Following on from "do some ponies just not want to"...

[noodle_]

Do some horses just not want to be ridden???

Assuming all health checks have been done and its nothing to do with pain nor past memories??

Are some horses just destined to be lawn mowers or broodmares??

 

[JFTDWS]

jumping from CR to NL, the follow on seems to be in here

I reckon there are very few horses (if any) who couldn't be happy being ridden if they are fit, healthy and had been started appropriately. Most field ornaments are the result of injury, owner's choice or problems created by previous treatment, surely?

 

[Littlelegs]

I think it is unlikely. To know its not past treatment or issues you'd have to breed it yourself, break it yourself & school it yourself. Then have enough evidence the horse was unhappy being ridden. Horses adapt generally to whatever job we give them. Many ex comp horses become happy nanny horses etc & most enjoy both equally well.

 

[dafthoss]

I'm sure mine would love to eat all day and not have to work. Unfortunatly his waist line would explode and he has a job to do so he cant. He quite likes going for a ploddy hack and likes to go fast but only on his terms (just like to say he doesnt get away with it, if I want to go fast he has to ) he also has to school and jump because thats the job he has now.

 

[noodle_]

i was just curious last night as i feel i cant do right for doing wrong....

weve had ulcers/colic - very stressed out year... but even now shes "better" we had 2 days of lovely work but that was utterly forced. (shes ok now tho been leahurst and ok)

On the ground shes amazing...put a saddle on her she dosen't want to know... mabey im going to have to change tactics and consider giving her the summer off to live out and then try again.

 

[forestfantasy]

We had the opposite to you - a horse that hated being groomed or handled (she would come out in hives when being groomed) but loved to work - of any kind.
She loved being ridden, lunged & had some weird thing with the horsewalker - she would weave like mad if she wasn't put on it, once on, she was happy as larry.
She came from a racing yard so no idea what happened to her but she just hated people on the ground.
She would rather throw herself on the floor that see the farrier or vet.

My vet once told me 'Some horse's just don't want to be here'
She was one of them

So in answer to your question - yes i think some horses just don't want to work.
I'd go with the summer off idea or totally change what you do when riding - hack somewhere new - box her to the beach or just to a different area for hacking - anything to make it more fun for her & go from there, she's had a tough year so just try and make things easy & pleasurable for her.

 

[vieshot]

It's like having a job. You would rather not have to do it but you quite enjoy it when your there

 

[noodle_]

We had the opposite to you - a horse that hated being groomed or handled (she would come out in hives when being groomed) but loved to work - of any kind.
She loved being ridden, lunged & had some weird thing with the horsewalker - she would weave like mad if she wasn't put on it, once on, she was happy as larry.
She came from a racing yard so no idea what happened to her but she just hated people on the ground.
She would rather throw herself on the floor that see the farrier or vet.

My vet once told me 'Some horse's just don't want to be here'
She was one of them

So in answer to your question - yes i think some horses just don't want to work.
I'd go with the summer off idea or totally change what you do when riding - hack somewhere new - box her to the beach or just to a different area for hacking - anything to make it more fun for her & go from there, she's had a tough year so just try and make things easy & pleasurable for her.

thanks

i want a foal off her next year... so was rather hoping this year I could just enjoy her and do some light competing etc before i do that.....

But in all honesty i think she just cannot be arsed...!

Put a jump in front of her she utterly perks up for 10 seconds.... land and the sparks gone.... i struggle getting her forward and motivated.

We have had lessons/been out to places - (she just freaks out then goes back to donkey mode)

Im not really not sure which way to go with her.... shes never going to be for sale but ive been persevering for 18 months and her attitude still sucks (cba ).....

I have tried forcing her to work (e.g canter is a sticky point) so ended up asking...then telling (smack on her backside) all i got for my trouble was a bloody huge buck.

 

[JennBags]

Why on earth would you breed off her if her attitude sucks and she doesn't want to work? Sorry, but think this would a really irresponsible and stupid thing to do.

 

[Flame_]

I don't think I know of any that couldn't be ridden because they just didn't want to, but I have known plenty that couldn't/shouldn't have been ridden because they weren't safe or sound enough to persevere with.

I believe there is always a reason, be that an un-diagnosable mystery health/soundness problem, previous bad experience, mental illness, just inbred super-sharpness/violence, but some horses are just not meant for riding because they'll never be safe enough for 99% of horse owners. Watching people persevere with them when they've had plenty of "warning" episodes, knowing a bigger reaction is going to happen sooner or later and knowing they are going to be seriously hurt isn't nice.

ETA, in your case, if your horse is miserable about work and going forward, I'd suspect a physical problem and believe me you can look 'til kingdom come and you've still not looked everywhere. I don't believe pain is ever really ruled out with money and technological restraints meaning you just can't possibly check everything.

 

[ausipaliboi]

I leased an unraced TB mare for a year, planned to do dressage with her. She had been broken when young and then used as a brood mare.

Did.Not.Want.Anything.To.Do.With.People.

It didn't matter if I came to her with food, a bridle, a halter, a rug, fly spray, you name it, if you simply went near her she declared war.

Ridden work was a nightmare, if she had an audience she performed so well, as soon as they went away the beast came back. Riding consisted of sitting the bucks and rears, preparing for the unexpected kick/rear/spin/ bolt combination (she did this to me one day when we were stopped for a pick at grass.)

I gave up and sent her back to her owner, she went back to being a paddock ornament.

 

[Ibblebibble]

my mare doesn't like being reprimanded at all, she can be a lazy so and so but i don't think it's because she doesn't want to work, schooling she seems to find incredibly boring and quite frankly who can blame her, it would be like us being tested on our 5 times table over and over even though we know it perfectly she gives off the attitude of 'yes i know how to trot a circle and i can walk one too, now can we please do something more fun'!!

 

[noodle_]

jennbags - shes having a mare moment im sure.... her attitude of i cant be arse sucks.... not her herself...

i wouldnt breed off a nutter etc (and im not justifying myself anymore to anyone..!)




I think mabey introducing more fun things this summer may help.... hacking/gymkana etc...shame horse agility cant be done i think she'd love that lol.