Stupid Horse Mistakes I have made...🤦🏻‍♀️

[@mickeyfried9821]

Humility is a rare trait. Thanks for your honesty.

[@davehurley3080]

Such an honest video about honest mistakes. The other day I was working with one of my guys with sneakers on, and got my foot flattened... OUCH! Limped into work, co-worker says "Why don't you get rid of thous horses, your gonna get killed".... I said why don't you get rid of your dog?.... silence. My lifestyle, my choice.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man getting stepped on hurts!! Yeah horse people don’t always get it! 🤪

[@tesserau3156]

Speaking of stupid mistakes and variables, I decided to, in a light (powder) snowstorm to take my horse for a ride for the first time with my cattle dog (who is pretty recall trained) while not using a saddle or bit. This is a horse who is much more dependable in regular work and not in regular work during the winter. I kept being distracted by the dog running off to the muck heap and not responding to my recall. I finally got the dog to come onto the trail with us and she stayed at the head sniffing stuff for a while. I finally called her and she did a classic full speed zoom to catch up. This was an oh crap moment as my mare started to walk to the side and then spin. I came off and split my lip inside my mouth against my teeth. We walked back to the house, put the dog inside, remounted to end on a good note. Went back up the trail half a mile, with her wanting to turn around every few steps. After a few more forward motion steps, I turned her and she kept trying to break into trot. I kept stoping and backing her for correction on the iffy ground. We got back to the arena and I decided to see if she wanted to trot on the side that didn't have ice. After a few circles, we got too close to the icy side and she slipped and fell. I was deposited softly and she got up unhurt, but it was MOST DEFINITELY time to call it a day. So many mistakes. At least I was wearing a helmet.

[@Apb23]

So a more recent thing I should’ve done before it got to this point… is always taking my whip in with me when I feed my horses in their shelters. I have a quarter horse and a spotted draft and have let them get really close to me physically when I would bring their food in. They would move back if I asked, but I didn’t always ask… so lately they have been excited to eat after a cold day in the pasture with not much to munch. They have put on quite a show running back and forth as I prepare their pellets and hay. My big Doberman runs with them (outside the fence) and they all are very playful. So one wet day after we had acquired lots of water and mud from the atmospheric rivers, i walked in with their pellets and my draft runs up at me (felt like a charge) stops with her huge hooves right in front of me, I’m back pedaling, uselessly since my boots are stuck in the mud, after I yell “woah!!!”, she turns playfully around and I see her back feet come up so I turn my back toward her and expected to get hammered. She didn’t touch me but kicked up mud on my head and back. I was angry and trembling from fear. She had never done that before. She came to me for forgiveness… with her head down on my chest. It was sweet… but I won’t go in unless everyone is calm and waiting at a distance. She will stop short now when I have a whip (which is every time now) and does not run up on me now.

[@zivagoldman2001]

I had a fat and fluffy stock quarter horse named Doc that was one of those "Been there, done that" kind of horse. We were a perfect match because I never asked for much and he never gave much! :) I always told him "If I ever got a real horse, I wouldn't know what to do", because he was just so perfect. I am almost 60, my joints aren't what they used to be, I've put on weight, but my heart still dreams of owning a draft horse before I die! I can't give up my dreams, so until I get one, I will live vicariously through you and Fame! :)

[@goldenyearsacres9163]

@Ziva Goldman, I too had this dream. So, I bought my draft at age 52. I definitely use more caution than I probably would have when in my 20's & 30's, but if you enjoy companionship as much as riding, it's still worth pursuing. I bought a 14 yr old, rather than a youngling since my age would have made having a younger horse a bit challenging. I enjoy grooming & just walking with my percheron mare as much as riding. Hope this encourages you.

[@riasheart111]

Everything you mentioned was so much what I’ve experienced, I also noticed that sometimes I’ve noticed is just to be with my horse and not having expectations from it that day. Just being present and enjoying her company, like just taking a walk together and grooming. She loves that

[@RoseThistleArtworks]

This is so wonderful. Great tip. I get very task oriented and have to really be conscious of just being. Horses excel at that. They are so in the moment, always.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Yes! This!!

