Things that make you cringe...

[normandy_shores]

[QUOTE=Texarkana;7950703]
The first one: I know they usually talk about the risk to the horse if they get the chain caught, but I almost lost a finger from a chain that was looped back upon itself. I was turning out a new horse who unexpectedly bolted hard as soon as I put my hand on the snap to release her, catching my finger between the doubled chain. If I hadn’t been wearing ridiculously thick gloves because of the winter temps, I may have been a lot worse off. Live and learn. It makes me insane now, too.

Although I do love Baker blankets.

While we’re on the topic of blankets, it makes me cringe to see people pull a blanket forward several inches against the direction of the hair so they can fasten the front buckles! Even the most stoic of horses usually look uncomfortable when folks do that![/QUOTE]

I heard a story of a horse being hand grazed with a chain lead clipped back on itself. Horse put his foot between the chains, flipped over and broke his neck.

Did I read that on COTH? I’ll never clip a chain like that… Yikes

[wireweiners]

[QUOTE=Angelico;7950405]
“Rescues” currently seem to be making me cringe the most.

There is a “rescue” type place the next state over from me that “specializes” in OTTB’s. I was recently looking at their FB page and saw that these people go out to auctions several times a month and “rescue” every OTTB they find. Every time they attend an auction they post on FB asking for donations so that they can have the $ to buy any horses they may find there, the purchase prices are usually $300-400.

Their posts usually read “hurry and donate, we’ll need $X amount to outbid the kill buyer!”

And

“Okay guys, we’ve got $X dollars in donations in, that should be enough to save two, but there are three horses here and we really don’t want to see one go to the kill buyer!”

I was shocked at how many people fall for it and donate, this group almost always gets the $ to buy the horses they want. I’m all for taking in a horse that’s fallen on hard times, but how stupid are these people? You are telling me you don’t even have the couple hundred bucks to buy these animals but you are going to “rescue” them?

I’ve been spending too much time on the computer this week. The daytime high is 20 degrees and the races are cancelled.[/QUOTE]

You must be at Oak lawn. A friend and I want to make a road trip up there when the weather gets better. I like to hang out in the infield, eat a corn beef sandwich and watch the horses.

[paulaedwina]

The one thing that makes me look away because it pisses me off -people waggling the leads or reins (currently attached to the horse) in the horse’s face in an attempt to communicate…some freakin’ thing. Watching the horse first be taken aback, get confused, and then irritated, and the rope-shaking human not catching on.

I can’t even look because they’d see the contempt on my face.

Paula

[spotmenow]

Those posts on FB looking for “a show-ready mount that already has points, over 16 hands tall, between the ages of 5 and 10, etc…max budget $500…GREAT show home guaranteed.”

And no, these are not all teenagers…some of these people actually end up with a horse and then they are on the forums looking for medical advice for their horse because they can’t afford to call the vet.

Or, my personal favorite…one FB poster was looking for a blanket for her horse because she clipped him in order to show over the winter. However, she got angry when people kept offering blankets that cost more than $50 because she couldn’t AFFORD more than $50 for a blanket - she had show costs to consider, didn’t people READ her post! :eek:

Okay, I’m done now. :winkgrin:

[VTMorgan06]

People riding/warming up their horses with their sleazy on.

People lunging their horses forever when the horse is 1/2 dead and barely moving. (Bonus if the horse is a yearling!)

People ripping through their horses dirty tails with a comb…seriously at least put some cowboy magic in there!

People who jump on their horse huntseat with jeans, cowboy boots and western spurs.

People who ride with just draw reins. Dear lord that’s a lot of leverage. Bonus if the draw reins go around the horses front legs.

People who seesaw on the poor horses mouth…especially when the head cannot physically drop any lower.

And it really gets me when anyone gets mad and physically punishes their horse for a bad class or low ribbon. That horse can kill you without much effort. Every time we ride them and walk away unharmed, we should pat them and thank them just for that.

[OveroHunter]

[QUOTE=VTMorgan06;7951430]
People riding/warming up their horses with their sleazy on.

People lunging their horses forever when the horse is 1/2 dead and barely moving. (Bonus if the horse is a yearling!)

People ripping through their horses dirty tails with a comb…seriously at least put some cowboy magic in there!

People who jump on their horse huntseat with jeans, cowboy boots and western spurs.

People who ride with just draw reins. Dear lord that’s a lot of leverage. Bonus if the draw reins go around the horses front legs.

People who seesaw on the poor horses mouth…especially when the head cannot physically drop any lower.

And it really gets me when anyone gets mad and physically punishes their horse for a bad class or low ribbon. That horse can kill you without much effort. Every time we ride them and walk away unharmed, we should pat them and thank them just for that.[/QUOTE]

So just a regular day at a breed show! My first APHA show was certainly an experience. Definitely different than any HJ show I’m used to…

[triple]

Love that I’m not the only grouch - I can identify with pretty much ALL of the posts in some way, shape or form!! Keep them coming they’re getting me through work

@VTMorgan06;7951430

People who ride with just draw reins. Dear lord that’s a lot of leverage. Bonus if the draw reins go around the horses front legs.

