My Horse's Advocate

I was bitten by the horse bug early in life. Since then I have been blessed to establish relationships with many great horses. As a child 90% of the time I spent at the barn was just walking my grandmother’s horses around, more trying to pull their heads up from the grass so I could walk them, grooming or sitting on them while they ate hay in the stall.

It wasn’t the push of riding and competing, the important thing to me was just being with the horses and learning who they were and that they all had drastically different personalities. It is funny looking back now there was definitely a trend in my favorites. I seemed to have a magnetic pull toward those with very large personalities. These horses tend to be the ones who are often misunderstood. ​

When you are young or new to the equestrian world you rely on trainers, vets, and other professionals to help guide and educate you. The goal is to create a team that can work together to do what is best for the horse. As I look back, I can see how much I relied on these people. ​

I wanted to learn and thought they knew what was right for me and my horse, but in hindsight now there were several situations what my horse was trying to tell me that something was wrong. ​

My trainer, who wasn’t the biggest fan of my gelding at the time, pushed him too hard too fast. I remember holding back tears while watching her ride him. Something just wasn’t right, but I stayed quiet. We ended up with a hock injury and that even required him to have some time off. I wish I would’ve listened to the behaviors my horse was exhibiting.

Refusing fences was not a behavioral problem, he was in pain. He was able to happily come back into work after some rehab, but by making a change in his training could’ve avoided the behaviors that were dangerous for both of us. I wish I would have been an advocate for my horse.

I was always a little nervous to speak out because I felt inferior to those who have been in the industry longer than myself and were more ‘experienced’ horse trainers. The value that I find in what was an extremely frustrating situation was the hard lesson I learned of the importance of looking into physical problems before ‘fixing’ any training challenges. At this point in my career, I will no longer stand in silence. ​

We put so much time and money, some of us blood sweat and tears, into these animals. We owe it to ourselves and our horses (whether they are your own horses, leased horses, or a lesson horse you get to ride once a week!). I am by no means saying you should tell trainers, vets or the alike they are wrong but just don’t be afraid to ask questions or have things clarified if the situation makes you uncomfortable.

Trainers have different training methods and some may look tough but are needed for that horse or situation. Not every program is for every horse, just like we talked about on this podcast.

A good way to keep track of your horse’s behavior is to use is a journal. We all can forget informations or timeline of events in a month’s time. Recording every ride can be helpful to catch these things. If they were a little stiff starting or refused a jump, make a note of it.

​If lameness occurs, you can go back into the journal and show the vet the timeline of events and highlighted instances. Not only could this be a faster way in catching an issue, but your vet will love your detailed notes!  Every horse needs an advocate. We have domesticated these creatures and now it is our responsibility to care for them.

Leave a comment and share when you've had to be your horse's advocate!