[@cjackdar]

I did just that last time I was with Spike, the Percheron I ride. I'm a OTR truck driver so I'm out a month at a time and I miss my big buddy so last time I was home I went over just to love on him and groom him. Then back the next day for a trail ride.

[@BlondVlogs]

Instead of having no horse professional around me I have made the mistake of having the wrong horse "professional" around me. All our stablemaster's horses are bombproof and he is super knowlegable about horse breeding. Unfortunatly as it turned out his horse training methods just didn't align with me and my horse. To his annoyance I did get a new trainer who is wonderfull, patient and understanding. She has helped me grow in confidence and works with a lot of natural horsemanship instead of just pushing a horse or trying to strongman it.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh yesss, this! I'm so glad you found someone in line with your preferences. 🙌🏼

[@saltwaterpurl]

Agree with Polly. The business of lesson barns and trainers often means compromises, and/or the trainer glossing over things either because they don’t want to share that info, or projecting over-confidence to manage cycling a new person through a lesson on a schedule. I have definitely ridden horses using poor fitting gear, have ridden stressed and anxious horses, have been told the horses behavior was caused by my riding when it probably was not, and have had my lesson time eaten up by barn / horse issues. I currently go to one barn because they take their time and don’t do this sort of thing, and I go to another barn that does, mostly to expose me to a wider variety of non-ideal conditions to make me a more durable rider. I don’t think the horses have the same level of care or diet at the two barns, and the level of instruction and enjoyment is night and day. I do believe the lower quality barn is very well-intending though. They just have different information, a different business model, and different resources and financial constraints.

[@jansessions6549]

Thanks for sharing! The advice you give from personal experience is so helpful and done in such a friendly way, too! You asked for viewers to share their mistakes, so here’s one of mine that I hope might help someone else. The setting: a trail ride on a friend’s horse, by myself, on a country back road. What I learned: never try to remove a low-hanging branch from a tree while on horseback! Yeah-as helpful as it might be to the next rider or motorist going that way, it never occurred to me that the branch may have other dead branches and noisy leaves attached to it, or that the horse I was on would have no clue what was making that sudden, scary noise above him! He spooked sideways, almost went out from under me, and into the path of an oncoming car. Luckily no one was hurt, but that was definitely a “What was I thinking?”, “Glad I survived it” moment!

[@gkseeton]

I ride with, I even drive a cart with a helmet. When I was a teen I avidly followed equestrian sports. A rider I admired had a freak accident on a very safe horse, on soft ground, where in the fall her head hit the only rock in the vicinity and she died from the head injury that a helmet would have decreased if not eliminated. Thus, I love helmets. There are some great ones, some gorgeous ones. I like the Troxel helmets. My next is going to be fancier.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man. Yes I’m with you, love my helmet too.

[@tespy5028]

Thank you!! There isn't another chanel like this. Such a great resource. ❤❤❤

[@HappieronaHorse]

My pleasure! Really glad you're here! ❤️

[@tespy5028]

@@HappieronaHorse , KZbin is not the easiest market to break into. So, it may take a while. And, I'm not kidding, there are not many channel like yours. But, what you do is so necessary. Do NOT get discouraged. There are more beginners in the horse world than pros. They need a resource. Please keep being that. :)

[@stellangios]

