Not everything is pain-related? Who knows?

[Indefatigable]

Decades ago I knew some lovely, but much ridiculed, people who kept several sound but unridden horses. Their belief was that horses weren't designed or wanted to be ridden. After many years of horse ownership I'm starting to think they were right.

 

[Cortez]

Decades ago I knew some lovely, but much ridiculed, people who kept several sound but unridden horses. Their belief was that horses weren't designed or wanted to be ridden. After many years of horse ownership I'm starting to think they were right.

Well of course they're not designed to, nor do they want to be ridden. If you are someone who is going to ride or otherwise inconvenience horses it is something that you're going to have to wrestle with in order to justify.

 

[Fieldlife]

It's the perennial dilemma. What do you all reckon?

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Training issues or Pain?.

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I think it is highly complex. For example - I can be in pain sitting at my office desk. Go and do a yoga class and loosen off the tight muscles and not be in pain any more when I get back to my desk. Same result possibly with a brisk walk away from my desk. Or from doing a regular pilates class to strengthen my core so I sit in chair in better posture.


Many horses over a certain age, are working sound. If you keep them moving regularly, keep a regular vet oversight, keep up the bodywork, work them holistically - in hand / polework / hillwork / hacking / careful on surfaces you work on, keep foot balance good etc then they are fine and happy. But drop a few of those balls and they arent comfortable. But if you then took them in for a full work up, you might go down a blind alley. As pain and compensation can go round in circles. Or you can be lucky and find a jackpot issue that treating improves everything.

I guess as horse people we are always assessing our horse for pain / fear / anxiety signals in anything we ask them to do. And always asking why? But often I dont think vets have magic answers. And it takes a support team for a horse, and an observant empathetic owner.

 

[Fieldlife]

Well of course they're not designed to, nor do they want to be ridden. If you are someone who is going to ride or otherwise inconvenience horses it is something that you're going to have to wrestle with in order to justify.

Agree with this. This is why I try to work my horses as best I can on a range of surfaces / gradients / cross training / gymnastic work, regular bodywork, saddle checks, bodywork for me, careful foot balance, teeth checks etc. to try and maintain the comfort and good muscle to carry a rider without discomfort.

 

[stormox]

Im assuming this is meant to be a young horse unused to the bridle? The lady doesn't seem to be giving that horse the best chance. She doesn't even seem to be trying very hard. The horse is only moving it's head, not rearing or striking out. I wouldn't say it was "in pain".

 

[PurpleSpots]

Im assuming this is meant to be a young horse unused to the bridle? The lady doesn't seem to be giving that horse the best chance. She doesn't even seem to be trying very hard. The horse is only moving it's head, not rearing or striking out. I wouldn't say it was "in pain".

There are still significant pain indicators in the video though :-( . A horse shouldn't have to express extreme behaviour in order to be taken seriously :-( .

 

[maya2008]

I tame my feral projects by using their instinctive need to move and explore. As soon as we can catch them, we take them for walks around the yard fields. They soon come to us to be caught, anticipating the fun of the walk. Then when reliable, we take them out into the world. They’re so happy to explore, and soon become more and more tame and comfortable around us. Then we back them. At which point every one we have ever had, has decided that being on the lead sucks in comparison and that they would prefer to be ridden. Two of them threw actual tantrums about being led after having been introduced to a rider, I chucked a rider on, they very happily carried them home and that was that, backed and off. After they’ve been under saddle a few months, I tend to find they are tame enough to tolerate a vet for vaccinations, I can get their teeth done and the farrier to them. We have built trust, and can then use it to improve their health and protect them.

If they didn’t enjoy hacking, they wouldn’t become more tame when we introduce it to them, they would become more wild and more wary of us. The opposite in fact happens. If any of mine hang back at catching time once fully tame, we check them over, trot up and always find something.

My ex feral Welsh D x mare, who was unhandled, uncatchable and afraid for the first 5 and a half years of her life, LOVES being a tame pony now. Fly rugs, dentist (she thoughtfully munched some grass after he had been and looked very happy!), fun adventures with her little boy (who she doesn’t allow to ride anyone else first in the day without carrot apologies ). If she suddenly didn’t want to be ridden, now she’s tame, obviously loves it and is happy, we would assume there was something wrong.

The feral ones though…it’s behaviour - trust, respect, undoing trauma. They need time, careful handling and understanding. It’s rarely about boundaries, and far more often about clear communication, positive experiences and mutual respect.

(And on the subject of needing to be ridden, I currently have an EMS pony who would be dead if we couldn’t exercise her, previously had a pssm pony who was only comfortable when in sufficient work, and a locking stifle pony who was similar. In the wild, they’d be dead.)