Reading Horses

[Plowboy]

I have had this discussion with alot of folks and while I don’t recomend it for beginners until they learn how to read there animals moods and quirks from working with and spending time with them. Some say never lay the lines down but in all practicality a good broke horse or team should be able to stand for at least a short period of time without taking off. While it would be safer to always hang on the lines I know I wouldnn’t get much work done if I couldn’t park them. Standing should be a part of every horses education so that when you need them to they will stand.
On the other hand some folks just OWN horses and never really understand them so it would be hard for them to read them if they don’t try to understand them. We have 8 horses here and all of them will stand for us. A couple can get fidgety in a new situation or some other stimuli like strong wind or strange noises so on those days we don’t ask them to stand because there mind is somewhere else. Even our old standby teams can have an off day now and then but we know when we bring them out of the barn pretty much how they are going to be that day. It takes time to get to know each individual horse but it is a gradual process that can be achieved by working with them on a regular basis.

[jen judkins]

@Plowboy 13080 wrote:

Standing should be a part of every horses education so that when you need them to they will stand.

I agree, Dennis. I work just about 100% alone and every now and then I have to put the lines down to do something. Reno has had a good ‘whoa’ installed, thankfully:rolleyes:…but I don’t take that for granted. We work on standing every time I drive him. Some of it is simple, like harnessing him without tying him. He gets the chance to have me come and go while I get parts of his harness or disappear into the tack room for a different set of lines. Later, when he is more tired, I unharness him out in the driveway where there is alittle more distraction and I have to go further away to put up his gear. These simulations are relatively safe for both of us and having a ‘park’ mode has been extremely helpful for me. Just yesterday, I drove Reno down the hill to the arena to drag up a couple of poles. We arrived at the poles and I realized I had dropped my chain somewhere. I parked Reno and backtracked to the last gate and there it was. I had to go 200 feet or so, but he was rock solid and waiting. I could have simply driven him back to the gate, and I might have, had he seemed anxious or uncertain. But this is where being able to read your horse is so important as you say. It only takes one day when he decided to walk off to ruin some good training. Reading where your horses are, in regard to comfort and confidence allows you to set them up to be successful. Its just good leadership.

[Vand]

Our horses are taught to stand at a very young age. We don’t take it for granted of course, especially in a situation (shows, plow matches) where there are a lot of people around; but at home, they’re made to stand on a regular basis.

One of the main chores we do is spread manure (with 16 horses, there’s plenty of it). Usually, we start with a full manure spreader. Hook the team to it, they spread it, then park them by the barn, jump on the tractor, dump another load into the manure spreader, they spread it again. They usually end up doing 4-5 loads this way. All the while, the tractor is running back and forth around them. It’s a good think when they’ve been worked this way from a young age and will just stand around as long as we need them too.

[Bumpus]

.
A person never knows what will happen from one minute
to the next with livestock.

A horse is a flighty animal by nature, and easy to spook.

A bee stings the horse, or a horse fly takes a bite of hide, and off they go.
A snake or frog goes between it’s legs.
A stray dog slips up, barks and tries to bite the horse.
A young child runs up and knows nothing about a horse and scares the horse.
A small plastic bag flies in the horses face from nowhere in the breeze.

ETC. ETC. ETC. 😮
.

[Plowboy]

There’s my point Bumpus. Although you can’t guarantee 100% but if you spend enough time with your animals and pay attention to them you will pretty much know what you can and can’t do on a given day. Obviously you’ve never spent enough time trying to read your animals. Possibly you were/are just an owner. If you actually try to spend enough time and be aware of your animals moods or quirks it wouldn’t be a problem. None of our horses are what I call flighty at all. To each his own I guess.

[TBigLug]

@Plowboy 13080 wrote:

Standing should be a part of every horses education so that when you need them to they will stand.

I think this is an important part of EVERY training program. When I first started working Dottie we spent most of our time standing rather than pulling. Big mistake I see new guys make is working the horses into the ground and not teaching them to stand. Now she will stand as quiet as any 10 y/o horse.

That being said, I never set down the lines for more than a second or two. Personal preference. My uncles horses are as quiet as the day is long but I’ve seen them walk off on him for no reason four or five times.