Haven't ridden since I was a young teenager, but the short answer: staying at a barn that had no mounting blocks for as long as I did. My hip is still messed up! Long answer: I did some dumb stuff (nothing super dangerous; thankfully helmets were always required in my family and at every barn where I rode. Don't think I ever hit my head falling off, though) but then...I was a kid. Most of the time either no adult was there to tell me what I did wrong, or they didn't know any better, or they did tell me and I fixed it best I could. Or they were the REASON I did the dumb thing, literally telling me (age 11??) to handle a super pushy dominant stallion-like gelding using food, getting my toe smashed in the process. Definitely some moments of overconfidence on my part, like "leading" a horse in a very quiet barn to his stall w/o a rope or halter (it worked, but looking back...it wasn't the best move. I cringe, even tho at that time that same confidence let me handle horses who would act up (rear etc.) with my more nervous peers.) Or somehow, mishandling the reins so bad on the ground that the horse caught his foot. Still don't know HOW that happened, but it was my responsibility and I'm lucky it turned out okay. But at the end of the day the stupidest mistake I ever made was not listening to myself when I knew something was *wrong*, that I wasn't coping with the situation well and the people around me were confusing me and didn't care about or respect my feelings when I did express them. Or, worse, when I knew or should have known something was wrong with a horse. It happened over and over, and looking back it was a HUGE part of the stress and anxiety that the whole horsey life was causing for me, that eventually lead me to quit. Funny thing is, now I have equestrian youtube to enjoy and I see what cool people there are out there, and lately I've been learning about how a lot of riders and trainers basically treat their horses the same way I was treated: not listening to them when they're expressing that they're not okay, not letting them know that their feelings matter and they have a say in what happens to them, or just pushing them so far beyond what they can handle that they shut down or become extremely anxious. I really hope that every rider out there seeks to grow and learn and if and when they reassess how they communicate with their horses, they also consider whether they extend that same compassion to the people around them as well.

[@HappieronaHorse]

This is so true...so many violated boundaries and it causes such stress! I totally agree with you how important it is to treat horses and people well. ❤️

[@teraloew9364]

I actually just had my first fall since I was a kid. I haven’t fallen off in like 8 years so it has definitely been a while. It was a stupid mistake, I was doing bareback with a saddle pad on for comfort and it slipped to the side and I went with it. It opened my eyes to really think about my actions. The horse I was riding was being perfect and I had a helmet and we were just walking/trotting around. However I set myself up for a fall by not thinking about that. Now I have a minor concussion and a lesson learned. Horse back riding is a constant education and I’m so lucky to have the opportunity to learn and grow. Thanks for the video! It feels good to know I’m not the only one who can make mistakes.

[@HappieronaHorse]

This is so true, it is a constant education! And I'm glad you're ok! Concussions are rough, I hope it heals quickly. 🤗Appreciate you sharing! You're definitely not alone. ❤️

[@kathyberger6650]

What a great video!! Love hearing hindsight experience!! So helpful. Thank you for sharing this very much! ❤

[@HappieronaHorse]

You are so welcome!

[@sacredruintherapeuticmassa6795]

I bought my 1st horse site unseen based on videos of her. She was 17 & being riden by a 60+ year old man with a dog running around her feet and I thought she would be the bombproof beginner horse I was searching for. Well she was a spooky neurotic mess that bucked, had to be drugged for the ferrier & vet, forget about trail she spooked every 10 feet around the stable. Took my almost a year of daily handling to get her semi relaxed. Stupidest thing possible was to not see the horse in person.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man that’s rough! Props to you for taking the time to work with her. 👍🏼

[@SaneSally]

The most important lesson i learned when i was working with a coldblood was that if you are not confident enough in yourself, and they do not feel like listening to you, they won't lift a hoof no matter what you do x) This was like 2 years ago when i thought i could move the horse by pushing against the front, until i looked up at her head and felt like a very small idiot for even trying, i'll only exhaust myself from trying to move a stubborn mare like that lmao.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man those lead feet! I can totally relate. Drafts can definitely remind us how puny we are. 😂 Thanks for sharing!

[@SaneSally]

@@HappieronaHorse I got another one: Years ago when i was still weekly riding at a horse sports centrum they told me to go grab a certain horse out of the pasture. SInce generally all their horses wouldn't do a thing to someone this was safe. So i quickly figured out that this horse did ot want to be caught, she just wanted to be left alone(was an older lady but still pretty fit) but since she was one of the only ones i could ride on as they had generally ponies and all i could do there was ride i had to catch her. Well that is when i learned not to try and 'catch' a horse whom does not want to be caught. Because when i could not get her as she turned away her head(she was a bit taller) i would run after her... yeah, not very smart i realise now lmao.

[@SaneSally]

Some things you just gotta learn the hard way, the out-of-breath yet no second closer to what you wanted- way.

