Author: Anne Axell

The pony that was dangerous!

During the time I was a saddle maker I met a lot of different people because it wasn’t just saddles and bridles that I fixed, but also bags, rifle straps and sometimes tarpaulins.

One day a man came to me to have some work done and all of a sudden he asked if I was interested in buying a pony. I’m always interested if there’s a good deal to look forward to, so I asked him to tell me about it.

It turned out that I had actually seen it, because it was walking in a paddock not too far from me and I had ridden by a few times and seen it. It was a stunningly beautiful welshpony, dark mold, so there was nothing wrong with the appearance. It was just that, according to the man’s description, it was both nasty and life-threatening, so if I were to buy it, I had to pick it up and load it myself, he wouldn’t go near it again!

It turned out that they had bought an unridden 3-year-old stallion for the daughter. However, they had had it neutered after all.

We agreed on a reasonable price and I asked a friend if she would come along and pick it up, as I was prepared to have a good fight, from what the man had told me. I had brought various ropes and other tools for loading and we joked that I might need a sword if it was a dragon:)

When we arrived the horse was in a box and the man once again told me that it was on its own liability, but I thought, for one thing, that it wasn’t that big and it actually didn’t look that hostile. I took its halter, went into the stall and put it on, put the halter shaft on it and led the pony straight up into the trailer.

It didn’t so much as snort on the road. The man dropped his chin and said I must have been lucky and I promised I would be careful in the future.

The pony was out of sorts, the only thing it “did” was that it was very playful with the mule, but didn’t bite or anything. We got it in and there were never any problems with it, no matter how what we did.

When the man went to pick up his stuff that I had repaired, he wondered how it had gone and I could only be honest and say that I didn’t consider the pony to be a problem horse, so we went out and greeted him in the stable. The man went over and was going to pat him on the mule and the pony fiddled a little with the mule and the man drew back his fingers quickly and half shouted: Do you see he bit me?

Yes, it can be, I just agreed with him and thought that it was good that the pony came to me and the man was happy to get rid of it, and I wonder if the pony wasn’t also quite happy to change places.

What don’t you learn at riding school?
It has been many years since I started my career as a horse girl at a small riding school in Denmark. It is actually 55 years ago. Many of the memories are still strong and sometimes it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago.
It was of course completely different then, but many things are still the same. The horses are doing much better today, as they usually come out daily. The horses used to be in the stall and they had to obey, otherwise they would be spanked.
One thing we didn’t learn was how to get along with the horse. When we were supposed to have a riding lesson, the horse was saddled and ready and it was far too big a risk to let us little ones go into the horses’ stall. Not all horses were kind, not so strange, so we didn’t get to do that horse-care thing. When you got a little older, you could be lucky enough to become someone’s attendant, but you hardly knew how to do it.
I got my knowledge of horses elsewhere. My parents bought a summer cottage in Blekinge and with a whole long summer every year, with nothing to do, I roamed around and found all the horses in the area and fed them sugar and bread. The old men who owned the horses and had them on the farm thought it was funny with my interest in horses and I learned a lot. There I gained insight into how they should be looked after, what they ate and how to take care of hooves and the like.
I don’t know how it is at riding schools today, but I have heard several people who have thought that there is far too little information about the horses beyond the riding. I have naturally noticed that there is a big difference in how you take on the responsibility of teaching the children everything around them.
I had an intern once who came from Kiruna, who was amazingly talented and hardworking. She told me that there was a long queue for the riding school and if you were to have riding lessons, it included work in the stable, otherwise you were simply not allowed to ride there. Very clever! Then you found out if the interest was big enough, for the horses, at the same time you got to learn all the important things.
What are your experiences? Do you learn things about riding at the riding school, or can they get better at such things?

Why can’t I just take a walk with my horse in the forest?

A very common question that I often get and I can understand that it feels strange if we think human-think! We like to relax, look at the birds and the leaves in the forest and it has a calming effect on us. The horse thinks the opposite: Help, should I be here alone, where are my friends, here are lions and saber-toothed tigers!!!

As long as you are in the yard and there are other horses around and you are in the place that the horse is used to, it is not that difficult for him to relax and concentrate on riding. The horse is a flight animal and these instincts are more or less present in all horses.

