- Craigslist trainers. Just because you can ride a horse AND post an ad, does not mean you're a trainer. Especially at 15.
- Selling your horse for $10,000 and the picture you use is the horse with it's back turned, eating, with a winter coat and muddy hair, and you took the picture lopsided.
- Snobs. I really could care less how much you paid for your horse, saddle, trainer, clothes, truck, trailer. Go 'F' yourself. And YES, that includes Snobby trainers!
- "Rescues" who are actually just animal hoarders.
- Always having an entourage of equally obnoxious, loud, spoiled and snobby as yourself people surrounding the rest of us who want to have fun.
- Prejudice judges. If you LOVE only Arabs, then you shouldn't be judging a damn OPEN breed show.
- Beating up your horse in public of all things! I hate that! I have confronted more people about that crap. OOOOH especially when it's one of those younger riders whose 20K horse in responding perfectly. Spur, jab, rip, yank. UGH!
- Kids running around a barn, horse show, anywhere where a horse could kick it's little brains out and the parent is NOT even paying attention.
- Having so much bling on you and your horse I need to keep my sunglasses on at all times!
Oh and the list goes on LOL! Let me know what I may have forgotten. This is like super fun therapy :)
21 comments:
Horses that turn in when you ask them to stop on the lunge. Drives me nuts.
One horse I work with walks right up to you and puts his head on your sholder. It's like 'idshgjdgh! Get off my sholder and wait for me over there!'
Oh and people who think they have special claim to the arena and bitch if anyone else comes in to ride.
Wow, you kinda covered it, Trex.
Great post!
How I hate the horse ads with four pictures of the it eating grass! What the hell? If you advertise a horse that is suppose to be a HUS, WP or over fences horse, then do you think I need to know if the SOB can eat GRASS?
I hate when people who have only been around horses for a few months go out and buy one. Way too many things go wrong.
I hate "broodmare only" ads. Either break the horse to be ridden so she has a better chance, or if she is so injured that she can't be ridden them she does not need to be caring about the extra few hundred pounds from a baby.
People breeding horses well into their 20's. At 20, they've made you enough money and deserve a well earned retirement.
I think I'm going to do one of those on my blog now. There are A LOT of things that piss me off, not only in the horse world.
And I completely agree about the unfair judging thing. I took my haffie to a local show on saterday and the judge is an idiot. First she didn't have a clue what to look for and gave out the prizes in the order you were standing in (she didn't even change us around) and then started putting them in order of her favourite colours! Every grey pony in there got a 1st or second prize while chestnuts and palomino's were put last. There was a stunning palomino who did everything right and came in last and the grey in the same class who came first went off on the wrong lead and was disunited. Having a red headed mare myself - guess where I placed...
Thnx for letting me rant... It just pissed me off so bad that she didn't even know a good looking horse from a bad one.
good post, good ideas.
CL posters wanting to get paid to ride. Have they heard of lessons or leasing?
Moms who do all the barn chores (please don't flame me here, but when our girls rode, I made them clean those stalls themselves).
Padraigin...
About the Mom's doing barn work thing. SERIOUSLY drives me nuts. When I was a working student I had to run my mom off to let me do my own work. The students these days get to ride for free and don't even barely lift a pitchfork.
& about Arabs..
I have the opposite problem with my Arab. Of course, thats what I get for riding an Arab in the Hunter circuit.
Can I just say that the local Hunter circuit is on my shit list, in general? (even though I keep showing in it...)
Oh, and...
Speaking of 16 year old CL trainers.
TX
I said $6500. And he wasn't eating.
I want $25,000 for the one who had his back turned and was eating.
Otherwise, I completely agree with you.:P
I am sooo laughing. Thank you.
When older horse people think they know more than you about a paticular horse subject just because they are older or because of their experience (and I'm not a kid, I'm 19, I have my fair share of knowledge and experience). Like being told for certain that a tom thumb is a snaffle. And that you have to have black horses in your horses lines atleast 2 generation before you can have a black foal. Or that your grey horse has a yellow tail because it's grand dam was a palomino? Like wtf people? And of course, I can't argue with them.
