The amazing things people tell others

[Jill]

We had a lady here visiting from the city last summer. We showed her the colts, the stallions and finally the geldings. She looked me straight in the eye and asked me how we knew which mares would be bred to produce geldings and which ones stallions. When I looked at her funny for a second, and then thought- she thinks they are BORN that way. Ha!!!! Too funny. I had to tactfully tell her we made that decision for the mares.

OMG!!! That is bad!

But then I wondered something even worse... I wonder if a dishonest breeder told her a colt w/ retained testicles was born a gelding???

 

[Riverdance]

I had a really funny thing happen to me. i was at the State Fair where we have a Mini show each year. I also raise Tibetan Terriers and had brought a new born puppy with me to nurse as he was not doing well with mom and I was trying to save him.

Well at the fair we get all kinds of really DUMB questions. One lady came up to me and asked me if the puppy was a baby Miniature horse.(mind you the puppy was no bigger than 1/2 of my hand) I looked her straight in the eye and said, yes, we freeze dry them so that it is easier to bring them to the show, then once here we feed them a bottle of milk and they fill out right away to look like the ones you see here.

She looked at me and said wow, how amazing. and started to pet one of the horses. She really believed me as she started to explain to her friend what I was doing. I had to correct her right away.

 

[Kendra]

Congratulations on the championship Lori! I was thinking about you guys in Prince George this weekend, glad you had a good show!

As far as things people say .... when I was in drivers ed, there was a girl in my class who, when she found out I had horses, started telling me about these horses her friend had. Her and her friend rode all the time, but then her friend took her mare on a trail drive, and there was a stallion there that wasn't supposed to be, and the end result was that her mare had a foal. She then proceeds to tell me that now the foal is a year old, and because he's "half-stallion" they can't even get the mare out to ride her, because he just bites her all the time if they try to take her away. I was kind of dumbfounded ... I said, he IS a stallion. She said "Yeah, he's half-stallion, because his dad was a stallion." Someone asked me why I didn't really set her straight, but honestly, I was so boggled that someone would come up with that, I didn't really get the point across to her! I did suggest that they should geld the "half-stallion". I hope she passed that on, otherwise they might have had a "quarter-stallion" running around the following year!!

 

[Fred]

We were at Equine Affaire a couple of years ago with the two babies they were about 5 months old. This person who said she was a 4-H leader comes up and says to the kids who are with her that this is what a dwarf looks like but that they would grow too big! My horses are NOT dwarfs, I would never bring one out as a breed rep if I had one, it was highly insulting and to top it off these two babies will mature under 34". You couldn't convince this woman she was so adamant and to top it off shes teaching kids! The best one though was when my friend who has Fresians and Dutch Harness horses had some one standing at the stall oohing and ahhing over the Fresians, looks at one of the Harness horses and says what kind of Fresian is that? [the horse has a big white blaze and four white feet] and his friend says "oh thats just a young one they turn all black when they are full grown". Never mind the horse is 16 plus hands! OH!

 

[horseplay]

Just thought of this, we had a riding horse for sale a few years ago, a couple came to look at him, he was a 15 year old bay gelding for their daughter, the wife said "he has a nice tail but I really like the yellow ones" then the husband asked me if he was "neutered yet". Can you imagine! He was a sweet dead broke horse who would have been perfect for their beginner daughter but the mother wanted a "yellow one". Worked out for the best as I really wouldn't have wanted him to goto people so clueless.

 

[wcr]

I got a chuckle out of reading these but the sad thing is the misinformation and the lack of knowledge. I have heard some of these same things and strive to be an ambassador for our horses and kindly and (sometimes) with tact try to educate people and correct misinformation.

 

[Ouburgia]

But horseplay. that is always difficult in selling horses.

We once had a Fjord weanling for sale. I got a mail: "I would love to come and see her, If I bring my saddle, kan I test ride her than?"

I just didn't awnser...

 

[Laura]

I had a breeder once tell me that her dwarfs were caused because she gave her mares vaccinations. She had quite a few dwarfs! Needless to say I didn't buy any horses from her. I was kinda new to minis, but I wasn't an idiot!

[SIZE=14pt]I was told recently by someone that their 24" dwarf wasn't a dwarf, he had been a preemie and just didn't grow....okey dokey!

