The Pampered Horse Complex

With a horse that suffers from pampered horse complex, we are often not so careful. These horses are not scared of much, due to the amount of handling they have had. Early training progresses very quickly but then reaches a plateau because these horses realize that if the training continues they may have to work for a living. These horses then start to resist and resent the training because they know if they put up a fuss they will be allowed to do what they want. They essentially have a temper tantrum, and if they react to something it is because they are mad. Mad horses are dangerous because they want to get their own way and if you are the reason they can’t have what they want, they can lash out in aggression or frustration.

Once horses have established pampered horse complex all is not lost, but it can be a slow and sometimes difficult process to bring them back to a more manageable, respectful state of mind. Once they have been convinced that life is actually more rewarding for them when they behave, many of them will remain well behaved. This, of course, depends on the handler’s desire and ability to maintain better standards for the horse’s behaviour. There are a few that will, over time, become pampered because they have a greater desire than their handler’s to be in control.

The best way to prevent this is to decide on a set of fundamental rules for both you and your horse in the first place. Establish rules that you will consistently enforce and reinforce if your horse should challenge you. Your rules do not need to be my rules or anyone else’s rules, but make sure that there are some rules. I generally believe that rules were made to be broken but in this case, if the rules are not in place and upheld, it might be you who is broken.