Ep 76: Conversations About Great Horses
We are blessed with some of the best equine athletes in the world. In terms of breeding and pedigrees, our technology has become very advanced, and it is something that allows us to develop incredibly athletic animals.
The tricky thing about pedigrees is that a horse’s set of papers doesn’t always guarantee success. That horse knows nothing about its pedigree or what it is supposed to be good at. Therefore, it is up to us to develop that horse to its full potential.
The majority of the horses I take in for training are sent with the expectation that they will excel in one of the performance events (i.e. team roping, breakaway roping, barrel racing, etc.).
No matter the discipline, I get asked the same question almost every time my customers pick up their horse(s):
“Is my horse ready?”
The truth is, being “ready” is a relative term. A horse might be ready for the next phase of training, or they might be to a point where their owner feels comfortable continuing their training program. But, I believe that a horse will never fully be ready for every single scenario you throw at them.
The work that it takes to develop a horse’s physical and mental ability is a continual process. Therefore, a horse is never truly “finished.” A horse may reach a point in its training where it feels confident and adaptable to many different situations. But, there is really no way to know how a horse will react in every scenario, especially during competition.
When we are in competitive situations, we naturally have more adrenaline pumping through our bodies. Whether we realize it or not, that adrenaline changes the signals that we are sending to our horses. The signals that we send with our bodies and the pressure that we apply with our hands is amplified when adrenaline is involved. When we send stronger signals, our horses have to work even harder to find that release point.
That’s why we must be realistic about the expectations we have with our horses. We have to consider if our expectations are realistic given the time we have to commit to that horse, as well as the amount of effort we are willing to put in to acquire and apply the knowledge it takes to develop our own horsemanship skills.
“Be Your Best Horsemanship” is brought to you by Classic Equine, Martin Saddlery, Better Horses Network, Purina, Healthycoat, CINCH, Starbar, and Clarifly. These brands have been part of the Phil Haugen Horsemanship team for many years, and their products continue to play an integral role in the success of our performance horse training program. To support these brands, visit our Sponsors tab.
