BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 07:30 PM

A riding horse (working or pleasure kind) should almost never need any vocalized encouragement to get goin'. If you want the horse to move forward, you shift your weight a bit forward and press your thighs against the horse's rearmost ribs. No kicking required. If a reasonable experienced horse (it's let you stay on more than 8 seconds and isn't thrashin' around anymore) doesn't respond to this, it's likely that the horseman/woman needs some additional skill development.

For "competitive" dressage, verbal commands may be used in addition to body signals, but you're asking the horse to do pretty complex stuff there, and you have to be specific. Most people use simple one-syllable "barks" rather than words.

For a draft horse, usually just a simple flick of the reins will do to go - assuming you're on the cart/wagon. Lots of farm work is done walking beside the cart, though; and you shouldn't need to have the reins in hand with a good horse or team.

Since you can't use body language to communicate with a team when you're not onboard, the "tongue click" is often used for a "go" signal, but you don't (usually) click your tongue against the roof of your mouth. You put your tongue against the roof or your mouth and you get the "cluck" when you pull (or push - people argue 'bout which way it goes) it away - and suck a bit of air in. Others may use a one-syllable "go-signal" and the most common I've heard resembles a "yup" - but it's pronounced "a-a-y-yup" or "e-e-e-yup", with a sharp ending on the "yup." "Whoa" (or woe) is probably almost universal for a stop instruction.

With a team, especially when you're working beside the wagon, there is always a dominant (lead) horse, and it's customary to call her (it's usually a her) by name. "yup Fanny" or "whoa Daisy." It's the courteous thing to do with a friend. You NEVER tell any but the lead horse what you want. That hoss will take care of the rest of 'em.

Of course it's okay to carry on any sort of conversation you like with your horse (or any other good animal). Talking about what you're doing is common since it makes the task go easier. The critters probably won't talk back, but they'll listen like good friends; and mostly they seem to understand you better than .....

John

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Amos
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 03:43 PM

Then you group then by name and see who has the most "<"s and next most and so on and sort accordingly, coming up with:

1. Prancer
2. Cupid
3. Rudolph
4. Dasher
5. Blitzen
6. Vixen
7. Comet
8. Donder
9. Dancer

assuming no transctipyion errors! :D

A

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Charley Noble
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 03:28 PM

We learned pretty early on the farm not to shout "Go!" to get the horse to move. It sounded too close to "Whoe!" which is what you should shout to get them to stop. "Whoe, big fella!" if you're dealing with Silver.

"Giddy-up" followed by clicking your tongue against the roof of your mouth was generally good for initiating lift-up. Digging one's heels into his ribs could also be effective unless the horse was ticklish. Then you might only get the horse-laugh. We never used a whip. Although, sometimes one would slap the horse's rump gently with the end of the reins to get him or her to shift into a faster gear.

Let me end this discourse with the following observations:

She was only a stableman's daughter,
But all the horsemen knew her!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Amos
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 03:25 PM

Step two: Normalize the relationships so duplicate statements are removed and they all show the same relationship, in this case "before":

Blitzen < Dancer.
Blitzen < Donder,
Blitzen < Vixen
Comet < Donder
Cupid < Donder
Cupid < Blitzen
Cupid < Comet,
Cupid < Dancer.
Cupid < Rudolph
Cupid < Vixen.
Dasher < Donder
Dasher < Blitzen.
Dasher < Dancer
Dasher < Vixen,
Donder < Dancer
Prancer < Blitzen.
Prancer < Cupid,
Prancer < Donder
Prancer < Comet
Prancer < Dasher
Prancer < Rudolph
Prancer < Vixen
Rudolph < Dancer
Rudolph < Dasher.
Rudolph < Donder,
Rudolph < Comet
Rudolph < Vixen
Vixen < Comet.
Vixen < Dancer
Vixen < Donder

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Don Firth
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 03:10 PM

Jedediah has a team of prize-winning mules, but due to financial problems, he can no longer keep them, so he decides to sell them to Luke, who has a farm down the road a piece and needs a couple of mules. Luke sez to Jedediah that he needs "working" mules, and can't just keep them because they're a couple of pretty faces. Jedediah assures him that they are hard workers and work willingly, but, "They are a bit sensitive, so you need to be gentle and polite with them. They don't respond well to the usual kind of muleskinner language."

So Luke takes the mules off Jedediah's hands. The following morning, he takes them out to the field and hitches them up to the plow. He walks around in front of them and, bowing politely, in his best courtly manner, he requests, "Will you pull the plow, please?" They just stand there. Luke repeats his request. Nothing. Several more attempts produce the same result. The two prize-winning mules seem to be unaware that he is even there. In anger and exasperation, he steams off down the road to Jedediah's farm and tells him that the damned mules are bloody useless. "No problem," sez Jedediah. They hop into Jedediah's truck and drive to Luke's farm, where the two mules are standing motionless in the field.

Jedediah walks over to a pile of scrap lumber that Luke has laying behind the barn, picks up a four-foot length of 2x4, walks over to the mules, and whops each one of them across the nose with the 2x4, practically knocking them to their knees. Their eyes are wide, their ears are up, and they suddenly look very alert. Jedediah bows politely before the two mules and sez, "Will you pull the plow, please?" They take right off, pulling the plow with great vigor and enthusiasm.

