Hippotherapy - What do you wish horse people knew about horses?

What do you wish horse people knew about horses?

I hate it when horse people don't even know what color their horse is in horse terms.. Brown is a horse with a black body and brown muzzle... etc. There is a difference between colt and filly.. If your talking about either one is a foal. Colt equals male.. they are not all colts. The truck and trailer doesn't judge the quality of the horse coming out of it. Respect for the people who train their own horse. Just because I ride western doesn't mean I'm a redneck or trash. What are things you wish the horse people out there know about horses!

Public Comments

That just b/c that is the way it is done at your big boarding barn or by your trainer does not mean it is the only path to accomplishing the exact same thing. That it is OK to play with your horse and try to develop a friendship with it, so long as the play and friendship are based on respect. That a steel gooseneck and F-350 are NOT the only way to safely tow your horse/pony That bigger isn't necessarily better and that adults can and do ride ponies! ;) That you are only "too big" for your horse if you are 400 pounds, your horse is 1000 and you ride like a sack of potatoes. :P Take your weight, multiply it by 4 or 5 (sometimes 3, depending on breed) and voila, you know what your horse needs to weigh. EDIT: Apparently my mathematical formula is unpopular. :P 20-25% of horse's weight, multiply your weight by 4 or 5 (or both) and aim for a figure in between. That does work? EDIT: on the redneck trash thing, Bruce Campbell rode Western in Brisco County Jr. and that was just plain hot.
Well some people aren't going to like this answer, but from the horse people in my area, I wish they knew: How to take care of their own horse The anatomy and physiology of a horse, not just how to ride it, but how the horse "works". It's amazing how many horse people actually know nothing about horses. I wish they knew how to drive their whole truck and trailer, not just the truck from the cab forward! Lastly, I wish they had common sense!
I've found through the years that many horse people don't want to take the time to find out about other breeds, and other riding disciplines. I've been fortunate to have good friends from all areas of riding, ASB, five and three gait and fine harness, TWH, Morgans, Arabs, Hackney, 3 day eventers, working cow horses, rail horses, EP and WP; it's to one's advantage to know something about each discipline as it makes you a well rounded individual.
that horses are not just there to be abused and dominated over! i hate people who abuse animals!
I wish they knew that horses aren't big dogs, and would treat them accordingly. I wish they knew that English showing is as snobby a hobby as dog showing. (Did english years ago, and couldn't deal with the politics,,,went western and stayed there ;o)
You actually need to know something about caring for a horse, how to feed it, why you do certain things and have some basic husbandry knowledge before buying one and not just assume that you can learn those answers on YA.
That in most cases horses learn quicker and have more respect for people who train with rewards rather than punishment! That whips are to be used as an aid, not a weapon. People with very expensive top horses are not neccessarily good riders. That putting a saddle on a horse and riding them is one of the most unnatural things you can do to their back so they should be checked regularly. And STULISA42: I wish people wouldn't SLATE other people's discliplines! I am personally not a fan of western (never tried it so wouldn't know) and even if I had tried it and didn't like it I wouldn't go round saying things like you said about english showing! Show horses have to be some of the best looked after horses and so what if it's competitive and full of people who are proud of their work; they should be! Good question by the way :D
horses are not basketballs. you cant leave them for a month, come back and expect them to "bounce" the same. horses need more love then just hard running and hard working every day be pacient, casue there is no such thing as a perfect horse and dont buy a horse for looks! buy it for personality. i ahte when people look for a horse according to looks! just cause you pay $500 a month to board your horse at a fancy stable doesnt mean your horse is any better then the one in the pasture at the $100 barn
You can't just go buy a horse and expect it to be perfect everytime you ride it. Just because you buy a good horse that is used to shows...you still have to work the horse everyday. Getting angry and upset at your horse is not going to make them respond better.
one thing that bugs the sh** out of me is the snobs at my barns. I'm the only western rider there and I do barrels....... they think that my horse is NOT trained because I dont have to tell her what to do when we're running barrels.......um thats called deadbroke honey!..... they also think i have NO clue what I'm doing because I don't pay $100 a month to get lessons.....I taught myself EVERYTHING that I know.....I am a intermediate rider and of all the horses that I have trained ( which is a lot).....only one horse has bucked me off.....all the others I rode out......so tell me I dont know how to ride! lol.....I feel like I'm yelling at you cuz I get soooo mad at those snobs.....sorry.
