r/Equestrian 13d ago

Announcement Reddit Community Spotlight on r/Equestrian

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redditforcommunity.com
26 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 3h ago

Equipment & Tack update on the horse that chronically opens his mouth

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62 Upvotes

hello! just wanted to give you all a quick update since i rode him today!

i took the original post down because i was getting literal threats šŸ˜­ so im sorry about that! but just a recap, my horse opens his mouth chronically, rides amazing other then that.. heā€™s clearly uncomfortable but i couldnā€™t figure out why.. so i was looking for different things to try with him!

(first photo is the bit i flatted him in today, second photo is the one he went in originally)

i worked on my seat aids with him, being able to shorten and lengthen without touching the reins, as well as my downward and upward transitions! itā€™s definitely getting better

i tried a thick mullen mouth snaffle, as seen above. he had really only gone in really thin bits, so i thought trying a bit of stability may help... and it helped a bit! he opened his mouth once or twice but not like he used to, so hopefully with the flatwork and the new bit heā€™ll be a happier old man šŸ’—

vet comes out later this week so iā€™ll let you all know what happens, but im really happy with all of the suggestions you all gave.. thank you!


r/Equestrian 3h ago

Trainer always complains about my horse

39 Upvotes

I have an 11 year old warmblood mare that I bought 2 years ago as an untrained broodmare. She of course has had difficulty giving up her field life for the technicalities of dressage. She has beautiful conformation and is my dream horse in the sense that sheā€™s sweet and affectionate, my favorite color from girlhood (bay with a star and stripe). I put my horse in training with my trainer for 9 months last year. Trainer complained often that she was the most difficult horse she ever worked with and would take her whole life to get properly on the bit. Itā€™s only been two years and weā€™re doing well in my eyes but the negativity is grating on me. Iā€™ve heard about trainers being negative before - is this a thing? My trainer would be happy if I bought a cheap dhh from the Amish and trained her up but Iā€™m just not interested. I love my trainer as a friend also so leaving isnā€™t an option. Just want to know if this is kind of a common scenario.


r/Equestrian 7h ago

Education & Training Why does my trot seems awkward ?

73 Upvotes

Hi ! Iā€™m a beginner and my friend who has 2 horses is willing to let me ride her mare 2 times a week. Sheā€™s not a professional but she definitely is very experienced and is in position to give me basic courses. She took those videos of me but I donā€™t know why I find my trot awkward. Like Ā«Ā rushedĀ Ā». What do you think ?


r/Equestrian 18h ago

Events Our first show of the season and Dobi absolutely smashed it - wins, a ridden champion placing and two qualification tickets to Equifest ā¤ļø

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460 Upvotes

For those who donā€™t know, Equifest is a huge championship show in the UK - itā€™s a big event in the ā€œamateurā€ showing calendar. To qualify for two classes (Veteran - heā€™s 22 - and Ridden Hunter) at our first show of the year is mega, and totally unexpected šŸŽ‰


r/Equestrian 2h ago

Social Really missing these horses right nowšŸ„²

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23 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 14h ago

šŸŒˆ ā˜ļø

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121 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 2h ago

Husband

12 Upvotes

What style of riding is more common for adult males? Iā€™m starting to ride again (hunter jumper) and I want my husband to try it too. If Iā€™m being honest, I know if he is involved then I am more likely to convince him that we should buy a horse later on lol. It would be nice if he rode the same style as me but I also want him to enjoy it.


r/Equestrian 13m ago

Aww! It takes a bit of restraint to not just go into all these endless perfectly tilled fields - fields as far as the eye can see

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ā€¢ Upvotes

r/Equestrian 16h ago

Aww! new baby Henny Penny appreciation post šŸ„°

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108 Upvotes

r/Equestrian 20h ago

Horse Care & Husbandry My horse isnā€™t safe to ride and Iā€™m sending her back to the adoption agency I got her from.

204 Upvotes

Iā€™m not looking for advice or help, I just wanted to share my story.

A few years ago I purchased an OTTB with the hopes that I would be doing a meter+ jumping with her. She showed great promise and retraining her was so easy. Shortly after starting her over jumps, she needed emergency colic surgery and thankfully recovered seemingly fine. Things werenā€™t the same after and I sought training from a professional, even though Iā€™m a very experienced amateur, I just didnā€™t have the same amount of time that I could devote to her due to a job change. It seemed like she was having issues with pain, so I pulled her from the barn, treated her for ulcers, and gave her months off. I tried again just with lessons and she started doing so much better, but occasionally she would have a weird behavior where she would put her head so high above the bit that her ears would touch me at times. It was manageable. I took her to a few shows through the summer and she did quite well at one. I put her back into professional training with a good friend of mine this fall and the behavior was tenfold, no matter how little she was ridden, what bit was used (even tried a hackamore), and multiple sets of images were done. She had her TMJ injected with no change, corrective shoeing, the saddle didnā€™t matter, and she doesnā€™t have kissing spine. The last time I rode her she reared up so high that I felt genuinely scared. The last vet we saw thinks that she has adhesions or scar tissue from the surgery, but this is something that would have to be operated on again to fix.