Jesus - do people actually do this??

Leads me nicely to another pet peeve - people using draw reins not as a schooling aid but just to ratchet the horse’s head down - cue trailing hindquarters, no engagement, locked jaw, tense neck - but the idiot with no clue now feels they are a PSG dressage rider because ponio “put his head down”.

Actually, this all ties quite nicely into a particular hatred of mine - the obsession among a lot of the above mentioned w/t/c riders who have maybe a year or so of experience getting waaaaay ahead of themselves and decide that because they see others with horses working in an outline, they too need to strap down poor steed’s head to it’s chest - note the use by these guilty parties of “get the head down”- not “working in an outline”, not “framing up”, not “on the bridle” - just getting the head down through whatever means.

I cannot stand the misuse of gadgets by these people in the name of aesthetics - because that is all it is - getting the horse to work correctly is not the aim. They have neither the knowledge nor the riding capability to get the horse to work into the bridle from the hindquarters through proper riding.

Enter draw reins/chambon/side reins/de gogue whatever, all usually on the tightest hole with poor horsey’s mouth hanging open and an air of misery clouded around the whole shambolic proceedings. You should have to sit a verbal and practical test before you are sold any of the above.

Recently I had someone ask me about my bungee reins in the form of “do those reins make him put his head down?” - the mere phrasing of the question led to me unequivocally forbidding said rider (of the <1yr w/t/c brigade) from purchasing.

UGH.

[dungrulla]

[QUOTE=mht;7950290]
This would be 3/4 of the people on OTTB Connect on facebook. This is what makes me cringe.[/QUOTE]

There’s an OTTB connect 2.0 now because the moderator in that group was such a raging lunatic.

[SuckerForHorses]

[QUOTE=OveroHunter;7952850]
So just a regular day at a breed show! My first APHA show was certainly an experience. Definitely different than any HJ show I’m used to…[/QUOTE]

We see this a lot at open shows here, when the breed show people show up for the day with their clients. There is one girl who has been at a few open shows and her mother is the barn owner, the girl is the “trainer” and they have several clients who are kids (like, 5-7 years old) and of course the parents who pay the bills. The girl gets on to “warm up” the horses for the kids, and the amount of yanking and cranking and raking of the spurs up the sides of those horses is enough to make anyone’s head pop off. I have complained about this girl to show management every.single.time I have seen her riding these horses. She literally will take her foot out of the stirrup (on her hunt seat saddle that’s made for the 5 year old so too small anyhow) and extend her leg down, apply the spur, and then roll it up the horse’s side to the bottom of the saddle flap. Meanwhile, this SAINT of a horse is now traveling with his hind end a full track width towards the inside of the arena while his front end is still along the rail so he is completely crooked.

These horses are saints, I tell you. The little girls could get on them without this BIMBO getting on first, and they’d still just pack these girls around for a blue ribbon.

Now my blood is boiling just thinking of this girl! GRRRR!!!:mad:

[oliverreed]

[QUOTE=paulaedwina;7951026]
The one thing that makes me look away because it pisses me off -people waggling the leads or reins (currently attached to the horse) in the horse’s face in an attempt to communicate…some freakin’ thing. Watching the horse first be taken aback, get confused, and then irritated, and the rope-shaking human not catching on.

I can’t even look because they’d see the contempt on my face.

Paula[/QUOTE]We have one of these at t he barn where I board.

[FineAlready]

[QUOTE=mht;7950290]
This would be 3/4 of the people on OTTB Connect on facebook. This is what makes me cringe.[/QUOTE]

I had to unfollow that group because it was upsetting me so much.

[Come_Shine]

Just wanted to say congrats to the OP about quitting smoking. Way to go!

Keeping this on topic - Having to wade through people smoking around the in-gate at shows is something that makes me cringe.

[Pennywell_Bay]

1. People standing on their horses back. WHY???

2. Totally none of my business, but wannabe trainers posting about how awesome their horses were at (nonrated) shows BUT then pics surface of their scraggly horses (ungroomed, long ratty manes,skinny, mud on their legs/tails).

I have no rational explanation for either of the above as to why it irks me, as it is none-of-my-business. I actually deleted some of these people in 2015 as a resolution. =)

[Shorehorse]

[QUOTE=Pennywell Bay;7953012]

1. People standing on their horses back. WHY???

2. Totally none of my business, but wannabe trainers posting about how awesome their horses were at (nonrated) shows BUT then pics surface of their scraggly horses (ungroomed, long ratty manes,skinny, mud on their legs/tails).

I have no rational explanation for either of the above as to why it irks me, as it is none-of-my-business. I actually deleted some of these people in 2015 as a resolution. =)[/QUOTE]

YES!!! I do NOT understand all the sale ads with people standing on horses backs! If I was actually in the market I would skip over every one of these horses!

