10/19/2025
“A horse’s living situation is AS IMPORTANT or MORE IMPORTANT than training.” Read more:
*Lengthy post alert* I’ve been meaning to talk about this for a while, but couldn’t quite find the right time. Our (and I say ‘our’ because this boy is enjoyed by everyone) handsome Sand Wash Basin Mustang gelding, Beowulf, has unknowingly provided the perfect example for a subject in horses that is so often overlooked or ignored. Let’s face it, most riders or horse owners spend a couple hours a day with their horses (some even less), and they oftentimes spend hundreds to thousands of dollars on training and lessons to make that 10% of the horses’ time as enjoyable and successful as possible.
I am NOT disparaging lessons or training; clearly I make a living doing those very things, but how important is the rest of our horses’ day?
VERY.
So, let’s talk about the other 90%. After years in this business and hundreds of horses, I would argue a horses living situation is AS IMPORTANT or MORE IMPORTANT than training.
I’ve talked about equine stress, whether environmental or pain related, and even a small amount of stress in their daily life (turn in/turn out, lack of continuous forage, lack of turnout, lack of social time, too few other horses, herd dynamics, facility setup, etc etc) can cause a huge impact in their training or behavior. A stressed horse is not a relaxed horse, and a horse cannot learn without relaxation.
Yet, time and time again I run into the age old issue of horses coming to us with issues under saddle, or some other training issue, or owners calling to say their newly purchased is not the same at home, and the first thing I ask is: what is their living situation like at home?
Sure, we have a good training program here, lots of experience and do our best to set horses up for success by teaching them all the things they need to know to be a valued member of the equine population, but oftentimes 90% of our success rate is because horses are happy here. Over time, we have learned the most effective way (on limited acreage) to manage our horses and keep them as stress free as possible.
I’ve had ‘problem’ horses come here that are changed within a few days, or occasionally a horse I’m struggling with personally and I make a few changes to their herd dynamics and the issues are gone… This ‘thinking outside the box’ and just paying attention to that other 90% is so important.
So, what happens when we send them back to their owners or to new homes? Most of the time, things go well, or if they aren’t, people reach back out and we find a way to tweak their horses living situation to optimize success. Sometimes (understandably), that is not possible and the horses come back to us; either to find a new home or stay here with their new owners for a longer period where everyone is comfortable (you know who you are 😜).
Beowulf is one such story and after spending some time at his new home, we realized things just weren’t a good fit (and thankfully his new owners reached back out, wanting the best for him), and he has come back to us.
Now, is there anything wrong with Beowulf? No! This is a REALLY cool horse, with tons of training and the ability to do a variety of things. He is ridden by many different riders here and enjoyed by all. But, is he a formally wild Mustang (it is NOT always Mustangs that need this) with a more sensitive personality type that clearly needs a specific type of living situation to thrive? Yes.
I am hopeful that Beowulf will find his people one day, but until then he’ll be enjoying his horse life here while being enjoyed by others.
And, hopefully more people will start to think about what they can change about the other 90% of their horses’ life to make things better overall, and if they absolutely can’t change it, make arrangements or reach out for help so the horses end up where they need to be to thrive.
