horses trying it on??

T

TBminx

New Member
Mar 22, 2013
1,922
0
0
I asked in another forum "do you think horses try it on?" and it started a very interesting debate so wondered what peoples' thought here are.

One interesting reply was "no, I dont think a horse is capable of trying it on...i think a horse can only do as it is asked".......

Another said "yes some horses more than others"....

I think yes they can like children in my classes do :giggle:

I think sometimes is behaviour from pain or discomfort or being asked in wrong way by rider and lots of other factors but I still believe they have brains and feelings and emotions and personalities so are capable of being chancers :wink:
 
I think they will challenge leadership as we all do and as is expected in a herd environment.
I'd never call behaviour originating from discomfort or pain as trying it on.
 
Every baby hoss I've had will test boundaries - exactly like children. And they test them again and again and again.... So it makes sense that when they are grown up, they will occasionally revert and test you/try it on. Again, rather like some adults :giggle:
 
I was told in my previous RS that horses have the mental ability of a 3 year old human child, so yes I think they can try it on, although the thought process probably isn't as complex as ours - ie I don't necessarily think they spend time planning their tacticts (unless they're particularly clever), but I do think they can quickly learn behaviour to get them out of whatever it is they don't want to do and store it in their memory to use for next time!
 
Certain horses will not "do" for their jockey - if they know they are not quite up to the job or nervous! Whether you want to call this "trying it on" is a matter of preference! Eg, Joe "knew" I was not up to the same confidence / riding standard as OH - so I didn't get the same performance out of him at all! You wouldn't think it was the same horse when I used to exercise him for OH when time was short through work commitments!!!
Certain RS horses were the same - I think they just pick up on the facts that they feel - in my case; musch less positive aids which resulted in a very half hearted perfornance!
 
Anyone who says horses do not try it on or they do not have a sense of humour has never worked seriously with Shetland ponies...who certainly do try it on, and certainly do have a sense of humour and fun.
 
I certainly think june tries it on, shes a very cheeky clever welshy and likes to test people both rider and handler. For example my cousin can ride her really well and sit to her bucks/shoulder drops and spins so she is an angel under saddle for her but S isnt confident on the ground with her and june will happily barge into her/drag her etc

I think womble is just stroppy and ignorant and not bright enough to try it on, he pushes boundaries and is easily brought back into line

I think some horses defo do like some children regulary do. They have the brain power to do so if they wish
 
They're wild animals we 'commandeer around' with aids and cues, of course there will be situations where they will attempt to 'opt out' and would rather do their own thing. whilst they don't have 'human' emotions I certainly think they have free will and find some things more entertaining and fun than others. Appley finds leaping at birds entertaining by the looks of it ... that and snapping at butterflies, teeth and all ....
 
notpoodle said:
They're wild animals we 'commandeer around' with aids and cues, of course there will be situations where they will attempt to 'opt out' and would rather do their own thing. whilst they don't have 'human' emotions I certainly think they have free will and find some things more entertaining and fun than others. Appley finds leaping at birds entertaining by the looks of it ... that and snapping at butterflies, teeth and all ....
Click to expand...

I think they have the same emotions as humans, they just don't analyse their emotions or quantify them like we do. I can feel fear, uncertainty, happiness, contentment the same as they do, we are just so much more aware of what we are feeling and can control our emotions to a degree. Fear can be rationally overcome, where a horse is frightened to his flight instinct kicks in. We can be scared but overcome it. Being a predator may play a part in that though.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
I think they will challenge leadership as we all do and as is expected in a herd environment.
I'd never call behaviour originating from discomfort or pain as trying it on.
Click to expand...

This!!

Also where food is concerned, for example, Bob is overweight so on restricted grazing, to come in from the field to the stable, we have to walk through long grass. He knows fine well he is not to tow his human off to eat, but if he thinks there is a chance he can get a mouthful of grass, he will try.

Is that trying it on or just his survival instinct telling him to eat at all costs??
 
Yes, I do think they will try it on - my horse for example knows she's not really meant to graze when she's in her bridle but that won't stop her having a go! Similarly, she'll plod along in the school unless I show leadership and make her go. But these are just minor things really, tests of boundaries like kids and dogs will do. I generally think really bad behaviour (in human terms) is related to fear or pain. But that's just my observation so far after 6 months of horse ownership and god knows I'm no expert.
 
Flipo's Mum said:
I think they will challenge leadership as we all do and as is expected in a herd environment.
I'd never call behaviour originating from discomfort or pain as trying it on.
Click to expand...

NO neither would I...I meant I know there are reasons to explain the behaviour that need addressed first like pain etc but also there are times when nothing other wrong just trying it on.
 
Yes, absolutely they do. I don't think horses ever stop testing their boundaries and I read somewhere that the horse you got on is not the horse you get off.

Some have a more challenging nature than others, just as humans do. Some just want a quiet life and don't ask for more - whether they have just given up asking, or whether they are the personality that doesn't rock the boat, I am not sure.

But some really do push it all the time - much like children, they seem to need to reach the boundary and be put back in their place. And some do have a terrific sense of humour - mine does. He loves to carry the muck bucket, knock the wheel barrow over, get the broom handle in his teeth and do sweeping and lots of other stuff.
 
Yeap they try it on.

Take Ginger at camp he was the most amazing horse I have ever sat on 5 days later his head is so far in the air and turning to the right that the rider was convinced he was lame or needed a vet.

A different rider 20 minutes of above and bobs your uncle back to amazing horse again.

He did not like first rider and not not going to do as asked full stop.

Taking the pee hell yeah
 
Yes I believe they do!! There at times is a fine line between mistaking pain/fear but as horse owners we have a responsibility to listen, understand and act accordingly but I don't for one second believe they don't try to test the boundaries of rider or handler...at the end of the day their natural herd hierarchy is instinct to them so why not try with us to figure out a position :)
 
I will let you decide.

Eta removed video as its deleted off my files now.
 
Last edited:
The problem with all this is that one persons 'trying it on' might be another's poor training or handling, and it's too easy to humanise the horse's behaviour, especially when that behaviour undermines our opinion of ourselves as horse people.

Most horses do need to know what the boundaries are and how things are supposed to work, and they like them to be predictable. If you can get to that situation then a lot of them are pretty content and amenable and don't continue to constantly expend energy trying to get the upper hand over you.

I suspect a lot of 'trying it on' happens when they're asked to do something they don't enjoy or have good reason (from their point of view, not ours) not to want to do.
 
Hags said:
Thank you NF - I have tears dripping down my face that was sooo good!
Click to expand...

The thing with the footage is she isn't doing anything other than stand. She isnt getting into a battle with me, I don't want to get into one with her.
Had I growled, smacked or got after her we would have skidded, spun, bucked, reared and plunged around the area creating dust heading back to the yard, but if I just sit and wait she decides its boring after 15 minutes in this case.

With horses that nap and try it on, its perception of what the rider accepts, but the horse always has a reason, fear, pain, not motivated. I like to look at what the horse was doing before the rider adds to it. A horse will respond to something we do or don't do. In my case mine doesn't move unless I add to it, so I create a bigger problem than I actually had. She isnt throwing herself about.
 
I love Tilly's naughty ears!

Thanks NF, I laughed a lot. Were you asking her forward with your leg during that clip or had you passed that point long since?
 
newrider.com
Top Bottom
Back