Man everything you have said is dead on. Something else I wish horse people knew was the proper nutrition guidelines for horses. I cannot express eneough how much proper nutrition is to a horse. As the equien manager at a co-op i see idiota on a daily basis who have no idea about horse nutrition. These are the horse owners who have NO business owning horses. Don't get me wrong I know most folks that have horses either know about it or atleast have a clue , but you wouldn't believe how man folks are out there that really have no sense and should not be allowed ot won a horse. It makes me wish there was some sort of test you had to take and get 100% correct answers on before purchaing an equine. The color issue bugs me too just as it does you. That goes for color of horses and color of tack! lol I see soo many ads for saddles that are a "tanish brownish" color with a "whitesh" horn and cantle. Ok leather colors are , natural , light oil , dark oil , pecan , havanna , ...etc etc not tanish brownish. And what exactly is a orange horse? Do you mean chestnut , sorrel or a deep palomino? lol these are things i wanna ask people when they use regular basic colors to describe horses.
That English show jumping isnt just for snobby people that dont do any of their own horse work and chores. Ive always been around big show barns and eventers that dont do their own work and someone else tacks up their horse and does all the work, but now that that is my hobby, i make a big deal about doing my own work...and caring for my own horse. I HATE people like that. Who think the more expensive your horse is, the better it is....i HATE it....i saved my horse, and only paid about 1000 dollars for him and now he is a GREAT eventer. I also have NOTHING against western riders. I learned on Western and most of my friends do western. Both disiplines need lots of talent and skill, just in different ways.
I wish horse people knew how to respect each other's ridng styles. The idots such as stulisa42 make the sport less fun. Way to go loser!
Well, I wish that all people knew that horses have feelings too. If I had a horse, I wouldn't whip the horse all the time like some people do. And I wouldn't take the horse to horse slaughter! And I wish that all people knew that horses were not things; they are one of the best kind of animals on the earth to me.
I agree, I get sooo excited when people say, "I have a black horse" and you get there and its BROWN! Then they say, "I have a colt" and you get there and its a FILLY! I totally agree with you!!! Or they can be the best rider in the world, but don't know how to groom there horse! I am like, "Wow, I learned how to groom, and tack up in my 1st lesson!"
One thing that irritates me is breed bashing. I live in western South Dakota and around here, people absolutely hate Arabians. I don't understand why. A horse is a horse to me. I buy on personality. I have a Arabian and get made fun of constantly. I also have 4 Quarterhorses too. They are all nice horses and I don't see a difference in them besides their looks. I am one of those people who has the ugliest horse and trailer setups...people do look down on me too. Sorry people...I'm not going to go out and spend 10's of thousands of dollars for a trailer that I only use to take my horse to the vet or to go camping in hills...lol. The floor the trailer is safe, there is nothing for my horses to get hurt on in it and the truck runs great. And I don't plan on sleeping in it or living in it. People that do sports with their horses...I can understand the bigger fancier trailers, they practically live in them. But knock me because I don't go out and buy one just because. Horse people who think that the only horses that matter are the ones who are papered. I only have one registered QH and he's not any better than my other QH's that aren't registered. And he's a gelding so it doesn't make him worth anymore if I was to sell him. His training is what would make him valuable. But with today's horse market it doesn't matter anyways. Horse people who think that orphan foals are not worth saving. And can never grow up to be a good horse. I completely disagree with that! It's all on if how you treat him. If you don't let him act like a horse, of course he won't be any good....let him act like a horse and treat him like one, and he'll be great. People who think that you have to have every horse supply out on the market and if you don't have it, then you aren't taking care of your horse. Me...I have 3 brushes and a hoof pick. I have a halter for each one of my horses. I have a saddle blanket for each horse. And one saddle...and yes, it fits both of my riding horses. And I use one bridle for both horses. That is it. What else do I need? I have a cabinet full of vet supplies and a I have bute and antibiotics in my fridge. And hay and grain. Oh yea...each horse has a heated water bucket. That is it. I don't do sports on my horses...so why do I need all the other crap? A lot of people I see around here have everything under the sun made for a horse...even if their horse is just a ranch/pleasure horse like mine. What a waste of money. And I agree with you, I ride both english and western and out here in South Dakota, people think you are a loser if you ride english. They think you don't know how to ride...lol...I would like to see one of their butts ride english and then tell me how easy it is. Personally I think that everyone should learn the basics of riding through english then move on to western if they want to. It would improve a lot of peoples balance. Around here a lot of people ride with their elbows stuck out like they are about to take flight...lol. I like western too. That is what I have been riding for years now. But I credit my balance to learning english first. I plan on training my colt to a english saddle before a western one. Another thing, people cowboy their horses a lot around here. They will leave a horse out to pasture from the day it's born until it's 4 years old, bring it in, force a halter on it and call it halterbroke. Then for riding, they think that 30 days of riding is dead broke...lol. And then trash me because I mess with mine from the day they are born. I'll tell you what...right now, my colt spooks at nothing. Anyways...enough complaining...good question though =) Edit....Trolls are out...don't they have anything better to do? Wish they would stand for one second behind this one horse I have...lol Went and gave almost everyone a thumbs up...the only reason I didn't give some is because they already have a couple...sorry.
