With extended in-laws family:
“Oh you jump? That’s great, you just lean forward and the horse jumps.”
“Uh, that’s not really how it works.”
“I watched a lot of jumping lessons. I think I know.”
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A few months ago there was an incident with the carriage horses in a big downtown area. One of the coworkers brought it up and I said something about cars shouldn’t be honking at the horses and I’d be pissed if someone did that while I was out on a ride. She responded with “really? I shouldn’t honk at them… who knew”. A few others nodded in agreement with her and I was flabbergasted. Some actually said that they have honked and waved at the riders when they see horses because they thought it was friendly.
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Not about my horse of course, but I still remember the Rita Crundwell documentary, and after her embezzlement of millions from the town she lived in, people said things like: I thought she made all of that money off of showing her horses. As we all know, that’s where the money went, and not where it came from.
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And those two breeds are so much alike, that you could get either one, wouldn’t make much difference … :lol:
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The most common thing I’ve heard is when I mention I have a lesson. People are genuinely surprised that I still take lessons when they know I’ve been riding and competing for years.
Then of course there are the people who scoff at riding, it’s not a sport, you know, the horse does all the work…the last one to say that was my brother in law. I then put him on my horse, so he could see for himself. He flopped around at trot for a while, grimacing, then my horse decided she’d had enough and cantered back to me. He fell off. On gravel. He never scoffed again 
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Well I just had a girl on Facebook ask if I was racing my (retired) gelding, with a long diatribe about how racing horses make them more prone to injury as he’s got a hoof abscess right now.
My retired gelding. That I don’t ride.
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Driving down the road with a friend of mine and we passed a pasture full of horses with fly masks on. Her: “Oh, those poor horses! Why are they blindfolded?”
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I once had a boyfriend’s father argue with me that thoroughbred was not a specific breed, but meant any purebred horse because in his mind, it meant ‘thoroughly’ bred, whatever that is.
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My uncle said to me a year or so ago, “I know you care about your horses but I hope they’re not around much longer because they’re costing you a lot of money.”
Well, the joke’s on him, because one did die… but the other one got sick and now costs as much by herself as the two of them did together. 
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At Christmas my brother asked me how my horse was doing. I said “great, except for that being dead part.” He already knew that.
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When I was younger my relatives said that ‘When you get older you will discovered boys and cars I will give up the horse.’ Thirty + years later, nope. Married and drive regularly but still also ride horses. I guess they were wrong!
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My mom recently asked me if I knew how much money I’d have if I didn’t have horses. I told her I guess I’ll never find out.
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I once had a couple of workmen come up my driveway to ask why my horses in the front pasture were wearing “blindfolds”. When I explained that they were fly masks to keep bugs out of my horses’ eyes and ears, they said “oh, we thought they were blindfolded to keep them from breeding”. I laughed so hard that all I could say was “wrong end”!
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My fiance’s grandfather grew up and lived for many years in Ireland. They had a working farm horse when he was a child and he likes to tell me stories about the old fellow, who is a different height in each one. He was tickled to learn that my horse is also an Irish expat, but we definitely have different relationships with our horses.
The funniest conversation we had about it was spawned by him asking “So now that you’re getting married are you getting rid of the horse?” My fiancé interjected with horror at the thought so I didn’t need to say anything, and we had quite a lively and interesting conversation about his upbringing, where the family horse was definitely in the livestock category, whereas my family’s horses are pets.
Grandfather kindly asks after Tip whenever we see each other.
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My husband gives lots of gifts for occasions like birthdays and Christmas. He gets creative with the tags, signing some of them with the pets’ names. So I picked up a gift and read the tag out loud, “from Countess, Lacie, Lover, and Other Horse.” Other Horse??? Other Horse?!!
We all laughed at that and I still tease him about not knowing Brandy’s name. My niece, who was spending Christmas with us, came with me to the barn a few weeks later and was eager to know which one was “Other Horse.” The name is kind of sticking. I guess it’s better than “Peanut Head” which I sometimes call her because she is so tiny I had to buy a yearling-sized fly mask for her.
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OMG! You (or possibly they) owe me a new keyboard!
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I had a long conversation with some fellow recreational athletes about this and as soon as I rephrased it as “practice” or “training” they instantly understood that I was not learning how but improving with a coach, and it made sense to them. Softball players understand batting practice!
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That my horse is head shy because he doesn’t like his nose petted.
He’ll tolerate it once you “meet him” and pet his neck/cheek/forehead first, but reaching for his nose is not his favorite way of saying “Hi.” You go right for the nose, and he’ll jerk it up.
I can’t seem to get people to stop, even if I tell them “don’t reach for his nose, pet his neck, then his cheek or forehead.” But no, they go right for the nose.
I think part of the confusion they see me rub/pet/fondle his whole face, stick my fingers in his ears, etc and he acts cuddly. But I’m his person, and even I never just walk up and reach for his nose.
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I am asked all the time by customers if they can come ride my mare. I have a photo of her on my desk.
These are people who are in because of fees, etc,(I work at a bank) and I don’t even know them. They ask if they or their kids Or grandkids can come ride. Because sure my horse is public property. Not.
I say no, she is retired. She is…but she is a booger and even at 23 will buck like a champ.
The audacity of people.
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When I owned my Icelandic, I always enjoyed the confused, blank look from people when I told them I owned a pony (I’m over 50). No one could understand why an adult would own a pony.
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