Friday, February 20, 2009

I am Just That Good...

No, not me necessarily... YOU! We all have talents when it comes to horses, you know, something we are just really, really stinking good at. For example I am good at getting a horse broke to a rider. S&D is REALLY good with ground work and round penning.

One of the things that can make for training a very successful horse is never being afraid to ask someone for help, or to learn from someone else. Like I said, we all seem to have a niche in where we just ROCK at something and maybe just sub-par at something else. BUT, when we're good, we are just that DAMN GOOD!!!

So what are you good at? No holds-barred, lay all out there, incontestable... What is it that you can honestly say "I kick some major ass!" It could be anything horse related... Maybe you're good at posting, jumping, reining, getting a horse to clip, bathe, load in a trailer. Anything! Let's hear it!!!!

22 comments:

GoLightly said...

I could load any horse on a trailer.
I can do hunter braids, still.
I can't say nothing about babies, no experience with them.
I could break horses. Have a soft mouthed horse at the end.
I could re-train, and re-hab, the badly broke. I could make these horses LIKE being ridden again. I could re-train a horse into having good ground manners.
I could teach a mean lesson.
I could teach people horsemanship. Not that many were interested, but they learned it anyway. My rules.
I could "see, hear, feel" what the horse was thinking.
Notice, this is all past tense.
Bummer. Age sucks.

TrainerX, still! no offers from you, for a breading contract with my Butch.
And I thought you were a horse person...

Keep us posted on the mustang thing.
Any ideas on what you'll do yet?

GoLightly said...

Right, last one.
Good point you made, too.
I could learn from others.

Trainer X said...

OMG!!! I Would LOOOOVE to breed my paint mare to Butch!! LOL!!!

Rachel said...

I was the Equitation Queen for years (I still like to think I rock out at it, just haven't been showing so I don't have the ribbons to prove it like I did back in the day)

GoLightly said...

He's reel speshul, alright:)

Throws reel gud kolor, if'n the spray cans hold out...

roflmao!

big hugs, kid.

Nicole Falk said...

Hmmm, good post!

I'm good with problem horses. I enjoy rehabilitating and taking the time to understand the problem. I have the ability to really connect with horses, even those that typically dislike all other humans. My grandpa used to own a big 16hh Anglo-Arab gelding, who if he didn't want to be caught, would merely raise his head straight up into the air. At 7 years old, my grandpa would send me to catch him because I was the only one he'd put his head down for. I've always been the one sent off to catch a rogue horse, or even any animal for that matter.

That's about my only claim to fame. My equitation could make people cry, LMAO.

My Equine Rat Race

MomofthePolka-DotPony said...

I'm good at teaching horses to longe. I'm not kidding - every horse i've ever had will longe without a whip and with whispered voice commands.

Also, pulling manes. Hurts my fingers, but I'm good at it!

EveryoneThinksThey'reGoodDrivers said...

I can catch any horse, anywhere. I never said quick, but it will get done.

Teaching is my fortay. I can explain just about everything.

Because of teaching, I am really good at watching a horse/rider combination. I can see everything and how it affects the horse.

I am very good at dealing with fearful horses. Fear is my niche. I can't make them unafraid all the time, but I can convince them to stay put/continue on and in time they become unafraid.

I am good at learning, I'm told I soak up direction/advice/teaching like a sponge.

I can ride the way I'm told. Sounds funny but I can ride a cutting horse one minute, turn around and ride a dressage horse, turn around and ride a pleasure horse, turn around and ride hunt seat.

What a fun post, sort of like daily affirmations.

I agree on the learning peice, everyone can teach you something, if you are listening.

P_L_I_A_J said...

I love a horse with great (not just good) manners. No pushing, shoving, moving off when I mount etc. Every horse I have owned I have been very consistant with on teaching them to behave. I knew I was doing a good job when my horseshoer was badly injured and his doctor told him he could only work on his best behaved clients and I made the top of the list. :-)

http://paullinnthoroughbredcheater.blogspot.com/

CCH said...

1. I can groom the hide off of any filthy beast and make him look like a couple thousand bucks

2. I'm really good at watching people and seeing tiny cues they think no one can see.

3. I'm good at watching and feeling a horse's body move, especially feet/legs, so I can balance and plan for movement.

4. I'm pretty sure I can meet a horse and determine if he has a special personality and a winning attitude so I know he can be a lifer with me. (at least I haven't screwed up yet)

5. I'm the best at spoiling horses while still maintaining manners

Heaven said...

I'm also pretty good at catching.. sometimes it takes me a while, but it'll get done ;)

Also, thought you guys might have some thoughts on the crappy websites I'm taking a liking to posting. My blog's pretty new (actually set up as a mandatory assignment for a class [doi]) but I'll have fun with it anyway!

Anonymous said...

I am amazing at barn and ground manners.

Firm, but fair, and always set the horse up for success.

Embodied Spirit said...

It is actually hard for me not to be modest! lol!

I guess I am good at calming horses. There are a lot of "hot seated" riders out there(you know the ones that make the 30yr old plod tank off). I'm the opposite. I've rode fairly hot horses who have decided that going slow on that particular day is much easier.

I guess I'm also quite good at bringing out sensitivity in horses mouths and sides. I used to ride a school pony who had nerve damage from tetanus and was very soft so I had to learn to be extra gentle.
My haffie mare was really dead sided and needed to be ridden in a contact when I got her. A year on - and although english ridden - she neck reins, moves off from the slightest touch and is just wonderful to ride! I have no idea how I did it. Just rode her softly and I guess she realised if she responded to a gentle touch it felt better than being kicked in the ribs.

