Maturity doesn't come with age; it comes with acceptance of responsibility.
We all know horses who regardless of age or even training, act juvenile. Some horses seem to settle with age, but for the most part, habits either good or bad become more pronounced.
There is nothing worse than a 20 year old horse that has cooked in the same bad habits all of his life. On the other hand, I have seen young 3 or 4 year old horses standing quietly tied, accepting anything that comes.
What's the difference? Breeding certainly plays a part. The largest percentage, however, is simply their perception of what role they play. If they think they are just a pet, they will almost always be "put out" when asked to work. People who want their horse as a pet shouldn't ride them. If they want to ride their horse and have a pet, they should get a poodle.
Horses that have never been ridden long and hard enough don't have a chance to appreciate a good rest. I'm not saying that just hard riding fixes everything, but you need it to make your training program work for you. For any choice to be made, horses or humans need to know all the options and the consequences.
Have you ever noticed that your base perception of a situation or person effects all your thoughts and emotions about that subject? Horses act the same. Determine their base attitude about every little thing, then try to figure out a plan to change that base. If you are successful, everything that comes often will fall into place. I remember having a particularly high-tech training seminar where ideas and philosophies got pretty deep. Just when it was all getting a little too intense, an old cowboy raised his hand and said, "Hell, if all else fails, ride 'em."
Something to think about.
HOME
EVENTS & CLINICS
SERVICES
HORSEMANSHIP SCHOOL
WOMEN IN THE WEST
ARTICLES
VIDEOS
HORSES FOR SALE
LINKS
NEWSLETTER SIGNUP
CONTACT SPENCER TRAINING
GittyUPgo Graphic Design