See here's the thing, they are dangerous because PEOPLE are typically really dumb when they teach their horses these "tricks." EXAMPLE!!! I was training a beautiful dun gelding that the owner had taught to rear. Oh yay! So any who, one day I was about to get on the gelding when someone in front of me happen to throw their hands up. Well boys and girls, that was the geldings cue to rear! And I was half way on him and then on the ground!!! See there is no "normal cues" for tricks, so something as common as throwing your hands up, or certain movements or touches to the horse can cue them to perform their said "trick." OK, moving on to the picture 
portion...Have fun!!
portion...Have fun!! You know I've really never figured out what the "standing" on your horse thing was supposed to prove???
Is this really REAL???
ASSHAT! Hopefully your horse can maintain his balance....
Ugh, You're horse is so beyond humiliated at this point...
WTF?!?!?! Damn I would love to *grumble grumble* nevermind...
39 comments:
WTF is right!!
Is that last pic for real?
Is the horse's right hoof not quite clearing that sign?
eeeeshhhh
Trix are for kids, and circuses.
NOT RIDIN' HARSES.
gr8 post.
I have in the past had horse come into the barn to be trained that were taught tricks by other trainers. The classic was a horse that everytime you asked the horse to lope,he bowed. Seems like a waste of timeto me!
Oh Jonnie Rotten THANK YOU!! Big Waste!!
Mark Rashid used to tell this story at his clinics. He did not believe in teaching horses tricks. But at one clinic, a young woman really really wanted him to teach her to teach the horse to sit down. Finally, with much prompting, she explained why. She often helped out on ranches with moving cattle. She was in an area of wide open plains with no cover. She wanted the horse to sit so she could hide behind him to go potty. Mark said he thought about that a bit, then helped her teach the horse to do it.
sagebeasties.blogspot.com
Old Morgans~~ LMAO!! OK, ok that is cute!!!
Has anyone else noticed that most of the horses "trained" to do stupid tricks aren't really trained to do much else?
Priorities.
Gotta love the Parelli trick of getting horses to climb up on tractor tires. I have tractor tires that have been turned inside out for feeders, sure enough, NH ex-friend bring in her horse who tries to impress us by jumping on the tractor tire. Poor critter looked like Wylie Coyote before disappearing into tractor tire hole. NH mental mijit was all upset because it was all my fault that she couldn't talk her horse into getting up on her tractor tire filled with sand for a while. Still snicker when I picture the look on that poor horses face!
kestrel said...
Gotta love the Parelli trick of getting horses to climb up on tractor tires. I have tractor tires that have been turned inside out for feeders, sure enough, NH ex-friend bring in her horse who tries to impress us by jumping on the tractor tire. Poor critter looked like Wylie Coyote before disappearing into tractor tire hole. NH mental mijit was all upset because it was all my fault that she couldn't talk her horse into getting up on her tractor tire filled with sand for a while. Still snicker when I picture the look on that poor horses face!
__________________
There again...another waste of time!
I only taught one horse a trick ever...to bow while I was on the ground beside him. When I did it for my friends they thought it was cute. The same horse was also trained and was shown in the hunter division, so he was not waisted on the one trick! LOL
I ended up keeping him some 25 years, until he was put down. Sill miss that sweet ol' guy. (sigh)
I am REALLY hoping that last one is just a manip.
I don't understand what the problem is. As long as you aren't teaching them something dangerous, like rearing or bucking, it seems to me like it would only enhance your relationship with the horse? Like why not teach a baby to, say, shake or nod its head on cue, or curl it's lip, before it's old enough to be started. Wouldn't that teach it early on that a cue needs to be followed by an expected behavior, and good behavior gets rewarded?
I think there is a difference between tricks and promotion of unwanted behavior (rearing especially).
4 of my 9 horses smile only 2 use the same cue to do it. 2 of those 4 can bow. The other 2 do yes/no and one who does none of those tricks can give a kiss and close the tack room door.
I know it's silly, and the tricks serve no purpose other than a treat delivery system. But, it makes me a little proud that I taught them something completely myself.
CCH~hmmmmm you may be on to something here... That's a good point...
I am crossing fingers that the last photo was a p'shop job. Or did they really jump off the roof and land perfectly on top of the sign?
