have no idea about something so I'll check rather than let the horse suffer.


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## Jamie-lee (25 June 2013)

I find it terrifying that anyone can just go out and buy a horse/pony/donkey - well actually ANY animal without having any idea how to look after it - 

on the other hand I find it quite discusting that people who DO have a fair bit of knowledge choose to ignore it - ie

the girl who used to be on a yard with me who left her horse in its stable from Thursday night until Sunday night or even Monday morning because she was "too busy " going out over the weekend to come down to the yard!!!!!!
Poor horse...... we used to throw hay over the door and give him water but fgs.


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## Jamie-lee (25 June 2013)

Mistywoo said:



			We have a few "All the gear and no idea" types in this area. One lady was recently hacking out on her horse who had on very expensive brushing boots all round, hock books, knee boots and over reach on his hindlegs as well as the fronts. He also had a saddle cloth, a numnah and a prolite underneath the saddle -which probably did fit before the addition of all that, a breastplate with both running and standing martingale attached to his flash and chelt gag bridle, which of course was ridden with two sets of reins. And a crupper. I just kept my mouth shut as we passed other than to say good morning and tried not to stare. It was almost like she brought every single piece of tack going and put it all on him! 

We also seem to be an area for clueless horse care. If your horse isn't hugely overweight you need to feed conditioning foods as they are under weight. And the amount of people who put the saddle far to far forwards beggars belief. Lots of people seem to ride on the neck. Oh and the epitome of being a good horse person around here is having a horse who is virtually un-rideable and tries to kill everyone. Clearly you have to be super skilled to handle such a beast, and anyone who has a well behaved, calm and obliging horse has brought a 'dope on a rope' because they are very novice-y! 

It was very hard when we first moved here as we are definitely the odd ones out, after 8 years it's now water off a ducks back. We don't boot unless we need to, we use the minimum tack possible -saves me lots of un-necessary cleaning, we ride on our horses backs and not on their necks and all our horses are the right weight. We also treat our horses like horses, which means feeding and handling them appropriately so they are nice and enjoyable. If that makes us look like novices then that's just fine with us!
		
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How refreshing Mistywoo - I do the same with my "dope on a rope"!


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## Love (25 June 2013)

I have a very recent example of this! People who run the yard I used to be at have set up a self hire/taxi service style transport service with a (very nice) little 3.5 tonne lorry..... But are happily stating they can take up to 2 17hh horses in it... *facepalm* think they need "payload educating"


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## sjp1 (25 June 2013)

Really ............................!!!!

I must have been very lucky, although I have met some very novicey owners - certainly nothing as shocking as all these posts!!!


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## frozzy (25 June 2013)

Many years ago when my daughters were doing sunday league winter showjumping the family with loads of dosh and the  "BSJA" reg pony turned up with it newly clipped. Dad  had done the job himself he proudly announced to the crowd who were watching with their jaws dropped. Yep, he had clipped it out, everything except its belly. It was totally furry from between its front legs , half way up its body to its sheath.! A kind soul took him round the corner to explain!


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## babymare (25 June 2013)

I have no problem with people who are novice but want to learn(lovely memories of a family on yard who always were asking questions like"new hay seems greener is it ok to feed") but its the all the gear and no idea but hey know what im doing i loath. 1family got me to point of ringin whw for advice. Those people"more money than sense for darling(bratt)daughter i loath


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## Enfys (25 June 2013)

Mike007 said:



*Yes , cut the novices some slack but teach them.*Have to agree with you cherrydan. The sad thing is that with each generation we loose so much of our equestrian heritage. I have been so privileged to have learned from ,for example the old git who used to come down to the yard where we kept our horses. But the old git had been a "corporal of the horse"during the first world war (think war horse) . What he didnt know ,probably wasnt worth knowing. He must have thought we were such mugs yet he never said and he always helped . Rest his soul.
		
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Quite so Mike. Good to see that not everyone is using this thread as an excuse for a bit of a bitch fest. 

Think on you folk that laugh at others, were you born perfect? Never made a mistake?


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## FionaM12 (25 June 2013)

Enfys said:



			Quite so Mike. Good to see that not everyone is using this thread as an excuse for a bit of a bitch fest. 

Think on you folk that laugh at others, were you born perfect? Never made a mistake?
		
