Should a Show horse be a Pet or not a pet?

[mini-horses]

[SIZE=14pt]I was reading an article that says show horses should not be pet's that they do not excel well in the show ring.[/SIZE]

I have never showed, so I was wondering what the forum members options are on this.

I purchased my first two show horses this summer, one is a filly and the other a colt. I purchased both from quality show breeders, but the filly is a friendly little thing follows you everywhere, the colt is hard to catch, he is not mean like kicking or biting but you have to run him in a corner to catch him.

Since I have never showed before, I guess my question is should I work on getting my colt to come to me like the filly does or not.

I have talked with a couple of trainers and one says that if you train them correctly they can be pets and still make excellent show horses and the other one says that a horse shows better if they are wide eyed and tense.

So I am really confused, on how to handle both these yearlings.

:

 

[Millstone Farm]

A tense horse = an unhappy horse

an unhappy horse will sour quickly.

A sour horse = a horse who will eventually stop performing and who may develop health issues.

 

[jdhand]

My show horses are my pets. I love them and if I cannot love on them and have them show because they love me then what is the point in having them. That is my opinion, but lots of people that show do not like to make pets out of their show horses.

 

[Jill]

My show horses, and all my horses, are pets as well as show animals.

 

[justjinx]

My show horses are my well-behaved well-mannered pets that I love dearly. jennifer :saludando:

 

[HGFarm2]

All my horses, no matter what they are used for, are pets. I love them all the same and I hate a hard to catch horse!

They just need to learn when the show halter goes on they are to do their buisness when they are on their off time they can be lovebugs. The same with anything else. My big horses know the difference between trail riding time, warm up or practice time and competition time. They are well rewarded for a job well done. It is all in the training and getting them to understand when it is love on mom time and when it is not.

 

[Fred]

ALL of our horses are pets and show horses. They do know the difference between work and fun. As I work with ALL types of horses all day everyday with different attitudes and behaviors I can tell you I will not tolerate stupid misbehavior at home. Don't get me wrong they are "spoiled" in the good way but they have great manners. Linda B

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

I think it's perfectly fine, and more enjoyable for both you and your horse, to be good friends =)

What I heard is that if you over-practice your horse (such as standing for halter, or repeatedly driving the same course over and over) your horse will get bored and dis-interested, therefor they wont "show" as well come time for the real thing!

Love thy horse, let thy horse love you, and show in perfect harmony! (aka have fun!)

 

[Getitia]

As Linda mentioned, we consider our show horses to be our pets as well - And good manners are critical for all of the horses on the farm. Now some are more friendly than others, however when you walk into the pasture, you will soon be surrounded by a large group of 'muzzles"

: . During the off season, all of our show horses are turned out to pasture to just be horses. Here is one of our show horses, Lightening with some of the grandchildren - just hanging around being led everywhere on the farm and petted to death. To say he is a pet is an understatement - yet in the showring, he is all business.

 

[Leeana]

Tough question, this is actually one that is always been on my mind.

Last year at a show (kay and fran were w/ me so they know who im talking about, not stating that trainers name) a trainer said and i'll try to quote "You can love them but if you want your horse to be a good show horse and respect you then your going to have to be the boss. Its okay to love on them and love them but in the end they are show horses". I dont remember the quote exactly but i know Kay and Fran know what im talking about.

Last yr Royal was very much a pet that i took into the ring. I loved on that horse way to much, then when we got to the show and he was being a little snott he didnt respect me, all my fault bc i never let him know i was the boss ..i just wanted to love on him.

All my horses receive attention and love but the ones who i show i try to find a steady ground on. I love them but at the shows its important to me that the horse look and act its best so it doesnt look bad on me or my horses.

One thing i promised myself this past summer was i will never let myself fall in love as much as i did with Coco who is strictly just a pet. This past summer i had to let some of our grade ponies go who i was in love with so i could get everything together. Broke my heart like i couldnt put into words. Coco is the love of my life and i could never part with him, believe me ask Linda (LGah) lol.

I think there is a difference between loving and spoiling, i spoiled Royal. I think its important to love your horse ..just not the point where you spoil them into a brat. My horses (show and pets) get kisses, love and everything. I just dont take it to the point where i spoil them, big mistake i made last year.

A happy horse is a good horse!

 

[Marty]

When I led Chrissy in to the ring for her first show and stood her up, she was anything but scared and nervous. She insisted on moving forward so she could plant her head in my crotch so I could scratch her neck.......

