Do you let your horse stop to poo?

Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins

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Oct 10, 2004
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Ben has always stopped to poo since I have had him. It is very annoying. He will go directly from trot to halt and then stand there for a few minutes until the poo comes out.

Over the last few weeks I have been having some help with him from the head girl on the yard. She has ridden him a few times (and she rides him amazingly well) and for the first time last week I saw him poo and canter. He has never done this with me. She says that under no circumstances should I let him stop to poo and that he must keep moving.

Last night he attempted to stop and I got after him and managed to get him to poo in walk. However, another livery told me that this was unfair and that I should just let him stop. I got really upset because the livery implied that I was being cruel and that I shouldn't "beat him up" to get him to move forward. All I did was growl and give him a couple of light taps with my whip. It was hardly "beating him up", but all the same it upset me because it implied that I was being unfair in what I was asking of him.

So I'm interested, do you let your horse stop to poo, or do you make your horse go forwards?
 
Unless I was in the middle of a road or other dangerous situation, I'd let my boy stop and poo. I always remember my RI picking up a bit of the rubber schoolling surface and chucking it at the pony I was riding when it tried to stop and poo. I have no problem with other folk making their own choice, but to me I'm not a top class rider who needs my horse to keep walking. Its supposed to be a nice leisurely hack where we both enjoy ourselves.
The other thing is that I make this decision based on the fact that its not something I deal with that often. Flipo is very very very good at refusing to move when I catch him and before I ride, until he's done both a pee and a poo. Incredibly annoying, but I guess functional, he doesn't like to exert himself with a full bladder lol!
 
No, I don't let them stop. I don't think it's good manners to stop dead and poo, any more than I think it's good manners to stop dead and paw the ground. Just my opinion though ;)
 
Silver stops to poo, but will walk on if asked - therefore she wouldn't stop in a road. She has however stopped in the middle of a junction for a wee :eek: and I couldn't move her - thankfully cars had stopped to let us cross - and half way across she stopped and weed - she just wanted an audience I think!!!

I don't see whats wrong with stopping to poo unless its dangerous and they wouldn't move like in a road. As FM says we are leisure riders and it makes little difference to me so meh! But thats a bit "us" all over - she grazes intermittently, if she offers a canter we canter unless I say no - I expect her to listen to me if I say otherwise, but generally we mooch about with little rules or regulations - certainly no outline or similar notions in this house - very much sloppy happy hackers!
 
eml said:
Riding school horses do stop as basically it doesn't really matter and beginner riders could not ride them forward enough but competition horses do not as they would be losing marks/time etc.
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You see this was the point that the HG was making. We are aiming to compete in dressage and in a few years time i can see us doing this on a regular basis. She says that if I want to compete, I cannot just let him stop when he feels like it.

Is it more comfortable for a horse to poo whilst standing still?
 
Do you walk and poop or do you need to stop?

The cob does her business while i lead in from the field. She has been praised for that. If you need to go please do so now. She generally won't go in the school and if she does poop it is a sign she is scared of something.
I don't really mind so She isn't stressed about it either.

To quote a riding instructor, a horse can run and poop when scared, so they should be able to go when ridden. I disagreed as i didn't want a scared horse that felt they had to.
 
I've often seen horses poo in trot/canter whilst playing in the field so I doubt it's that uncomfortable! Surely as flight animals it's normal for them to be able to do both at the same time?
 
newforest said:
The cob does her business while i lead in from the field. She has been praised for that. If you need to go please do so now. She generally won't go in the school
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Super! Do you think she could teach this to our lot please!

And no, I don't walk and poop... but being a human and not a horse I think it's a bit different :tongue:
 
newforest said:
Do you walk and poop or do you need to stop?
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Well i am not a horse and I don't think that you can compare humans to horses in that way. Horses having a run around the field will poo and run at the same time. I have also seen top level jumping horses poo as they go over a 5ft jump.
 
joosie said:
No, I don't let them stop. I don't think it's good manners to stop dead and poo, any more than I think it's good manners to stop dead and paw the ground. Just my opinion though ;)
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I'm really working on Bens manners. We had a period where he was starting to get nappy and try to plant himself when he felt like it. We have got over that now with me being much more assertive with him. This is the next step. I know that he can move and poo because he did it with HG riding him last week. If he can do it with her, he can do it with me.

I also worry about him stopping and pooing in a dangerous situation. What if he did it when we (finally) start to cross the busy main road?
 
newforest said:
The cob does her business while i lead in from the field. She has been praised for that. If you need to go please do so now. She generally won't go in the school and if she does poop it is a sign she is scared of something.
I don't really mind so She isn't stressed about it either.
.
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Actually I think this is how we managed to do it....my mate's arab is horrendous at endurance rides for being too excited to pee and she can feel him tense up in his back. He won't pee until he's home and she says she can see the visible relief. She talks about trying to encourage him by never looking at him (he gets performance anxiety and stops) and petting him if he does pee or poo. I guess I just picked up on that and always have a hay cube in my pocket so if he pees or poos when I'm leading him in, I turn away so he can do it in privacy and then pet him and give him a cube. The annoying thing is that he now spends ages trying to pee and poo and I can never tell if he's taking the p!ss out of me and planting, or just doing what he thinks is expected. Either way it stops him doing it once I'm on him.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
Just about pee'd my pants reading that!!:giggle:
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Glad to be entertaining, couldnt resist. :tongue:

Just wondered that if some stop and some keep going whether it was a training or manners issue or whether for some it is easier.
 
Clever RS ponies learn to stop when it is their turn to do something harder or to block an exercise dependent on riders keeping going. One has it down to a fine art, can do 4 mini poos and two pees in an hour...timewaster!!!
 
Mine don't stop as I don't want to be out jumping and have them stop dead half way round the course!
 
eml said:
Clever RS ponies learn to stop when it is their turn to do something harder or to block an exercise dependent on riders keeping going. One has it down to a fine art, can do 4 mini poos and two pees in an hour...timewaster!!!
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We had a little old welshy who would stop and spread her legs as if to wee and then never go!!! Very funny. Always when she was at the front of the ride yoo!!
 
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