"Jumpin' Jehoshophat!" sez Luke. "I thought you said that I needed to be gentle and polite with them!"

"Well, yeah," sez Jedediah. "But first you have to get their attention."

Don Firth

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Metchosin
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 03:00 PM

With some, one doesn't have to say anything. Just give them a good squeeze or nudge with your heels and sink your backside downwards as you thrust your pelvis forwards. Works well with other things too, come to think of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Hollowfox
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 02:40 PM

UnclePaulTheDragon (thankfully not a blood relation) said to jab the horse smaryly on either side of the spine, just behind the saddle, in the general location of the kidneys. He said it would guarentee a brisk take-off, er, start. Uncle Paul taught me many things.

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Rapparee
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 02:35 PM

Holy cow, but there are some hoof-assed ideas here! Whatheifer made Art start it?

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: GUEST
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 02:27 PM

Hey, that's pretty punny, Art!

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Amos
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 01:13 PM

Yes. Here's the list of postulates:

Blitzen < Dancer.
Blitzen < Donder,
Blitzen < Vixen and
Blitzen > Cupid
Comet > Prancer
Comet > Cupid.
Comet > Rudolph,
Cupid < Blitzen
Cupid < Comet,
Cupid < Dancer.
Cupid < Rudolph
Cupid < Vixen.
Dancer > Blitzen.
Dancer > Donder,
Dancer > Rudolph
Dasher < Blitzen.
Dasher < Dancer
Dasher < Vixen,
Dasher > Prancer
Donder > Comet
Donder > Cupid.
Donder > Vixen,
Donder >Dasher
Donder >Prancer.
Prancer < Blitzen.
Prancer < Cupid,
Prancer < Donder
Rudolph < Dancer and
Rudolph < Dasher.
Rudolph < Donder,
Rudolph > Prancer
Vixen < Comet.
Vixen < Dancer
Vixen > Dasher.
Vixen > Prancer   
Vixen > Rudolph,
(Front end of series is 1, sleigh end is 9)

There's a start.


A

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Peace
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 12:39 PM

Santa always leaves plans for his elves to determine the order in which the reindeer will pull his sleigh. This year, for the European leg of his journey, his elves are working to the following schedule, that will form a single line of nine reindeer:

Comet behind Rudolph, Prancer and Cupid. Blitzen behind Cupid and in front of Donder, Vixen and Dancer. Cupid in front of Comet, Blitzen and Vixen. Donder behind Vixen, Dasher and Prancer. Rudolph behind Prancer and in front of Donder, Dancer and Dasher. Vixen in front of Dancer and Comet. Dancer behind Donder, Rudolph and Blitzen. Prancer in front of Cupid, Donder and Blitzen. Dasher behind Prancer and in front of Vixen, Dancer and Blitzen. Donder behind Comet and Cupid. Cupid in front of Rudolph and Dancer. Vixen behind Rudolph, Prancer and Dasher.

Can you help the elves work out the order of the reindeer?

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Bill D
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 11:53 AM

"On, you huskies!"...no, wait....

I know...this does it!

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Peace
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 11:45 AM

Would you like to go to France or would you rather take a walk?

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: HuwG
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 07:55 AM

... odds on, favourite

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 07:10 AM

Hey, what I have to do to get my horsey moving is my business and none of yours!

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 06:45 AM

Art - hefferbody needs a hobby. At least you aren't freisian them like Damien Hurst.

My granfer used to work horses (got photos to prove it!), they were called Castor and Pollux and Pollux would only go if my mother were riding him. Seems this little 3yr old tot could get him to do anything just by asking 'nice horsey go there'. I'm off to visit my aunt and her horse this afternoon.. I'll report back with what she says to get him to move.

We used to have a champion heavy horse living in the field at the bottom of our road, his name was Prince and he won prizes for being the biggest horse alive then. His owner would walk him up the road every fine Saturday so he could graze the banks and traffic island (big triangle of grass). I seem to recall he used 'come on up yer bugger'.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 06:45 AM

Hi Ho! Sliver! Away!

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: gnu
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 06:43 AM

Glue!

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Chris Amos
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 01:49 AM

Walk on,
Walk on,
With hope in your heart.....

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 01:14 AM

Udderly amazing. (No bull...) To ere is human, to forgive, bovine!!
I don't cow-tow to nobody. This is really a calf-assed thread, and I'm sorry I started it.

Maybe we've milked it for everything we can get out of it.

Art

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: number 6
Date: 17 Feb 06 - 12:00 AM

Here bossy, here bossy

that's what you say to a cow isn't it?

sIx

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Peace
Date: 16 Feb 06 - 11:59 PM

Just kidding. Usually I just say, "Walkies" and the horse goes bananas.

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Cluin
Date: 16 Feb 06 - 11:59 PM

Speaking of seeing a man about a horse....

BRB

Subject: RE: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: Peace
Date: 16 Feb 06 - 11:57 PM

Fire the .44 mag and the horse moves.

Subject: BS: Say what? (To get your horsey moving??)
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 16 Feb 06 - 11:56 PM

Tonto used to say, "Get 'em up, Scout!!" What the hell was that all about??

And what do you people say to get it/yours in motion??
Art