To wonder how the hell horses stand up

[mayaknew]

Just stuck the dressage on.

How the hell are horses able to hold all that weight on those skinny wee ankles.

They look like they defy the laws of physics. 🐎

We had a horse “willy washer” visit our yard recently. I almost want to be one, to experience people’s reactions when they ask what I do for a living 🧐

@Heyha

Love a horse thread 😂 they definitely do a lot of dressagey moves in the field compared with what they do with somebody sitting on them, but in my case that's quite a lot to do with the ineptitude of the person sitting on them 😂 I don't think anyone has mentioned their disproportionate reactions to scary things too- bin lorry, no worries, a wild rabbit (that doesn't bother them in the field) absolutely terrifying.

We had an encounter with a Terrible Attack Squirrel the other day. He was all set to flee, until he realised that fleeing would also mean actually cantering and that would be Work.

I wish to God that I hadn't read up about beans! I feel sick. I used to have a gelding as well. Had no idea about beans, although did have to clean his bits and bobs once in a while.

@AndthreeTomsaredancing

I read that they don't forget people or other horses that they love. This made me a bit sad as I know that they need to be moved around and sold on

My old mare was a notorious birch and hated everything and everyone.

When we moved livery yards she was reunited with her 7 year old son. Us in the sandschool, him in the paddock next to it. Their snorting and whinneys to each other that day still send shivers down my spine when I think about it.

*bitch obvs not birch

@Apocalyptichorsewoman

Sorry for the jumping pic- that got put on by mistake... 😳

No apologies needed ! Love seeing others' horses.

@Hugoslavia

I wish to God that I hadn't read up about beans! I feel sick. I used to have a gelding as well. Had no idea about beans, although did have to clean his bits and bobs once in a while.

Some things, it's worth paying the vet to do!

@Hollyhocksarenotmessy

More possibly unexpected facts if you don't know any horses.

Horses are much quieter than films and TV would make you think. Not into random whinnying and snorting.

Their noses feel like velvet. They also have wobbly squishable chins.

They fart a LOT and very often directly at people. On purpose.

Ours once very memorably did such a massive fart on a hack that he spooked himself 😂

@Floralnomad nothing better when you're feeling down that a good groom and a cry into their mane

[quote SomethingNastyInTheBallPool]Oh my god. I had no idea.

www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/cleaning-sheaths-the-bean-queen-665653[/quote]
The absolute worst bit of it is the absolute smell. You've never smelt beans quite like horse beans. It's absolutely and utterly revolting.

I'm more than happy to pay to have someone do the rummaging. Some things are definitely better outsourced :D

They are ridiculously delicate, I think part of the magic for me is that they combine such elegance and ludicrous power, and that we can have such close relationships with naturally nervous prey animals.

Something that hasn't been mentioned yet is that to compete at that level the horse has to really want to do it. No horse or pony performs at the limit of their ability unless their heart is in it. You can compete at a lower level on a more talented horse that hates its job and still perform well or win, but not at international standard.

My daughter and her horse at the seaside.

@Sarahlou63

Whatever you do, don't google cleaning a horse's sheath

There's a girl in our village with two male horses, she is vair high up in something horsey.

Whenever she posts on FB etc (which she does a lot in an "internet presence" sort of way) about her "gorgeous boys" I always have a mental picture of her doing that with a bottle brush and a bottle of Dettol

When I first happened across the news that sheaths needed to be cleaned, I then found out that there are people who do it for an actual job

When I’m no longer fat I really want to try riding. It seems an amazing sport and beautiful creatures

I adore horses and love the way they sometimes fart with each step! Those foal hooves are fascinating. How clever nature is.

@AndthreeTomsaredancing

I read that they don't forget people or other horses that they love. This made me a bit sad as I know that they need to be moved around and sold on

My mare went off to stud one summer. She didn’t get pregnant but they kept her there all summer for multiple attempts. At the end of summer we went to pick her up and took our gelding, her best friend, with us as she never travelled well alone. When he got there he neighed. Despite there being 40 other horses on that yard my mare recognised his neigh and they did a full on rendition of Romeo and Juliette. When we got back she walked to every corner of the field and looked like she was drinking up the view, as though she couldn’t believe her luck to be back.

My son's pony is an 18 year old traffic superstar. Nothing bothers her, not trucks, tractors, buses, nothing...except those f*cked up sheep in the field across the road (Alpacas).

I had a Welsh cob who was very spooky but also very greedy. If we encountered a crisp packet out hacking, he was never sure if he should spook at it, or investigate in case there was food left inside. 🤣 Lead to some interesting footwork!

@romdowa

Giraffes are the real mystery to me! Look at their skinny long legs!

and becks! Imagine keeping that up all day. I can’t even blow dry my frizzy mop of hair without my arms aching 🤣

I got a huge bean out of my geldings sheath last week. He rather enjoyed me doing it, which was worrying.

When I see the size of the beans my friend gets out of her gelding, I always thank my lucky stars I have mares 😂

I mean, they’re pretty typical mares and when in season both are a PITA, but I’d rather that than having to deal with willies and beans.

My son's pony is an 18 year old traffic superstar. Nothing bothers her, not trucks, tractors, buses, nothing...except those f*cked up sheep in the field across the road (Alpacas)

Yes! We have an alpaca farm near us and DD’s pony goes past with her eyes on stalks. God knows what she thinks they are. DD goes past them when hacking and she’s resorted to giving them all names and saying stuff like “oh, look, it’s Howard, look how fluffy he is” as they go past. It was all going well until Howard had babies.

Also, shetlands. Absolutely terrified of them. We have some escape artist shitlands at our yard and our big, fat, retired cob is scared silly of them

Walk her past a beeping, rattling bin lorry and she doesn’t give a shit. Fine in traffic, she loads like a dream, doesn’t need sedation for the dentist or clipping, good as good for the farrier and the vet.

Slightly different coloured grass, daffodils, a lick-it, her own rug hung over her stable door, double yellow lines, etc and she’ll lose her mind

How do the horses get to Japan? Not exactly close to the UK? If I had a valuable horse I'd be terrified about taking it abroad

I had a friend's shetland here for a while that thought it was hilarious to chase lambs, and I have primitive sheep so they are tiny little things. That was the last year my fat pony paddock was the bit right next to my little nursery barn 🤦

@sleepyhoglet

How do the horses get to Japan? Not exactly close to the UK? If I had a valuable horse I'd be terrified about taking it abroad

By plane. They go in a heated, pressurised hold as cargo, in a portable stall, with a personal groom to attend.

I flew my horse to the UK in 2012 and he travelled in considerably more state and style than I did!

@sleepyhoglet

How do the horses get to Japan? Not exactly close to the UK? If I had a valuable horse I'd be terrified about taking it abroad

Do not read International Velvet, the sort-of sequel to National Velvet, which has a scene of panicking horse needing to be euthanised on a flight to Olympics which traumatised this child reader.