A lot of good comments in these answers. I'll add that I wish horse owners wouldn't allow their horse to walk all over them and everyone else, and then think nothing of it. I wish boarders would get a new halter when their foal outgrows the one it has. I wish people who blanket their horses in the winter would take them off occasionally and make sure the horse underneath is OK. I wish owners would make sure their horse has the necessities (like a salt brick) before they buy it something else they don't need.
I wish every horse owner in the world would spend at least five minutes a day watching their horse. Just watching. I watch the other three horses I board my horse with for at least that much. You get to know them much better, and you can recognize illnesses faster too. I wish people would recognize that a horse is a horse, and it needs a strong leader. When you let your horse walk all over you, you're about as useful as a floor mat.
To add my bit - I wish they knew that riding on the pavement and letting their horse crap on it makes everyone look bad - pavements are for pedestrians. That they knew that hats are not just a fashion accessory. And that they knew enough not to gallop past us on the bridle paths As for the rest - well I think everybody else just about said it all.
Just because i have a tb doesnt mean he's crazy... and just because he is slender and doesnt look like your fat arsed pony doesnt mean he's under weight... Just because i dont use aids like whips, spurs, rings, martingale, etc doesnt mean my horse cant out jump yours and out flex yours... Just because i ride dressage and jump doesnt mean i'm stuck up... or mean to my horse... and just because my horse doenst live in a barn and have slaves to clean up after him doesnt mean i dont "love" him as much as you do yours.. (it hot here all year round...we dont get cold winters and snow) and when it rains he has a shelter... just so u know) I keep my horse barefoot because thats they way god intended him to be... i trim and file and he's never lame.. and his feet never crack or have ugly holes in them from nails... and he doesnt through shoes... or risk injury from waywood nails and shoes... these are the things i think every one should know about me and my horse... :) I'm not saying they have to do things my way... but i'm willing to let you do things your way... you should be willing to let me do things my way... RANT OVER
I wish some people on here would figure out that getting a little "manure" in their mouth isn't going to kill them. Another words, get out there and learn. The people on here who answer "call a vet" or "hire a trainer" sometimes are right but there is so much an owner can do on their own. Ask your vet questions, and watch and learn from other riders. Learn to do things for yourself and your horse, because sometimes there just isn't a vet or trainer a phone call away. I ride western too, my neck being white these days.
The breed thing, overgeneralizing. I live half of the year in a cowboy community. If your horse isn't a QH or a paint or Mustang, he/she's no good. I was talking to someone and mentioned that i own an Arab and he just said "Oh, Arabs are terrible! Spook at everything. Never learn." My Arab is smart and earnsso fast it's scary. Also they think English riders are sissies.
I completley agree but what i hate the most is when people don't know when do call a vet about a problem and then there horse dies. Some people just dont know
The difference between a mule and a horse, someone called my haflinger a mule, people need to learn their breeds.
simply i just wish that they knew not to run towards a horse or make loud noises that could spook them. drives me nuts.
I agree with the things you put. I wish people would realize that horses aren't these pefect purdy animals that you can just jump on and ride them, jump them, gallop through a field. I don' t think they realize how much work it is!
Respect in all areas,PERIOD !!!
That veterinarians don't have crystal balls, and they can't necessarily tell you what's wrong with a horse just by a quick conversation over the phone. Not every horse that has an accident or injury out trail riding/horse camping needs every person within a 5 mile radius running over there with a bottle of banamine, bute, drug of choice and sticking needles in it. (Is this just a regional thing in my area??? OMG....saw a horse get a small laceration one night. Pretty spectacular, bled a bit, it needed wrapped and a VET to suture it....I swear, while I was standing there, well meaning strangers shot that horse up with banamine, bute, and at least 3 different antibiotics while I was watching. It's a wonder it didn't die. Of course, it didn't say much for the owners that they allowed all of this to happen.....)
Um lets see where to begin....first of all there is more than one way to do things right....all horses are different....and oh another thing is i think homeschool there wants to take all the miss treated horses in and feed them....try that before you go running your mouth about slaughter houses....I wish people would not make comments like that......ignorance will get you into trouble....along w/ not disciplining you animals...(and no i do not beat my animals to a pulp...but they dont run me over) they have there boundaries and i have mine.....maybe im wrong!!!!!