Temperament also plays a role, just like with us. Some are calm and others more nervous. Then it also has to do with status in the herd. If you ride a “scout” that usually has the task of informing the herd that there is something dangerous out there, it can be an “exciting” experience to ride out alone with one.

How can I manage to get out for a walk in the forest without being afraid that the horse will come home alone?

You can never be completely sure. Riding is fun but also associated with risks. However, you can work towards a good collaboration with the horse, so the risk is reduced and you can have fun together. It requires a lot of work, especially if you have a horse with a lot of nerves and who has not undergone the right training together with the rider. It requires community, training from the ground, leadership, etc

If you have a horse that doesn’t find it fun to ride alone in the forest, the best thing is to have another horse with you, who is calm and used to it, but if you are a rider who just wants to ride in the forest, I can only recommend to buy a horse that is made for this. The right breed, temperament, etc.

If you have a horse that you have had for a long time and don’t want to get rid of, but which is a bit “difficult” to ride, you can expect that it will take a lot of work before everything falls into place.

If you have a situation like this and would like help, I offer a free call where we can find out what you should do to succeed.

Order it at anneaxell.com/appointment

Run a “Safety Briefing” on the horse before you start riding!
Before starting an airplane, you go through all the safety tests, to make the travel as good and pleasant as possible. This is of course so that you don’t crash or that mechanical faults occur during the journey.
It is no different when riding, then you should always check the horse and the equipment before you get on the horse. Some do it per automatically while others “forget” it.
It is of course important to do so and even more important if you are a little scared to get on the horse.
Checking the equipment means checking whether the bridle fits correctly, if the bit is in the mouth correctly, if the horse behaves in any way differently than usual. Perhaps the horse is more reluctant to take the bite than usual, raises its head, or yawns several times when you have put the bridle on. Does it avoid the saddle, does the skin twitch when you saddle, does it sag in the back, or wag its tail?
Maybe it usually does things like this, but then you as a rider should also know what is normal for the horse and what is not normal. You have to feel if the horse seems irritated or unusually lethargic. If you pay attention and check all these things, if you grooming for a long time and spend a little longer with your horse before riding, you can avoid many misunderstandings. If you are in a hurry and just throw on the saddle and jump up, the horse can react immediately if there is something wrong and it can end in disaster.
As riders, we have to pay attention to the horse 100% as it is the one we have to cooperate with and depending on the status, you get better conditions for a good ride.

Imagine walking several miles with a stone in your shoe. Not particularly pleasant, and the horse must be allowed to protest if something is wrong. Try your hand if you are unsure where it is best for the horse to have the bit, etc. and check and feel how it reacts. It can’t talk but it can show if it is happy or not.
When we are stressed and don’t have time to get to know the horse, it is often when there are misunderstandings.

Focus on the horse is necessary and don’t be surprised if you forget these things, the horse might tell you about it in a way that might not be so popular!

Before thinking about riding a horse, it can be good to get to know the horse and build trust.

Those of us who have had horses for many years know that it is important that the horse has learned to lift its feet, but how many actually know why? It’s not just to make it easier for the farrier to work on the hooves, but it’s actually also a matter of trust.

As you know, the horse is a flight animal and taking and lifting a foot cuts the horse off from running away, in case things get too dangerous. That the horse is at full tension when you have to lift the feet is not a good concept, as you can count on the foot to be put back down, whether we want it or not.

As humans, we can forget to measure forces with the horse. Even a small shetlandpony we have nothing to say about, if it is not willing to cooperate. Therefore, we have to teach the horse that we are not dangerous and that we do not want to eat it.It can be easier said than done in some cases, but it pays off in the long run to work with cooperation and security when we spend time with our animals.

Like so many other things, you should take it step by step and not rush. Start with the horse getting used to you touching its legs and you being around it. Do not tear the hooves up in the hoof beard or tap the leg. The easiest way is to press a little on the chestnut or just above the vertebra and praise the horse a lot if he only makes an effort to lift. We also want the horse to lift independently in the future and we also want it to be able to hold its hooves by itself, so you don’t have to stand with a 600kg horse in your hand when you have to scratch the hooves.

Some horses are sensitive on the legs and it is not so strange, because often the horses can bite each other’s legs in play or when it comes to fighting for the place in the herd. You have probably seen the colts bite each other’s front legs to bring the rival down to his knees. So it is not obvious for the horse to lift its legs when you ask it to. It requires long and patient training and lots of praise.

