Does your horse "know" your issues? Do they adjust, on their own, for you?

[dressagetraks]

I have a bad knee post injury and 3 surgeries, and it can get to aching more with a long ride, especially if any correlation to bad weather.

My half-Arabian, half-lunatic Bam-Bam, who fully merited the second half of that name, was a beast to mount. Always. Many people had tried to train him out of this, and finally best thing was to get someone else to hold him on the ground if available. However, I noted quickly that on days when my knee was aching more at the end of the ride, Bam would stand like a rock and let me stiffly dismount and crawl down his side. ONLY on days when my knee was acting up more. On good days, he was his usual dingbat self.

When I had my hands bandaged up for 6 months after severe burn injuries in 2007, my horsing was limited in the extreme, but I was amazed how considerate every one of them was. Even the foal. They knew. So did the cats.

[Cheese183]

Luckily my eye sight loss has been a slow process. My horse has had the time to slowly adapt to my vision issues. She will take any fence no matter how bad a take off spot I get her into. She is a saint cross country (if you don’t hol her back to much). When it comes to gymkhana/barrels. she is an old pro. She is like “I got this. You just sit there and look good.”

[RMJacobs]

All of my horses help me out one way or another. On the rare occasions that I ride, our Paint mare, Sassy, is super careful over rough ground and shifts to keep me balanced. The ponies (Salt and Crackers) don’t do much different when driving, but then I do fine driving. However, walking around the corral and pasture can be very difficult for me, especially if it is muddy or snowy, and both ponies have served as support when I’ve needed it. They’re just the right height, too.

All of them are very good about ground manners, but they are consistently good for whoever is handling them. Salt was a real pain to clean feet when we first adopted him, but I think he had been abused at some time in his life. I have some crushed toes from a little incident during the first month or so that we had him. He is very smart, and when he figured out that he would always be treated fairly, all of a sudden he became very cooperative about getting his feet done, to the point that he picks the next foot up before I even touch it. That sure makes it easier when I’m having a rough day. Crackers is also very easy to clean feet. Sassy is sometimes a problem because she was injured before we adopted her, and has a very hard time picking up her back feet. Most days I can bend low enough to keep her back feet close to the ground when cleaning, and when I can’t, I just enlist my DH to do it instead. If he’s having a bad day (sciatica), then we recruit our daughter!

Rebecca

[islandrider]

My horse saved me early on

When I began sponsoring my horse, then a nimble 15 year old Arabian, he hadn’t been ridden in a few years, was pretty high and spooky. I took him out one day with a friend. We headed up a mountain trail. Long story short, I began to have “unseasonal” cramps, which led to nausea and exploding pain. By that time though, we had gone pretty far up the trail. I finally and stubbornly concluded that we better turn back as clearly something was terribly amiss. The trail was rutted and rocky. I was blurry and dizzy with pain, barely staying upright on my horse. At one clear junction Tiger turned his head and looked back at me. From that point on he seemed to know something was wrong. Every time my body would sway precariously right or left, he would move to balance me out. He continued looking back at me now and then. He moved like a yak, every foot planted firmly and safely. When we finally got back to the barn, me moaning and groaning and puking all the way, I rolled off him, fell to the ground and layed there. Eventually I had to get up and put him away. He held me up the entire way to his pasture. We bonded deeply on this day. I experienced the deepest trust. I ended up being rushed in an ambulance to the hospital, diagnosed with a ruptured ovarian cyst. I love my horse! He continues caring for me in such a huge, loyal, Arab way!

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

When they know…they know. Though many people won’t believe you when you tell them they do!

[Prieta]

My first horse of my own was really green and young when she came to live with us. She would buck us off whenever she’d get too much energy for her to contain. Notwithstanding, I’d spend a lot of time with her out in the pasture. The mare, Preita would notice that my sisters would wave their arms or scream at the top of their lungs to get my attention over time and I’d respond by going to them. Over time, whenever one of my sisters would call for me, my mare would poke at me and look at my sister. I’d go over to my sister. She’d do the same elsewhere…I’ve come to depend on her as being my “hearing horse”.

[Across_Sicily]

Old thread… but…

My “new” lease critter (as of January) can be a bit of a punk and isn’t one to ignore your asking him to go forward. One of the first real hot days of summer happened last week and we were warming up at a show. Long story short I was within seconds of fainting before I plopped off and couldn’t find my way over the proper jumps, much to the chagrin of my trainer. Without me asking him for anything horse slowed himself into a very gentle walk and deposited me with my trainer in the middle. I was so dizzy I couldn’t hardly see and shaking like a leaf. He was such a good boy, super concerned when I oozed off and nosing all over me. (Usually he is much in favor of ignoring you unless you have food for him, so this was quite abnormal behavior) I definitely think he knew, and I definitely trust him to take care of me after that. He is really worth his weight in gold.

