A horse that stresses and worries under saddle is often less than optimal for our goals. Is there ever any light at the end of this tunnel?
I’ve got a question.
Why can’t some horses relax when ridden?
I see him out there, resting, playing in the water tub, relaxing with his mellow friends in front of a free-choice wheat bale.
I see him languidly trotting across the field, head down, tail loose, easy breezy, as though there’s nothing to be in a hurry about. Nowhere to be, nothing to stress about.
And then, he goes out of said pasture. He gets saddled up to: Work. Go jackpot. Check wheat pasture cattle. Go trail ride. Improve lead changes.
The stress starts to mount. His jaw is clenched, his neck goes slightly vertical and gets tight, and his eyes are wide. He remembers his manners, but it’s hard to hold it together when nerves get frayed. He stamps his feet and is visibly bothered. Saddle. Bridle. Chomp bit. Yes, he stands still, but he almost shifts and moves when his rider mounts.
He’s anticipatory. Concerned. He rides around OK, but he’s tight. The vibe is honestly kind of in shambles. Where did it all go wrong?
In some situations, it might just be genetic. The sire was wound tight. The dam was crazy. Whatever the case may be, even with the quietest and most caring hand in charge, this horse will always be a little stressed when it’s time for him to go. On the flip side, with all the pressure and poor handling in the world, some will never be that way.
In other situations, it has been conditioned into him. He was bred to be great and didn’t quite make the mark. They tried like heck to get him there, though. Sometimes, there is a lot of pressure to perform, and the methods used might be more than the horse can bear. He might just be overly sensitive, or a trainer at one point just might have been less than so.
Either way, with time, feel and the right mentality, it can get better. An uneasy or bothered horse that doesn’t know how to relax might change immensely in a short period of time. Sometimes, there are huge gains in a small timeline, and sometimes there are very small shifts over years. But in the right situation, there is rarely a horse that can’t improve. They may never be the same horse that’s sleeping in the field pre-ride, but can learn to let down.
Good help is always the answer. Medical intervention can sometimes help. Ulcers, injuries, neurological conditions, dental issues and other things might be what’s keeping a good horse from being great. Having a knowledgeable team and folks who know how to help a horse both physically and mentally are an integral part of the solution to a horse that can’t relax.
Some will always be a bit tense or bothered. They might not handle confinement well or being away from something (like an equine friend) that gives them comfort. Some people aren’t really concerned about it, either. There are ways around a stressed horse, and it’s a very rewarding change, if and when it does happen.
To be frank, sometimes it goes in the other direction — swiftly and poorly. I’ve seen it time and again. Most riders are just trying to improve a situation, and it worsens. A slightly bothered horse can evolve into one that learns how to rear, lunge, bolt or cut in two with the wrong sort of pressure.
Which, coincidentally, segways into my next question.
Why can’t some people relax when riding?
