“Why do you have a horse”? “Why have you chosen this particular horse”? “What would you like to be able to do with your horse, in other words, what are your goals”? These are the three questions that are asked of everyone who requests me to help them with their horse whether they are recreational riders who just trail ride or ride in an enclosure of some sort; low-level amateur show horse participants of whatever discipline; or professional riders regardless of their riding speciality. The answers to these questions will indicate to me whether they are internally or externally motivated which, in turn, will give me a starting point regarding how I will initially begin my program with them.
One of the answers that I am always looking forward to hearing, but seldom do, is something along the lines of: ‘I just love horses, all kinds of horses, and I want to learn everything about them and how to ride them just so that I can be with them’.
Anyone who has been around horses for awhile, especially those folks who are involved in working with horses who have been diagnosed by their handlers as having some kind of unacceptable behavior know that there is no such thing as a horse that is ‘fine, except for one little problem’. All supposed problems or issues stem from something else that was troubling the horse beforehand which can eventually escalate to something more serious if not redirected or corrected.
The issues that the horse has as described by those people seeking assistance are many and varied. They range from, to name just a few, a misplaced conception that they already know how to ride horses and that it is the horse that is the problem, to the horse having been ruined by another trainer and not by them, to the horse just being stubborn or not respectful of them, to ‘all of a sudden’ the horse started to do this, that or something else without cause, to the horse who is just fine in an arena but goes crazy when they try to take him on a trail ride, to having a very small arena to work in so that the owner thinks that he or she can’t do much work with the horse to get him better.
Sometimes, additional issues arise with the horse that have nothing to do with the riding of the horse, but are serious enough to warrant addressing and correcting. These include, but are not limited to, leading problems, trailer loading/unloading, or horses being separated from their buddies. These problems are not included in the list that follows as they are not germane to the requirements needed for a riding horse.
One thing that I do not hear very much from the owner/handler is an admission of responsibility for causing whatever behavior the horse has exhibited that is unsatisfactory to them in the first place.
Without delving into the numerous aspects of what makes up a human being, let it be mentioned that there were three qualities set out by the old riding masters that still pertain in today’s horse world, but are sadly lacking in many cases, when it comes to the individuals involved in caring for, training, and riding of the horse. These were listed as being: mentally capable, physically fit, and emotionally stable and balanced and they are just as important to have today as they were back in earlier years. Without these qualities being totally developed, one’s interaction with the horse will be greatly diminished.
However; in the final analysis whether the owner or someone else trains the horse, there are many levels of development that need to be successfully put into place to have a truly completely trained and educated horse with highly developed performance abilities coupled with internal calmness and emotional balance.
But if an individual has the willpower, curiosity, desire, stamina, a positive attitude and a forgiving personality, the following general list is what he/she should be striving to accomplish in order to develop a fully trained and educated horse with a willingness to please ingrained in his nature.
Here is the list of the hallmarks of a well-trained horse who can perform anywhere – in an open field, a large arena, or a small square 24’ X 24’ enclosure.
A horse who is willing to accept training without resentment
A horse who follows directions and takes instruction
A horse who will wait patiently
A horse who hunts for peace
A horse that can move all its parts when requested without hesitation at all gaits and with the slightest hint of a signal from its rider
A horse that weighs the same on both ends.i.e., has equal weight on all four feet which indicates that he is balanced
A horse that can do isolations (moving its front end around its back end and its back end around its front end), shoulder-in/out, hip-in/out [travers or renvers])
A horse that can do oblique movements (leg-yield, half-pass, full pass)
A horse that can give us the sensation that it ‘breaks in its rib cage’
A horse that can canter depart from the trot, walk, halt, and back-up
A horse that can do canter lead changes from left to right and right to left smoothly and in balance
A horse that can back-up straight as well as on curved lines, without being pulled back with the reins, by using its hindquarters and not pushing back with its front legs
A horse that steps under himself when moving forward
A horse that carries himself with his nose slightly in front of the vertical or at a vertical position in a manner so that he is not curled up with his nose on his chest
A horse that flexes at the poll, not at the third cervical vertebra, and also at the loin
A horse that moves away from the leg willingly
A horse that steps away from the bend and steps into the bend
A horse that steps away from the outside rein
A horse whose shoulders can be regulated – both laterally and longitudinally
A horse that can perform up and down transitions smoothly
A horse whose weight of the head and neck is on top of the front legs not in front of them