Evaluate Your Horse

I look at a variety of things that could play a part in determining what direction the horse or his training should go. I get as much input as I can about every aspect of the horse’s life. Some of this is simple observation and some is requested information, but the more I know about the horse the better job I can do. Some of the information will be irrelevant to the current situation but may have played a part in the horse’s mentally maturity and physical development.

I have a quick look over the horse’s body to see if there is anything obviously wrong. I look at the horse’s expression before I start to handle him, as well as the environment he lives in or has just come from. I observe how the horse is handled by his owner and the owner’s attitude towards the horse, knowing that confidence builds confidence and fear builds fear.

Next I want to see how well the horse can cope with stress. Is he panicky, violent, bored, curious, or unsure how to respond? This will help me determine the horse’s confidence level or lack thereof. Is the horse physically talented? Is the horse inclined to try to be correct or is he naturally evasive?

Age is an important consideration. If the horse is misbehaving because he has had no handling, he doesn’t understand how he is expected to behave. Or he could be behaving in a way that has been established due to handling. Poor behaviour in an older horse is often the result of poor or inconsistent expectations from his handlers. The older the horse, the deeper rooted the behaviour is likely to be, and the longer it could take to change.

I also learn about the level of training the horse is supposed to have and the training goals that are set for him. Once I get a sense of who the horse is and an understanding of where the owner wants him to eventually be, I can customize the training methods to suit the horse’s needs. As a rule I try to look for things that are not working well for the horse or handler and concentrate my efforts there. This approach does tend to open the proverbial “Pandora’s Box” but I believe that true success lies in overcoming the things that are holding us back rather than the repetitious completion of unimportant movements.

A good evaluation of who your horse is, what he knows, and what he needs will offer you the chance to make the horse you have into the horse you want. With this information you can make an informed decision about the right approach for you and your horse from the many training methods available