# Training not to..ahem...drop.



## Exotic (Dec 29, 2014)

Yeah its a gross subject, but horses do it and I'm having an issue with it. 
My gelding is a great boy and lets just say very clean in his special area. I don't care if he drops around me when we are working, but when I'm teaching him tricks or trying to show someone his tricks and take pictures its not so cute to have a 5th leg appear. Because of his dropping I cannot show him in halter or showmanship anymore either. I actually had to stop showing because people were making nasty comments to me all the time and I didn't want my horse to be looked at that way even though he doesn't know what they're saying.
He is great with kids so I love having them come out and enjoy a nice horse but with him dropping ALL THE TIME it is quiet embarrassing. 
I've tried poking the underside of his stomach with a whip, tried tapping various areas to try and get the point across to 'put it away' and he just doesn't get it. The only way to fix it is to trot him and that's not possible all the time.
Anybody have any ideas? I would like to teach him a simply cue that he understands and would be successful. Right now he just stares at me like whatever.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I would ask your vet. Have you checked for a bean?


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## Starlite (Jan 25, 2011)

Exotic said:


> Yeah its a gross subject, but horses do it and I'm having an issue with it.
> My gelding is a great boy and lets just say very clean in his special area. I don't care if he drops around me when we are working, but when I'm teaching him tricks or trying to show someone his tricks and take pictures its not so cute to have a 5th leg appear. Because of his dropping I cannot show him in halter or showmanship anymore either. I actually had to stop showing because people were making nasty comments to me all the time and I didn't want my horse to be looked at that way even though he doesn't know what they're saying.
> He is great with kids so I love having them come out and enjoy a nice horse but with him dropping ALL THE TIME it is quiet embarrassing.
> I've tried poking the underside of his stomach with a whip, tried tapping various areas to try and get the point across to 'put it away' and he just doesn't get it. The only way to fix it is to trot him and that's not possible all the time.
> Anybody have any ideas? I would like to teach him a simply cue that he understands and would be successful. Right now he just stares at me like whatever.


this is a sign of relaxation. Barring any medical issues, I am interpreting this as a sign that he may not be a good fit for showing, if that is what you want to do with him. Asking him not to demonstrate his natural body language due to concern over what other petty people are saying about him or (ridiculously) you isn't fair to him. I've been around horses 30 years and i've never in my life had anyone acknowledge this sign of a relaxed gelding.


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## HombresArablegacy (Oct 12, 2013)

Has he ever had Ace administered to him? I know that it can problems in stallions and geldings where they are unable to retract their penis. But from what you describe, he has control over it.

Got to say you had me chuckling with your reference to a "5th leg"!

I know that back in the old days of showing halter, if a stallion dropped in the ring, it was standard to tap it lightly with the end of the lead to make it retract.
Sounds like your boy is just really proud of his "junk" lol
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

First -- have him checked and make sure he is clean. Does he pulls himself completely up when he is moving around on his own? Then he is fine -- just has bad manners where this is concerned.

Barring any physical problem -- it is just a bad habit. We have seen this before -- even with full erections.

We have always been able to stop this completely by taking a crop and hitting the offending 5th leg. It will go away real fast. If you say a sharp "Ah!" when you get after one, then after only a couple of times, you only have to say "Ah!" and it vanishes. 

This is the same thing you usually end up having to do with stallions that you show only they are a lot more persistent. It is just a part of having good manners. It is no different than them keeping their teeth to themselves.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

Proud owner of a horse that loves to show off his junk here. All the time. He's very proud of himself.

Saying that, I'm really surprised that a horse's body part is considered offensive in the show ring. It's just a penis. 50% of horses (and humans  ) have one. I can understand the embarrassment around children that might not be familiar with animals but can anyone explain why it's frowned upon in the show ring? I can't imagine it affects their performance.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

I do get it, but I sort of have to agree. How petty are we?

Or as the 50+ year old lady I know would say "ewwww his pepperoni!!!" (blush). Seriously? How old are we? Why make it so awkward or even call attention to it at all?? It is. Nothing more.

Think it would be a bigger issue for a stud though and do get the whole "manners" thing. I've never had an issue with any of mine.


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## Chasin Ponies (Dec 25, 2013)

tinaev said:


> Proud owner of a horse that loves to show off his junk here. All the time. He's very proud of himself.
> 
> Saying that, I'm really surprised that a horse's body part is considered offensive in the show ring. It's just a penis. 50% of horses (and humans  ) have one. I can understand the embarrassment around children that might not be familiar with animals but can anyone explain why it's frowned upon in the show ring? I can't imagine it affects their performance.


 It's mostly competitors (but yes, sometimes judges) at shows that frown on this. It _often_ times denotes a gelding that has been Aced and no one feels that it's fair to complete a drugged horse against their own clean one, legitimately so.
My geldings do this rarely but when it's around children, it's best just to ignore it and not make a big deal.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Well, he is ether very relaxed or has been Aced, is dirty, or acquired a bad habit

Why is it frowned on?
Yes, he is a gelding, thus unlike a stallion, dropping is usually not a sign that his attention has gone to breeding mode, in mixed sex classes, but if a stallion can learn to put it up, a gelding certainly can also
Geldings that drop in a halter class, usually are also in 'drowsy mode, often standing with head hanging and a leg cocked, so just part of a total bad image , and with a very 'un professional ' look
Some horses will also drop, just being groomed, touched, so maybe that is what is happening, when you ask him to play tricks?
It has nothing to do with being prudish, far as not being acceptable-just shows a horse with poor manners and an un professional handler, or makes it unsured if that gelding had been drugged
I rode with a horse in a class that was obviously given ACE. He hung during the entire class (it was videod, as that horse was for sale) and you could see that the rider had the spurs dug into him, to keep him going. After the class she got off and literally dragged him out of the arena. Must have mis calculated the dose!
A trainer , watching, immediately told the show committee, that they had a drugged horse in the ring.


