An appreciation post...what are 3 things you appreciate about your horse

[Alterration]

Horse #1 -

• His kindness. There are many times that he would have been well justified in dumping my sorry butt, and yet he doesn’t.
• His intelligence. He’s wicked smart. He learns and tries super hard to please.
• His sense of play. He’s the horse that loves to play with cones or whatever game I put in front of him. He’s hilarious.

Horse #2 -

• His steadiness. Even when he spooks (fairly rare), he comes back pretty easily.
• His tolerance. He is the horse I trot out when I need to try something “weird”.
• His ability to call a bluff. If I get a person at the barn that feels a bit more experienced than they are, he’s a great one to pull out. He won’t do anything dangerous, he just won’t do what they want.

Horse #3 -

• His sensitivity. He’s a tremendously sensitive horse, with a ton of buttons.
• His chill-ness. 99% of the time, he’s chill. I used to take him out after not riding him for weeks and get on safely after a quick longe.
• His willingness to be good for beginners (with me there)

Horse #4 -

• His sense of humor. He is an imp. He’ll make goofy faces in his stall until you pet his tongue.
• His willingness to melt when groomed. He’ll stand there like a barbie doll all day.
• His intelligence. This one is smart, and tricky. But I appreciate it. He came to me unrideable (and unleadable) and we’re getting there. He’d gotten a lot of people’s numbers, and just needed really strict, really firm, really clear rules.

What are 3 things you appreciate about your horse(s)?

[Renn_aissance]

I have to pick just three?!

1. His heart. Tip is 27, and we have been friends for 17 years. I’ve asked him to do a whole lot in that time. Sometimes I asked him badly. Sometimes I asked him in a way I shouldn’t have. Sometimes what I asked him was dumb. Unless I was asking him to do the impossible or the really stupid, he has always been willing to figure it out. (If it was impossible or stupid, he told me I was an idiot and declined to do that thing.)
2. His curiosity. Part of the above is that this is a horse with a limited tolerance for boredom but an absolutely endless capacity to mess around and find out. Particularly if what he wants to find out includes “how do I get from here to that thing I see in the woods” or “that is a food I wish to obtain.”
3. His ego. This horse is king of the world. Just ask him. You combine that with the curiosity and the heart, and you have a horse who knows in his heart he is capable of anything he sets his mind to. I have had to be careful with this as he’s gotten older- he’s never been wrong about this in his life, and I don’t want that to change.

[Lunabear1988]

Mine is very friendly and sweet. I also appreciate how steady he can be (although certainly not always.) There are days where you can put him on a 20 m circle and just work on yourself. And then there are days where he’s throwing a little 5 year old tantrum for not being allowed to canter the trot poles ha! But usually he’s a pretty good guy. He’s very smart and easy to teach things.

[RhythmNCruise]

1. His honesty. He’s not “bombproof” or anything close, but he clearly communicates when things aren’t okay. He will do his best in any given situation, which is why it’s easy for me to know when he’s hurting or truly afraid.

2. His friendliness. He loves people. All people. It doesn’t matter who you are and what you’re doing, if you’re in his pasture he’s going to come to say ‘hello’ and want to know if he can be of any help. He watches my vehicle from the moment he spies it until I get to the barn and he’s up at the gate waiting. He also watches me leave…all the way down the driveway. His ears are up almost all of the time. He’s so “smiley.”

3. His trust in me. I’ve had him since he was a yearling (he’s 14 now), and I’ve done all of his training. Raised, broke, and trained him all by myself. He’s not always the bravest soul, though he can be a very solid citizen the majority of the time, which makes me so proud of him. When he gets worried, he looks to me and finds comfort in me. When I ask him to do things he’s unsure of, he definitely lets me know he’s unsure, but if I insist, he’ll try his best. As long as what I ask of him doesn’t lead him to any pain, once he’s crossed that threshold, it’s like he’s got it installed for good. And the more times I’m able to present him with challenges, and we come out the other side unscathed, the more confident he becomes. It’s a lifelong journey for him, I think, as he’s lived rather sheltered with me for nearly all of his life. The more we push ourselves to go out and be brave, the prouder I become of him. Such a good boy.

[IndysMom]

1. He always tries to do what I ask. Even when I ask badly and probably in an incomprehensible way.
2. He has saved my butt more than once when I’ve forgotten what obstacle is next and stuffed him over one because I remembered at the last minute.
3. He’s always fun, even when he’s a little too fresh. Ten minutes on the lunge line fixes it.