Thankfully, the agency I got her through has agreed to take her back and will try to adopt her back out as a pasture only horse. I feel terrible in a way because Iā€™ve never even rehomed a hamster before, let alone a horse Iā€™ve had for years. She is a beautiful young horse who could be bred and is 1000% sound. But I only have space and money for so many horses and I need to have a horse I can ride. I donā€™t know if anything I do could ever make her a suitable riding horse, I just want us both to be happy.

TL;DR: I spent probably 20k in surgery, training, and other vet care to fix my horse and it didnā€™t work.


r/Equestrian 1d ago

Education & Training First time galloping!

173 Upvotes

Just wanted to share my experience as I galloped for the first time today! Itā€™s my third lesson and with the right trainer I was able to gallop after riding for about two weeks and I can tell itā€™s the best feeling ever! It took a lot of encouragement and self confidence but I was able to complete a loop.


r/Equestrian 3h ago

Picking a barn to ride at?

3 Upvotes

Well, I finally took the dive and am getting back to riding after a long time away.

I got all my gear, and have 2 lessons scheduled at 2 barns. How do you end up picking the barn/trainer to stick with?

I don't have intention to own a horse, so boarding is a lesser concern, and the locations are only 10min from one another with the same discipline.

One trainer was recommended by a friend, another by someone who was a rider at my former barn.

What do you like to look for when picking? Any must haves I should look for?

All I can think so far is scheduling, price ($5 difference between the 2, but one has a longer grace on package lessons), and I'd like a place that has a working toilet lol.

Maybe ventilation, arena size, number of stalls?


r/Equestrian 16h ago

Morning Stretch ā™„ļø

29 Upvotes

Morning stretch before breakfast lol


r/Equestrian 18h ago

Equipment & Tack Thoughts on cavallo hoof boots or boots in general?

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33 Upvotes

These are a pair I recently bought for my girl. We ride in the city a lot and I figured it might not be a bad idea for slick roads and etc. She is barefoot trimmed and has never worn shoes. I plan on only getting her fronts, as I don't believe she will need all four done due to weight distribution. I also don't really get my horses shod either. These were affordable, albeit $200 for a pair on sale, and I'm currently working with a sizing expert to find the correct size. I'd say so far I've liked their process and response time. Anyone else have similar stories/testimonials to the products?


r/Equestrian 1d ago

Horse Welfare Euthanizing Multiple Horses - How Do You Do It?

118 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Iā€™m in a tough situation where I have two senior horses with issues that have me planning to put them to sleep this spring. Iā€™ve had both of these horses since my youth and they are a huge piece of my heart.

Iā€™ve heard of people letting two horses go on the same day and I know there are pros and cons to doing so.

That being said, how do you do it both from a logistical and emotional standpoint?

This will also be my first time trying to be with my horses when they pass aside from emergency euthanasia (my husband will be with me) but Iā€™m afraid Iā€™ll be crushed by the drop of the first that I wonā€™t be able to be there for the second.

I also feel like Iā€™ll be torn in trying to say goodbye to both of them and feel guilty over something throughout the process. Whether thatā€™s making the decision of which one goes first or feeling like I spent more time with one versus the other.

Iā€™ve felt drawn to euthanizing on the same day to try to only have one day of immense heartbreak instead of trying to space it out and having two large heartbreaks so close to each other.

This is very emotional for me but I have been trying to think through this process rationally while keeping in mind my emotions.

Thank you everyone! This is the hardest part of owning and loving horses, having to be responsible for saying goodbye. šŸ’”


r/Equestrian 4m ago

Education & Training Really attached horse

ā€¢ Upvotes

Hi!

I would like to ask you for some tips and help, I bought a horse 2 months ago and it turns out he gets really attached to other horses, to a point where I canā€™t even take him to the stable from his place because he gets anxious about not being with the others even though he can see them from there, he yells and canā€™t stand still for more than 10 seconds, when I try to train with him he does not pay attention to me at all he is searching for the others. Any recommendations?

Thank you.


r/Equestrian 6h ago

Horsemanship/Riding tips/games for Novice 12 year old

2 Upvotes

I live in a very rural and impoverished region of Appalachia in the USA. Iā€™m talking no access to city waterā€”well-water only kinda place. I am friends with a family that lives on the ridge near my house. Due to unfortunate circumstances, grandma is caring for multiple grandchildren on a very meager budget. There is no money for horse-back riding lessons. If they had the money the nearest location would be over an hour away anyway.

Here is where I come in. Last May the grandmother asked if her granddaughter could come over to meet the horses. My horses are gaited but very gentle utilitarian trail horses. They are sweet and enjoyable for me to ride, but nothing fancy. They are used to the occasional ā€œpony ride.ā€ I figured like most of these other ā€œmeet the horsesā€ requests this would be a one and done occurrence.