[@HappieronaHorse]

@@SaneSally It's moments like this when I feel like horses like to just mess with us sometimes! 😂

[@SaneSally]

@@HappieronaHorse Either that or you're just not listening to them, i have had both occasions. Generally there is a pretty simple reason for them not wanting to be caught but if you cannot figure that out then you're in for a wild ride lmao. As i got to know the two mares i generally work with (One Friesian mic and the other a mix of god knows what) i definitely got to know when something was up or if they are just like 'You want me? Come and get me you slowpoke'. These are the horses that are generally more fun to work with though! I fell in love with the playful mannerisms the younger mare has haha.

[@Seraph566]

I have a funny experience as a result of a small but crucial mistake: Tighten the girth before you mount! I had foolishly forgotten (or neglected, can't remember) to check the girth after walking my Criollo around before the trail. Horses can sometimes hold in air when you first buckle the strap, so it's good to walk your horse around so that they expell that air and you tighten the girth again. Fast forward to our unmarked trail, and I ended up in a stream because my horse jumped over it and my saddle slid right over! It was very loose and my horse's sweat made it even easier for the saddle to flip. Luckily my Criollo was a tough guy and had years worth of desensitization so a saddle on his belly didn't affect him much, but I was hurting and wet for the rest of the ride lol.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man I feel this!! I’m glad your boy was so chill about it! 😆

[@JFS1215]

My biggest mistake was not daring to speak “horse” to my horse. Being fair but firm is really important, especially with a green horse. He needs YOUR leadership

[@cornflakes8358]

What? Stephanie not being perfect!? Unbelievable!

[@HappieronaHorse]

😂😂😂

[@Sarah_x_x_x]

I really love your content! My dream is to one day own a draft and it’s so difficult to find “draft specific” contact. I could listen to your speak on the topic all day. 😊

[@HappieronaHorse]

Wow thank you! Appreciate having you here. ❤️

[@RoseThistleArtworks]

It's not easy to share things we wish we had done differently. This is great advice. Every single thing you shared is such great advice. Thank you so much for using these experiences to help warn other people to think about things. I have a pony sized mustang that I forgot to hook the front buckles on his blanket, since it had velcro. I attached it with just the velco at first, meaning to get back to buckle those and never did. He later just walked right out of his blanket when the velcro easily came undone sometime that night. Now, I do a full circle double check before leaving him with a blanket. I'm so glad he didn't get tangled up in it by himself. That could've been terrible.

[@HappieronaHorse]

You’re so kind thank you! I’m glad your blanketing booboo wasn’t a fiasco! 👍🏼

[@KatieBug2k6]

Know this was a while ago, but, one of my big mistakes is approaching horses I don't know who are brand new to the farm for boarding, or approaching agitated horses (mainly our pony who's just a jerk in general).

[@summershowalter6532]

I made a huge mistake one time that ended me up three days in the hospital I don’t remember that day but I was riding in a saddle that didn’t fit me and I basically rode myself straight out of the saddle onto my head on the ground. My husband told me after I go to the hospital that I could either give up horses or I could start wearing a helmet so your girl wears a helmet now. Another mistake I made was when I was trying to teach my horse to drag I made the mistake of getting my foot on the wrong side of the rope and my worst side to turn in bolts and if the surcingle hadn’t of broke she would have drug me. Always watch where the lead rope is and where your feet are.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Great advice! I’m glad you’re ok! #helmetclub 😉

[@amyhaynes6323]

My first horse was a two year old mare. That was very much an experience!!

[@HappieronaHorse]

I bet!!! 🤪

[@Jordynfire]

If I ever own my own horse and or take lessons but I am most definitely wearing a helmet ❤

[@16handsoffunfunfun]

I've made so many mistakes with my horses over the years. I purchased a retired day camp lesson drafthorse, thinking he would be beginner safe and good on trails. He was cheap and I only test rode him once. NEVER AGAIN! The horse ended up having an allergic reaction to fly bites and he would break out in rashes. It made him almost impossible to ride. I can't see myself ever owning a horse again. I wish I when I made my mare I would have boarded her more often. My family owns land so we always kept our horses at home but a lot of people don't realize how much time and work goes into caring for horses. Yeah it's cool to walk outside your house and there's the horse but what good is having horses if you never have the time to actually ride them. I definitely would had ridden more if I boarded my horse.

