Do horses 'go to waste' if not ridden

I think there is a big difference between a horse that's not working or one that's doing a job less than it's capable of but doing it well and happily, and a horse that's struggling because it is "too much" for it's situation or needs more careful/different management than it's getting. I really don't think horses feel the need to do much more than eat, sleep and play with their friends. But I DO think athletic, sharp, switched on competition bred horses are not always happy and healthy in situations where, to put it bluntly, the rider can't cope well with the way the horse just "is". Although you're not allowed to say that anymore. ;)

I also think horses don't generally relish a "challenge" (herbivores are not generally into challenges!) and sometimes people forget that in their own need to prove something by mastering a horse that's not really suitable for the job at hand.

So no, I don't think a horse is "wasted" so long as its well cared for and doing its work relatively easily/happily. But I do think a talented horse can be "wasted" if people look at its abilities as a challenge or worse, something to be taken out of the horse, rather than a blessing.
 
All my horses like working two in particular just love work learning stuff getting out and about so yes o think they would be wasted if not used.
 
My horse likes being in his field eating grass. He likes being in his box eating hay. He doesn't mind being ridden/lunged/showed/jumped etc. He's a horse, he doesn't reason it out.
 
IMO it's a load of tripe - however it's also an owners choice to part with their horse for whatever reason they want too :)

I don't believe my mare has gone to waste, having not being ridden for a myriad of reasons for the past year. I'm pretty sure, abscess and bad feet aside, she's really rather smug about it all.

Quite often, it's a barbed comment people use to be nasty to others and/or because they are jealous.

Oddly enough, horses weren't born to be ridden ;) :)
 
I have a beautiful ISH that i bred and raised from a foal, he is 16 years now and I have barely done anything with him. i used to get offers to buy him all the time, from some top competition people and a show judge as well. I never could let him go, has he gone to waste - yes he has - but i still enjoy riding him when I do and he is happy. He would have been better off with some one else though if I am honest.
 
I dont think horses care as such, but I do think certain types of horse (ones bred to compete basically) will often get bored if they're not mentally stimulated. With my own horse (a hot blood), he adored going to events, he thrived on it and would get seriously bored in the field when I gave him time off to the point he hurled himself round the field daily and got into trouble (how he has seriously damaged his tendon...). Whereas my 2 native ponies couldn't care less, they are more than happy to chill out and do nothing.

I think how you feel about a horse being wasted depends on if you compete or not. A happy hacker probably wont feel a horse is being wasted, whereas a competitive rider always looks for the potential in a horse. I personally like my horses to have a purpose. Im not a happy hacker, I ride purely to compete. So I do see horses that I think are being wasted just plodding about. There's masses of horses around who are suited to hacking and non-competitive stuff that I feel that the few who could do so well competing, should be out doing it.
 
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