What is the definition of a sharp horse?

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
And would you class your horse as one? Just reading Happyhacker's Archie thread and it made me wonder if I really know what a sharp horse is. I tend to think that I wouldn't be riding one but then I realise that my boy is pretty green and just wonder what is sharp. Sorry for the numpty questions.
 
Actually FM its quite an interesting question...........

I think of a 'sharp' Horse as being one that is pretty quick to react to
something its not happy about and not a Horse you could necessarily
'totally relax' on, you would have to keep your wits about you.

Not necessarily the Horse you would have a quiet plod round the block with whilst chatting to your fellow riding friends about all and sundry because
you need to 'ride' a 'sharp horse'.
 
Err Shay :giggle:

He's very alert all the time and can go from facing one way to the other in a blink of an eye. You always have to keep your wits abouts you. Very fast, will buck/bronk and leap, likes to jog.
 
Definition of a sharp horse = my Victory :biggrin:

I have to keep my wits about me the whole time. He is spooky, quick, on his toes, ready to think about lifting his front feet off the ground at the slightest thing, or shoot forwards if spooked and that's just in the school LOL. You just have to think it to do it. God help you if you use your legs more than a slight squeeze!

I can't hack him on the roads any more just round my field.

He is getting more :timebomb: as he gets older bless his little hooves.

Think I might have to start a large dose of calmer (for him and me) now as the whole time I ride him at the moment is about trying to keep him focused and busy and me staying in the saddle :bounce:

Here is the little angel looking like butter wouldn't melt:-

Victory3.jpg
 
I asked this question a few years back and was interested in the replies - I *think* Storm is sharp, and by that, I would mean the following;
Very very forward going, needs little encouragement to move up from walk to trot and into canter
Quite "on her toes" in new surroundings (but then again that isn't exclusive to her I'm sure!)
Quick to learn and listen, but also, no room for error in that you could just as easily teach the wrong thing to her and it come back to bite you!!
 
FM difference between 'sharp' and 'green'

As you can see from the above a 'sharp' horse reacts quickly whereas a
'green' horse still has lots to experience, lots to still meet and see.......

A green Horse could 'react' to something it doesn't necessarily like or is experiencing for the 1st/2nd time whereas a 'sharp' Horse tends to react
to anything and everything, and reacts QUICKLY:giggle:
 
I understood it the same as eml -quick off the leg - which you can teach a horse to be.
Or sharp as in intelligent which the horse needs to be to learn to be quick off the leg.
Or sharp as in spooky.
My question eml is whether making a horse quick off the leg - reacting to minimal cues either ridden or in groundwork, could make a horse more spooky?
 
Trewsers said:
I asked this question a few years back and was interested in the replies - I *think* Storm is sharp, and by that, I would mean the following;
Very very forward going, needs little encouragement to move up from walk to trot and into canter
Quite "on her toes" in new surroundings (but then again that isn't exclusive to her I'm sure!)
Quick to learn and listen, but also, no room for error in that you could just as easily teach the wrong thing to her and it come back to bite you!!
Click to expand...

This is what Ziggy is like. Even when he is being good, I always have to be ready for anything because you don't get time to think. And he is very willing/forward going - lovely if you like it!
 
Skib said:
My question eml is whether making a horse quick off the leg - reacting to minimal cues either ridden or in groundwork, could make a horse more spooky?
Click to expand...
I know I'm not eml but find this quite an interesting topic so thought I'd put my tuppence in (as the owner of a spooky dressage coblet).

In my experience the more sensitive you teach a horse to become to a rider's aids, the less spooky they become. Once you 'get inside their heads' so they react to the slightest movement of your seatbones, they are so tuned in that a gun could go off and as long as you didn't react, neither would they.
I think of it as the true meaning of the 'submission' that the dressage judges look for. It's more than just obedience, it means that they are in a permanent state of readiness for your next cue, are completely attentive and will 'let go' of any emotional baggage they carry to join their mind with their riders.

The only problems you might get is when you put a less skilled rider on a horse with that level of training. Then it is not unusual to see them become confused, tense and worried.
 
alwaysfallingof said:
I know I'm not eml but find this quite an interesting topic so thought I'd put my tuppence in (as the owner of a spooky dressage coblet).

In my experience the more sensitive you teach a horse to become to a rider's aids, the less spooky they become. Once you 'get inside their heads' so they react to the slightest movement of your seatbones, they are so tuned in that a gun could go off and as long as you didn't react, neither would they.
I think of it as the true meaning of the 'submission' that the dressage judges look for. It's more than just obedience, it means that they are in a permanent state of readiness for your next cue, are completely attentive and will 'let go' of any emotional baggage they carry to join their mind with their riders.

The only problems you might get is when you put a less skilled rider on a horse with that level of training. Then it is not unusual to see them become confused, tense and worried.
Click to expand...

I have to say being a very intelligent horse, Victory thinks too much and my RI actually says he's too intelligent which is his problem but the more he is worked and kept busy thinking the better he is.

His brain is always on overdrive but if you can give him enough to think about and keep his attention he is heaps better.

I would consider myself an experienced rider and I do manage to control his sharpness/spookyness by doing the above but if I am having a lazy day and not doing enough he gets very sharp and spooky.
 
I think it all comes down to how you define the word ‘sharp’ and what context rather than the ‘horse’. You then place those definitions of that word on the horse characteristics from your own personal opinion (doesn’t mean it’s the same as anyone else’s opinion tho).

What can be one persons sharp can be another persons definition of dull.

You could classify a horse as sharp meaning they are quick, abrupt, hyper and in turn the person could view the horse as not novice ride, ill mannered, not safe, not suitable for their ability.

You could then classify another horse as sharp meaning he/she is intelligent, concise, on the ball, quick to respond to your chosen action and in turn the person could view the horse as well schooled, great ability, nice ride, feel confident on them as they listen and respond.

One person can ride one horse and find them a complete handful and portray them in that manner and another person could find they are perfect and can not understand why they have been portrayed as they have done. While also vice versa as well.

Can of worms if you ask me :p
 
I would say Harvey is 'sharp' but safe.

He doesn't as a rule buck,rear,run off etc BUT he has a air of uncertainity about him. He doesn't like being confused and you get what you ask for!

He is sharp IMO because you have to be light with your hands and light with your legs, he is responsive but not over-sensitive to touch. He is spooky (but not when schooling), intelligent and a bit generally looky. He hates getting things wrong or even worse when if he insists he has got it right and I have got the aids wrong and he's just doing as asked. He has a lot of 'presence' about him because he believes in his only self-importance!
 
I agree with 'alwaysfallingoff ' the more responsive the horse the more they listen to and therefore trust you not to put them in danger and so don't spook or play up.

They will however react to accidental shifts of weight so if the rider thinks the horse may spook at something they generally will as the rider has unintentially asked for sideways!!
 
I don't see sharp as being a catch all expression for naughtiness or forwardness.

A sharp horse is a great ride for an experienced rider, quick off the aids and responsive but a nightmare for the inexperienced who would inadvertently 'shout' or give incorrect cues.
 
Joyscarer said:
I.

A sharp horse is a great ride for an experienced rider, quick off the aids and responsive but a nightmare for the inexperienced who would inadvertently 'shout' or give incorrect cues.
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Yes, I often long for Jeanette Brakewell or Zara P to come along and ride Storm - bet she'd go a treat for them!lol:giggle::giggle: On a serious note though, I do think that is one of the reasons I struggled to make it work in the beginning because I gave the wrong aids and kept fluffing my requests to her. (Not saying I'm a great rider now but I *think* I'm a bit better than 7 years ago:redface:)
 
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