Always start stroking with the hand high up on the legs, even on a experiended horse. The horses also use their legs when they wave away flies, so if you tickle the horse’s legs without it paying attention to what it is, it can easily get a hoof in the air.

Train your horse for a long time before the farrier comes. It is not his duty to teach the horse and we should care about our farriers who do a hard job for us so that we can ride our horses!

Do you want to change your life?
We have quite a lot of dreams in our life!
Maybe you want to ride the horse better, maybe you want to go out and compete! Maybe you dream of a farm for your horses or get rich so you don’t have to worry about everything getting more expensive.
It’s good to dream! It can put us in a good mood and give us new ideas to do what we want to do. If you have a dream that you really want to come true, you need to come up with a plan so that it becomes reality. It’s like that, if you do what you’ve always done, then life won’t change for you.

Why is it so difficult to take the initiative and move on?

All people dream of something but very few try to achieve it. It’s easier to come up with excuses as to why you haven’t done anything about it. Unfortunately, very few excuses are acceptable. If you want something badly enough, there are ways to go.
I’ve seen dyslexics write books, I’ve seen people without arms paint pictures with their mouths, anything goes.

We find it very difficult to get out of our “comfort zone” and change our daily habits. Take some time to write down your dreams and then figure out how to get there. Sometimes it doesn’t take much to turn things around for the better. Sometimes we have dreams all our lives that we do nothing about. How wonderful would it be to achieve something that you have wanted for a very long time?
If it is a dream you have with the horse, then maybe I can help you rethink and structure, so you get on the right path.

Do you have e.g. long dreamed of being able to load your horse and just drive away, or are you a little afraid to jump those hurdles, which were otherwise so much fun to jump in the past, then I can certainly give you support and advice in the right direction.
Don’t let years go by before you do something about it, you never know how long you have the opportunity:)

Please book a call with me at anneaxell.com/appointment

What will your stablemates say if you avoid riding your horse?

Being afraid of your horse is not something you show off in a stable! If you are afraid of your horse, why are you still doing it then, is the question.

I don’t need to ride you say, I like to work my horse from the ground, but deep down there sits a little figure, telling you that’s not entirely true. I’m not going to single everyone out, but the ones I’ve helped with their confidence have said afterwards that they’ve missed riding a lot.

I have noticed it on many people that it is not legal to be afraid when it comes to riding. I had an ad out in an English group and a man made very disparaging comments that you could also get help with everything today and you shouldn’t deal with horses if you are scared.

Most of the time I don’t answer such things, because it’s impossible to explain. I can only take myself as an example!

My whole life has been about horses. I have been a saddler, breeder, stallion keeper and horse trader. How is it that all of a sudden in the middle of it all I felt a lump in my stomach at the same time that most of all I wished it wasn’t like that. Horses were my whole identity. Who was I without horses? I still couldn’t get over being terrified and it took me years to get back to really enjoying riding again.

For those who haven’t tried it, don’t know what they’re talking about.

My mission is to help as many as possible back on the horse and even if you have been scared off the ground, because that happens too.

So please spread this text, so those who need help can get it and join our group where we help and support each other:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/836768577129245