[HOOF123]

vote yes

:yes:i think horse people should talk about these things and if you can,t trust the horses that you have been riding then the best horse is a very old one i mean depends on your competing level anyway get a belgian a gentle giant i think if i had one of those horses when i started riding at a very young age or when ever i started i would be still riding horses but no either medical problems or having a very bad fall and i am not trying to be defendsive in anyway horses give for us for them to teach them how to behave and how to grow them in to adults and horses give us freedom where they don,t judge they know they sense all animals sense danger, etc you have to be a horse lover, horse rider, grow up with horses , because if you did not good luck here is a joke okay say a person never rode a horse and did not know and the person got on the horse say a racehorse or a arabian hot horses and tried to get it to move i think all heck would break loose anyway just commenting don,t ya think

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

I think there is a difference in intent between green rider and compromised rider. And I do believe that many horses can tell the difference.

[vali]

I used to have a fairly hot NZ TB who had the occasional big spook. Hoses, strange looking rocks, you name it. I never came off him but he could be silly. But we also had a great connection and he was the only horse I felt comfortable riding while pregnant, and he never spooked while I was pregnant. He’s also the only horse that I’ve felt move underneath me to keep me in the saddle on cross country (not while pregnant). My mother has him now, and he’s taking good care of her.

[EightBelles134]

I whole heartedly agree that they know.The barn I ride at right now also has a Therapeutic riding class that two of the ponies are used in. When my class rides the ponies they LOVE LOVE LOVE to test us (spinning to the left unexpectedly,throwing in an unexpected buck at a canter transition, etc) but when those kids ride those ponies for the Therapeutic riding class, they couldn’t have a better,more patient,more solid mount…Same thing with when complete beginners and little kids ride those ponies,those ponies are solid…

[Thomas_1]

I do quite a lot of therapeutic riding instruction and I’m convinced that a lot of horses know how to behave by instinct when there’s someone around who’s struggling with a profound disability.

I also have a blind spot in my right eye due to Cytomegalovirus retinitis when I had no immune system following my bone marrow transplant. Got to say I’d not thought the horse was compromising for that but I’d like to think that he’s watching out for himself and attentive to what’s around and that I’m pretty well tuned in to that.

[Kynesha]

I’ve always thought that horses know. I once asked a trainer about it and they dismissed it. They might have also questioned my sanity. :yes:

My grand old lady (1st horse) always knew when little kids were around. My oldest niece was tiny when she was little (2 or 3 yrs, severly pigeoned toed). Scheme, who’s head was as long/big as my niece was tall, would put her head down to her level when she led her around. Cutest thing, watching my little niece, who at the time was maybe 2’ tall, lead this horse around, whose nose was maybe three inches off the ground. Scheme never tried to catch a bite of grass either. She’d also go only as fast as my niece could walk, which wasn’t very, which maybe was a 1/8th of a stride for the mare. Put a young child on her and she was calm and quiet. Anyone else, sensitive & hot. But always the babysitter. Go figure. I miss that old lady. ALOT.

I also had a OTTB gelding that I kick myself every day for having sold. He saved my behind on more than one occasion but also took care of me. I did H/J for a short time. At the time I didn’t know that the hyperventilating (sp?) and severe nervousness I had before and during a class was actually anxiety attacks. During a few of the shows/classes that i did before I quit, this horse carried me through at the easiest canter, soft jumps and would slow to a gentle stop at the end gate. Truthfully, I don’t know how we made it through the courses without going off course because I only remember the first jumps and the stop. I miss Joey alot and wish I could have/buy him back. I had no right at the time to have a OTTB who barely had any training besides track, but that guy was awesome. For an older teen who had not so great instructors, etc. he was the 2nd best babysitter I’ve had.

Horses definitely know…

PS. If anyone knows anything about the gelding above, his registered name is Born Broke, seal bay, 16.2 to 17hh, born in 1999 and last I heard he was sold to an older gentleman in Idaho. I would love to know how he’s doing and/or possibly buy him back. TIA!

[Bluey]

Our neighbor had an old ranch horse he used to put his grandson on and go work cattle.
Coming back, the kid so tired it kept going to sleep and listed to one or the other side, I have seen that horse chuck the kid back in the middle of the saddle, just as we would an unbalanced backpack, without breaking stride or waking the kid up.

[tothepointe]

I have noticed since I broke my wrist that when helping turn the horses in and out that they seem to know and stand rock still as I tug on the halter one handed and don’t pull me along while leading. Very respectful

[cadriver]

Well, I just sent 2 young horses out to a trainer 3 and 4 yr old to be started under saddle… so I can sell them, she ended up with complete handfulls… they wouldn’t lead for her or do much of anything took about a week to sort it out. They new what they were supposed to do but she asked in a completly different way. They had absolutly no respect for a person standing on the ground, sit down they were fine:-) Or if I was around they behaved… Something about being raised from birth by me in a chair:-)

Diane Kastama

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

Diane!!! HOW DID YOU DO??? If you posted the results, I missed them!

[cadriver]

I posted a bit on original thread
http://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/showthread.php?t=255528

Also results can be found on
http://www.drivingnews.us/results/results2010/VineyardClassic/

Preliminary

[DressageGeek_Ribbon]

I missed it - but CONGRATS on a fabulous show!!!

[Sheila]

Usually my guy can be frisky to hold at shows- he wants to get to the ring and will stand all day, but to tack up or hold at the trailer can be problematic. Since I broke my ankle and am using a walker he does not move a muscle when I am holding him- not one, no matter where he is. So, yes, I think they know and compensate- if they are good guys