A Better Horse Than You
The other day at the barn where I board my Thoroughbred, I was having a bit of a discussion with another boarder concerning his mare. Apparently this mare has been with this owner for just about 5 years. In those 5 years, the mare has been successfully ridden in the ring but seems to have some behavioral issues when taken out on the trail. She also has issues with the farrier. It seems that she doesn't like to have her rear feet worked on.
This seems to be a fairly common occurance with horses. Spooky, jumpy, not an enjoyable ride on the trails. Certainly, when kicking out with hind feet, this behavior is not pleasant for the farrier. There are several things I'd like to discuss concerning these two issues. It may seem that these two issues are not related at all. However, when looking further into the situations, one finds that the two behaviors are clearly connected.
Given that horses are animals of prey, they like to know that they can move their feet in a hurry when they feel they need to do so. The horses' hooves are their means of survival. If a horse is feeling threatened, the first thing they want to do is run. They can't run if they're feet are not able to move. How does this relate to kicking out at the farrier when it's time to have the back hooves trimmed and shod? Think about it. When the horse is in the cross ties, inside an enclosed area, with a human holding up a rear hoove, that horse knows its not going anywhere. It is trapped. Now if the horse is feeling threatened by the farrier, that feeling is only going to exacerbate the situation. The same applies to the horse that is out on the trail. If the horse spooks while under saddle and in bridle, the rider's hand is confining. To compound the situation, if the horse doesn't trust the rider then the horse is not going to listen to the rider's hand, seat, leg or anything else the rider uses as "direction" when the horse is feeling threatened in some manner. Simple. Well, everything boils down to the horse's inherant flee or fight instinct, the horse's instinct is going to absolutely overrule anything the rider may be trying to convey. That is, unless the horse TRUSTS the human to keep it safe.
Latest Articles