Then she wanted to rub on me, and untie my shoelaces, and play every game with me that she could think of that we always played at the barn, and the fiesta resistance' was when she started licking me.

Oh yea, she showed really well that day........... :new_shocked:

 

[Jill]

I like to say:

Love them like pets, but treat them like horses.

It takes owning horses awhile to know what I mean by that statement. I know because I've been there too in the department of spoiling them rotten. The problems are that some people never learn to get firm and realize that firm and mean / cruel are not the same thing.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Most of my show horses love to be handled by kids. They know the difference between home and shows. It does not hurt to tone them down and make them loving pets, because if they love to show they will bring their A game in the show ring. Trust me I know, my gelding Red was so depressed I thought their was something wrong with him before Nationals. But once we got their he was my old Red again and he just loves it

:

 

[kaykay]

leanna hit the nail on the head here. probably what the people meant was a spoiled brat horse does not make a good show horse. I learned the hard way lol. my first show horse was tiny and she was spoiled rotten and it showed in the ring. She threw a fit, tossed her head, stamped her hoof, you name it she did it. How we managed to get so many ribbons was only due to the fact that she is an extrememly nicely conformed horse. One judge actually commented that he loved her attitude and if i could get it under control he would have given me a 1st instead of a 2nd LOL. Luckily people took the time to take me aside and showed me how to train her and still love her without letting her be a big brat.

And yes leanna that is also what the trainer meant. you can love them but they still have to respect you and be well trained and behaved etc.

 

[SweetOpal]

Oh I hear this one day in and day out!!! It irks me to no end, all of my horses are pets, they a show horses second. If I can not sit here and enjoy them than what good are they...A show is only someones opinion, but I don't need someones paid opinion for them to be my pet's. I love each and every one of my horses for some reason or another. I would say from my show this year at nationals that my pets did pretty darn well.......

 

[Pandora]

all my horses are my babies

: I love on them all, show horses or not. But I am going to train them that once the show halter goes on, they have to behave and learn to stand.

 

[StarRidgeAcres]

This is an interesting one. I often wonder about this myself. So far, every horse (mini) is a spoiled rotten brat LOL! However I recently purchased a new filly who will be a big part of our show string in '07 and she came from a very good home, but very much a "show" home and she IS different! She's got this wide-eyed, energetic way about her that NONE of my other horses have. I'm not so sure it's a bad thing. Now maybe it's a genetic thing - both parents are National/World champs as are their parents. Maybe it's just in her genes. Maybe that "edgyness" when controlled, is what gets them that little "extra" in the ring.

Don't get me wrong, she's not mean - no biting or kicking, but when I go in the stall she really keeps her eyes on me whereas the others are like "whatever!" LOL

 

[disneyhorse]

Yep, I'm also in the show-horses-are-also-pets mindset too. They are performance animals and need to be healthy, both mentally AND physically.

I'd say the hardcore trainers and strictly-show-horse-only types are the minority.

Andrea

 

[mini-horses]

:aktion033: [SIZE=14pt]I am so glad that we agree that horses have to be happy with what they do whether it is showing or as our pet companions and that they can be happy showing and being pets. [/SIZE]

And Star Ridge acres you described this little guy to the T, he looks at you with that wide eyed expression, as if he is waiting for me to turn around and shout "Boo" he would jump over the stall gate.

I have a friend that trains big horses and she says the same thing that most of you say, they can be our pets but remember that horses are still horses and at times needs to know who has authority and makes the rules, much the same as parenting.

I just want this little colt to trust me and to see that he can play and be friendly with me and the other horses. My little filly follows us around, she is not like all over me but she follows me in the pasture around the barn she likes to see what everybody is doing and where they are going.

The vet just loves her, when she was here doing ultrasounds there was Sabrina looking over her shoulder at the monitor, it was funny to watch her!

I just want this little guy to get comfort with being caught and coming to me when I call him and enjoy being around me and other horses.

This one trainer I talked with about training him was really strong voiced about not making a pet out of him if I wanted her to train and show him. She would not show a horse that was a pet, I am so glad that I got everyones option on pets and showing before I got a trainer.

I was really upset that if I got him to be more friendly with people that he would never have a show career, if I ever wanted to show him.

I am so happy that we have this forum. :aktion033:

 

[susanne]

If it ever came down to choosing between whether a horse of mine would be a pet or a show horse, we would never darken an arena gate again. A well-mannered horse is going to make BOTH a better show horse AND better pet, but I cannot ftreating my horses in any way less than as a pet for the sake of a ribbon.

Fortunately, we don't have to choose.