Monty, et al The sleeping horse thing is more common than one might think... Had a paint gelding once who, while being shod constantly needed to be reminded to stay saddle side up. At almost 16 hands,that's a whole lotta horse to crumble to the ground. A hoof pick in the stomach was very effective if not subtle hint.

OH MY GOODNESS! LOL! That is too funny. Really tho? (Not that I'm sayin' you're makin' up stories... :) So have you learned to either shoe or trim your own horses? It would be rather startling to have a pony go knickers up when an unforewarned farrier has a hoof between his knees. How's your luck been finding another farrier? heehee... (I'm assuming it's that cresty neck pony you're speaking of. :) Yeah...Yeah...Yeah... blah blah blah on your busy-ness of all the going-ons of what all's been goin' on. Yet can see how that takes up one's time. So lettin' you off this time. HDG

hey HDG- Thanks for the contrib. I'm sorry, got a little bizzee entertaining the troops in Ferguson Mo. Then there was Robin Williams funeral procession thru the Napa Valley wine country- a lot of stops. Your sleepy story reminds me of my younger pony who, if not watched carefully, would fall asleep durin shoeing. He didnt snore (lol) to give himself away so I would have to warn a new shoer - 'hey, if he refuses to give you a leg, check to see if he's awake..."! Most shoers would take that as me braggin my horse was easy to shoe but unfortunately, I was bein serious. One time I forgot to issue the heads-up...Which is to say it was bound to happen and one day it did. I had a new shoer coming so I told both the boys to be on their best behavior as I'd been on the farrier's waiting list for over a year. They were both great except - Yes, the younger horse fell asleep and then, making matters worse, fell right over... It was like cow tipping gone equine. The shoer picked up a front leg and the next thing ya know, the damn horse went down in what can only be described as a equine-sprawl position. At first, the shoer didnt realize what had happened and later said - 'I thought the damn thing had a heart attack..." Well, as any good horse owner would do when he's facing the prospect of losing a good shoer, I immediately offered up the best excuse I could - "I'm sorry man, I should have told you, my horse has a rare form of equine narcolepsy and sometimes..." It should be noted, the shoer finished the horse, packed up his tools and I havent seen him since. Some of those guys can be so picky but me and the horse both had a pretty good laugh after the shoer left. At least I did...>m<

What?! No other horse quirks? At all? Monte, no comment on the snoring equine? Hmmmmmm...

Oh my those are some great quirks/oddities! HaHa that Sonnie has turbo jets. Too funny. If Sir Monte would permit, I would dearly love to use that phrase for my own pony's "turbo jets". Kapeech? These true tales told above reminded me of a time a group of us went horsecamping in the Three Sisters Wilderness in Sisters, Oregon. One of the horses was a big ol' grey Clydesdale named Cooter. Cooter would plod along when on trail rides, but when he was on the drill team (yep.... a Clydesdale on a drill team), he would really perk up and strut his stuff. It was a sight to see the change; he knew he was on display. Back to the horsecamping quirk..... after riding for the day, horses were put on highlines with Cooter having his own to himself while thirsty riders quenched dry gullets with hoppy cocktails. We all visiting and yukkin' it up, when we hear sounds like dirt bikes. We all look at each other and exclaim, "There aren't supposed to be dirt bikes or any sort of motorized vehicles on these trails!" Puzzled we go out a short ways from camp. No dirt bikes. More puzzled looks as the sounds are still being made. Looking in the direction of Cooter's highline... there's the sound. Cooter is snoring up a storm! Blissfully snoozing away from the rigors of the day's trail ride (he was laying down). How I wish I'd had a video camera! His snoring sounded just like those whiney engines of a dirt bike. Oh my ... all of us had a good laugh and let Cooter snore away. I've never seen or heard a horse snore since that day. Thanks for bringing back one of my fondest memories of a horsecamping trip.

Hey Qtr, thanks for the great "oddity". That's a good description because I think there is a difference between a horse quirk and an oddity. Good stuff girl. Speakin of horse noises, here's one: Years ago, I took my sister's daughter for her first ride. She was just a little skitter at the time, so I put her on my horse in front of me. As we started up a hill, my horse began farting (as he usually does). At first, my niece, about 10yrs, couldnt figure out what the noise was or where it was coming from. As the horse toots became louder and more often, she realized it was coming from the horse. She asked me: "Uncle Monte, is Sonnie farting...?" I answered: 'No darlin, he just has to use his turbo jets to help him get up the hill." The horse toots ceased at the top of the hill and all was forgotten, i thought. When we got back to camp, my sister was impatiently waiting for her child's safe return from her first "horsey ride". My niece, totally excited, blurted out: "Mommy, mommy, I like Sonnie, he has turbo jets...! Like your story, Qtr, ya just had to be there...>m<

Nyrider- great quirk-story. It reminds of the time when I was doin some riding for an Az outfitter/stable horses company. They had an old Navajo pony in the string of stable horses, name of Bluejay. i used to call him "Jaybird". While on the trail, as a packer or riding horse, ol Jaybird had the uncanny knack of being able to rip off a mouthfull of whatever shrub, bush or low enough tree branch that happened to be close enough as he plodded along. And never miss a step. I rode him often and it was always funny to watch him spy a prospective snack up ahead and then nonchalantly adjust his position so as to be in the best spot to make the snack-snatch. To other riders not accustomed to Jaybird's trail-slyness, they always got a kick out of him when he would do his little trick. Me, I always knew when he was setting up for a snatch. He gave himself away by always perking his ears when he spotted a potential on-the-run meal. When his ears went up, I would give him his head just to watch him do his thing. I truly admired ol Jaybird for what I considered to be a well-perfected quirk...>m<

A time or two I have observed a couple equine oddities... *"Does the water in the bottom of the trough really taste better than the top?" Knew a mare who must have been part submarine or seahorse 'cause she preferred to drink from the bottom, perfectly content to put her whole head underwater when quenching her thirst. *"Why does a horse make motor boat noises when he swims?" No answer for this one. A group of horse & riders were out swimming in a stock pond, one certain young palomino kept making motor boat sounds with his lips as he went along. It has hysterical. OK you had to be there to appreciate it.

A lesson horse with a good mind...this horse was an old school master perfect for new riders. He knew his job and gave an honest ride. If it was a walk, trot class that's what he did...maintain his pace and stay on rail, no wandering or blasting around the ring. His quirk: He did not like the small birds that nested in the rafters. The birds loved fresh "horse apples" and would fly down into the arena to sample new deposits..as the lesson horse came by the birds would take off..to be met with the snapping teeth of the horse attempting to catch them in mid air.....Keep in mind he never missed a step or deviated from the lesson..I never saw him catch one...but I do wonder what he would do if he did?

Hey Heart, good to see you around and still kicking.. I think, if horses could talk, they would say their quirks make perfect sense to them. Your story illustrates more the common sense that most horses possess that we as owners some times sell short or may not even recognize. You worked hard to share your "story'. Youve earned yourself a whole box of horse apples...Thanks for the contrib... >m<