02/08/2024
Another great post on the importance of physical welfare from Amanda Wilson
On a recent post, I talked about the importance of assessing a horses physical welfare before trying to work through 'behavioural' issues. I still stand by that one hundred percent, though I am sensible enough to know that many issues can also be fixed through good training, though physical issues should always be ruled out first.
The amount of time I have seen trainers and riders (myself included) try to work through an issue like bucking or stopping at a jump, only to find out something was wrong physically with them, is a huge concern to our sport. Sometimes, horses can go a lifetime without being diagnosed with an underlying issue, their behaviours instead labelled as 'quirky,' 'sensitive' or 'dangerous' when in fact, they are just trying to communicate their unhappiness and discomfort the only way they know how.
Learning to pick up the difference between a 'badly educated or confused horse' verses a horse with major discomfort issues takes awareness of animal body language, careful pain checks and good, kind handling. Thankfully a huge amount of us are starting to have our eyes opened to this, and as a result, the way we train and handle our horses is starting to change.
My general rule of thumb when training is that if a horse doesn't show significant improvements in 2-3 sessions, there has to be something wrong with it. It is important to note here, however, that my timing and feel is very refined, and I would consider myself an expert on horse behaviour (helped hugely by studying human trauma for the last ten years). For trainers and riders who are not so educated, it is very possible that they might be the cause of their horse's behavioural issues (though in most cases this is nearly always compounded by discomfort issues in the horses body as well).
Fear, confusion, hard hands, poor timing and feel, too much pressure and expectations, not enough rewards, asking the horse to work in an unnatural frame, working horses that are not strong or fit, loose seats and trigger spots can cause a myriad of issues on the ground and under saddle, which, with an experienced rider, can disappear almost immediately. So, managing a horse becomes a balance of good physical analysis and good, ethical training.
The sad fact is that, like most humans, most horses will have some physical weakness in their bodies. That doesn't mean they don't get to have amazing lives, it just means they need to be carefully managed, and I think that is where a lot of horse owners full short.
Training is just a small part of the puzzle when it comes to educating a horse and giving it the care it needs to thrive. Good saddle fit, farriery work, dental care, vet care, strength and fitness work, chiropractic care, massage work and trigger work is also a huge part of the puzzle. As is addressing the mental aspect of the horse; ensuring they are mentally stimulated, have variety, a purpose and the ability to behave like an actual horse, not like a bicycle we pull out of the garage to compete on the weekends.
Cassonova, my horse of a lifetime, started his career as an 8-year-old ex-stud and is now 18-years-old and as sound as he ever was. But since owning him, we found he had obvious damage to his left shoulder which made him cold backed, shivers in his hind leg and major sensitivity on the left side of his mouth (something we only realised last year). He also has never been a fan of arena work, and would often stop at the gate of the arena and stomp his foot, telling me very clearly that he did not want to be schooled.
As a result, he always gets his shoulder stretched every time I ride him (you can hear the elbow clunk every time without fail). If this isn't stretched, he becomes cold backed and doesn't want to go forward. He gets his stifle area massaged religiously on the off side. In the beginning he grinds his teeth, but after a few minutes he loves it! And he is now only ridden in a hackamore or halter. Yes, this limits my options but he is a million times happier so at the end of the day it is what is best for him.
I also very rarely school him, most of his fitness work is done out on the farm (and back in Northland, in the river and down the beach). And in the year I got 2nd in the Olympic Cup, he was ridden on the arena a total of x5 times the whole season, showing you that your horse doesn't need to be drilled and worked to a sweat to get them fit.
Physical issues don't always have to mean the horse is no good to ride, it just means they need careful management to help them feel comfortable and, in some cases, may need a drop of expectations until you find the horse's base line of comfort. Yes, it might mean you lose money in some cases, but that is the responsibility we take on when we take a horse into our care.
To put it lightly, I have lost over $200,000 in the last few years on horses who ended up having issues in their bodies. I could have done the dirty and sold them on, but I knew they would likely have been misunderstood and punished for behaviours that were just desperate forms of communication. So I happily (not so happily) took the loss, because that is my responsibility as a horse owner. Six of these horses are still retired in my paddocks and have a great life and a few were sadly put down with unrepairable pain related issues (including kissing spine from before the horse came into my care, conformational issues, nuerological issues from major previous grass staggers, adhesions, MEEDS disease and a broken knee from a paddock injury).
It's about working to find underlying issues, and doing everything in our power to help our horses find comfort and enjoyment in their work, or choosing to retire them if they are still struggling or suffering in every way. It is also about ensuring the workloads we give to our horses is fair. If the horse doesn't want to go on the bit, there is a reason. If the horse doesn't want to jump, there is a reason. If the horse is bucking, there is a reason. If the horse doesn’t want to go forward there is a reason. If the horse is misbehaving there is a reason.
