Do you think im right?? horses!!?

Question

do you think that it is ever the horses fault?? jw
i think it is always rider error im just wondering
would you sell you horse because it wasnt good or you want a better horse?? my answer is to work on it!!
what is your opinion im not gonna shoot ya down i just wanna no

Answer 1

It isnt ALWAYS the riders fault. I think its stupid to sell it because you want a better one when you work on it. I have a horse that I got who would barely let a rider on her back. Now I have her jumping! It took a lot of hard work but as she got to trust me we did better and better. I am so proud of her. Actually the person I bought her from sold her because he wanted a better horse. Now she is a show champ. He wanted to buy her back but I said no.

Answer 2

In a very rare situation I would say "it was the horses the fault", they are living creatures and can make mistakes too but mostly.... Either a horse is only acting as a horse and the owner does not like a certain response or behavior which is definately the handlers issue, not the horses. Or the owner truly does not like an animal and everything the horse does is going to be wrong, whether or not it is doing anything at all. So, yes if possible work on a situation but if a person truly does not get along with an animal then a new horse should be saught after. How would you feel if your owner hated you and you hated him/her but you were stuck to battle everyday of your life because the owner was just going to "make" you change.

I think I know what you are getting at, and horses should be given the opportunity to adapt and have the training it needs but not all horses are meant for all people. Sometimes its just in the best interest for a horse and rider to find new, more rewarding friendships if you see what I mean.

Answer 3

I agree in part... I think it is wronge to sell a horse because it is not doing something right for someone (unless he can take you no further and you need to advance to a higher level), most of the time the rider just simply is not asking so that the horse understands (or doesn't know how to ask). MOST of the movements we ask a horse to preform are natural movements and within there ability, we just have to comunicate our aids properly.
I do not think that it is ALWAYS the riders fault though, I would agree that it is about 99% of the time.
I have come across a few horses that were just plain trained improperly, or had acquired bad habits and needed to start over.
For example...
I came across a georgous jet black, QH, 16.3 hands, sound, great ground manors, beautiful mover on the flat and round over fences, BUT every once in a while (like once in a few months) with out warning or any cause; he would put his head between his knees and litterally bronc (rearing and plunging all fours off the ground)! Rider error? Checked out by the vet nothing wronge, good saddle fit, you name it. He had been dumping previous riders and knew he could get away with it (thats how I came across him). Basically needed to be reprogramed out of this bad behavior. This is why I believe SOMETIMES it can be the horse.
I agree that you shouldn't just give up, and if you don't have a trainer...get one! If your trainer can't help you....find another who can! My opinion.
I also agree w/ hhqh! There are times when you can have a conflict of personalities between horse and rider which can not be resolved. Also, some horses are better suited for differnt levels, sports and disciplines than others and you can not train it into them no matter what you do.

Answer 4

I agree to a certain extent.

I think that most of the time, it is at least partially the rider's fault; but I also think that there are many situations where things are pretty much unavoidable and bad stuff's just going to happen. Someone can talk all they want about how the rider should have been more prepared, how the horse could have been trained better, etc., but everyone has to start somewhere and accidents are going to happen.

I don't see anything wrong with selling a horse if things aren't working out well. Sometimes personalities clash, not everybody can be the best rider so you do what you can. Obviously if someone calls themselves a professional trainer, they shouldn't be giving up so easily, but for an amateur rider there's no shame in admitting that a horse is too much for you in that stage of your riding career. Better off happy and safe than putting yourself or the horse in potential danger, right?

The fact is, "problem" horses often need more attention than the average recreational rider can give. If someone isn't able to be out with the horse several times a week to focus on the horse's training consistently, they're better off finding a more suitable mount or sending the horse to a professional to work things out. It isn't fair to the horse or the person spending all the money to not invest the amount of time needed to work through whatever the issue is.

That being said, I also don't believe a rider should limit themselves to only horses they know they can have complete control of. Otherwise, you never learn anything. You do need to push yourself and at least attempt to work through issues with more difficult horses before giving up and going back to push-button mounts.

Bottom line, you shouldn't give up just because things aren't going your way... that's no way to live life. But if you're unhappy because your horse isn't suiting your needs, the horse probably isn't going to be very happy either, so there's nothing wrong with making the decision to find the horse a home where he'll be happier and then getting a horse that will make you happy. I think that should only be the last resort though.

Answer 5

It's not always something the rider/owner can fix.

