The Pampered Horse Complex

With today’s horse world being highly recreational, there are many horses that don’t have to earn a living. These recreational horses are often very well cared for and sometimes even coddled.

I will not use the term “spoiled” as I think a spoiled horse is one that has become a serious problem for his owner. I will say, though, that some of these pampered horses are well on their way to developing “pampered horse complex.” 

Many horses are allowed to behave badly due to the affectionate blindness of their loving owners who think that the poor behaviour is not serious. This is certainly not always the case and I do believe that a horse deserves to be treated with respect and be well cared for. There is a difference, however, between a horse treated with too much affection, too much food and not enough work, and a horse that is handled with fairness. 

Pampered horse complex is how I refer to horses of any age that are coddled and allowed to get away with disrespectful behaviour. These horses are often affectionate, seemingly well adjusted and scared of very little. They like their easy life and will tolerate a certain amount of handling or training as long as it suits them. A horse has become a “pampered horse” because he or she has been taught to get away with not being obedient. I am not trying to offend those horse owners who pamper their horses, but it is my experience that a horse with pampered horse complex is more likely to injure someone.

A horse with little or no handling can be more intimidating to handle than a pampered horse. This causes us to be more cautious when we start the training process. A nervous or scared horse tells us when he is concerned about things so we are careful not to get too complacent. A horse that is not used to being handled is often scared and if he reacts to something we do, it is usually in a defensive way. A scared horse is generally dangerous if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time