Some tricks are useful - and some are just painful. I know of a few horses that have been taught to bow to help their disabled riders on board, and that to me seems more like a tool than a trick. I have also seen a friends horse, who she taught to play "tag" with her as a foal, have to be put down as he tried to play "tag" with people as a 17hh horse, blatantly stupid and useless.
CCH I like the sounds of your tricks and they put no one in harms way, and as you say, make you smile and are good for treats! Trick for treat... lol. It's been a long day
Sorry hun, I love your blog, but in this instance, I STRONGLY disagree. Yes, certain tricks are stupid and pointless. But I think people tend to forget that not every equestrian has aspirations of being a champion show rider. Some of us just own them for the joy of it. And I don't see how teaching a horse a "trick" is absolutely any different from teaching it, say, a passage. Isn't that a trick? Just because it's graded and presented a ribbon, it's not a trick? I don't think people should be razzed on because they'd rather teach their horse how to bow instead of jump a fence. I mean, heck, a properly trained trick pony has far LESS chance getting hurt then a competitive show horse!
I guess I'm just a little bit tired of those people being razzed on. I fully agree with you tricks that endanger either horse or human being stupid - but other then that, teaching your horse to lay down or shake a hoof has no less purpose then teaching a horse to piaffe in the eyes of the owner. Whatever gives you joy and happiness working with horses is your own perogative.
No hard feelings. Just my opinion! We are backyard riders who like to jazz it up doing things like learning how to stand up on the horse while it walks. We don't have coaches and trail riding can get boring, so it's something that challanges US and makes things interesting. My Arab mare is out with a bum leg so instead of letting her rot, we're working on groundwork and I'm working on teaching her to bow. It just gives us something to do and keeps her sharp and listening to me!
On the trick thing... Phoenix gives "kisses" on cue. Her cue is kissing noises. She lightly puts her nose against your cheek. Callie looked at me like I was insane when we tried teaching her that one. Both of them pick up there feet when you say "up" (they pick up which ever foot you are standing next to, that is my favorite "trick" that I taught them.)
I'm not going to say that my little tricks don't have their downside. I frequently will have smiling horses "begging" for treats. Maybe annoying at times but not dangerous like a rear would be.
I did have one lady freak out because she was convinced my gelding was interested in her mare. Umm not true, he didn't want anything to do with her rageddy anne, he could smell treats in my pocket.
Of course there is a responsiblity not to reward if you didn't ask for the behavior.
CCH~ hmmm spoiled horses?? I know that feeling!! LMFAO!!!!
Mikolaj~ You make an excellent point.. my issue is with tricks that are dangerous rearing, bucking, and using tricks to sell a horse I don't give a damn that it bows or stands on small stools I want it to RIDE and be safe!!! ... If you teach your horse tricks that are safe and fun then GREAT It can be great for bonding!! BUT most people I think do it to be sooooo koool!!! Tricks are one of those things that can get out of hand...
I agree 100%. I think almost all tricks are for already trained horses. Rearing and bucking are not appropriate tricks for 99.9% of the population.
I can relate to your annoyance. Its no fun to fix that problem and not fair to the horse that was taught to do something stupid in the first place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rkg9jgG_O2M
I just uploaded this the other day. I would like to teach my horse to bow, smile, and would like to get him to say yes and no instead of just wildly shaking his head.
I love my horse's tricks. He only does them when I ask, and is never obnoxious about them (besides the occasional let-me-suck-your-face kiss).
But my horsey also has a job. He's a fantastic little Dressage horse and is slowly learning how to not be a nutcase over fences.
Horse tricks annoy me. Unless you are performing for a purpose. Like movies, or some sort of act. I agree with bowing to allow a person to get on. Comes in handy when a mounting block is no where to be found. I've never had this problem, but I have had customers with this problem. But the method and cue I know is no where near the cue to lope, is done from the ground, and it's pretty specific.
The lion picture, I think that's a fake.
But I don't think this one is:
http://donnabarstow.com/park_blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/bear-horse.jpg
Notice the chain from the bear's nose to the horse. I hate this photo, they both look terrified.
Oh, and I think it's a cub and a pony. Nothing full sized here.
That can probably also be said for the people who put it together.
