Training Tip: You Can’t Change Who Your Horse Is

The type of horse that is best suited to a beginner is a confidence builder. These horses are generally cold-blooded, lazier horses and are very easygoing. They have the perfect personality to teach a rider who is new to horses. But at the same time, they’re a little stiffer and not as soft and supple as a younger, more athletic horse is. These are horses that have been there and done that and have their own way of doing things, which is OK, because their main job is to be your babysitter.

When you’re learning to stay balanced in the saddle, a good beginner’s horse doesn’t dart out from under you every time you lurch to the right or left. Instead, he knows his job is to stay under you on a straight line. A more sensitive horse would react each time he felt your body weight shift, and you’d be left dusting sand off your jeans.

So in other words, the older, experienced horse’s purpose is to build your confidence, increase your balance and help you become a better horseman – all while keeping you safe. Once you have accomplished those things, you’re ready to move on to a horse that’s a little more athletic and has more ability. This will probably be a younger horse that can take you into a certain discipline and help you reach the next level of your horsemanship.

The important thing to keep in mind is that you’re not going to change who your horse is. You’re not going to get a 19-year-old gelding that’s been stiff and lazy his whole life to be an athletic, soft, supple, talented machine. It’s just not going to happen. I can’t turn a Volkswagen Beetle into a Ferrari. The fact of the matter is I have a Beetle – it isn’t a Ferrari. The Beetle worked fine when all I needed was a car to get me to the grocery store and back, but if I want to get on the highway and go a little faster, with better brakes and turning ability, I need to get a better car. At that point, I might move up to a full-sized car, and then in a couple of years, a sports car, and then a Ferrari. But I didn’t go straight from the Beetle to the Ferrari. I gradually got there as my ability increased and my needs changed. It’s the same thing with horses.