What Makes a Horse?

Every now and again I hear a phrase that just makes my blood boil. We've all heard it, or possibly even said it: ”You’re going to ruin that horse by doing _______.”

You can fill in the blank.

Quite possibly, what riles me the most is when the word used to finish that sentence is either “Western“ or “Dressage.”

Tonight, as I was browsing a page that I really enjoy on Facebook, I came across a post where a gal was looking for a western saddle to use on her dressage horse out on the trails. The number of comments degrading the western discipline and how awful it was to the horse and how the weight of the saddle was terrible for the horse and would interfere with your cues and position... That switching disciplines would confuse the horse and set you back in training....

Where do people come up with this stuff?

See, when I started this journey into Dressage and Eventing last year, I can’t tell you the number of people who felt the need to inform me I was going to “ruin my cowhorse.” That I was “wasting his potential.” And various other assortments of that wording and ideology.

(As you can clearly see, he's so very terribly ruined. Absolutely. The very day we put on a dressage saddle he lost all interest in cows and all cow-sense.....not).

See, the problem with this line of thinking is that it is borderline ignorant. It is so narrow and close-minded that it’s not even funny. To refuse to consider that there is knowledge to be gained by exposing both horse and rider to new ideas, scenarios and experiences is actually the limiting factor that can make or break a great horse. If anything on this journey into dressage, my horse has become a better cowhorse and working partner and I’ve become a better rider. Not for lack of training, or experience in one area or another, but rather to having my way of thinking challenged. I've honestly enjoyed the experience and learning new methods and concepts to develop a deeper connection with my horse. It's honestly as if once you pick a discipline, you're stuck for the rest of your life, unless you "convert" and throw away all the pagan ideals. Now maybe that's a little exaggerated, but I’m certain we’ve all been there. Having ridden both disciplines, I can tell you that riders in each of them love their horses, want what's best for their horses and seek the partnership and feel that comes from working with them in harmony. In dressage this is exhibited in your tests, the suppleness and lightness of your partner in a beautiful exhibition of skill and agility. In Western, it's successfully completing a day's work out gathering cattle, or watching the flawless partnership in a reined cowhorse or cutting pen, admiring the raw power and beauty in the speed and agility of these impressively powerful animals. However, where we go wrong as horsemen and women is when we start to think that our way is the only way. That there are "sides" and if you aren't on the right one, you're somehow wrong. I've seen the beauty in each discipline. I've also seen the ugly sides of them too. The "gimmics" and "training methods" that some in each of these disciplines like to claim help to acheive "perfection." And that, my friends, is not good horsemanship. That is the darker side of the sport and what I genuinely feel fuels the division between the disciplines. See often times we only get exposure to the other "side" through negative exposure, we see the wrongs and let it overshadow all the things done correctly, the things we could learn from, the beautiful parts. I've watched people train, and train and train so much repetitiveness into their horses lives that they start to become lost and the spark from their eyes disappears and they become unresponsive to the rider. People start to wonder why they see sourness in their horses, why they start to go poorly and we see negative behaviors. They, just like us get bored. We impose our schedules and timing onto them and expect them to take it in stride. Often times, by exposing them, and ourselves, to new scenarios and experience we can refresh ourselves and our equine partners.

Quite possibly one of the most accurate statements I've heard regarding the differences in training horses is that with dressage, the concept is not always clear to the horse, as to when you ride western, you usually have a job to do and the message is a little more clear. You just go get the cow. In each of these scenarios you need to know how to effectively get the desired response from your horse, and that only comes from experience. I've seen countless numbers of dressage riders fall in love with cow work as their horse just lights up and gets into it, same with western riders teaching their horses to be more collected and supple in the aids, helping to develop a much bigger energy and athleticism. There's room for both worlds in a well-rounded horse.

What we often forget, as we get focused on our own goals and aspirations, is that our ultimate duty to our horses is to prepare them for the best possible outcome in the event of an unfortunate circumstance, or perhaps in preparing them for the next segment in their lives. A well-rounded horse has far better chances of ending up in a good situation should they change hands. As a horsewoman, it is my duty to ensure I give any horse in my care that chance. And honestly, it's fun. I really enjoy trying and learning new things. And I rest easier knowing my horses are skilled in a multitude of areas.

Will Blue and I ever competitively jump a 6' fence, no? I'm not that adventurous. But on the trails I am more confident to go over deadfall and obstacles we may encounter, knowing that we are prepared. That's one of the reasons I became interested in jumping to be honest. Riding up in the mountains in some of the toughest country I've ever seen searching for pairs on over 11,000 acres, we'd encounter deadfall we couldn't pass, so we'd have to take detours that cost both time and precious energy. As we forged trails around the blocks, I kept thinking how nice it would be to just be able to jump them, and so by stepping out of my comfort zone, we learned to jump.

My thinking was similar with dressage, I wanted to develop strength through Blue's back and get better connection with his feet and my timing. We saw the fruit of our labor when we started drill. Then again through recovery after Blue's hip injury this spring. Our dressage training was pivotal in that process.

I'm confident when we get back out in the mountains this spring, or in the pens come summer we are a much stronger team. Our confidence is built through experiences, and I want to make the most out of every one of them. There is beauty in each of the disciplines if we can allow ourselves to embrace them and see that they have far more in common then there are differences.

- End Rant -