My mom thought it would be a great idea to get me a young, unbroke horse, so we could learn together. My first horse was a 2 year old half Arab gelding who was mean. He once ran back backwards across the pen to kick me. I have NEVER seen a horse fly backwards so fast. My trainer spent 4 days with him and suggested we send him back because he's a mean horse and NOT suitable for a begginer. The farm did trade him for another 2 year old, but he was a puppy dog. Not much to look at, but sweet and we both survived getting him trained.

Fast forward many years. I have a sweet, very well trained Arab/Saddlebred mare that I had since birth. I always wanted a Morgan but couldn't afford one to show on the circut. A friend of a friend is going bankrupt and selling her Morgans dirt cheap. I was able to buy a yearling gelding for $1500, but I had to sell my mare. I did it. It turned out to be an excellent choice as he became my best friend for 8 years until my husband and I decided we wanted children more than a horse. I reluctantly sold him to a young girl starting showing who LOVES him so much.

Sometimes a horse is not cut out to do what you want it to do and it's time to either change your goals or find a more suitable horse. You can't make an Park horse into a 4H horse, you can't make a clumsy horse a jumper, you can't make a gaming horse an English Pleasure horse, and you can't make a plain horse a halter horse. At least your success would likely be very limited. I'm sure there are exeptions, but as a rule, you can only do what your horse is designed to do.

Answer 6

Well, it depends on the horse. Sometimes it is a rescued and/or abused horses will act up just because they don't trust their rider yet. The other day, I was riding a horse that was rescued last year. She heard a truck hit the trees and started bucking. My fault? Not really, she just got spooked from the noise. On the other hand, grand prix riders or just beginners, advanced and intermediate riders on horses that trust them and know them, it is about 99.9% of the time their fault. The only time (I think) that it is not the rider's fault is when the horse gets spooked by a sound, another horse's action, or a jump that is too high for them , or they weren't ready for the jump but I guess if they weren't ready for it, it would be the rider's fault. It all depends on your view of horses. So, I diffidently wouldn't sell the horse.

Answer 7

I think that it's usually the riders fault when the doesn't understand the signal.
I would never sell a horse if it wasn't good because who knows where it will end up and it would be fun to train. I would just work on it!
I think sometimes their is a chance it was the horses fault who just wasn't in the mood to be ridden.
It's usually the riders fault either giving a mixed signal or doing something that the horse doesn't like!!!

Answer 8

I think in most cases things tend to be the rider's fault. Not always, but when things go wrong for me it has been my mistake not the horse's.
As for selling a horse because it wasn't good or I wanted a better horse... it all depends on the job in question. If I wanted to show say, western pleasure... I know my current horse would not be happy in that job, and wouldn't be competitive... so I would want a horse trained for that who enjoys the work. Now, working on it could go a long way, but not all horses are good for all jobs or disciplines, or even all levels of competition.

Answer 9

It's no-ones fault, If the horse does not want to go the horse will not go. There's no changing that, However if the rider can manage to change the horses attitude then thats when you find if they're a good rider or not. You see I've grown up with horses all my life and my aunt however, she's a different kettle of fish, I've seen her going in a stable with a proper insistant mare and came back out with an obediance award winning horse. It's the rider and horse's attitude and if both rider and horses attitude are a match then thats when you get a good horse.

Answer 10

It depends, alot riders do cause the problems with their horses, but some problems just come down to the fact that the horse and rider aren't a good match, an amazing rider could simpily just not get along with a great horse, like if you put a top level show jumper on a AQHA western pleasure champion, chances are you won't get great results, the rider won't appreicate the horses ability, and the horse won't understand what the rider wants...There are also some horses that really do have issues for little to no reason, and that are not created by people. Just like people, some horses are just naturally mentally unstable, physically unhealthy, stubborn, cranky, etc.

Also sometimes people ride well enough to simpily be too demanding for certian horses....There comes a point where a rider can out grow their horses ability, it is unfair to demand too much from a horse. There is nothing wrong with rehomeing a horse that you no longer are compatable with. Like my first horse, he taught me a ton, and was a great horse, but there came a point where I couldn't learn anything from him, and I was being too demanding for him (I was wanting to do too many shows, I was riding every day, and he could not physically or mentally stand up to it). I sold him to another little kid to learn on, and I moved on to a more advanced horse, this way I had a horse that I could reach my showing goals on, ride every day, and continue to learn on....it was a win win situation. I love horses, but I also enjoy a challenge, there is no challenge in riding the same dead broke horse for 15 years straight, you can't improve your riding, you don't learn new things. I have had about 12 different horses, I am a much better rider then my friends that have always had the same horse. I have had to sell horses due to them having unfixable problems (such as my horse that broke down 3 fences to attack a small child...), and due to them not being able to keep up with my riding and showing demands