[Lady_Eboshi]

People who retire their horse for LIFE on the say-so of a chiropractor, acupuncturist, animal communicator or some passing asshat who says “he was ABUSED.” :eek:

Why not just come out and say you love your horse, but not RIDING?

I’m OK with that . . . :winkgrin:

[HorseKrazy]

My turn!

~not opening a stall door completely. Come ON PEOPLE!!! Open the dang door!

~offering medical/treatment advice as a complete " end all be all" “there is no other possibility” without a degree to back it up…or any encouragement to seek out an actual vet…

[french_fry]

I’m so grateful that my barn is run pretty strictly so we don’t get any of the attaching cross ties to bit rings “I failed Horsemanship 101” BS but here is my huge major grump this winter…

People who buy purpose-bred equine athletes, significantly decrease their workload, and are just SHOCKED when their horse acts like he’s been slurping rocket fuel after four days off in the dead of winter with no turnout. It works out well for me because I end up riding a ton of these lost souls’ poor horses but I’m basically taking my life in my hands every time I put my foot in the stirrup.

Semi-related: how during the winter everyone seems to want to ride once a week, at the same time, at the warmest time of day on the weekend. Horses going off like bombs left and right with their owners going, “I don’t understand, he’s usually so quiet.” Well maybe if he’d left his stall in the last 48 hours…

[Bluey]

[QUOTE=VTMorgan06;7951430]
People riding/warming up their horses with their sleazy on.

People lunging their horses forever when the horse is 1/2 dead and barely moving. (Bonus if the horse is a yearling!)

People ripping through their horses dirty tails with a comb…seriously at least put some cowboy magic in there!

People who jump on their horse huntseat with jeans, cowboy boots and western spurs.

People who ride with just draw reins. Dear lord that’s a lot of leverage. Bonus if the draw reins go around the horses front legs.

People who seesaw on the poor horses mouth…especially when the head cannot physically drop any lower.

And it really gets me when anyone gets mad and physically punishes their horse for a bad class or low ribbon. That horse can kill you without much effort. Every time we ride them and walk away unharmed, we should pat them and thank them just for that.[/QUOTE]

I had never seen, would not have occurred to me to use draw reins alone, so the first time I saw someone doing that in the warm up pen at a cutting, I watched to see the wreck happen, but it never did.
The horse was broke to death and would have performed fine without a bridle.

The trouble, once he went in the pen to cut, he really never did see his cow.
No matter how much training and what gadgets they used on that horse, he just didn’t have enough cow to be there, sorry and the score was saying just that.

I have since seen that here and there, in training barns and at shows and always wondered, if something went South, a horse had a silly moment, that would end up badly, I think, with so little real communication with the horse’s mouth as only drawreins provide.

[spotmenow]

[QUOTE=french fry;7953523]
I’m so grateful that my barn is run pretty strictly so we don’t get any of the attaching cross ties to bit rings “I failed Horsemanship 101” BS but here is my huge major grump this winter…

People who buy purpose-bred equine athletes, significantly decrease their workload, and are just SHOCKED when their horse acts like he’s been slurping rocket fuel after four days off in the dead of winter with no turnout. It works out well for me because I end up riding a ton of these lost souls’ poor horses but I’m basically taking my life in my hands every time I put my foot in the stirrup.

Semi-related: how during the winter everyone seems to want to ride once a week, at the same time, at the warmest time of day on the weekend. Horses going off like bombs left and right with their owners going, “I don’t understand, he’s usually so quiet.” Well maybe if he’d left his stall in the last 48 hours…[/QUOTE]

Similar: People who take a horse that was turned out 24/7 and move them to a place where they are stalled 20 hours a day and they are STUMPED as to why their previously mellow mount is now a “horse bomb” going off every time they try to ride…it MUST be the feed/bit/saddle/color of the jumps in the ring… ;).

Then again, inadequate turnout in general is a pet peeve of mine…

[french_fry]

[QUOTE=spotmenow;7953583]
Similar: People who take a horse that was turned out 24/7 and move them to a place where they are stalled 20 hours a day and they are STUMPED as to why their previously mellow mount is now a “horse bomb” going off every time they try to ride…it MUST be the feed/bit/saddle/color of the jumps in the ring… ;).

Then again, inadequate turnout in general is a pet peeve of mine…[/QUOTE]

Yep, this too! I live in an area with limited turnout (unfortunately) and some people need to realize that when you bring a horse up from, say, Virginia, you need to AT LEAST maintain its activity level (but preferably increase it) to make up for the lessened turnout.

“Oh, but I rode the last (five, four, three, two) days, he needs a day (or two…or three…) off.” He doesn’t go to work 10 hours a day like you do. He barely gets out of his stall. He does not need the horse equivalent of a weekend. He does not need a day off, trust me.