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I'm glad I'm not alone in finding some of this thread uncomfortable reading. 

It's definitely worrying when someone has a horse and no knowledge or willingness to learn. However most people _do_ want to learn, and I find it a bit unpleasant having a good laugh at other peoples' lack of experience.


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## Stroppy Mare (25 June 2013)

I was told that my horse would be too heavy for their 7.5 tonne lorry (2 horse, no living!) - I advised my horse was not an elephant, but a 600kg horse. Said person then announced the ramp would not hold my horse but I was welcome to try it. No thanks, I'd rather not risk it if you think your box is dangerous. She puts her 500-550kg horse in... Think this reflects back onto the ignorance of the badly maintained horse box comment.

If I had suspicions that a 600kg horse would not make it up my ramp, I'd be questioning its safety and whether I needed to replace the wood.

This was not made by a novice, rather a so called experienced horse person, with a large background of horsey family. I have no problems with novices with horses providing they are willing to learn. We were all that ditzy novice back at some point. Child or adult, we all went through that phase.


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## pony&cow (26 June 2013)

my story is not funny but down right scary!!!!
lady came into feed shop where i used to work and asked for feed advice (fair enough she did ask for help)! her questiob was...
"my new pony ate a whole bag of these (pointing at pony nuts) yesterday and was still hungry. i'll buy a few bags now to last but hopefully he won't stay this hungry for long. do you think maybe he's got worms!!!!!)
when i'd recovered enough to answer I tolf her (kind of politely) that she NEEDS to get someone knowlegable to help as that could have killed the pony. suggested she tried working livery at a local riding school. 
scary


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## LittleTero (26 June 2013)

I remember being 11 and having my first pony. Parents not remotely horsey and would just drop me at the yard and I'd get on with it, I'd been helping at a yard for a over a year so at least I had knowledge on v basic care. Like feeding and mucking out. I was riding my pony (not a first pony at all bolted with me several times and I was terrified of it until being about 15 and strong enough to hold it. Then realised what a cracking jumping pony it really was) and someone told me I had my martingale twisted. I remember just shrugging and thinking oh well we're still moving forward I don't mind ill sort it out next time! Can't think of any others right now but sure I've done thousands as a kid. There were about ten of us kids all with ponies on a livery yard totally unsupervised by parents so if I saw things we did now probably think it was carnage! I wonder if kids still get left unsupervised like we all used to......


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## glamourpuss (26 June 2013)

Last year I had a lesson after a thorough clean of my bridle. Horse was not accepting the contact AT ALL. Instructor looked at bridle & said
'Do you realise you've put your bit on back to front (KK ultra snaffle)'
I wanted the ground to swallow me. 15 years I've been putting that bridle back together & to this day I still don't know how or why I managed to to get it wrong....especially when it has a convenient arrow telling you which way is front!


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## Love (26 June 2013)

I have to say my faveourite is still the horse who got rugged to the fence!! Still laugh when I think of that now!


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## TrasaM (26 June 2013)

I'm with those who feel uncomfortable about how this thread reads at times. The worst case of stupidity I've witnessed has been by someone who has owned horses forever. We are talking 40 years plus. She left a young filly tied to a tree and left it alone when she went for a hack. Filly was short tied but as the tree was in a hedgerow there were lots of branches for her to get tangled up in. She was left for 2 and a half hours like this. Alone and not monitored because they wanted to go for a ride. Had the filly got tangled and fallen she would have seriously injured herself or choked. As it was shed scratched her legs quite badly. 
So it would seem stupidity is not confined to novice owners.


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## samleigh (26 June 2013)

We always call each other "Bad Owners" when we do a blunder with our horses at the yard LOL, I'm terrible for leaving my Brushing boots on, black on black legs...I know,  no excuse I'm a bad owner


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## Brownmare (26 June 2013)

TrasaM said:



			So it would seem stupidity is not confined to novice owners. 

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So so true! The one that springs to mind is the lady who has had horses for nearly 50 years, even has her Pony Club B test and was still surprised after requesting allergy testing for her itchy horse to be told by the vet that the cause might be due to not washing his fly rug for 3 years!!! (and keeping it on 24/7, rain or shine, as he is grey and it keeps him clean)


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## Nudibranch (26 June 2013)

Some unbelieveable people around!

