How to Tell You Dont Have the Right Horse For You ~ By Katherine Blocksdorf Riding and horse ownership is supposed to be fun. There really is no other reason to have a horse. Sometimes having the wrong horse can take the fun out of riding and horse care. Here are 12 signs you might have the wrong horse. *You Find Excuses Not to Ride You know your horse is waiting, whether in the backyard, or at your boarding stable, but despite the fact youd really like to ride, you can find a hundred little reasons not to. The laundry needs folding, you need to catch up on some paperwork or tackle those weeds in the flower beds. Sure, those things could all wait an hour until after your ride. However, if for any reason, you find yourself finding flimsy excuses not to ride, first get some coaching to improve your confidence and get a second opinion on your horses suitability, because part of the problem might be you have the wrong horse. *You Find Yourself Admiring or Envying The Fun Others Are Having Are you sitting on your horse and envying your friends flying around barrels or soaring over jumps? For whatever reason, your horse just cant do those things. It might be time to pass your quiet ride onto someone who wants just that, and go for an upgrade. Or, do you really just want to amble along, and envy friends whose horses let them do just that. Its not a downgrade to buy a quieter horse if thats what makes you happy. *You Only Ride in the Ring, Although Youd Love to Be on Trail (or ViceVersa) If you only ride in the ring because youre nervous, but your heart is out on trail, your first strategy might be to get some coaching to improve your confidence. But, there are a few horses that arent happy out on trail. Alternately, some horses hate being in the ring, and are angels on trail. This can present a difficulty if you want to do something like dressage or western equitation, and your horse doesnt. A bad match means it might be time to consider getting a different horse. *You Find Yourself Doing Other Horsey Things, But Not Riding So, maybe youre not inclined to put off riding by weeding the garden or sweeping out the garage. But, you might be feeding your appetite for horse activities by buying tons of tack, attending every clinic that comes along and studying DVDs on horse training. But secretly, youd rather be riding. *You Feel Sick and Apprehensive Before You Ride Sometimes its just confidence issues that cause you to stress out before you ride, but sometimes its because youve over-horsed yourself with one that is too difficult to manage. Lessons to improve your confidence might help. But, you might have more fun with a quieter, steadier horse. *Your Horses Maintenance is Causing a Strain On Your Budget money Your horse might give you the best ride in the world, but it also might be high-maintenance, needing special supplements, specialized shoeing or other special care thats a stretch for you to provide. If your horse is blowing your budget, it might be time to think about finding it a home where it will receive what it needs and finding yourself a horse that you can both afford and enjoy. Both you and the horse will benefit. *Youre Thinking of Quitting Riding Altogether Are your nerves getting the best of you, and youre thinking youd be better off taking up golf or buying one of those big tricycles? Again, you might need help tackling confidence issues, or you might need a different horse. *You Gladly Trade Horses When Someone Offers When you ride with friends, are you secretly thrilled when someone offers to trade horses? If youre happier riding your friends horses than your own, you might not have the right horse for you. *Your Horse Does Things That Scare You While building confidence when you ride is important, if your horse does things that scare you and working through that fear, even with the help of a coach makes you too nervous, its time for a different horse. *Your Horse Isnt Really Suitable for What You Intended it For So you wanted to buy a horse for barrel racing, but somehow you ended up with a 17 hands high Thoroughbred. Of course, it was his eyes that said, take me home, as well as his hard to resist price tag. Dont worry, youre not the first to do this, and wont be the last. Its really easy to make decisions with your heart instead of your head when buying a horse. You have two choices. Do what your horse can do. Or, sell your horse and buy one for your intended purpose. *Each Ride Feels Like a Struggle You Dont Look Forward To You might feel perfectly capable of dealing with your horses shenanigans, but youre just tired of having to work through them each time you want to ride. Sometimes, a bit of extra coaching and training, or an adjustment or change of tack or feed is all thats needed to work through the issues of a hot horse. But if you dont feel up to finding the source of your problems (and thats fine), it might be time for a different horse. Again, horses are supposed to be fun. Problem solving is great fun for some people. Others of us just want to relax. *Your Horse Has Soundness Issues That Limit What It Can Do Sometimes we unwittingly buy a horse with soundness problems, or sometimes they develop over time. In any case, if how you want to ride will exacerbate your horses problems, it may be time to pass the horse on to someone who just wants to ride quietly, and find a new horse thats up to the job.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 16:00:19 +0000
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