I think once I get back into it I will be a good jumper again. My first ever show after only 3 years riding I came 3rd in dressage and 2nd in jumping against a load of stuck up b*tches who had been riding 10+ yrs and thought they were all that. I did have a good horse though.

Unknown said...

I'm good at handling horses on the ground

It is HARD to get me off. I have glue on my butt : )

I've only ever met one horse who really didn't like me.

I'm good at dealing with scared animals (not just horses)

I'm good at demanding respect without actually having to physically or verbally asserting it.


I like this exercise : D

V. Lachelle Henderson said...

I'll go with...

I'm pretty damn good at everything that has to do with horses except:

Mares.

Merideth said...

uuummmm.....what to put???
OH!!! i know!!
i'm really super amazing at getting into stupid situations and ending up on the ground!!

IE: a couple years ago i was riding in the pasture and was having steering issues and ended up hanging from a high branch until someone came and got me

kestrel said...

Yikes! It's always so easy to pick on myself that it's hard to 'fess up to the good stuff.
I can work with abused, screwed up, old, young, any breed, and turn out a horse that has a solid foundation and likes his job. Train riders same way, solid foundation, understand their horse, etc. Am good at matching up horse and rider, (not always but mostly!) Can spot muscle or skeletal problems well enough that my vet usually asks me...do massage and physical rehab on horses and have been pretty successful with handicapped people.
Biggest success is that my horses like me and also have good manners.

SammieRockes said...

I am great at retraining OTTBs, I can figure out what they are good at and get them there.

My heels, they are vertical in a saddle, I mean, man can I keep them down.

I can make younger, less expeirenced riders feel great about themselves.

I am pretty good at being comedic relief. I had a hilarious fall the other day.

ridewithjoy said...

I am good at knowing the difference between can't and won't- and really afraid verses acting afraid. This also works great with my human students ( + adult aides) as well.. One of my favorite ever students I met as an 7th grader who couldn't read, write or do much beyond simple addition. He called me Evil because I MADE him work instead of thinking he was so "special" he couldn't learn like his previous teachers since 1st grade. The boy entered Job Corps as a Junior and tested out of ALL academics and finished his vocational program early. RIP Wyatt- I miss you dude, wish you would have slowed that hot red car down.

I also have a not so handy human related talent as to separating clueless ignorance from intentional abuse. Boy does that one get me in hot water with the admins I have to report to first before I call in protection services as required by law.

Tricky said...

I am good at being able to solve other people's problems with their horses... my own never good at, and need to bounce ideas of other people.

I am also very good at asking a LOT of questions to professionals and people doing things I don't understand, some of them still talk to me too! I love knowledge and there is never going to be a lack of things to learn, so I guess I'll keep asking.

People tell me I do an excellent job of stables - well dah it is my job and I take a lot of pride in it. It isn't rocket science but my god you wouldn't believe how badly people do stables!!!

ArianeWit said...

I can load pretty much any horse, and make it so he will load again.

I have a favorite story about it too...someone asked me to haul a horse for her. No problem, says I! So, we (I brought Mom with me...it was a weekend with nothing else going on) hitch up the truck and trailer and head to the ferry. (I lived on an island at the time.) We get to the place where the horse is, down this horribly long, windy driveway, come to the end and there's no where to turn around. Well, I do it anyway, somehow! (That's another talent of mine...there's no place I won't go with a truck and trailer, I can turn around anywhere!) Here comes the horse. It's a yearling, give or take, who "fainted" last time it was hauled. No, that's not a typo, they actually said he fainted... Needless to say, he didn't want anything to do with the trailer. We have plenty of time before the next ferry, so I let them go ahead and try to load him. Just standing back, watching the show... They tried everything they could think of, backing him in (it's a step-up) making a ramp, even BLINDFOLDING the poor thing. Meanwhile, the clock's ticking...we have to leave in a half hour, or I will be very crabby because we will miss the boat and the next one is not for quite a while and we will be dealing with a yearling at a new home in the dark. Don't want to do that...

Now it's my turn. I am losing patience with the dolts trying to get this poor thing into the trailer, so I just walk up and quietly take the lead rope. "What is she doing?" they asked Mom when I took the lead and went for a little walk with him. So she told them I was just getting his head back and doing a little "cooling off". We came back around to the trailer, and I just walk him right on by like it's not even there. You can see the blank stares on their faces when I do that. We do it again a couple more times, then I ask him to look inside. What do you know, he followed me in! Just to be a show off, I lead him out and back in again. They are just astonished. No whips. No lunge lines. No BLINDFOLDS! No nothing.

Without much more than a quick "bye", we are outta there! Made the boat, too!

But, I can't teach a lesson to save my life!

Anonymous said...

I am GREAT at round penning horses. I can really show off a horse if i have a pen and a rope.

I have fantastic posture. And a great seat, (knock on wood) ive only fallen off 3 times in 14 years.

i have never met a horse i couldn't catch. ( sure 1 horse took 2 weeks but she was in a large pasture.)

I am often told i have a "6th sense" with horses. i usualy just FEEL the right thing to do.

I put GREAT ground manners on my horses.



Its so good to focus on the positive. :)