[MyBoyPuck]

So, winter showed up very early this year and my horse does not yet have his snow shoes on, so we haven't been able to do much riding in the snow above a walk. I decided to work on some ground manners and convenient things like ground tying with my OTTB.

Today, I took him into the barn aisle and decided to teach him how to ground tie. I stood him in the aisle, dropped the lead rope straight down to the ground, and stood there waiting for my horse to take a step so I could correct him. Several minutes later he was still standing there looking at me like, "what is it you want me to do?" I moved onto grooming him. Other than a few steps where the brushing felt good, he continued to stand still. I tried walking away a few times and seeing if he'd follow. Same result. I'm pretty sure race horses don't learn to ground tie. Considering how goofy he's been due to the cold weather, I'm just so impressed that he seemed to know exactly what I was looking for. Anyone else "teach" their horse anything that they already knew?

 

[tealamutt]

That makes me chuckle. My OTTB (off the track for quite a while now, but raced for 7 years) will put his head through the reins for bridling if you hold a loop up for him. If I hold the bridle out for him he'll also put his head through it. TBs are nutcases. Sometimes I'm sure he is going to know something I want to teach and he has no clue. Other times I think he's about to have a learning experience and he acts like it is something he's done a million times. Tonight was his first hairdryer experience. Handled it like a pro!

 

[barnprincess]

^^ i agree. my tbs surprise me all the time haha. they are VERY smart..

 

[horseluver250]

Thats pretty funny. My OTTB is similar to tealamutt's, if you hold up his halter he will put his nose in on his own. Same thing when I hold his shoulderguard up, puts his head through to put it on.

 

[MyBoyPuck]

Yeah, Puck halters himself too. With the bridle, when I put the reins over his head, he opens his mouth and pretty much puts it on himself. He's so freakin' cute. I just love TBs.

 

[riccil0ve]

My mare stuffs her head through her blankets. She LOVES wearing her blankets. =]

Gracie, my 16 month old, is the one who surprises me the most. It's not always that she already knows what I want, but it only takes her a millisecond to figure it out. I decided to teach her how to buy a few months ago, figuring we could spend a few sessions on it and it could give her something to work on. So I went out with her, picked up her foot and pulled back on the lead rope and down she went on her knee. That was it, I never even had to try. Now all I have to do is tickle her between her legs. I also set my english saddle on her back the other day. I let her sniff it, rubbed it along her sides, and she just stood there. So I started flapping it around, swinging it around her back, and then placed it on her. She just looked at me. I wiggled it around, took it off, did it again. No response at all. I'm wondering if she's luring me into a false sense of security or if she really is going to remain so level-headed throughout her training. =]

 

[equine fanatic99]

lol! When I got my pony Shadow, i just wanted to see how bombproof she really was i sat on her bare back and faced backwards and she was all good. Then I stood up on her back and she was all ears splayed, completely wearing the "I-wonder-wen-dinners-coming" expression. Then i frog leaded on her from her bum and she just stood there and I was like "...I LOVE THIS PONY!!!!!!" lol

 

[southerncowgirl93]

My Walker mare will halter herself. lol

 

[EveningShadows]

When I was working with my pony mare, she was 3 at the time and we were just going for a walk down the gravel road. I desided I would see what she thought of leg pressure and to my utter amazement, she leg yielded. Right over to the other side of the road. I thought it was fluke so I applied the other leg and she yielded again to the opposite side of the road. It was like someone stole my pony and taught her this! Ever since, she's been awesome with leg pressure and moving over.

 

[mom2pride]

My girl will come up and stand untied for me to blanket her; she also does all her grooming and saddling that way too...it's actually helped alot with her confidence in those things, because she's not had to become clausterphobic when she didn't like something...I just had a lead on her at first, so I could grab it and follow her...then I'd lead her back foward and start over...usually once
was all it took for her to realize it was "okay"

The yearlings, are really easy as well, and I've never actually taught them him to tie, just ground tie; and they tie beautifully... Blue, my only boy right now, caught on to laying down really fast...like he bowed, then decided, okay, I'll lay down! Skye, my other girl horse, caught on to bowing really fast as well, but because she's a bit more independent than her 'brother', has had a harder time catching on to laying down. Both of them took their first saddling like they had done it a million times...no buck, back hunches, or anything, even when I got them moving around the round pen.

 

[Honeysuga]

Tom deworms himself.

All I have to do is show the tube to him, he grabs it, and I push the plunger and then wrestle it back from him. He is a freak horse who loves his dewormer...

He got jealous of Satin(who is terrified of the dewormer, and is a work in progress...) when I had it in front of her and started bucking and kicking. So I called him and he walked over happy as can be and clamps his front teeth around the tube and I pushed the plunger and wrestled it away, and he swallowed it.... Wierd. Then he was happy and stood there like a good boy...

 

[SmoothTrails]

HAH My first pony was like that. He only got a half a tube of dewormer, so we had set the rest down next to the fence. I have never in my life seen another horse run, take the wormer, adn crush the canister to get all the apple flavor out faster.

My mom's filly is almost three. When she was broke she never bucked. She has amazed us. It only takes her a few minutes to figure anything out, and at this young age I would be willing to put anybody on her back. She doesn't throw fits about anything, and the fit she does throw includes standing there staring at something. She responds beautifully to leg cues and very slight rein pressure. She amazes me everytime she is ridden. She can already be ridden by my 9 year old brother. (which is good because she is little so we are working on weight loss before riding her very long anywhere) She has an inate trust in humans.

 

[equineangel91]

Don't ya love that, going to teach a horse something and the just look at you like "umm duh this ones obvious"

 

[MyBoyPuck]

Don't ya love that, going to teach a horse something and the just look at you like "umm duh this ones obvious"

You crack me up! I think that's exactly what he was thinking!