[Xanthoria]

1. She Tries
2. She Tries Harder
3. She Tries Harder, With A Vengeance
4. Go sit down and try to learn how to be a mare, Bruce Willis

[beowulf]

I appreciate I can get on him after a week, a day, or two months off and it is no big deal.
I appreciate he always stands by the gate when he hears I’m at the barn.
I appreciate that through his physical complaints and stoicism he’s shown me to be a better horsewoman.

[exvet]

Horse #1 (my homebred gelding) I appreciate his sensible mind. He’s not one to panic and he looks to me first when things get questionable. I also appreciate his fantastic work ethic. Last but not least I appreciate his sense of humor. He’s a class clown and definitely seeks attention in many unique, industrious ways. Never a dull moment with this one; but, always safe.

Horse #2 (my 5 year old gelding) I appreciate his fantastic and comfortable gaits. I appreciate his bold sense of self. I also appreciate his great work ethic which has been commented on by the judges.

Horse #3 (my Navajo mustang) I appreciate his dedication to my SO and how good he is with taking care of him in so many ways. I appreciate his street smarts and unflappable nature. Despite coming to me as a stallion with foals on the ground, he is the sweetest, non-challenging guy in the herd. No drama with this one.

[outerbanks77]

Red mare #1: She is so shiny and pretty. She always gets compliments on her coat and I really don’t do anything to make it that way.
She is sweet and very patient, never gets overly frustrated with my bumbling through the first time teaching mid-level dressage stuff.
Tidiness. She always pees in her pen and only poops in her stall when the weather is bad.

Red mare #2: Very sensible. Even when she is acting up I never feel like she’ll do something crazy or really escalate.
Curious and smart. The BO and I swear she understands English. Sometimes it’s downright spooky.
Athletic and charismatic. She’s admired everywhere she goes.

Bay boy: A gentle soul. When a battered hen from the neighboring property took refuge at the barn, she lived in his stall. He is 17H and loves ponies, dogs, cats, and anything small (except mini donks!).
A super handsome boy. He was just stunning in his youth.
Taught me things I never thought I wanted to know. I’ve been trimming hooves for 14 years now because of him.

[BigMama1]

1. He is utterly reliable. As close to bombproof as a Hanoverian can be.

2. He is sweet. He loves to snuggle and lick people like a puppy dog, and just makes my day better when I see him.

3. He’s a great teacher. Safe and steady but not particularly tolerant of poor riding. He gives me immediate feedback when I’m not giving enough with my hands or allowing the contact to get too floppy.

[Texarkana]

Horse 1:

1. She is generally very kind hearted and sweet. (Unless you piss her off, but her baseline temperament is lovebug)
2. She is a much easier keeper and lower maintenance than many.
3. The bond she has with my kid is incredible. She loves him so much. She took interest as soon as I was pregnant and has been obsessed with him. It is the coolest.

Horse 2:

1. She is just so good. She does nothing wrong. Ever.
2. She is basically unflappable.
3. She has such a great brain.

Horse 3:

1. She had been pretty easy despite not really getting the attention she needs or deserves.
2. She has a good brain.
3. She provides excellent comic relief!

Donkey (the real MVP of the farm)

1. She is personality plus!
2. She takes her job as emotional support donkey to horses and humans very seriously!
3. She takes care of herself and isn’t going to get herself into trouble like a horse.

[sascha]

1. Her ability to communicate and her perseverance in finding a language I could understand that didn’t involve just speaking more loudly to me.

2. Her sense of fairness - she knows exactly when she has stepped over the line and takes correction for said indiscretions in stride

3. Her understanding that candy is payment for tasks and that I am somewhat trainable when she extrapolates a task to demand “paymint.”

[chestnutmarebeware]

Rosie—breeding stock APHA. 1. Despite her typical chestnut mare personality, when it came to breaking her and riding ever afterward, she was the easiest horse ever. 2. She gives me attitude every single day, but every boarder comes up and gushes about how sweet she is. She’s got them fooled! 3. She’s always happy to see me, even if she gives me a hard time once I take her out of the stall.

Bo—successful OTTB mare (placed third in Maryland Million plus winning multiple races). 1. Despite being given to me right off the track with an “ankle issue”, from our first ride she was like a seasoned children’s hunter (aka born broke for non-racing disciplines). 2. She got the cutest pony face that makes everyone gush about how beautiful she is. 3. She’s always been sound, an easy keeper and proof that all Storm Cats aren’t nutcases.

