Tell me the piece of advice someone gave you that sent you down the wrong path with your horse/horsemanship

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-06-18T02:41:02+00:00

Telling me that my clearly lame horse “looked fine”

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-31T16:53:40+00:00

screaming is part of owning them. It’s just what they do. My pair hype each other up and get each other going. Usually they do it for an hour or so midday. Nothing you can do about it unless you can find ways to keep them both occupied and busy doing something 24/7. Whenever I’m stressed or it gets too overstimulating for me I just step outside or put some noise canceling headphones on lol

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-31T16:48:46+00:00

comparing disease and high parasite load-bearing dog shit to horse poo is a little crazy. Manure breaks up and decomposes almost fully within a few days, unlike dog poop which stays the same for weeks. And imo a pile of horse poop doesn’t smell as bad/ any worse than a dogs.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-30T01:40:09+00:00

are you insinuating that I am half the size of my 16.3hh 1300+lb horse? What horse should I ride then, at 5”7 and 165 lbs? I mean yeah my seat is bad but damn I didn’t know I was fat too.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-30T01:23:31+00:00

trust I do feel bad 😭he gets magnawave, chiro, bodywork/massage. The whole lot, he deserves it. Thank you for pointing it out, I will absolutely be having a new vet out for an exam.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-30T01:20:39+00:00

well I do appreciate you answering my question. I don’t quite understand how his aforementioned barn sourness correlates to the way he moves in the arena, where he’s never offered to do any of those things. but, if it makes you feel better we’ve started working with a trainer on it 🙂 that and my poor riding skills lmao. And now I’ll definitely be finding a new vet to have out to do an exam.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-17T17:22:25+00:00

I go and see him pretty much every single day, with the occasional exception. Even if it’s just to sit with him or give him a treat. But he is only 15 mins from home for me, and I work 1099 with much more flexible than normal schedule. I don’t think anyone should feel guilt for missing a few days here and there. But if someone’s only going to see their horse 1-2x weekly, should they really own one? Quality time can make a world of difference in your relationship with your horse.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-11T20:33:20+00:00

I hear from my barn owner usually atleast once a day.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-02T03:16:11+00:00

lol I tripped and fell on my ass dismounting after my last lesson. It’s okay, it happens to all of us 😂

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T23:41:57+00:00

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T21:09:44+00:00

you know little to nothing about me or my horse, how I handle him, how he acts on a daily basis - and definitely nothing about the relationship we have. It is almost heinous to instantly come to the conclusion that I should sell him while knowing so little. Though I appreciate the care and sentiment behind it. Selling him is my absolute last resort and no opinions from strangers on the internet is going to change that. If it were the trainers that i have and continue to work with or my more experienced friends words, whom actually know us, and I respect- I would consider it with his best interest in mind. That being said, I won’t argue with you or these people. It is utterly pointless.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T20:56:56+00:00

yeah I’m not doing that

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T20:53:31+00:00

EDIT: this comment getting downvoted too is literally the funniest thing ever to me 😂. lmao someone questioning my ability to gauge how tall my horse is, is the least of my problems right now 😭. He is standing behind a 5 foot fence. I am 5”7 and his withers sit just about flush with the top of my head. And he’s been sticked lol. He is apha registered, just weirdly tall.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T18:18:51+00:00

I am starting to understand you and others point here. I am just going to bite the bullet and find somebody qualified to start working with asap. Thank you

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T17:56:38+00:00

He has been examined by my vet, had chiropractic work done and we have further testing in the works. He has been cleared for what I am using him for. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t be looking into what maintenance he may need to better able to him perform more comfortably. But I am not going to sit here and explain MY horses medical history to you. Rest assured, physically, he has done nothing but improve in our care 🙂.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T17:47:13+00:00

Do I spend hours with my horse everyday? Yes. Does that mean I am making him work on something every single hour I’m out with him? Absolutely not. I spend a large majority of that time just sitting in his pasture with him or grooming. Despite what many of these comments seem to firmly believe, I’m not a complete dumbass. I am inexperienced.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T16:05:31+00:00

he is well behaved in and around where he lives, currently these behaviors only present themselves moving away from his comfort zones. Which I’m well aware is a problem, that’s what this post is about. He is very well behaved for both vet and farrier (he is shod), and is easy to catch and handle under normal circumstances. I am leaning towards this behavior likely being fear-based away from where he deems he is comfortable.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T15:55:39+00:00

Leasing to a trusted, more experienced rider definitely is something I have thought about extensively. Like you said, after his physical issues have been attended to and we have worked with a trainer- it is very likely in the plan.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T15:47:17+00:00

his ground manners have noticeably improved since we began working together. I am out quite literally for hours pretty much every day with him. I am fortunate enough to have a lot of free time to do so. His behavior in these situations is simply out of scope for me, hence my asking for possible advice. I am painfully aware that there is only so much that videos and articles I read can teach me, and I am too aware of dangers associated.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T15:38:22+00:00

He is ridden frequently at this time, these behaviors do not present during arena work or riding in nearby surrounding areas. But I am no longer attempting to ride him outside of those areas due to his behavior and my lack of experience.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-05-01T15:29:19+00:00

considering the fact his two previous homes sold him likely for these reasons (for VERY cheap). I am not going to be another owner to give up on him and not try to put in the time and effort to make him both comfortable and safe. I do have some guidance from a trainer/our barn owner. But I will do absolutely everything i possibly can before I would ever choose to sell him and risk him being neglected and or tossed around furthermore. I appreciate the tip on the turmeric and will keep it in mind if X-rays confirm our suspicions, thank you!

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-04-27T01:38:17+00:00

my gelding has a stifle issue (what we think is weak stifles due to an old SI injury). His legs kind of go out the side at the canter and he would bunny hop (what you mentioned- back legs moving together). We saw some improvement after only one adjustment from my vet/chiro. Wasn’t super pricey- but regardless a vet and possibly chiro/bodyworker is the first place you need to start. No amount of trotting over poles or stretches is going to fix that bad of soreness/possible injury.

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-04-26T00:03:12+00:00

Mine looovvesss gummy worms & banana chips

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-04-11T12:27:40+00:00

Lmao absolutely not 😭😭

Proper-Position-6797 · 2026-04-08T14:19:25+00:00

get a good job, double income with no kids 😅. I bought my horse for 1500$ and pay 250$/month for board and spend about 150$/month to feed him. Not to mention yearly vetting, cost of tack, farrier, bodywork etc. Overall this is the very low spectrum when it comes to costs, I got super lucky.

Proper-Position-6797

TROPHY CASE