Are You Over-Horsed?

Most of us have heard that green horses and green riders don't make for a good mix. It's probably obvious to most why that happens to be true. Yet the instance of people riding horses who are beyond their skill level seems to be a pretty acceptable norm while it is just as dangerous a combination as green horses and green riders ever was.

Any time I go to a public event involving horses examples of over-horsed individuals are readily available. It doesn't seem to matter whether the people have a trainer or not, it's common practice to see people with an equine companion that is beyond their skill level.

It's easy to tell the worst of these horse/rider pairs from others, they are the ones with chronic problems. You see them in the warm-up and then in the ring fighting the same issues and the issues never seem to get resolved. If anything they just keep getting worse.

The horse might be tipping its head upside down and running off through the bridle. Or the horse might be bucking and kicking out instead of going forward. Other examples would be stopping and backing instead of doing the required gaits, running off, running the rider into walls, trying to run out the gate. You can name about any bad behavior and you'll probably see it from a horse that has learned its rider does not have the skill to get the horse to behave properly.

Sometimes the rider acquired the horse with these issues and doesn't have the skills to resolve them. Other times the rider causes the issues riding off of the horse's mouth instead of driving the horse forward into the bit. This horse develops bad behaviors trying to protect itself. Either way the combination of a rider with more horse than she/he can handle is a serious issue.

The unfortunate thing about this situation is it is a lose/lose for all concerned. The horse learns it can get away with unacceptable behavior making that horse difficult for any rider. Fixing this kind of horse can be near impossible sometimes. The odds that horse will ever be suitable for a less than experienced rider are slim to none if it even can be fixed.

A rider with this kind of horse loses confidence and may even develop fear. The rider may even lose all interest in horses out of frustration and lack of success. Sooner or later someone is going to be seriously hurt if the horse isn't sold first. There can be no other outcome with a horse that continues to learn it can cheat at whatever is asked of it.

If the relationship isn't terminated sooner instead of later, injury is part of the downhill spiral. Horses packing riders they don't respect can do many very dangerous behaviors. The more they get away with, the more the boundaries are pushed and the more dangerous things can become. It can become a downward spiral with no end in sight if the relationship is not terminated.

So how do you know if you are over-horsed? First off you have to get honest with yourself. It's impossible to see yourself as a great rider and accept that a horse is too much for you. If you can't get a horse through chronic behavior, then that horse is probably too much for you. If your horse is "good" for the trainer but naughty for you, it probably means that horse has your number. That would be another indication that the horse is too much for you.

In these kinds of relationships it's pretty easy for the owner/rider/handler to "blame" all kinds of things for a horse's bad behavior. It can be poor training, bad timing, the horse next to you, mares cycling in heat, who knows what else. Such excuses will not fix the situation. They will only hide it and thus make it worse. If your horse has chronic bad behavior, you've been working at it and it's not improving dramatically, then you and your horse are probably not a good fit.

It would probably be better for both of you to move on and cut your losses. Pouring more money into this kind of situation in the form of training or even more shows never works because money can't change the fundamental problem which is a negative history between this horse and rider.

The chances that a rider will gain enough confidence riding this kind of horse to actually ride through these issues are probably slim to none. Even if a trainer can fix the horse, horses never forget despite what some people say. They have long memories when it comes to things that have been threatening to them (which is the usual cause for horses developing this kind of behavior in the first place), the odds are the "offending" rider will be remembered by the horse and the pair will still have to resolve the issues between them together.

I'm not saying that this can NOT be done. I am saying that it is highly unlikely. The chronic bad behavior of any horse is not an issue for the faint of heart. One must be pretty darn determined, even more talented and not all that concerned about life and limb because a horse with chronic behavior will fight hard to hang onto what is within their comfort zone.......and that would be misbehaving.

Do you have an experience with a horse that was too much for you? I know I do.....



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