What's Wrong with a Friendly Horse?

[cat1994]

My horse is friendly he always comes up to me and loves to be with me. But he is not pushy or nippy, or some other form of disrespectful. He is kind and very old, he loves to follow me around and to get a hug ot two from me. Does that make him a pocket horse? Maybe it means a pony or horse that is spoiled?

 

[fowler_chick]

i'm not sure what happend to our horse lu before we got her......she use to kicked, bite, and bolt at any thing......her head was the biggest weapon she had, i was at my witts end and wanted to sell her......it's taken me 2 years to gain her trust but....thanks to that i have the biggest pocket horse, follows me when filling up water troughs, checking fence......few ...if it's about max, give it time, he's been through a lot in the last little while.

 

[Camelot Farms]

RoPo, in my world there is a huge difference between friendly and in your pocket.

I like my horse to be loved on....on my terms, not his or hers.

I think that the line between the two is a fine one.

I have had horses that I know that we have allowed to cross the line and whew, it was a longer road to get them back in line than it was to ruin them.

Just know what boundaries you want and there should be some (even though its waaay more fun not to...lol) and then keep them.

Enjoy!

 

[Redcatcher]

The ultimate in pocket ponies:

 

[danischi24]

Exactly the opposite actually. Those horses have respect for their trainer. The whole thing about a "pocket pony" is that it does not have respect. I think people are confusing the sales term "in your pocket" with "pocket pony". "In your pocket" means friendly & loves human attention. "Pocket pony" means pushy, in your space being bothersome, demanding etc.

 

[Hound]

Quote:
I don't want either if the owner feels it's relevant enough to put in a first advertisement.

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I don't think there's any problem with a "friendly" horse...I've had my fair share of dealing with nasty horses! However, for me there's a big difference with being "friendly" and being disrespectful. I want a horse that will not enter my "space" or "bubble" unless I invite him (or her) to do so. I also don't want a horse that rubs it's face all over me or pushes me with its head. I definitely like my horse to come to me when I call or go out to catch it, but I also want my horse to be focused on me and my actions, to move when I move, follow me peacefully, and to watch ME in scary situations to see my reaction. IMO, this makes for a much calmer and willing horse. Nothing wrong with friendly, I just want to make sure I'm respected too. I do still enjoy rubbing up on my horses every now and then.

There was a day when my family treated horses like dogs. We still have one really old gelding who acts like a dog, but I trust him 100% (I don't know if I would EVER trust another horse as much as I trust this guy). He's been around the block (literally) a million times. He has no concept of personal space, but with his personality it's never been an issue. Now that I've gotten more into the treating a horse like a horse mentality, I don't really see my horses as pets anymore, but more as animals in my herd. Treating my horses like they would be treated in a herd has really helped me in my training (Of both myself AND my horses!). It's much easier to understand horse behavior when you mimic their actions.

I went off topic a bit, but I really don't see a problem with a friendly, but respectful horse. If a horse is constantly allowed to butt into others' personal space, they tend to think they are in charge, and that can cause some real issues with certain horses.

 

[Godsgrl]

My friend has a mini stallion, and he is very pushy. Untrained, perhaps on this issue. If I walk past him with a scoop of food, he is going to come right to me and shove me down trying to get the food I have in the scoop. That is rude and dangerous, that is what you don't want. I have to get creative to avoid him when I feed over there. His behavior is different from a horse that is thrilled to see you and wants to say hi.

 

[Sumatra503]

I suppose another point to consider is the horse's purpose. Is it a "Working" horse or a "Pleasure" horse?

Working horses will have a more serious relationship with their owner than a pleasure horse will.

A working horse has a job to do each time they are handled. They need to be focused and respectful of their handler. they are often not pampered horses. They have a bubble and must respect that bubble at all times and be mindful of what their handler is asking.

A pleasure horse on the other hand is plurely for pleasure and enjoyment. They have a more relaxed relationship with their handler. They get patted and pampered and given treats. The bubble exists, but is generally smaller and less enforced.

There are, of course, different levels of the two, but the general idea remains the same.

There tends to be a difference in opinions of what is disrespectful or pushy.

A friendly horse is much different from a pocket horse. Friendly horses aren't opposed to being patted and will come when they are called, but once they come they will show a bit of respect and tend not to be overly pushy.

A pocket horse will always be in your pocket, meaning they follow you everywhere at a very close distance as though they were in your back pocket. Many handlers don't like pocket horses because they feel it is disresctful or dangerous for the horse to be so close to them without having been invited or in the trainer's control.

I believe what we are trying to say is that there is nothing wrong with a friendly horse, but that being overly friendly and always stepping on you or pushing you around is not okay.

 

[Redcatcher]

Quote:
The only difference is showmanship. Watch the body language of the horses. They continually invade his personal space and one stallion actually pushes into Lorenzo at one point from the left, with his ears pinned. He has to be on guard and watch every step or he is going to accidentally get trampled. That is all part of the show. These horses are as respectful as they can be given the situation, but they are trained to be pushy, demanding and in your face. It appears as if they are following Lorenza, as if he is their herd leader, when actually they are herding him around like they would a cow.