Ok, thanks for clarifying! I agree completely. I see certain tricks as a way to improve your horses ground manners, especially if you can't ride for awhile and want to keep your equine pal from getting bored. I think it helps keep the mind active and thinking, much as riding does, and helps them learn to be paying attention to you at all times. I mean, I'm the person who takes my horse for "walks" like a dog when I can't ride her, haha. I figure if I can't ride, she can still learn!
But I guess that speaks for the difference in using tricks as an actual training approach and just doing it for a hoot and to show off. I would never sell a horse using a picture of me standing on it or making it bow. That's not useful information to anyone but me (and obviously the future owner would be told just so they knew what cue would make a horse do that).
Great post.
I made a youtube group devoted to stupid things people do with their horses. I've found well over 40 on my own so far and they just keep coming!
tricks, rearing, big people riding small horses, silly stunts... you name it, you can find it on youtube.
Hi...can you please contact me. You're using one of my photo without permission. Thanks!
Ice Pony... I couldn't find your email so can you let me know which pic is yours?? I would be happy to remove it!!!! trainer.x@hotmail.com
I've trained trick horses since 1969. Don't think of tricks as cute poodle tricks, but when done correctly, they are obedience tests. It is a unique way to teach your horse obedience,submission (lightness to the aids, relaxation, confidence, and so much more. All training is teaching a horse submission. Trick training is just asking for that extra bit of submission. For the non-rider who still wants to work with their horse, the older rider who can no longer ride, the horse that is too young or to old to ride, and the stall-bound injured horse trick training is something you can still do together. But, the best thing is the benefits it gives your show and trail horses. I raise and train my own horses. No trainer and no lessons. Yet, my horses have 27 world & reserve world championships in all events from dressage to western pleasure. They are clearly not "one trick ponies"! I feel it's their trick training that has helped them do so well. I have spend hundreds apon hundreds of hours with my horses traing them.You can not make a horse perform tricks if he doesn't want to. He has to WANT to and that's the whole point of trick training. Who doesn't want a horse who wants to work and please you? Much better than the guy who uses spur and whip to beat his horse into doing what he wants it to. And NO, I do not ask my horses to do dangerous stuff, stupid stuff, and anything degrading to a horse. And, each trick is cued. The horse is never to peform without first being asked. If you'd had a bad experience with a trick horse, it's because it was trained by a yahoo, just like the idiot contest horse who comes into the ring on his hind legs. The trainer is the idiot, not the horse.
Forgot to grumble about a horse only doing tricks as a way to get treats...
Horses learn faster when there is something in it for them. Same for people. Yes, I do give small reinforcement treats at the very beginning the training, but they are quickly phased out. If you have ever seen a dog who will only sit up with a treat held over it's nose, you will soon see the disadvantage of using treats only. Soon the horse is performing for a pat, a scratch, or a kind word. The horse quickly learns to work for only your praise. One of the tests of a good trick horse is that he can easily and calmly go from trick to trick. You won't see the horse visually rewarded until the end of his performance when he might receive some tidbid, but most likely only a pat. The problem with some folks is that they reinforce their ill mannored horse ( one who snatches and grabs, thows his head, rears, whatever whenever he sees you ) with treats and of course he's going to repeat those unwanted behaviors in the hopes of getting rewarded again. Again, the owner's fault, not the horse.
the last one is a photoshop FAIL!!! the horse is in the wrong phase of the jump and the shadow looks like a four year old did it
The lion/pony picture is not fake. There's a whole series of them, taken quite some time ago at a zoo in China.
The lion/pony picture is not fake. There's a whole series of them, taken quite some time ago at a zoo in China.
Hi...please remove my photo from your blog. It's the first one on the right.
I really don't understand folks who place photos of children on the web without their parent's consent.
In all honestly there are dumb tricks and then there are horse tricks.
I do not feel that what those two girls are doing is promoting bad equine behavior.
They did not teach the mare to buck or rear.
They are wearing helmets.
These PP mare is one of the most gentle mares I have ever meet. And that is because of the partnership she has with her owners.
Thanks!
Ice Pony Girl
It's now March 1, I asked you 6 days ago to remove MY PHOTO....that you are using WITHOUT PERMISSION! And you have not REMOVED IT!