I have a very tall gelding and have been asked by various members of the local, very experienced, hunt set family why he isn't shod, why he isn't bitted, why I was always leading him rather than riding, whether he was broken in.

He was 13 months at the time.....

Oh and the lady who asked why I needed a "great big horse like that". 

I am 5'11....


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## Sealine (26 June 2013)

I'm on a large DIY livery yard and over the years have seen many liveries come and go.  If I see someone struggling or doing something wrong that is dangerous I quietly and politely offer help.  Most people welcome help, the odd person is a know-it-all and I just leave them to it.

I had to laugh at myself last weekend.  I got home from a show jumping clinic, unloaded my horse and realised I'd put one front travel boot on his hind leg and one hind on his front   I'd been chatting to the owner of the venue whilst putting his boots on and I hadn't even noticed.  Hopefully she didn't notice or perhaps she thought I was a right numpty but was too polite to comment.


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## Caol Ila (26 June 2013)

A boarder at my old barn in Colorado had two young quarter horses.  She was free lunging one in the round pen and tied the other to an unsecured lightweight plastic bench just outside the round pen (that was intended to be used by people watching clinicians or whatever).  The horse spooked at something and of course, found himself being chased by the bench.  Horse bolted, went through a couple fences, and amazingly only had a few minor cuts and scrapes after the incident.  

The other thing I remember -- at the same barn, but quite a few years later -- involved a trainer, of all people.  I'd known trainer for years and when she was a full-time nurse and part-time trainer, she was sound. She was the person who advised me to look at the horse I have now had for 14 years when the horse was up for sale.  Anyway, she quit her nursing job to become a full-time trainer and got weird.  The following anecdote illustrates the last thing she ever did at that barn because they kicked her out afterwards for being a moron and dangerous.  She was going to ride one of her student's horses, who was notoriously difficult to catch.  Horsey, as expected, ran away from her.  Now, the way this barn was set up, there were a number of paddocks with as few as four, but as many as a dozen horses living in them (depending on the size).  This trainer went and got another student's horse from a *different* paddock, tacked it up, rode it into the paddock where the horse she couldn't catch lived, and proceeded to chase this horse.  As you can imagine, all 12 horses in that paddock went nuts and it was chaos.  Luckily no one got hurt.  But trainer was booted out of the barn thereafter.

Her reasoning?  She had been to a natural horsemanship clinic and had seen the trainer *in the controlled setting of a round pen riding his own, very well-schooled horse* free schooling one or two horses and getting them to join-up with his horse.  So obviously this would work in a big paddock with about 12 horses.  Right?


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## PolarSkye (26 June 2013)

Enfys said:



			Quite so Mike. Good to see that not everyone is using this thread as an excuse for a bit of a bitch fest. 

Think on you folk that laugh at others, were you born perfect? Never made a mistake?
		
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I agree with this . . . I've pulled some shockers of my own as a novice owner and have been lucky enough to have had a) a very forgiving horse; and b) the help and support of knowledgeable friends, fellow liveries and livery owners.

I remember having to ask my daughter (then 12) how to tie up a haynet when we took on the mares . . . I nearly cried when I ordered Kali a new bridle shortly after we had bought him and it arrived in pieces . . . and, in fact, when I was about 12 my (non-horsey) parents took me pony trekking in Wales and I "helped" by untacking my pony - which consisted of taking the bridle completely to pieces - I was NOT popular with the yard staff.  

Just yesterday, I helped a fellow livery . . . her daughter keeps her very lovely cob gelding at our yard and Mum has been having lessons at a local riding school . . . yesterday was her first lesson on daughter's cob at our yard and she asked me if I would watch her tack up to make sure she was doing it right . . . she actually put his bridle on upside down so I politely pointed it out and we had a little giggle . . . point is, she simply didn't know.  Honestly, I wouldn't have known when I first started out.

Yes, novice horse owners make mistakes . . . some of which are downright dangerous . . . but they deserve our help and encouragement rather than our ridicule.

P

P.S.  Comments above are not directed at the OP who refers to the outlandish things apparent "experts" sometimes do or say.


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## NellRosk (26 June 2013)

PolarSkye said:



			Yes, novice horse owners make mistakes . . . some of which are downright dangerous . . . but they deserve our help and encouragement rather than our ridicule.
		
