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Published on Tuesday, 18 February 2014 11:02

We Just Don’t Like Each Other!!!!! cont

But how do you measure whether you and your horse are not suitably matched? Ask yourself the following

• Does the horse respond when he sees you, will he leave the herd and come to you willingly
• Do you feel scared of your horse when you are working with him
• Do you feel safe and comfortable when you are riding him
• Does your horse kick and/or bite you
• Are the majority of your rides enjoyable, or have you got to the point where you don’t even want to ride anymore
• Are you over horsed, is your horse too advanced for your level of riding skill
• Are you too advanced for your horse’s level of skill and unwilling to train it to your level
• Do you think you bought the wrong animal
• Has your horse developed a problem or issue that you can’t deal with

It is not uncommon to buy the wrong horse, after all we usually only get to see and ride the animal a few times before we buy it. Or we may have even bred it or ordered it based on what is expected. Much of the above issues can be corrected with a lot of training and time, but the reality is that some horses and some people just don’t get along. The sooner the owners come to this realisation and move past the denial and disappointment the sooner progress can be made.

Re-homing the horse is often the best option, what is a problem to one person may very well not be a problem to another person. I also believe that there is the right horse out there for every person. You are not being “a failure, unkind, heartless, etc” when you make the decision to re-home and look for a more suited animal. You are being a realist and putting the horse first. After all we only get so much time to ride and spend with our horses it makes sense to do it with a horse we like, enjoy and get pleasure from.

Professional riders and trainers don’t get the luxury of only working horses they like or get on with. The difference is they are usually extremely experienced horse riders and give the horses extremely clear cues and direction so they get results. But is you ask them there will definitely be horses even they prefer getting to ride or work with.

Try exposing your horses to as many things and situations as possible. Clicker training helps greatly with spooky horses.