I want to preface this article by saying it is not designed to hurt anyone’s feelings, discourage someone from trying to be a good person, or shame anyone who has already made one of these mistakes, however, this article IS written from the truthful perspective of a horse trainer personally helping thousands of horse owners in the last 10 years with problematic horses. My goal is to try to save horse owners from the potential pain associated with horses, physically, mentally, and financially. Many of the injuries, broken hearts, and financial hardships could have been prevented, but no one wants to talk about this publicly BEFORE it happens…so here we are.

As a baseline, there are 2 topics I would like to discuss that we often talk about when trying to keep horse owners safe with their horses and the hard truth that comes with it. 

Topic #1: There’s 3 ways to get a trained horse:

1. Buy A Trained Horse

2. Send A Horse For Training

3. Train It Yourself

Now that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a combination of options such as you’re going to train it yourself, but also have help from a trainer. Or buying a partially trained horse and doing the rest yourself, etc. 

Horses do not just become trained without the work and effort being done by someone in the process. If you as a rider choose to handle or ride a horse who has not had an education to keep you safe, you are putting yourself and possibly others at risk as well.

One of my favorite analogies from Michael is this. If you are doing groundwork with your horse on the ground and you cannot get them to respect you (Kindergarten) or pay attention to you/be soft and giving in the face (as what we often refer to as a steering wheel in 1st Grade), this will not just magically happen and be there under saddle when you swing your leg over. 

That’s like getting into your car that’s parked in the garage and the steering wheel is locked up and then the driver saying, “it’s ok, my car will take care of me” and then taking it out on the road. That is NOT how reality works. 

The summary of Topic #1, horses will either cost you TIME, MONEY, or BOTH. 

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Topic #2: Difficulty Level & Comfort/Confidence Level Spectrum

If a horse’s difficulty level is above your comfort level, you will not fix it without doing one of the following: 

1. Put a little pressure on yourself to increase your comfort & confidence level through education and experience. 

2. Get someone to help you educate the horse and bring the horse’s difficulty level down below your comfort level. 

3. A combination of both, possibly requiring a bit less training on both the rider and the horse since both are putting in effort to make up the difference in the spectrum.

The higher your education and comfort/confidence level, the higher success you will have working with a variety of “difficult” horses, safely and successfully.

The summary of Topic #2, you will either have to purchase a horse that has a difficulty level below your comfort/confidence level or you’re going to have to put in, again, TIME, MONEY, or BOTH.

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So ultimately, the big question to ask here is where can you afford to spend your budget (both time & money) for a horse?

If you have more time than money, that’s ok! You will make up for it in your effort and education to get the horse where you want it to be. 

If you have more money than time, fantastic! You’ll be able to expedite the process and get there faster with someone who does this for a living and enjoys doing it.

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Pros/Cons Before Considering A Free Horse, Rescue Horse, Kill Pen Horse, Or OTTB/Performance Horse “Culls”

POTENTIAL PROS:

#1 - Typically Less Expensive Initial Purchase Price (Budget-Friendly Purchase)

 

#2 - You Get To Feel Like You Are Making A Difference In The Life Of A Horse

 

#3 - If Things Go Well, You Actually Did Make A Difference In The Horse’s Life

 

#4 - Sense Of Gratification If You Successfully Rehab & Make Them Into The Horse They Had Potential To Be

POTENTIAL CONS:

#1 - Rarely Ever Are They Budget-Friendly After Purchase 

-Vet Care

-Farrier Care

-Nutrition & Feed Bill & Additional Nutrition Needs

-Lifetime Maintenance If Addressing Long-Term Issues 

#2 - Potential Unknown Health History & Potential For “Cooties”/Risk To Other Horses Even After Quarantine Period

#3 - Traveling + Stress Can Bring Out Underlying Health Issues & Sickness

#4 - Must Have Place To Be Able To Quarantine From Other Horses

#5 - Must Deworm Slowly To Prevent Worm-Shock & Colic With Unknown Deworming History

#6 - If No Paperwork, You Must Rely On A Vet (And/Or Equine Dentists -  2nd Opinion) To Get An Age On Said Horse

#7 - A Horse Who Is Sweet & Kind When They Are Skinny And Malnourished, Will Not Always Be The Same Horse When They Are Fed And Healthy

#8 - A Horse Who Is Quiet & Easy To Ride When They Are Skinny And Malnourished, Will Not Always Be The Same Horse When They Are Fed And Healthy

#9 - You Could Spend All Of Your Time & Effort Towards Rehabbing Body Condition Only To Find Out There Is An Underlying Health Or Soundness Issue

#10 - Not To Say This Is Always The Case Because There Are Always Special Circumstances, But From Our Experience…Horses Who Are Kind, Healthy, Educated, Safe, And Loved By Someone RARELY End Up In Bad Situations  (like Kill Pens, Rescues, Etc.). 

#11 - Many Kill Pens, Rescues, Etc. Do Not Offer Any Kind Of Warranty Or Support Once The Horse Leaves Their Property

#12 - In Almost Every Case We’ve Had In For Training Horses From These Scenarios, The Owner Has Spent More Money In Rehab, Training, And/Or Hospital Bills Than What They Would Have Spent On The Initial Purchase Of A More Qualified/Matched Horse To Their Needs

#13 - If The Horse Comes From A Performance Facility But Did Not Make The Cut In Their Program, What Issues Caused Them To Cull From Their Program?

-Lack Of Talent

-Lack Of Structural Soundness

-Lack Of Mental Soundness

-Lack Of Ideal Personality Or Work Ethic

#14 - By Adopting A Horse, You Assume Responsibility For This Horse’s Future. If Any Of The Above Happen And You Cannot Address It (Physically, Mentally, Or Financially) You Are Now Becoming A Part Of The System Where The Horse Repeats This Experience Again And Again…This Is How Horses Can Get 3+ Owners Per Lifetime And Continue To Get Passed Around. Unfortunately People Will Lie, Just To Pass Off Responsibility To The Next Person. 

The Real Takeaway

If you’ve already made some of these mistakes or didn’t know these facts until now, you’re not alone. It’s all too common in the horse industry because no one wants to talk about it.

As a side note and as a general rule of thumb we’ve seen, every mismatched horse/owner combination makes it more difficult for a horse to find a chance at education and a forever home, even if the intentions were in the best place. 

Training and rehabbing problem horses is hard, very few trainers choose to make this their speciality which is why it’s often hard to find rehab facilities or rescues who have real trainers working to rehab these horses and make them safe and truly adoptable.

Our goal is to fix this problem from the beginning starting with education with the help of our Free 30-Day Horse Help Challenge. 

It all starts with believing that your story isn’t over yet. We are here to help!!!

 

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