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I think most of the posts here are just pure despair at some people who clearly have no idea what they're on about. Don't think they are intended to ridicule, just highlight that maybe some people should do a bit more research/ learning before getting a horse. Novices should definitely be educated and taught when they do something wrong but I do not agree that a horse's welfare should be put in danger for that to happen.


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## Spotsrock (26 June 2013)

its like getting a high powered motorbike without any lessons except instead of being just potentially dangerous to self and others, the 'motorbike' suffers too.

I think the point is not taking pee out of those who take on a horse and ask for help or make understandable silly mistakes, its to express communal horror at those who should know better and those who have such a blasé attitude that they see these beautiful intelligent animals and think, 'I know I'll stick one in the garden shed, it can eat bread rolls' without any intention or plans to learn about them properly.


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## MagicMelon (26 June 2013)

Jamie-lee said:



			I may be wrong but I am guessing the sandy/pebbly beachy stable was some sort of " barefoot conditioning" !!!
		
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Yeah probably was.  I know they like pea gravel as I think it supports the hooves well but also wears them correctly or something.  Its meant to be really comfy for the horse to lie on etc. so maybe it would make good bedding!


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## ShadowHunter (26 June 2013)

This threads making me wonder what on earth im going to do once i get my first horse 

I agree though, slightly uncomfortable reading some of these stories as some could have been potentially very dangerous.


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## Merrymoles (26 June 2013)

I think it is easy to forget what a hugely intimidating place the horse world can be and how much we all use unintelligible jargon a lot (and there was a hilarious thread recently about some of the common things we say that don't translate well outside of the horse world). Some of the examples cited here could be down to novices just not wanting to admit they have got something wrong because they feel stupid for not knowing. There is a tendency for many (although obviously not all) horse people to be patronising and "talk down" to more novice owners and I think that is part of the problem, making people reluctant to admit they don't know or to ask for advice. I can think of one person who is a good rider and looks after her horse very well who always starts a sentence with "Can you tell me how to... because I haven't been riding all my life like the rest of you" - she shouldn't feel the need to!
That said, going back to the original post, experienced horse owners who haven't got a clue drive me nuts! One YO who hadn't ridden for ten years and never hacked out with liveries used to hand out extensive advice on what to do if someone's horse had tanked, spooked at a tractor, tripped over a daisy, without having a clue what was really going on...


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## Shantara (26 June 2013)

I remember when I first started going to my current yard, I was asked to get in a really large horse (I was 9, she was close to 17hh). She was docile as anything, but liked to use her height as an advantage, so I couldn't get her headcollar on.
YO found me holding the headcollar as high as I could saying "Please Bon! Just put your face in here!!" 

I also didn't know until a year or two ago that you had to soak sugarbeet (sp?)!! However, I never would have fed anything to a horse without knowing what it was and what you had to do with it first!!

I think it's ok to laugh at these stories, so long as you can laugh at yourself too!

I Will try and think to more of mine


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## Caol Ila (26 June 2013)

The people in my two anecdotes weren't novices at all.  They were experience horsepeople, who should know better, just doing really dumb sh786t.


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## MagicMelon (26 June 2013)

I went to see a horse a few years ago. It was a pure Andalusian so I thought it was worth a look as I like Iberians.  I had seen a very sketchy video beforehand in which the horse was being pelted with a lunge whip the entire time... so I thought I'd go see it as a project and to maybe save the poor thing! Although it was priced at £3,500. 