You stole this photos off a web site or sales catalog, and are using it WITHOUT PERMISSION.
If it is not remove, I will file a complaint with Blogger. You have 24 hours to remove MY PHOTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Half of those pictures you posted were photo-shopped and I don't believe you are a professional horse trainer. If you were so professional you would have known already the horse knew how to rear and would have taken the right precautions. This is simply an immature blog. Half of the stuff posted were false or fake. Simple tricks such as kissing, hugging, saying "yes" or "no" don't do any harm to a horse or human being. Those tricks are fun for younger children to teach their horse and interact with their horse. I believe the more ADVANCED tricks such as rearing, bowing Etc.. show how skilled a horseman can be in training their horse and can also show how well trained their horse is. For me, my horse has a lameness from an old injury before I had purchased her, which she cannot be ridden too much anymore. So teaching her simple tricks such as, kissing, hugging, saying "yes" and "no", shaking and others is a way for me to interact with her since I cannot ride her so much. My horse goes perfectly fine while riding, leading etc. With the RIGHT trainer and RIGHT experienced person and the RIGHT cues the horse will perform correctly and safely. I think an INEXPIRECENCED "trainer" like you does not know what you are doing. And the fowl language you use seems to me like you have no patience to work with a horse. So if your so professional, why did you make a big complaint on a rearing horse? Whether the horse is trained to rear or not a horse can rear, and being a trainer, that comes with it too. I have no problem at all with my horse that is trained to do almost every kind of trick their is. If you know you are going to be getting on a horse that knows tricks, you would use common sense and ask the owner before hand what the cues are so you don't make the wrong ones. To me you seem very inexperienced and I would never want you on or near my horse.
Wow people. Really?
Trick training is very fun, and keeps your horse curious, and interested. Instead of working all the time, you need to do something fun. Sure they like all the treats involved, but they also like learning something new. Especially my mare, and gelding. They loved learning how to bow... I can tell they have alot of fun doing it just by the way they act. There is no problem with trick training as long as horse and owner don't get hurt and they are having fun. I personally don't think you are a pro horse trainer. If you were you would know that people whom train their horses for example how to bow, usually take procautions to make sure everything turns out alright. Just because you don't think it's right doesn't mean you have to bash trick horse trainers. If you are a "Pro" as you said, you would have done something more pro than this. Bashing people and their animals is wrong... Their just having fun!
This is a responde to icy pony girl,
in reference to children photography internet. I am a photographer, when you photograph people in public places you don't need permission to publish the images. As long as you are not selling them, everything is ok. Good luck on the other issue..
thank you
Dania Reichmuth Visual Artist
But...this are children! Not adults that she is bashing and posting their photos on her site.
AND she STOLE MY PHOTO off ANOTHER SITE!
STOLE IT! Is that right? IMHO.....NO. IT IS NOT HER PHOTO TO USE.
How would like it if I lifted a photo from you and use it?
It's shit!
YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER 3,2009 TO REMOVE MY PHOTO. THAT YOU STOLE OFF ANOTHER SITE AND ARE USING WITHOUT PERMISSION.
IF MY PHOTO IS NOT REMOVED. I WILL FILE A COMPLAINT WITH BLOGGER!
I CAN BEEN YOU SINCE FEBRUARY 18, 2009 TO REMOVE MY PHOTO.
I HAVE SENT YOU PRIVATE EMAILS ASKING YOU TO REMOVE MY PHOTO AND YOU CAN NOT REMOVED IT!!!!!
REMOVE MY PHOTO OR I WILL FILE A COMPLAINT WITH BLOGGER FOR STEALING MY PHOTO AND COPYRIGHT ISSUES.
I WILL FILE A DMCA COMPLANIT.
I'm a 13 year old girl and I ride and board my horse at a sale barn. We always stand on the horses backs if they are quiet and post the pictures on the website. It shows that the horse trusts a person to be moving around in their blind spot. I also taught my horse to: hug, kiss, and smile while she was lame due to an injury in her leg. It was a good way for us to bond while I couldn't ride her. She also knows how to bow and never does any of these tricks unless asked to, I don't see anything wrong with teaching your horse a few tricks to increase your bond.
Post a Comment