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## tinaev (Dec 2, 2012)

Smilie said:


> Geldings that drop in a halter class, usually are also in 'drowsy mode, often standing with head hanging and a leg cocked, so just part of a total bad image , and with a very 'un professional ' look


I can understand that from a judge's point of view. That doesn't sound like what is happening to the original poster though. The way it's described in the OP is that people are offended by her horse dropping.


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## JCnGrace (Apr 28, 2013)

I do exactly like Cherie does only I just smack it with my hand. Like she said after a few times it only takes the verbal cue to get them to put it away.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

ALL of the real horsemen I know do not allow this inattention to business. It IS a display of poor manners. Making excuses for it just shows a lack of professionalism and training. There is a reason it is frowned upon. 

I have had 4-Hkids show up with horses that did this. I handed them a small crop and told them how to fix it. I cannot remember one of them that argued that they wanted to let their horse keep doing this. And yes, these same horses had a lack of respect and attentiveness at other times.


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Smilie said:


> Well, he is ether very relaxed or has been Aced, is dirty, or acquired a bad habit
> 
> Why is it frowned on?
> Yes, he is a gelding, thus unlike a stallion, dropping is usually not a sign that his attention has gone to breeding mode, in m sex classes, but if a stallion can learn to put it up, a gelding certainly can also
> ...


If the horse is out all the way while moving that is obviously not normal!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I do the same as Cherie, and if it's a stallion I just say, "You're not getting paid, put it away.". After awhile, as soon as they hear, "You're not" it disappears.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I have used that smack method on stallions, telling them to put it away, or if riding, just spur their hip around and tell them to put it away
I was also given another method, by a trainer, showing at halter with a stud, where you can't obviously smack the offending member, and where you just want your colt to continue to stand square, but with only four 'feet' showing!
If you use a finger nail to poke at the roof of their mouth, while saying the 'put it away', it also works, with no one really seeing that correction
Yes, as I and others have said-it looks unprofessional


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## Exotic (Dec 29, 2014)

No I never drug him!! He is naturally laid back so I know that is part of the issue. I have the vet clean him and they always say he is super clean and no beans. Probably because he drops all the time. Today I decided to try cleaning his stomach near there and a bit extra to see if it makes a difference. In shows he drops while we are just standing in the line up so he fully relaxes. I don't think it should be that big of a problem with people because yes it is a part of their body, but I agree it does look disrespectful. So that's why I'm trying to fix it. When I give his stomach a good whack he does nothing, tap the junk he does nothing, back him up he does nothing. I don't know how to get it in his head a cue to put it away. He is a very kind horse, I do lots of groundwork with him and he is respectful. All vets, farriers, and boarding managers say he is one of the best horses to handle. Its really his only issue. Whenever he is happy, excited, or relaxed it comes out! He loves doing tricks (it involves food!) So out it comes every time. It becomes a hard battle of teaching the trick then trying to get him to put it away, back to trick and back to away. I feel it is confusing him. Ahhh!!!!


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## Saranda (Apr 14, 2011)

Honestly, I'm very surprised and perplexed to read it's considered a "bad habit"! It's just horses, they have penises and sometimes they relax and hang them out! Never seen that as something I'd need to correct or, heavens forbid, smack. How is it disrespectful? He's not human, he doesn't have a concept of not demonstrating his genitalia in public - for horses, it's just another form of body language. 

That being said, if he lets his penis out or even erects it during trick training, you might want to consider the level of excitement you put into it and it brings to him, especially, regarding treats. It's up to you and you might want to tone it down a bit, perhaps, don't use the treats. If the training is more relaxed and less exuberant, he might just keep his stuff inside.

And some horses are just more prone to that. Mine is, for example. Well, I just got used to that and I don't let childish comments get to me. It's not like I can put a pair of pants on him anyway.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

If a horse is entertaining himself with it, that's one thing. That should be corrected. But if he's just dropped because he's relaxed, I actually kind of think it's a good thing. I like to clean them when they are in relaxation mode.

My gelding is actually a little shy with it, I think because when he was a foal he had a navel infection and I had to swab out the navel with scarlet oil. So he got a little shy down there and usually sucks things up if I'm messing around down there. I would actually like it if he was a little less shy with it so I could do a better job cleaning him down there. We are working on this.....clean a little and retreat before he feels the need to suck it up.

I guess I would be cautious "correcting" a horse for being relaxed because that's the best time to clean them. 

When I was a teenager I remember being a bit embarrassed about my horse's anatomy. Now, 20 years later I don't care. Mostly they have just been hanging out when they are relaxed. But I have seen horses doing it as a way to amuse themselves. That probably needs to be corrected before it goes any farther than that.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Relaxed is fine, standing out in the pasture, any gelding can hang it out all they want.
When I handle them, esp trying to show them, it is not acceptable, any more then trying to show an un clipped dirty horse. It is just not professional.
If I tie a gelding up, during a trail ride , and he wants to hang and relax, also fine


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

It boils down two expectations.
It is also normal for a relaxed horse to stand with ears at half mast, one back leg cocked, yet we expect them to stand looking alert, and square when shown-at least if you wish to look 'professional'


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## Exotic (Dec 29, 2014)

Yes exactly. I am fine with him being relaxed while grooming, in pasture, in his stall, when its appropriate to be relaxed. Just when we show, ride, or do tricks I do not want that. And those times don't last very long. Trick training time lasts like 20 minutes, showing is usually pretty short, so its not a lot of time I'm asking him to not do it. Just needs to learn a cue.


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