[lenapesadie]

What I appreciate most about my horses

Horse 1, my homebred riding horse. I appreciate his willingness. He wants to be good and tries so hard. I appreciate his friendliness. He’s always interested in hanging out with people and begging for scratches. I appreciate his sensitivity. It makes him easy to train but also forces me to be hyper aware of what I’m doing (or he’ll be responding to cues I wasn’t aware I was sending out lol).

Horse 2, my golden oldie. I appreciate his been there done that twice personality. He’s level headed and will do whatever I ask. I appreciate his sweetness. He loves to be loved on. I appreciate his willingness to take the kiddos in the family on pony rides safely.

[RedHorses]

I appreciate that my super horse (my older horse who is old enough that I can no longer pretend he isn’t a senior) knows who he is. He’s always had a very definite character and knows how things ought to be, right from birth. He was giving me the imperious nose flip when he was just weeks old. He isn’t shy about giving his opinion.

While you might think from that description he’s running the show, he is actually very cooperative about pretty much everything. This is the horse I can walk into the field and give him 1-3 syringes of medication, without a halter or any kind of restraint, every single day.

I appreciate how absolutely perfect he is for me. From size and athleticism, to character and trainability, to colour and markings. The only thing I want that he can’t give me is that he would live for ever.

[quietann]

1. She is beautiful. As in random people stop me when I’m out with her and want to take her photo.

2. She is protective.

3. She has been, and still is, very good for my development as a horseperson. While she’s pretty easygoing now, she did not start that way, and figuring out what makes her tick is an ongoing process.

[prunebey]

The retired old lady Arab:

1. The fact that I never, ever felt nervous on her even when she was extra spicy. There’s a different level of trust with her that I’ve never had with any other horse.
2. That she’s still the same girl she always has been despite being early 30s with a variety of health issues.
3. Her beauty - she has the most beautiful, though not extreme, Arab head. Her bright eyed, ears pricked expression takes my breath away.

The QH mare:

1. That she’s a very quick learner and never holds a grudge.
2. That she has never been anything less than a total sweetheart towards every human she’s ever met.
3. That she went XC schooling for the first time this summer and was an absolute BEAST. Her boldness floored me!

[Grey_Dove032016]

This is fun!

The top three reasons I appreciate my horse are probably:

1. He doesn’t take (much) advantage of his size when he definitely could (he’s 18+hh of sweet, gentle, chestnut-ness). Pretty much the only time he will take advantage is when I try to mess with his ears and he just casually/slowly lifts his head out of my reach. He’s always so gentle with people (including small children).
2. Every ride on him is different. Some might see that as a negative, but he keeps me on my toes all the time. It’s never boring or dull when I ride him.
3. He’s so honest. He will jump anything no matter how you present it to him. I never need to worry about my safety with him. He’s crazy athletic, obviously huge, young, needs a strong, capable rider, but I’m never nervous when I’m on him. He’ll make it to the other side one way or another

[cayuse]

Let’s see, what do I appreciate.
Mini # 1 His hellacious attitude, his bravery, his intuitiveness
Mini # 2 His kindness, his independence, and his ablility to try very hard to get things “right” and to think things through
Welsh pony , where do I begin? He is what he is and I appreciate all of it. He’s an old soul and too wise for words. And way smarter than I am.

[Manni01]

Horse #1 (13 year old mare) I love her for her experience and her dominance. she can do all the dressage movements but the ones but she makes me work for it. I can go to any clinic I like I can trail ride and I can even jump her. to shows I can go all by myself, she loads herself and she never gets excited on shows. Basically I can do what I like

Horse #2 ( 8 year old mare, sister of the one above)I love how she feels when I am riding her. She is extremely loose and has tons of supension. And I can also go to any clinic or trailride I like. Just like her sister. She needs to learn the flying change and then she will be perfect. She is never scared of anything.

horse #3 (3 year old mare) she is my friendliest horse. I love it that I was able to back her in my old age. nothing bothers her and she is a joy to ride. And she is extremly cute.

None of these mares spooks and they are never scared of anything. I suspect they would attack if they would sense something dangerous. I am aware of this but I still prefer it to all those horses around me who spook all the time……. And I would not want to exchange any of them