I constantly hear that people think that the horses today are nervous, untrained, wrongly ridden, etc. It was better before, they think. Then you could find a horse that was kind and well ridden, used to riding out alone, without a lot of mistakes and diseases.
Is it true?
I myself have been involved for over 50 years and have had a lot of insight into what kind of horses have been on the market. I have some thoughts about this, but keep in mind that these are my thoughts, no facts.
I remember when I entered the half-blood world in Sweden…. I am originally from Denmark and when people talked about the Swedish half-blood, they were always told that they were sharp and difficult to handle. I admit that I actually got to experience this more than once and special stallions were feared such as Drabant, Juan, and Jovial just to name a few. I also know that several of the stallions at Flyinge you could not get close to. Now they had the horses in a different way in the past and were not so careful with rest paddocks and so on. Therefore, it is difficult to compare. They still breed on performance and the intention is that those who are to become the best are not meant to be hobby horses. I do not think it is more difficult to find a nice horse today, the only problem is that the demand has become greater.
Today, the horse must undergo various bending tests and X-rays before it is thought that it is good enough to be bought. It is also more expensive to keep a horse, so one who is well ridden and well bred has been in the same place for a long time to be able to show such values ​​and therefore it becomes more expensive to find a nice horse.
Those who are kind, nice and brought up are seldom for sale, because the owners want to keep the one they have spent a lot of time on. Unfortunately, there will be nothing extra on the price because the horse is manageable, but there are other values ​​that increase the price. Good trunk and nice appearance and great gait, is well paid. Even if they demand their rider, it is obvious that the breeders would like to have paid for their horses. It does not pay to breed “average” and I myself have experienced that nice calm hobby horses are not high in price.
I have imported lots of nice kindly bred horses from Hungary to Sweden, but the price you got from riding schools and hobby riders was actually less than these horses were worth.
I think the reason is simply that you do not want to pay the right price for a hobby horse. You have to pick them up abroad and the risk of being “cheated” is great, when you can not see and try the horse in advance.
I also think that people have less time today, and simply do not have the patience to deal with raising the horse themselves and get to know it properly before you start riding.
If you think SWB is too nervous or sharp today, then there are a lot of other breeds to choose from. Have plenty of time when choosing a horse and think carefully about it.

Do we humanize our animals?

I will be the first to admit that I sometimes speak on behalf of my animals and add some that the animals absolutely do not think or mean, but sometimes you can wonder if they are not a little clever in any case. I only have 3 horses left and if you, like me, have been used to having 20-30 horses at a time, 3 feel like very little.

Now, however, I have more time and surplus for them and at the same time I have made it easy for me, as they can go out and in as they pleased, so I do not have to clean the stable, it is done with a machine.

Right now they are grazing and I have done so the stable is connected to each paddock (there are 3) so I will only open and close a little here and there when I change paddocks. I have no young horses anymore so the risk is not so big that they go out, but every now and then what happens they go wrong and I must also admit that I am not strict with turning on the power.

The funny thing is that they themselves feel abandoned if they end up on the wrong ground and usually gossip when they come from the herd. In some places I only have a string left without electricity because if they go through there, they just enter a new paddock, so the risk is not so great that they get lost.

The other day I had them in the “outer garden” which is a bit away from the house, so I hear their footsteps when they “knock” of flies but not so loud. I woke up early in the morning (always when the horses are most active) because I thought their footsteps were quite close to the house, but I didnt care. Then I heard a whining but still thought I was too sleepy to go out, as they had not escaped anyway. I could hear they were right next door, but a few minutes later there was another whining. Yes, I thought, I’ll get to see what happens and went out into the yard.

There were 2 of them on the wrong side of the fence from the pasture they were released in, but were only in the other pasture, but Maersk who would never dare to go over a chalk line stood in the “real” pasture and gossiped on the others.

They were not 3 meters apart, so it was not because he had been left alone, no, he would simply telling me that something was not right, so I had to come out and make sure that there will be order in the herd.

When I came, he was standing and looking at me, like, what took you so long? I had to push the other two back in place and set up a wheelbarrow, so I could be allowed to sleep for a few more hours.

Summer is wonderful, but… ..When it is cold, windy, snow and rain, we long for summer! Unfortunately, there are also others who long for summer so they can thrive, live and multiply and that is the insects!

They are there to keep the balance so the summer does not become too pleasant, there must be something unpleasant It starts with the small, knob that are most found in the Swedish forests, then the mosquitoes come and you discover them most when you go to sleep and your legs itches so you go crazy with all the stings. The flies are most annoying, but then comes the worst, the horse fli! It is available in different sizes but the really big ones are very nasty and you understand that the horse gets hysterical when one comes humming through the air.

I noticed this the other day when I rode my horse and he suddenly started to buck. Then there was a big fli the size of my thumb and gnawed on his round ass. Not easy to sit still and at the same time lean back to push the nasty thing away.

I also find it difficult to kill them. You can hit them on the ground and step on them, it’s fine, but to mash them with your bare hands, I think is a little too disgusting when they are so big.

It is also difficult to find spray or something to bathe the horse with so they stay away, they are quite insensitive. We simply have to live with the scary things and try to ride early in the morning or late in the evening and instead fight with the mosquitoes and gnats:) In minus 10 degrees, you will not have such worries:)