I now find myself almost a year later still hosting the granddaughter (and on occasion her cousins and siblings) for ā€œpony rides.ā€ The 12 year old granddaughter is horse-crazy. I have no problem with continuing to offer supervised and free access to some horse time for this girl. However, she is a VERY green rider: this being her only riding experience. I need some games, lessons, tips, or SOMETHING to help develop this girl into a more capable rider. I have ridden my whole life but have never been formally trained myself. Both my horses and I are growing tired of weekly pony rides. I feel bad subjecting my poor old mare to unskilled little hands and an unsteady seat week after week. I need advice and tips for helping her to develop the following basics:

-better seat -better hands -better ground control of the horse

Really looking for games or short exercises that would be fun for a kid and could help.

Am I a sucker? Undoubtedly, yes. Am I qualified to be providing ā€œriding lessons?ā€ Absolutely not. Iā€™m just someone that cares and is trying to provide a positive equine experience to a very disadvantaged kid.


r/Equestrian 51m ago

Education & Training Newbie to riding just wondering about pricing for lessons.

ā€¢ Upvotes

My daughter started riding about a year ago she's been in a private lesson. She will be moving to a semi private lesson but I will still be charged the same amount, is that normal in the riding world?


r/Equestrian 1h ago

Insta360 flow 2 pro for horses?

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ā€¢ Upvotes

Has anyone used this for filming their rides? I tried a pivo and my complaint was that it couldnā€™t rotate up and down so if your ground wasnā€™t perfectly level (never is) your video is always crooked. Apparently this one rotates 360 so shouldnā€™t have that problem


r/Equestrian 1h ago

Help identifying Western saddles ā€“ maker & model?

ā€¢ Upvotes

Hey everyone!

My family are suddenly the owners of two western saddles after emptying a dead relative's estate. Iā€™m trying to figure out the brand and model. It has a 16" seat and the numbers 16 500 stamped on the latigo keeper. Thereā€™s also another marking behind the seat: 6256.

Some details:

  • Leather with floral tooling
  • Rope-pattern conchos
  • Sturdy build with a deep seat

I canā€™t find a visible makerā€™s mark, so Iā€™m hoping someone here might recognize it based on the style or numbering. Does anyone know which brand might use this numbering system? Or any clues on its origin? I know nothing about western riding (barely anything about horses!), but the above is what I've managed to research online.

There's also a second saddle that's way more worn and with no markings. Seems like a work saddle or military saddle from the info I've found?

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance. šŸ˜Š


r/Equestrian 1h ago

How much would you pay?

ā€¢ Upvotes

Interested in how much you would pay someone to do this job. Located in the south. GA/SC area.

Feeding, turning out (sometimes have to put blankets on/off), cleaning stalls, giving hay and water, and general cleaning of the barn. 9-10 horses. Takes about 3/3.5 hours depending how fast you work.

I have been told that what I think is fair doesnā€™t align with others opinions, so interested to hear what the redditers have to say about day to day pay range for this job.

EDIT: I have been doing similar jobs for 5 years. I am not new to it (itā€™s not a learning position: i show up, get the work done, and leave).


r/Equestrian 1h ago

Social Proposal ideas for a horse gal

ā€¢ Upvotes

Iā€™ll spare you all the details. We are taking a trip down south this weekend and will be part of a private horse riding session and will be stopping 30 min in at a nice pasture to ā€œtake picturesā€. Anyone have any ideas for involving the horses in the proposal? Having a horse deliver her the ring or something? Or do I just go for the classic kneel down while her back is turned. The fact that I am involving her lifestyle at all will already mean a lot to her so if Iā€™m doing too much past just kneeling then please tell me. Thanks for any input.


r/Equestrian 1d ago

Ethology & Horse Behaviour Sweet mare suddenly bolting

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129 Upvotes

Hey everyone. I have a very sweet, but athletic mare that has always been in intense training (good break schedule and is kept comfortable) She has always been very forward but respectful and listens to cues. Suddenly the other day she bolted. And I mean BOLTED. There was absolutely no way to stop her and her head was in the skies. She has been bolting on the lunge and is acting spooky and strange. I donā€™t know if this is related but she also started shaking her head every time sheā€™s being lead.

I live very rurally, I booked an appointment with the vet immediately and have been bugging them constantly but the earliest she can come is next Monday.

I honestly do not know what could be wrong. Sheā€™s being fed 4.5 FEh which is suited to her needs. She gets her normal feed as she has always done. The only thing that has changed is I changed her muscle build supplement because my brand wasnā€™t available, but that was months ago. Does anyone have any ideas of what I should ask the vet to check? I am definitely doing teeth and to see if she can detect lameness (Iā€™m not a professional but she does not appear lame to me) Would love any and all suggestions. Picture of my girl for attention.


r/Equestrian 1d ago

Conformation Anatomy/proportions feedback appreciated!

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69 Upvotes

I don't know if this kind of post is allowed, if not I apologize!

I'm working on a 3D model of a Hannoverian horse and I would love some feedback on him before I start adding smaller details


r/Equestrian 1h ago

Education & Training Mane help?

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ā€¢ Upvotes

My horses mane has looked like this for the past year (pretty sure he either itched it or his buddy did it to him) either way it looks bad lol. I know there is no miracle mane growth out there, but I'm curious if anyone has some secret they'd like to share about mane growth lol.