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BeckyBoodle
Gold Member
 Australia
795 Posts |
 Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 4:02:06 PM
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I was after your thoughts if possible about the rationale behind some of the faces Eba pulls and to get some thoughts on what if anything I should do about them.
In the field and on the yard she loves everyone and everyone loves her. The alpha mare of the yard lets her share her hay and the gelding who hates all mares with avengence goes goey eyed.
However, in the menage when we are riding as another horse approaches or goes past she pulls the most excruciatingly funny but horrible ears flat back nostrils wrinkled faces. She doesn't particularly do anything else and you can wander round on a long rein and it isn't like she is darting at them or threatening, other than the face.
Why do it in that environment when everywhere else she is a sweetie and should I be trying to stop her doing it and if so how? I like riding with other people, and in fact she is much more settled in the school with other horses there, and I don't want to put people off riding out with us.
Any thoughts welcome.
B
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Jess.And.Tiger
Silver Member
England
344 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 4:27:20 PM
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Ahhh the snake face 
Muzzy Dr Joan Bishops mare is terrible on hacks, even if she's hacking with her best buddy she constantly pulls hideous faces it's quite amusing hahah
tbh I don't think you can do anything about it, just have a giggle about like we do about Muzzy hahaha
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zooscat
Gold Member
United Kingdom
882 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 4:38:26 PM
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| Ryazan the Killer Arab does spectacular "Snake Face" yah boo sucks movements when he's out with another gelding hacking or in the collecting ring or warm up area. Dreadful nose wrinkles, flat ears snakey movements of the head and neck, teeth out etc etc. Never follows through though. He only does a couple and then is sweetness and light the rest of the time he's with/near them. With mares it's the prance/tail up/ears forward/big smarmy grin, sidle sidle etc. No follow through there either! Just likes to make the point for the audience! Cetainly looks the part, anyway! |
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pinkvboots
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3290 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 4:39:22 PM
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| My old mare used to do this in the school and in her stable when you approached her, Arabi pulls faces when horses come towards him or come past but he never does anything, I think its just something some horses do cant really prevent it. |
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joanna_piana
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3935 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 5:33:01 PM
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| Ha sounds familiar Ishara pulls horrendous faces at other horses when i'm riding her even her boyfriend who normally she grazes along the fence line with. Sometimes she rides along quite happily side by side but when we first set off she's particularly bad and really snarls at him. It's usually because she likes to be in front and she's warning him to stay back. This is one reason i'm not sure i'll be able to show her as she'll be going round looking like grumpy old mule LOL Anyway if you come up with a way to stop it i'd love to know. |
      
Harthall Rashida RIP, Binley Ishara, Bouchan
Chorleywood, Hertfordshire |
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sab2
Platinum Member
8467 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 5:33:49 PM
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| My arab mare pulls faces even when shes happy, we call her smiler. If i am hacking and cars, cyclists etc come past she scowls at them as if to say what are you doing on the road when i am out, and if they come too close she lashes out at them. I just ignore her snakey faces bless her, still love her to pieces. |
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P.S
Junior Member
40 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 6:01:47 PM
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we had a young cob in once- dont think he had ever been ridden in the school with company and freaked out when ever he was past- especially if he was on the inside. In the indoor he even took to climbing the wall 
So once we got him over this and got him trusting more he resorted to this tact- 'best form of defence is attack' although he never carried his threats, he still looked like a wrath horse from lord of the rings! |
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LadyLuck1
Gold Member
England
730 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 6:46:35 PM
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Kirstie is brilliant at this face, she decided that when we were showing her during the summer this is the face the judge would like to see. I think its funny she never does anything just ears flat back and face completely twisted.
Mary |
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debs
Platinum Member
United Kingdom
3218 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 9:05:33 PM
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My old boy Giz would pull the most horrendous faces, with mouth open sometimes so it looked like he was about to kill something.... but nearly always when my back was turned, as soon as I turned he was ears *****ed, soft eyes and just gorgeous! Such a smoothie!
Ali does lots of gurning, tongue rolling, actually looks like he is really not well. Does it a feed times, sometimes if he decides he doesn't want to go back out.... very odd!It may be teeth related as he still has lots going on but I think is habit. I am going to try and clicker train him out of it!!! |
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kastell
Silver Member
France
430 Posts |
Posted - 18 Nov 2010 : 9:24:54 PM
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| My partbred mare pulls awful faces at the farrier, she never follows through though & has always done it with every farrier we've had! My current farrier always gives her a pat & talks to her when he's finished & she goes back to normal!! |
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Pasha
Platinum Member
England
3622 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 09:39:55 AM
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Lol I think the snake face is the ONLY face Shesky can pull! He is a complete Toad and will whinny as I come in the yard all ears *****ed and then I get the snake face... he does it to anyone who approaches him around the stable!
He also does it in the school and will sometimes follow-through with a buck, spin, kung-foo kick aimed at the other horse! I think that's ho he whacked his annular ligament  He is getting better though, although after his recent break with aforementioned ligament damage, i'm in for a snaky ride!  |
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BeckyBoodle
Gold Member
Australia
795 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 09:56:25 AM
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I really must get someone to come and video us, partly so i can see what she looks like ridden. Everyone keeps saying what lovely paces she has and how well she is going for a horse that has only just been backed. But from behind the face looks most impressive, I must see what it looks like from the front.
Is it a breed thing? Can you imagine a hoard of bedouins bearing down on you with them all pulling that face? Yikes!!!
It just makes me laugh how she is such a sweetie when I am on the ground. I wonder if it is a defensive thing - that as I am not on the ground with her, she has to protect herself, or whether she is doing it to protect the rider on her back? She is a very loyal horse, that comes from a line Egbert described as being typically one person horses.
oh well. Off to ride and frighten the natives.
B |
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geegee
Platinum Member
England
3682 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 11:29:04 AM
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Hi,
I think videoing the event would be very enlightening for you.
You could see from which point she starts to show her disapproval of the oncoming horse.
Does she do it if a horse approaches from behind and passes her?
Perhaps set up a little experiment and ask a fellow rider to approach giving a wide berth.....slowly decreasing the space and see at which point she starts to pull faces.
At the end of the day, she is only expressing an opinion and as she isn't following this through, I would try to listen to her and respect her space. It is something that you can work on slowly and gradually without making a big issue out of it.
Us humans have a way of putting our feelings onto our horses and sometimes we make more of it than it really is....
ETS - not that I am suggesting that you are doing this....just making a general comment 
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Edited by - geegee on 19 Nov 2010 11:30:49 AM |
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marionpack
Gold Member
England
1073 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 11:36:00 AM
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| Sam always does this to the farrier, even when its not his turn to be shod,he also does it when we used to ride with company, but only on the way home as if to say I'm getting there first, sometimes he would bare his teeth and give a little hop in front as if to say stay back, quite funny really as he didn't mean anything,just his way |
Berkshire
   
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arabianrio
Gold Member
England
1300 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 1:00:05 PM
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Laddie has the snake face when we hack out with his "best friend"Arnie . Only ever pulls it when Arnie dares to put a nose in front! No idea where it comes from unless he perfected it when racing to put the others off!! |
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badders
Bronze Member
England
169 Posts |
Posted - 19 Nov 2010 : 1:30:46 PM
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| My part bred arab mare does the "im going to kill you face" over the stable all the time. she never used to, she always used to be head over ears *****ed and then all of a sudden changed. it worried me but now i ignore it if i can. she has never followed through with it and i can do what i like in her stable. She is suck a beatiful mare and this face doesnt suit her at all.... lol |
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What's with the nasty faces?