In defence of "broodmare only" ads... we have a couple broodmares on the farm I would market as "broodmare only". One had joint ill as a foal and as a result has mild arthritus in her pasterns which is makes her lame in work. She's ok for w/t and slow trail riding and such. The other mare has a tendon injury which-same case- makes her lame in work, but is ok for w/t. Neither mare would you advertise as a riding mount, because in work they will break down and be uncomfortable. But most of the year they're on pasture/in a paddock feeling just fine. I agree, if your mare is limping walking around your paddock, dont breed her, but there are plently of mares who are sound enough to carry a foal, but not for arena work.
My first post here, but I could not resist!
People selling a horse that they have used for 15-20 years for no obvious reason. True financial problems and a need to re-home is one thing, but selling a horse that has served you well just because it can no longer be ridden, shown, or whatever is pretty much just pure evil IMO. These ads piss me off more than anything else!
Illiterate CL ads along the lines of "dos you're mare need servising? Stalion at stud $25!"
Blackmailers on CL ads, e.g. "if not gone by Saturday [posting on Friday, or course] will go to auction!" I'm thinking this is BS most of the time, as they are frequently asking WAY more than they would get at whatever scummy auction they are threatening to send their poor horse to.
CL ads for horses that are listed as "pasture pal only," yet the horse is shown in full tack!
I'm sure I could think of a lot more, but I might rant all night!
Hey TrainerX!
I have a training question.
When I bought my horse, Bailey, he was awesome on the trails. Way more reliable out there than anywhere else. I've had him for about three years and I know I can completely trust him in the ring, on the ground, at shows, and on cross-country. But I've progressively not been able to trust him on trail rides. We only walk and its through woods, orchards, and fields. It got to the point where he bucked me off in a corn field last fall and completely lost his sanity on a ride through Hitchcock Woods in SC. I had to keep him trotting or cantering to keep him from rearing or trying to throw himself of the trail or at other horses. And this was after a long workout!!!
What can I do to help this?? I don't want to be stuck in a ring or galloping in fields all the time!
Thanksss!
Ciera
Oh I have a couple of these...
To explain these- I worked at my old barn with a few other girls keeping an eye on the lesson horses while our trainer taught lessons. We cleaned tack, kept the aisle neat and helped the smaller kids or beginners groom and tack, etc.
People who show up right as their lesson should be starting and can't understand why their horse isn't standing there ready to go. It was made clear that you needed to be there early to groom and tack. We are happy to help but it isn't our job. Particularly when they do it every week. Despite the trainer reminding them that they needed to be there early every week.
People who mess with tack they don't know about... most of the lesson horses used a bit-less bridle, especially with the beginners. I can't remember what type they were exactly, but I remember there was very few straps that needed to be undone to remove them, and undoing the wrong ones led to disaster and someone having to spend much to long to put it back together properly.
On to the actual point now.
I'm putting a saddle I'd just cleaned away in the tackroom and I hear one of the students and their parents come in from their lesson and I called that I'd be out in a second. I walk out maybe 30 seconds later. The student's parent had decided I was taking to long and started unbuckling the bridle pel-mel and managed to more or less take it completely apart. Needless to say I was not a happy camper that day.
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I'll shut up now... sorry for the rant
Been reading your posts for awhile though only commenting here and there ;) Great post, lol. Have to especially agree with the horse snobs part!
My pissed list...
Kids whose parents over-horse them! It seems to happen ALL THE TIME. Parent buys kid 6yo 17hh high energy Thoroughbred, horse is unmanageable for kid (duh), kid gets bucked off one day, horse is blamed and sold. Or the parents buy their kid a $50,000 Warmblood pony to do Pony Club on. Come on. Get the kid to work for the pony at least.
People who have never been around a horse who buy a horse expecting said horse to teach them. No lessons, no help. Then, after two years of abusing their horse and taking no lessons, they are suddenly an expert. So they start training OTHER PEOPLES' horses! Most of which are all deemed "crazy" because they buck and rear and everything else to get this rider off their back. Because they're a few years older, they MUST be wiser, so they argue with you, with absolute certainty, that a curb bit is a bit that is solid, and a snaffle is a bit that is jointed in the middle. Period. No arguing, they are right, you (despite many more years, lessons, and experience with horses), are wrong. Oh, and then they use twisted wire mouthpieces "because it was just lying around". The green horse wearing said bit is soon bleeding by the mouth, not to mention that she is terrified of any riders.
Yelling at your horse for being stupid, whipping it with your reins in anger, and kicking it with your spurs repeatedly. Y'know, just MAYBE the horse just doesn't understand what you're asking!!!