We pulled up to a tiny house with the horse wondering about in their garden!  The garden wasn't overly big, I'd say size-wise it would have been vaguely acceptable for an obese 12.2hh... NOT a skinny 15.2hh Iberian.  They'd "made" a stable for it out of strips of wood and said it lived in it all winter    When asked if it had a proper field, the girl pointed to a small paddock with 6ft high fencing which was in pieces, she said the horse jumped out of it too many times so the farmer they'd rented it from told them no more!  Anyway, things got no better.  The horse was covered in old scars all over it, as if it had been stuck in a barbed wire fence.  The tail had been cut just below the tail bone - when asked why, it was "because it annoyed me getting dirty".  She proceeded to throw on horrifically fitting tack, jumped on (in the garden of course) and attempted to "ride" the horse.  Oh wow, it was like watching a complete novice who had NEVER sat on a horse ride!  The poor horse had absolutely no clue what it was meant to do.  She'd boot it in the ribs but be yanking it in the mouth at the same time and had no idea how to turn!  On asking if it hacked, the girl said it did but it had bolted several times with her so she tended to not hack very often anymore!  Quite a few replies to things were "thats how they do it in Spain" (they'd had the horse there for a few years).  Honestly, you wouldn't have believed the comments and actions she came out with - I thought at one point I was being filmed!!  But no, she seemed perfectly genuine!  Afterwards, I offered her £500 out of pity for the horse, which IMO was a very decent offer for this poor horse who would have needed total restarting.  Never heard back... wonder how the poor horse is now   I'd say it was an amusing experience, but actually it was just sad, the horse had such a miserable look in its eyes.


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## Numpty90 (26 June 2013)

chaps89 said:



			This wasn't in Leicestershire was it?!?!?! Sounds quite scarily similar to some-one I used to know.
		
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Was about to ask the same!!


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## LegOn (26 June 2013)

Okay I will admit to knowing nothing about keeping a horse when I bought my horse - I made a few mistakes along the way but I was sensible enough to know I needed help, a good full-time livery yard with a YO I could trust & lots & lots & lots of reading. Still do the same to this day.  Everyone has to start somewhere - my horse has never suffered at the hands of my ignorance & I know its important to seek help & advice when you need it. Or if there is something you dont know, learn it! 

The odd things I have come across is people thinking that horses & ponies should automatically behave!! Like it should be built into them - no matter how you treat them or how many things you dont teach them! I've been know you say 'well you kids didnt just know how to behave, do they?? You had to teach them!' 

Also someone thinking that ponies arent the same animals are horses - they dont respond to things like Physio treatments cause they arent built the same - WTF??!! 

And the worst is people who jump a horse over 1.20 fences the day it has came sound after months & months of being off because thats what horses are meant to do & if it cant do that - what use is it. Sad.


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## PingPongPony (26 June 2013)

I agree with the people that say that you have to start somewhere. And I think the majority will happily explain something or help out a novice if the novice is willing to accept the help, or actually listen to the advice. 
What I find irritating is the type who think that because they've been riding at a riding school for 6 months, and now have a horse, that they obviously know everything. And no matter what you say or do, you will just get screamed at by them for trying to help. That's the annoying type of ''horsey'' people.


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## Pippity (26 June 2013)

PingPongPony said:



			I agree with the people that say that you have to start somewhere. And I think the majority will happily explain something or help out a novice if the novice is willing to accept the help, or actually listen to the advice.
		
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Of course, the problem just gets perpetuated when the novice is getting advice from the wrong person... 

I'm a novice, and had a woman tell me that I should be riding a particular mare in a running martingale - when the problem is that the mare tucks her head into her chest and opens her mouth/crosses her jaw. (This is probably the point where the combined knowledge of HHO tells me the woman in question is absolutely right and I'm a muppet! )


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## Shantara (26 June 2013)

Oh! I forgot about the woman at my old job who was bored of her yacht, so bought an expensive WB! Thankfully she had a lot of money to throw around, so hopefully she paid someone to look after it. She was a nice woman, I doubt she would be the type to let an animal suffer. Hopefully it worked out well for her, I never found out!


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## DabDab (26 June 2013)

Nah said:



			I also didn't know until a year or two ago that you had to soak sugarbeet (sp?)!! However, I never would have fed anything to a horse without knowing what it was and what you had to do with it first!!
		
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I don't think it's uncommon to not know about soaking sugarbeet, tbh I don't really see it used that often anymore . The woman I knew who made the comment about the sugarbeet didn't use it herself but was arguing the toss with someone who did  (she had 'owned horses for years')


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## PingPongPony (26 June 2013)

Pippity said:



			Of course, the problem just gets perpetuated when the novice is getting advice from the wrong person... 