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man allergies can be rough. Yes, I hear this from my friends who keep their horses at home, they don't get to ride as much as they'd like!

[@just_joc]

Glad you focused on the safety aspects of riding especially wearing helmets. I feel naked without mine 😜

[@HappieronaHorse]

Me too!! 😆

[@paulapolmanteer3451]

Not wearing proper shoes to clean a run in stall with my horse coming in and out.took my toenail off through my sneaker....lol...ouch.

[@HappieronaHorse]

oowwwiiie I felt this reading it. 🙈🤪

[@veronikarybarova2486]

I recently went back to riding (didn’t feel like it even when I own 2 horses, one mare who doesn’t do well if people fall off-not really horse to restart yourself with and yearling) so I “rescue” 18y old but he isn’t really calm on the ground, today I just got lesson on him, taking him from the field already stressing and boom my baby leaves and we run around each other for 5 minutes, purely cause my mind was elsewhere... huge but funny mistake as Zeus is still stupid enough to come to call 🤣

[@bethsugrue3682]

Thank you for posting this. I am in a similar situation with my green horse. How much professional training did you end up paying for? I sent mine for 60 days and she is still very green. I'm considering sending her off for more. Not sure what to do.

[@HappieronaHorse]

I ended up doing 5-6 months. Plus I was riding him afterwards pretty extensively. It takes a lot more time and effort than I realized.

[@JFS1215]

Be patient! 60 days is only the beginning. Even a pro trainer is not going to “finish” a horse in 60 days.

[@brendonbewersdorf986]

Accidents happen all the time it's just a matter of being prepared as you can just a week ago I had a pretty bad experience I exercise my cousins thoroughbred quarter horse mix he's huge at over 16 hands high I just got done riding my small quarter horse mare we did some canter work out in the field nothing unusual then I saddled him up after I finished riding her we did 30 minutes of exercise and since it was so hot he was sweaty and so was I so we started heading back towards my uncle's house I usually get off in his yard then walk them back to the barn behind the house but about 100ft away from his house my girth strap literally broke in half 😳 I went tumbling off the side of the horse shoulder first I hit the ground hard from 16 hands up luckily I was overall ok and the horse wasn't to scared he just moved out of the way but it was definitely frightening and my girth strap had no signs of damage besides the spot where the leather part of the strap tore so idk what caused it to tear it was definitely a frightening experience but I'm glad my shoulder healed up alright I just had a bruise a fall from that high I could have easily broken my collar bone or my shoulder blade you just have to be as well prepared as possible for even unforseen circumstances that might not even directly be your fault

[@HappieronaHorse]

I’m so glad you’re ok!!! Yes accidents can happen any time. 😳

[@brendonbewersdorf986]

@@HappieronaHorse yeah I was honestly more worried about the horse which was hilarious I've been doing so much work with him because he's a easily frightened horse I was afraid months worth of work was gone down the drain but he did extremely well he was quite a gentleman about it he stepped out of the way so I didn't tumble under him and he just kinda moved back 10 feet and stared at me I was able to put the saddle right back on him and hold it in place and he did it all fine so overall a scary situation but it all turned out ok I'm blessed It could have been much worse

[@jv-ib5rc]

You mentioned that you tried trail riding in a dressage saddle. Is there a reason? Which saddle do you like better for trail riding - English or Western?

[@HappieronaHorse]

The dressage saddle was very comfortable. I only trail ride in a Western saddle - there’s places to hook gear for sandwiches, water bottle etc and a deeper seat if things get hairy 😜

[@TheLunita333]

2 weeks ago I hand walked my horse with a breakaway halter and he spooked at something and ran back home after a fight and dragged me a little and snapped the halter. I should have lunged him first and had a bit on him

[@HappieronaHorse]

The darn spooking, I tell ya!

