Being an equestrian and a horseman is a lifestyle. It’s more than a sport or hobby, and requires a good deal of education to be safe and to properly manage these high maintenance animals.
To the outside world, some of our habits, or our equipment, seem totally weird. Here are six times non-horse people were totally confused by horse people or horse stuff. You’re in for a good laugh.
Gorgeous Pink Crystal
Vintage Horse Bit
While perusing a local furniture resell group in my area, I stopped dead in my scrolling path when I saw someone selling a pair of “vintage handcuffs.” WTF is right. But I bellied over laughing when I clicked through the images. This person was trying to sell a snaffle o-ring horse bit as a pair of old-timey handcuffs. Needless to say, I don’t think they ever sold.
Horse or Human Bridle
I still sometimes search Craigslist for horse-related items. You just never know when you’re going to find a deal. A woman was selling a brand new, never used dressage bridle still in the packaging. It was in beautiful condition! She attached her local phone number to the ad, so I texted her right away: “Do you still have the bridle for sale?”
Somebody responded a few hours later… with this message and photo:
“Do you mean this bridle?”
Oh God… Clearly I’d mis-typed the phone number.
Leggings With Weird Patches
Have you ever walked into a store after a day at the barn and had people gawk at your for your muddy, stinky riding ensemble? I think the greatest line ever is when somebody mistook my form-fitting breeches to be “leggings with bizarre patches on the knees.” Suuurrrreeeee.
The Wizardry That Is Fly Masks
Non-horse people pass by pastures all the time, but when they see a horse in a field wearing a weird piece of fabric over their face, it blows their mind. “Why would you blindfold a horse?!?!?!” It can be difficult to explain that the horse can actually see through the mesh material, and it’s meant to keep the bugs out of their eyes…
He’s Not Dead, He’s Sleeping
Speaking of drive-bys, you’ve got to love it when said passengers are alarmed to find a horse flat out on its side, dozing away in said field. Some of us have even gone to the lengths of posting signs on the pasture fencing: “He’s not dead,” the sign reads. “He’s sleeping.”