Blaming everything on the horse. It's not the horse. It's you. Start taking responsibility.
Had to rant. Lol. Seriously sometimes Darwin just needs to step in and run over some people.
On the other hand...
I met one "trainer" who is 15 years old. She beat out a trainer in her late-30's, who had much more experience, at a Trainers' Challenge. She came in second place to myself and did extremely well. Though I felt there were areas she was missing, she did a great job, was eager and open to learning, and seemed to be doing a good job with the horses she was working with at home too. I felt that she could easily surpass myself even, if she kept growing at the rate she had been so far. I must point out though she was a bit of a snob though...too bad. But anyways, not all 15yo trainers are not experienced enough to start horses...I wouldn't give them the wild horse who's been running with the herd for 4 years, but for her to start say one of the quiet 3yo QH mares I just started? No problem. The "trainer" listed by lachellesays actually doesn't seem half-bad, and she's not professing to be an actual trainer anyways - she's looking for more experience. I'd have her work some of my horses (under my eye of course at first) just to put more miles on them. Everyone starts somewhere and there are some really talented young horsemen and horsewomen out there. I think that the majority of 15yo's probably shouldn't be training horses, but some certainly can, and it's often difficult to tell in an ad (so it's not always really fair to judge solely based on the ad). I started training my own horses at 12, lol...I'd been riding already for a good 7++ years though.
I've heard the longe thing before, and 'm confused as to why it's such a hassle to people when a horse stops on a longe and turns in? I do not longe but will play circling games and such on 12', 22', and 45' lines - my horses do turn in, it's what I teach them. They disengage their hindquarters and so stop...something we later carry up into the saddle. But if I ask them to stay there (facing me), they will. If I tell them it's okay to come in, they will, but respectfully (ie. not running me over or entering my space when they come in). I can easily, EASILY send them back out in whichever direction with just a flick of my finger or wrist. So I'm lost as to why it's such a hassle...anyone care to explain?
Again, great post. I think we'd all have a lot more to write even, if we really thought about it, haha.
www.theperfecthorse.blogspot.com
At shows, when people park all their junk, scooters, dogs, etc. in front of your stall so their area stays neat.
People who tie thier dogs on a long rope in the barn isle, threatening to tangle around your horse as you try to get him down the isle.
People who leave their dogs in a stall at the show while they leave for their hotel for the night - leaving doggie to bark his head off all night.
People who don't geld their crap stallions.
People who never send in the transfer papers on a horse you sold them years ago.
I think I'm just pissed at everything today. :-)
* Pulling the reins while you can reach back to whip your horse to go faster.
* Someone mentioned over-mounting your kid. YES!!!!! (groan) Too much horse is a baaaaaad thing for a kid's growth and confidence!
* Becoming an instant expert from one win.
* Snobs... I must agree with the snob thing. What's up with that anyway?
People standing on their horse. Drives me nuts.
yeah! Someone to speak there mind...i love it!
Too long reins!!! It makes me crazy when I see people barely make a straight line to a fence because their reins are like a foot too long.
Couldn't agree more about the snobs! You can never escape them.
Also, trainers who vocally stick their nose in where it doesn't belong. We all have pet peeves, and we all think bad things about other riders and grit our teeth and clench our fists but you NEVER interfere unless the rider/horse is actually in danger. My leaser was riding my horse at our barn and he was sweaty because he's a thoroughbred and that's what he does, and some trainer actually came up to her and pulled the reins out of her hands and told her she was abusing my horse! Totally inappropriate.
i'm catching up on your blog...I've gotten a bit behind ;)
majorrrrr ones.
"Trainers" who can't STFU at shows.
Teach at home, get to the show, let the kid show his/her best, THEN give corrections. Don't yell "ELBOWS!!" across the arena every two laps.
"Trainers" in general. I know one who SWEARS a trot has four beats naturally, and it LOOKS like two when you do it quickly. (She also often posts on the wrong diagonal.)
People who only ride WITH spurs. At all times. On all horses.
People who don't know how to keep their spurs off their horses. IE posting...when they jam the horse every time they sit.
Another thing people I know do....leaving a show arena before the results have been called. "Line up before your ring steward" and BOOM they leave.
People who use correctional bits for years and wonder why the horse won't listen when they finally go back to a snaffle.
I have more....for another time.
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