What is the best piece of horsey advice you have been given over the years?

Why was you given it and what was the outcome? Share your pearls of wisdom! xWhat is the best piece of horsey advice you have been given over the years?
NEVER lose your temper 9 times out of 10 its your fault ! you can do much damage in a rage so walk away and start another day.


i ve learned this over the years be patient and kind but dont let them get away with anything, repetition and consistency is the key and if you start a job you must see it through, its a partnership 50/50What is the best piece of horsey advice you have been given over the years?
In one form or another from many people and from just common sense of dealing with animals ';It's never the horse's fault'; I don't care what they've done or you think they've done, be a big kid and shoulder the blame people, even if it isn't really your fault.
Put your money on lusty light i did it won.
Don't second guess urself
';Lifes to short for A**hole horses';





having said that


Shortly after a friend of 20 years riding expierence had to remind the horse we nick named the the red thing who was the boss, got bucked off
dont stand near the back of them
Beware of chestnut mares...I ignored it much to my chagrin
my auntie encouraged me to do the horse course that i am on now because she said i was born to work with horses. she took the example of the foal i had, i was doing my GCSEs, had never had a horse before and i just knew how to be this foals mum, i got him to drink, to play, to eat grass. she said that i am a natural and its what i should do.


so if it is something that you want to do and you couldnt imagin your life without horses or never being with horses go for it, i ges it applies to anything really. x
1) Use a mixture of pig oil and sulphur to prevent sweet-itch... rather smelly, but it works wonders!





2) Read Monty Roberts - I did, and his techinques work brilliantly. Recommend him to anybody who has horses. After learning some of his techniques, I was able to work with 'problem' horses that other people were terrified of. Seriously, that was the best piece of advice I was ever given!
This is advice I often give myself as many people tend to forget. A horse is an animal, not a robot and therefore is not 100% predictable. People can't expect perfection all the time and when a problem arises deal with it instead of just blaming the horse.
Chestnut Mares love men who give them apples and polo mints. So do most horses.
I have 2 - the first was ';without impulsion you have nothing'; and it's true because you need the horse to have a basic desire to move forwards before you can achieve anything else.





The second was when I had been watching top level dressage and I was not impressed by a well-known rider's position. I said that I would not like to be taught by him as I preferred a more classical position. My mentor immediately pointed out how much that rider had achieved and the many top riders (many of whom had positions I would die for) and horses he had trained. It has made me far more open minded about different methods of training and far less critical of others.
Go back to basics. If there is a problem, go back to basics.


The horse has no concept of right and wrong...therefore he will learn a bad habit as easily as a good one.


There are no bad horses, only bad riders and bad trainers.


(Never been proved wrong with any of them!)
make sure you check which end your feeding....
learn as much as you can about at horse's body language and as much as you can about how a horse THINKS. That is the only way to have a good relationship with one.
';Common sense will take you a very long way in the world of horses';...





Or, now you know what ';pilot error'; means.......
hmmmm. ';If you don't fall off at least 7 times you aren't pushing yourself hard enough!'; made me a bit happier when I fell off at my first traveiling show (only schooling shows before). : )
That it's the riders fault 99% of the time.





The outcome was that I became a better rider, handler and caretaker of horses.
I've got two...one was from my old horseback riding teacher who was our towns Rodeo Queen. ';Honey, everyone falls off the horse, ya just got to get right back on.'; And I did and boy am I glad.


Then one my boyfriend told me, ';Hey, everyone is has their special horse and I don't mind if you pay more attention to it that you do to me.';
Wet saddle blankets are the secret to making a good horse.





It's such an obvious thing; if you don't work your horse and push his limits a little you'll never make a better horse, yet its so often overlooked.
We were trail riding at a state park and my mare Psycho Cheyenne was being her typical self. The first five minutes of the ride she would always fight you. After that, she was good as gold. Anyway, she was being her typical self, crow hopping and after I worked her in an open field and she settled down, I stopped to fill my canteen and an old cowboy came up to me, and said ';why ride the bad ones when there are a lot of good ones out there'; and when I got home, I looked at all the things she had broken, the next day she broke 2 brand new lead ropes (don't know how she did it, she was tied up short) and so I took her down to Sioux City and sold her. He was right, and with the horse market the way it is, there are good horses out there cheap.
horses like all animals know survial, only humans know right from wrong and create rules for the most prefrect existence.....our horses only work to please us and think we are utterly crazy/silly.





never underestimate the brain power of a bored horse.....





If it can be broken it will be broken (pertaining to halters, lead ropes and any other equipment in the wrong place at the wrong time).
SELL THIS POTLICKER... from my farrier when we were trying to get a lame horse sound. He was right, sadly there was no getting him sound. :(





My second favorite, from a vet who was doing a pre-purchase exam on an off the track throughbred... ';Jumper prospect?! This horse couldn't jump a rattlesnake if it was about to bite him in the ***!'; End of exam! :)
I was given this piece of advice when I was only a little girl .... and at 50 I still remember it well..... only have never used it!!! HOLD ON TIGHT!