[@greenforests3373]

Hi, I have a large drum horse (17hands) but struggles with the idea of putting in a bit. He is fine once in. Just wondering if there is any tactics to make it easier Thank you

[@AndyTheCornbread]

Do you mean getting him to lower his head training tips or getting him to accept the bit training tips? If you mean the second thing; then the first thing I do with any horse I get that is hard to bit coming to me is get the vet out and have their teeth floated under sedation. Because if it is painfull for the horse to take the bit then no amount of training is going to fix that before you take away the pain. After their teeth are floated and they have had a chance to recover, I take a snaffle bit with a roller in it that prevents it from doing the nutcracker shape and I coat that roller in molasses. Then with it not on a bridle/headstall I let the horse sniff it and then gently ease it into their mouth. Let them lick off the molasses while I hold either side of the bit and then I take it out gently before they are done getting all the taste off it. I re-coat it and do it again. Do it a couple of times a day until the horse starts associating the bit with yummy and not pain or ick and then put it on a headstall and do the same thing for a while with putting it in and then taking it away before they are done licking it off. That way they always want more and eventually so long as you have taken care of any pain issues they will start darn near grabbing the bit out of your hands. The last one that was hard to bit that I got in this last April (he is 16.1hh) was taking the bit easily after 3 days. Eventually you can drop the molasses coating the roller but just keep a little container of molasses in your truck or horn bags etc. so you have it if you need it. If you get them taking the bit well like this and then start riding them with the bit and they go right back to being hard to bit then you need to re-evaluate how you ride and how soft your hands are when riding as well as bit fit etc.

[@greenforests3373]

We will try the molasses thank you We have had his teeth checked and we now believe it mabye was down to a bad experience when broke to ride. We also tried bit less as he is very responsive to legs but when on roads we wanted the extra security

[@saltwaterpurl]

Bits are complicated. My limited understanding is a lot of them are very unpleasant for many horses. The mechanics of bits is really hard to explain without examples in your hands, but two simple things are single joint bits can pike up into the roof of the mouth, and gaps in the hinges inside and outside the mouth can pinch tender skin and cause scarring. Also, not all horses will have a bad reaction to a “design flaw” of a bit, kind of like people and shoes. Watch lots of videos and cast a really wide net with asking people questions! ♥️

[@HappieronaHorse]

Fame has this issue too. I switched to a Myler 36 mouthpiece that doesn't break in the middle and that helped some. Part of his issue is not liking his ears to be touched. Andy's idea of molasses is great to try too, in a pinch I use cookies right after he takes the bit. I'm finding the more supple he is in bending, breaking in the barrel (disengaging hindquarters, half passing, etc.) it translates to better steering under saddle which means less stiff-necked stuff which translates to me having lighter hands but still good control/communication. And all that makes for a better experience for him and attitude toward bridling/bitting.

[@AndyTheCornbread]

@@HappieronaHorse That Myler 36 mouthpiece is close to the mouthpiece I use in a snaffle I use the Myler 04 loose ring snaffle for horses still in the snaffle that aren't rank beginners but are still two reining. For a western leverage bit for my horses that have progressed to a western bit I use a low ported, hinged, futurity bit, it is really a two hand reining to one hand reining transition bit but it works great for trail riding and has a very similar mouthpiece to the Myler 36. Another thing to be aware of when biting a horse is bit temperature. I hang my bit inside my shirt until it warms up on days when I am riding at home. If I am trailering somewhere I put it under my leg on the truck seat so it is body temp by the time I get wherever I am going.

[@moolvera]

Will you do a follow up to this video? Please and thank you

[@HappieronaHorse]

I’ll put it on the list, thanks for the request!

[@lydia3607]

Didn't wear a helmet and I ended up with a minor concussion, vertigo for almost two weeks and a bruised bone that hurt for a month

[@HappieronaHorse]

Oh man. Concussions are the worst! Glad you’re ok!

[@AnnaVidal1976]

Could I send you a listing of a horse and get your honest opinion. It is a Gypsy Vanner :-)

[@HappieronaHorse]

Hey Anna! feel free to DM me on Instagram.

[@chickennuggets3063]

Do not buy from a guy who tells you the horse is 10 and it’s really 30 please< my friend did so and it was sad because the horse was so old so it got retired

[@HappieronaHorse]

😢

[@chickennuggets3063]

@@HappieronaHorse don’t worry the horse is super happy now!! And has a great stall and barn to retire at and tons of love!🥰

[@02337755]

Wow you had short hair in that photo

[@HappieronaHorse]

Yeah I did the pixie thing for many years.