[Bumpus]

@Plowboy 13269 wrote:

There’s my point Bumpus. Although you can’t guarantee 100% but if you spend enough time with your animals and pay attention to them you will pretty much know what you can and can’t do on a given day. Obviously you’ve never spent enough time trying to read your animals. Possibly you were/are just an owner. If you actually try to spend enough time and be aware of your animals moods or quirks it wouldn’t be a problem. None of our horses are what I call flighty at all. To each his own I guess.

You say : “Obviously you’ve never spent enough time trying to read your animals.”

You don’t know what I know or do, and one day you will know what I am talking about by experience you will have with your own live stock, and you will remember what I said, sad to say .
.

[Bumpus]

.
I don’t care who you are, or how long you have had your animals, I can make them stampede at any given time.

Any kind of Live stock will move on fear no matter how much you train them ! ! ! !
.

[Simple Living]

Dear Bumpus…….

Never mind….

I never liked talking to the wall anyways…….

Have a nice day.

[jen judkins]

@Bumpus 13277 wrote:

Any kind of Live stock will move on fear no matter how much you train them ! ! ! !
.

I think you have misunderstood the intent of the thread once again, Bumpus. This conversation is about ‘reading horses’ not about whether it is a natural state for a horse to stand still.

Teaching a horse to stand requires a teamster to be able to read the situation, their horse and the likelihood that there will be success. Its a mathematical equation of sorts. The more the horse spends standing, successfully, the better they get at it and the more reliable they become.

[Plowboy]

Bumpus, What possible positive contribution do you have to this forum? All I see is negative comments reflecting your pissy demeanor. If you were unsuccessful at some point with draft animals you shouldn’t take out that frustration on those of us who are successful and enjoy it. I have a couple teams and a third almost there that most likely wouldn’t move unless they were physically harmed in some way. Stampede is a strong word and have never seen one in all my years around livestock. Again apparently you haven’t spent enough time trying to understand the animal and it’s personalities. I do know because it is reflected in your response you are not a horseman by the very sense of the word if you don’t understand what I am talking about.

[Joshua Kingsley]

I have had teams in the past like my old gelding paired with a couple of teammates that would stand for a long time and never budge. I have felled trees and worked for a while on bucking wood and had the team stand the entire time, they were never hooked to a thing while this was going on. I have had them standing by the trailer for hours while I was working on things and never move. Park and reading how your horses are acting are two of the most important things that could ever be done with a team. If you are unable to read your team you need to spend more time with your horses working and actually using them in order to know how they will react.
Joshua

[Bumpus]

.
Standing still is one part of reading an animal.

I try to bring possibilities to peoples attention so they can think what could happen.

I’m going to be turning 61 Saturday ( The Good Lord Willing That I live That Long ) I have seen and heard of many stories of freak things, and accidents that happen with horses which can never be fully trusted, because of there nature.

If you can not accept that then that is your opinion, which you are entailed to.

My input can be helpful to those who are not aware of what can and does happen even to the best of the best as some would say.

And as for some of you guy’s and your vulgar remarks, they are really not helpful to any one, and your only hurting yourself by making them.

I have also had remarks and statement form others on this forum who
receive, benefit, and agree with many of the things I have shared.
.

[Carl Russell]

Sorry I missed all this. I read the first couple of posts and agreed entirely with Dennis, and could see where he was going with this thread. Unbelievably, it took a turn into disarray.

I am banning Bumpus. I apologize for the distractions he has caused here. I try to give everyone the chance to participate constructively, but alas some just can’t seem to do that.

Carl

[OldKat]

@Carl Russell 13347 wrote:

Sorry I missed all this. I read the first couple of posts and agreed entirely with Dennis, and could see where he was going with this thread. Unbelievably, it took a turn into disarray.

I am banning Bumpus. I apologize for the distractions he has caused here. I try to give everyone the chance to participate constructively, but alas some just can’t seem to do that.

Carl

Too bad it had to come to that. Bumpus made some good points from time to time, and posted a lot of interesting videos.

Mostly though I read his posts and thought; WHAT???????????? Overall, I think we have a really good community of interest here. Thanks for policing it Carl

[Author]

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