I'm a novice, and had a woman tell me that I should be riding a particular mare in a running martingale - when the problem is that the mare tucks her head into her chest and opens her mouth/crosses her jaw. (This is probably the point where the combined knowledge of HHO tells me the woman in question is absolutely right and I'm a muppet! )
		
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That's true too, but I meant more of obvious 'you are wrong' situations. Like the one I described, where the girl put a 4ft9 rug on her horse who was 15.2 and took 6ft-6ft3 rugs, and then she proceeded to scream at me when I told her that I took it off as the horse was being rubbed raw by the rug, and she was telling me how i'm going to pay vet bills for skin cancer caused by sunburn because her dark bay horse didn't have a miniature fly rug on. That's the sort of situations I was talking about


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## wench (26 June 2013)

Most of the "horsey" people described in here are not horsey, they are just idiots who have bought a horse, and taken them to a DIY yard...


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## catwithclaws (26 June 2013)

I used to work in a tack shop, and one day a lady came in with a piece of paper, saying 'I want this rug' (it was a Weatherbeeta Jasper rug in 5'6). So went and got it for her, she paid and went away happy.

A few days later she came marching back into the shop in a complete fury, dumped the rug (soaked through and plastered in mud) on the counter, shouting 'This rug isn't waterproof! It's completely useless as a turnout rug!' and was getting really angry.

Tried explaining to her that the reason it wasn't waterproof was because she'd bought a stable rug, but no she was adamant that she'd bought a turnout. We apologised but couldn't refund her as we'd sold her the specific rug she'd asked for. She was determined that the 'Weatherbeeta Jasper' was a turnout rug, and was equally determined that we were wrong when we told her that Weatherbeeta don't make a turnout rug called Jasper.

It got so bad that we had to ring our Weatherbeeta rep while she was there, and pass them the phone, so that Weatherbeeta themselves could tell her for certain that THEY DID NOT MAKE A WEATHERBEETA JASPER TURNOUT RUG!! 

It brightened up an otherwise dull day I have to say


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## Hoof_Prints (26 June 2013)

The thread has mentioned a few novice person tales, but I don't think they are bitchy- everyone who has posted seems to have been helpful to the person or just making light of a situation they found themselves in ! Mistakes are the most 'effective' way to learn, and we all make plenty of them. Just scary when people do ridiculous things, completely aware of what they are doing, and have full confidence that it is correct (and then usually preach it to someone who IS novice and THAT is dangerous!)

This thread jinxed me  I posted earlier about how i'd NEVER crossed my reins to ride... Well I had 4 horses to ride today and wasn't looking what I was doing, so jumped on my new pony and thought "Oh no, his schooling has gone really downhill  he'd been doing so well" Only to realised I'd crossed my reins


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## Casey76 (26 June 2013)

This one is pretty harmless...

A few years ago I got to the yard to find my sharer had done this to my horse:







Apparently she was concerned he couldn't see from behind his long forelock. It took ages to grow to a length I could pull it properly into a more natural shape, and then it took months to grow to anywhere near as long as it had been :/


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## Tobiano (26 June 2013)

Aw Casey76 your horse does not look impressed does he!

Reading this thread I realise how lucky I am that I was taught about horse care pretty thoroughly in the 1970s when I spent every weekend helping out at the riding school. And also that the people on my yard are really friendly and helpful to ask.  However, I am all thumbs where tack is concerned.  Pelham on upside down first time (changed before I got on!), martingale with no stop so I had to keep hanging under my horse's neck to sort out the dangly bit between his legs, also every time i put on my loose ring snaffle with biscuits the far one disappears in to horsy's mouth. And luckily he is not ear-shy as there is a LOT of fumbling going on with the crown piece.  The only way I can get a bridle back together properly is to hang it from the crown piece on my own head.  (anyone else own up to that?!)


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## Crugeran Celt (26 June 2013)

When I was a very young child my mum had a friend who always told me that her dad had bred and trained 'race horses' as I got older I always wondered why she never referred to them as thoroughbreds. When I bred from my welsh D mare to a thoroughbred stallion and I was telling her about it she asked "a thoroughbred what?" She thought thoroughbred meant purebred. It turned out the only horse her dad ever had was a heavy horse that pulled his cart and he had kept it in the back garden. Bless her, she is dead now and always insisted her dad had bred 'race horses'.


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## rachi20x (26 June 2013)

These have made me laugh. But it is very true that you have to start somewhere.

