Hershey and Megan at the show
Hershey is talented, and he knows it.
He was a Thoroughbred bred for jumping in Ocala, Florida. He was bought by a hunter/jumper family in NJ. His personality did not mesh with theirs and that’s how he fell in my hands.
I could see their complaints. He would swing his hips at me, pin his ears, and occassionally take nips at me. He would throw his feed out of his bin. If the hay did not have alfalfa in it, he would stand over it while looking back at me and promptly urinate on it. Under saddle he would throw in bucks and an occassional rear. He hated all bits and he hated all saddles. He was opinionated about everything. One time a cat lost one of their lives because they got a little too close to his feet.
It is as if he knows that he is special. He likes to bully the other horses. Sometimes he tries to grab my jacket if I do not pay attention to him, as if to demand it.
He whinnies and paws at the ground to let me know that he should be fed first. He uses his body to “herd” the riders that are retrieving other horses. He barges into every conversation, demanding attention.
He is the famous horse for teaching riders how to be sensitive and assertive. A ride on Hershey is the barometer to tell the riders that they have the qualities to be the best. Few have achieved the status “I rode Hershey” and those that have wear this banner with pride.
Thanks Hershey for teaching my students.
Anything For Horse And Rider 
So does Hershey just have a bad attitude or do you think there is some underlying health concern that no one has picked up on yet? Once my horse was acting really nasty (out of character). We discovered that since I had just started using a breastplate, the saddle had starting fitting him poorly, pinching him. Stopped using it and he went back to his normal self. Maybe Hershey was orphaned? I saw in the movie Buck that horses that are orphaned sometimes become unruly because they never had a mom to teach them appropriate behaviors and boundaries? Just a thought.
Interestingly enough, Hershey became quite compliant when he realized the “cake” job he had here. It was through setting boundaries and not allowing him to even think he could get the upper hand. I worked with him diligently and when he realized that there was someone that would not take his shenanigans, he quickly backed down.
Today, he is shown extensively, galloped bareback, and jumped all over. He loves to be ridden, and more importantly he loves to teach our riders to be assertive. For the timid rider, he will “read” their language and be all over them like white on rice. This is why he is so valuable to our riders. He teaches them how to read a horse’s language and speak back to them.
That’s why all that ride him get the opportunity to learn a lesson that very few horses will teach- how to gain the respect of a horse.
Thanks for your comment! I love reading your posts!
alot of the best jumpers are temperamental… sounds like he fits the mold.
This sounds like a very special – and awesome – horse.. Sometimes an aspiring quality rider has the chance to learn from horses like these!
You said it correctly, a horse teaches so many lessons. For those that are willing to listen to the ultimate teacher, they will become a great rider.
Thanks for posting, I love your comments.
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Hershey is a beautiful horse and a wonderful teacher. 🙂
Oh yes he is!
Thanks for your comment.
Don’t forget to post your unwanted tack, or horse/pony on http://www.anythingforhorseandrider.com.
Thanks!
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Occasionally, one of my students needed humbling. Perhaps they had’t fallen off yet and think themselves invincible, or their usual lesson mount was just a little too cooperative and they started to believe they were the bees’ knees. That was when I used to pull out Siobhan, an unassuming little bay pony.
Siobhan was dynamite. During her short career as a lesson horse – I eventually kicked her out of lessons due to her insufferable temper – she pulled out virtually every vice in the book, and when she was done with the book she wrote a sequel. She never managed to actually throw anyone, but the difference in their attitudes afterwards was quite refreshing!
That is too funny! Ride a pony and you are a real rider.
Ironically, I went trail riding with a few students and of course I was leading the ride bareback on our bad pony. I was turning around periodically to make sure that all were following, when he spooked. He zigged and I zagged. So embarrassing, but funny at the same time. Hmmm, did I need to be humbled??
Thanks for sharing your story!
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