[/SIZE]

 

[Carolyn R]

Another breeder shared this one with me. They were showing some minis at a fair, there were some work oxen in the same "walkthrough " area for spectators to see. One spectator asked if an oxen was a cross between a mule and a cow!!!!!

 

[Magic]

I did suggest that they should geld the "half-stallion". I hope she passed that on, otherwise they might have had a "quarter-stallion" running around the following year!!

ROFLOL!!! Maybe that is where Quarter Horses come from?

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

These are just too good. I know we should all strive to correct these misunderstandings where we can but really some of them just leave you unable to think of a thing to say. And then there are always the ones who won't be told anyway.

Thank you Kendra, the show really went well I think and maybe we won't have scheduling conflict with your club next year There were a few people suggesting a date change to late summer, early fall instead (horses would sure be in better shape by then) but it hasn't been discussed by the club here yet. There were a couple of minor mix ups (wrong ribbons handed out in a couple of classes) but nothing to bad. I think we'll get better with practice and hopefully more people will come out

 

[Keri]

These are pretty funny! Its amazing how ignorant people really are. Here's mine: I live in a town of about 250 people and I'm the only one with minis. I get this question all the time: Do you ride them??? I just look at them and say, Are you kidding me??? I'm 5'11". So that would be quite a sight for sure!

 

[MiniHunterHorseFan]

I remember watching on animal planet, a lady with a miniature horse. She told everyone he was a pygmy horse and she was trying to break the world record of the highest a pygmy horse has ever jumped which was 32in. So she tried and her horse knocked the jump over.

 

[Indian*R*A*I*N*Dance]

My mom was talking to her friend from college, she was part of the newsletter or something, about how we have minis etc. So in May we got a letter from the editor of the newsletter saying "...I'm writing to you because we had taken not of the news that you raise pygmy ponies." HAHAHA now in the newsletter it says that we raise pygmy ponies. But there are such things as pygmy ponies, i looked them up, there service minis who are like, 24'' and under or something like that.

 

[HGFarm]

OMG!!

:stupid These are just too funny!!!!!

It is pretty amazing what comes out of people's mouths sometimes. I can see that some of these wouldnt have a chance to be corrected because I too, would either be standing with my mouth half open in shock, or dying laughing and wouldnt be able to speak. Hilarious!!!

 

[walkermini]

I also have tennessee Walkers, and have a colt and filly for sale that were born in April. They are by the same sire. I had a lady call that was interested in them, and she asked if she could come Memorial day weekend. I said that was fine, and then she started talking about bringing her trailer so if she bought them she could get them, they would have been 6 weeks old at the time...I said they wouldnt be ready to go til at least August, when they would be weaned. (I also put this in all ads I posted). Then she asked if when they got older, they could breed...I said well technically yes, but I wouldnt breed 1/2 siblings...Then she asked if they had the same dam, even though in all the ads I put the pedigree, not to mention the birthdates, which are 4 days apart. Yep I have a mare that had twins 4 days apart LOL. Thank goodness she never called back, I was trying to be nice but could never sell a horse to someone that ignorant about horses!

 

[dreaminmini]

I work in a tack store...that in itself usually need explaining to people..."you sell fishing rods?" But it never fails to amaze me the questions people ask. Like wanting to buy a riding helmet for their child but want it a couple of sizes bigger so their child can grow into it! OH! I had someone ask if we had a 58" blanket for their 16hh horse! Another favourite is the ones that want a saddle that fits any horse as they ride 5 or more different horses and it would have to be able to do future horses as they don't want to have to buy another saddle in a few years. OH!

 

[hahler]

hey keri if you wear your spurs then you would have your training wheels

 

[Fanch]

I love these, its amazing what people come up with.

On a different note, I wanted to attend the show, but still trying to convince my mom to drive far away; so not till next year, I hope

Glad to hear it was a good...and suprising time!!

 

[Jill]

Once at the stable where my former trainer is, she had a quarter horse getting ready to foal soon and had put a bunch of straw in the stall. Some 4H moms were looking in at the mare and the straw and one asked me if "Angel" was going to make a nest

I could just picture Angel weaving some huge bird's nest kind of thing to have her baby in