I've always gone by the rule that unless I know something for sure, I just ask. My fellow livery is always more than happy to answer any questions I have-- it always saves me from potential dangerous/embarrassing moments. 

Luckily I did have lessons at RS's for year, shared and rode various horses at various yards so when I bought my own I knew a fair amount, or at least the right sort of information so I knew how to keep my pony safe, well fed, exercised and watered. 

But as I had never owned before, when his wormer was due I had no problems in explaining that I've never had to administer a wormer before and so asked if I could be shown.


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## tonitot (26 June 2013)

I've done loads of stupid things! I rode my horse for about a week in a new happy mouth loose ring snaffle and wondered why she was being really fussy until someone pointed out I had put it on backwards  I'd never noticed the slight curve so thought it didn't matter what way it went! 

I was once tacking up a horse at my old job, I had everything on apart from his bridle and when I untied him to put it on and pull out I realised I hadn't done his feet. Thinking he'd be fine just stood with the door wide open I started to pick out his feet, got to the last one and he wouldn't pick it up. I gave him a shove and little smack on the bum which normally worked and expected him to pick it up as normal but this day he shot out of his stable and went for a canter around the yard  I went after him with his bridle and pretended he'd pushed me out of his way when I was trying to get it it on!


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## Bobella (26 June 2013)

One I won't forget...
The look on a very sweet horse's face as her owner left the stable with an empty worming syringe in her hand. The owner knew it was to be administered internally, just hadn't realised it went in the front end!


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## Hoof_Prints (26 June 2013)

Bobella said:



			One I won't forget...
The look on a very sweet horse's face as her owner left the stable with an empty worming syringe in her hand. The owner knew it was to be administered internally, just hadn't realised it went in the front end!
		
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oh dear !


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## Crugeran Celt (27 June 2013)

Bobella said:



			One I won't forget...
The look on a very sweet horse's face as her owner left the stable with an empty worming syringe in her hand. The owner knew it was to be administered internally, just hadn't realised it went in the front end!
		
Click to expand...

 She didn't read the instruction leaflet then!!


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## sportsmansB (27 June 2013)

Some of these are really funny and some quite sad, but everyne had to learn somewhere. 
What has concerned me recently are some fairly novicey friends with their first horses, kept at livery at the yard they used to have lessons at. 
The owners/managers of the yard have perpetuated a whole new kind of horse care which specifically suits their own ends...
- Horses shouldn't be fed too much haylage (its included in livery price) a small net morning and night is enough for any size/type/condition of horse (and they ahd been seen going around making nets smaller when owners had filled them) 
- Horses shouldn't be overworked (more than a half hour or so, no sweat except saddle patch)- this is more to do with too many liveries and not enough space/time for them to ride around scheduled lesson times, and a surface seriously in need of replacing... 
- hard feed wasn't included in price so therefore could be fed as much as the novice owners wanted (and because of haylage myth some needed a bit to keep weight on)

Result of all of above- novice owners with super fresh over fed and underworked horses, blaming the horses for behaving badly (they should all actually act like saints all the time apparently, with no input or consistent handling or training at all)... 

This kind of thing makes me really annoyed as it is the horses and the probably keen but green owners who suffer


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## fatpiggy (27 June 2013)

Reading this thread is very interesting, sometimes funny, but often sad (for the horses involved).  I would be the first to say no-one is born knowing everything and that we all have to learn and keep learning, but saying well, X is a novice so why should he/she know that horse's need a decent bed or whatever.  Now that I no longer have a horse I am planning to keep a few chickens at home.  I grew up in the countryside and used to help the neighbour feed his chucks and collect the eggs, but while I'm waiting to get my hens I'm buying up books from Amazon and Ebay to teach me the details of how to actually keep them.  At least I should have a working knowledge by the time the hens move in.  I learned a huge amount from books about horses when I was a teenager.  There was only a couple of magazines available in those days and it was pre-computer never mind the internet.  There really is no excuse to not know the first thing.


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## Dry Rot (27 June 2013)

I've just turned away an enquirer for my 3.5yo pony who hacked out for the first time the other day. The enquirer wanted to know if the pony would be suitable for an 8yo child. Of course, they are offering an experienced loving home for life. I wonder how long that would be? Child's life or the pony's?

I am still wondering whether it was serious or a windup!


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