When bad things happen...

A rider panics, maybe falls off, and often blames the horse...

A horseman....

How Not To...

...hitch your harness horse.

Seriously. There is nothing right in this video. Not. One. Thing.

Why are they hitching their horse on the road?

Now, let's see. The guy touches the horse on the flank, presumably adjusting a strap. The horse cocks a leg, so the guy kicks him...the horse kicks back and gets his leg over the shaft. That should not happen...unless the shafts are, as they are, too low.

Then the guy tries to get the leg back OVER the shafts without dropping the shaft. The horse takes this pretty well, but is clearly getting more and more frustrated. DROP THE SHAFT you idiot. It would have been way faster to drop the shaft and re-hitch than do what they did.

When they finally succeed, the old guy gets in the wagon then the other guy tosses him the lines.

Finally, the horse, apparently glad to get out of there, sets off at a pretty good lick.

So, what's wrong with this?

First of all. I've kicked a horse back for kicking before. If applied correctly, it can work. The horse, though, wasn't actually kicking. It was reacting to the strap adjustment a little oddly, perhaps because it thought it was a fly. So, the punishment was excessive.

The big issue, though, was that they should have unhitched and started over when the horse's leg ended up over the shaft. It would have been easier, quicker, and less traumatic for the poor animal. They also didn't need to shove him to back him up...unless, of course, he wasn't properly trained to back up, which strikes me as rather basic for a harness horse. Lots of yanking on the mouth, too.

Just drop the shafts. Sheesh, people...

This is a text video...

...but one with an important lesson.

Never.

Ever.

Ride in hiking boots.

You don't need "proper" riding boots if you're just going on a casual trail ride, but please wear closed toed shoes or boots with a smooth sole and a slight heel.

Please. The woman who made this video is lucky she is still alive.

Is this horse crazy?

No.

Hint #1: If you can't keep your lower leg still and quiet, remove the spurs until you can. Spurs are a tool for experienced riders only.

Hint #2: Really, the only use for draw reins is for very short periods with a very experienced rider to fix an upside-down neck musculature caused by going incorrectly. Even then, the good riders I know don't use them and don't allow them to be used on their horses. In this case, even though the draw reins are in the "mild" side position rather than the severe "down" (between the legs), the rider is using the draw reins as well as the regular reins to cue the horse because nobody has actually taught her how to ride with two reins.

In other words, no, the horse isn't crazy - the rider is using equipment she is not ready to use. I blame...the instructor (Well, there's somebody standing in the ring watching her, anyway, that I assume is an instructor).

Western Pleasure Done...

...right. Well, mostly.

The video focuses on the palomino, but I like every horse in here except the solid chestnut.

ONLY the chestnut is four beating. The palomino lacks gait purity right after the transition to the lope, but does pick it up later. In the walk, he is tracking up nicely, he has more issues in the jog but that could be his natural gait. Yes, it's slow. They're supposed to be slow. They're supposed to carry their heads low - and I ride a couple of horses who do that naturally, it's the way they put their heads when they're relaxed and on the bit.

And these horses look relaxed and happy, not sour or stressed. I'd still like to see a bit more forward in the lope, but it's way better than you normally see.

Dose of cute

Shetlands in their natural environment!

Non-Truth in Advertising

This video is supposed to indicate how much better for horse and rider a bitless bridle - and specifically this brand of bitless bridle, the Nurtural, is.

First, we see the Thoroughbred being ridden in what appears to be a full cheek, single-jointed snaffle. He's clearly not happy in this bit - which is not unusual. Thoroughbreds have narrow jaws and tend towards low palates and generally do not work well in single-jointed bits. (I personally prefer a double-jointed bit with any horse).

Then they switch him to their "nice, kind, natural horsemanship bitless bridle" - and guess what? He hates it. He rears when they try to fasten it, he's stargazing, he's throwing his head around, but they're still touting this as "better" than the bit! (Because he stops faster? I don't think he even does).

I'm not against bitless bridles - there's a horse I'd love to try in one but the barn insurance has this stupid clause in it requiring bits at all times. Sometimes they are the best solution, but here's the thing.

Bitting is an art, not a science, Finding the right bit involves a certain level of understanding of mouth conformation, how it varies by breed (and by individual horse), pressure and release. It also involves paying attention to your horse. They will send pretty clear signals about what's in their mouth or on their head.

In this case, either something else is going on with the horse (I see tightness through the neck and poll that could use flexibility exercises and possibly a visit to a chiropractor) or he...just hates that particular bridle. But these people are glossing over the fact that the horse is going worse in their bridle because, hey, the rider still has control.

This horse needs to be checked over and then properly re-bitted - personally I'd try him first in a French link, but that's always my go-to bit for horses that are showing discomfort about the mouth. That might end up with a bitless bridle (but not this one) or it might not.

It's better to look at what works and gives you a good ride than get stuck on some kind of ideology.

Stripes!

I wouldn't recommend anyone get a zebra - they're hard to train and have no withers - but this little guy is amazing!

You're having a great test...

...your horse is behaving perfectly, everything's going really well.



Poor woman! I hope the judge let her restart from just before the incident and didn't hold it against her.

I'm Going To...

...get that nose. I am! Oh wait, it moved...eek, it moved again. Still gonna get it. Hands off my leash...

...Wow...

In Iceland in winter one of the hobbies is to race horses on the ice...

In this case, the race went badly wrong. Probably, they should have started it with the horses further apart, but most of the field went through the ice on the start.

Don't worry. This video does not show drownded horses. The water beneath the ice was fairly shallow and all of the horses were extricated safely, helped by the fact that none of them panicked. (If you watch the video, the horses are standing on the bottom, not swimming).

The pond they were using is the City Pond in Reykjavik. I honestly thought it was slightly deeper than that, but not much...

But next time, start the display with the horses a bit further apart to spread the weight. Or check your ice better.

Even...

...the quietest kids ponies can spook sometimes.

Oops. Kudos to the kid for staying on, but the instructor needs to tell her to grab the mane next time, not the reins. (This is why I like a neck strap for beginners).

Mules are...

...stubborn, difficult to train, inclined to cause trouble and not nearly as easy to train as horses.

Right?

Right.

(What a great longear).

The World's Slowest Horse Race

I've never seen or heard of this particular event before...

Isn't that awesome? I always love seeing the big guys in action.

Adorable...

Cutest trick training.

Ever.

(Although I wouldn't be teaching that particular trick with a saddle on as there's a good risk of breaking the tree).

When Ranchers...

...talk about a horse having "cow" - this is what they mean.

I mean. Who needs a cowboy?

Amazing driving

This shows the entire race. Watch going into the second turn and you'll see a driver unseated...

...then watch at the very end as Tony Morgan brings two horses home safely. I have never seen or heard of a driver doing this, but he probably prevented a worse wreck - and as we've seen, harness racing wrecks can be very bad indeed.

How do you...

...deal with this situation?

I know *I* would have been too busy laughing to do anything about this situation...

Dressage...

...it's so prim, proper and formal. Nobody actually has fun, and it only attracts OCD people with an obsession with precision. Nobody has ever laughed or cheered at a dressage show.

Here's the evidence.