Just like people, horses are different from one another. They have different ways of learning and they are physically and mentally suited to different disciplines. Just because you think your horse is a western pleasure prospect doesn't mean that he is. He may have that nice slow jog down pat but when it comes right down to it, he wants to do cattle work.
It's funny how we try to mould our horses to do things that they are not meant to do. I did that once with disastrous results. As a result of my actions it took over a year to pull things back together with that particular horse.
His name is Jacob and there was doubt as to whether I was going to keep him. I wanted him to do some low level western shows. I was nervous and so was he. He fed off of my mood and managed to buck me off for the first time in his life at the show grounds. He wanted nothing to do with me and wanted to get as far away as possible. Only I didn't see it that way. I was upset with him and just felt he was being a jerk.
It really unnerved me as at one point I had absolutely no control over him and we almost had a crazy wreck. A friend of mine finally got on his back and he was just fine for her. He was completely feeding off of my mood.
The problem continued. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with me and I could no longer catch him out in the pasture. Shortly after the show he injured his shoulder and wasn't sound for about a year. I believe it to be a blessing because I just had to spend time rehabbing him. I couldn't sell him because he wasn't sound and we just had to work it all out.
I realized that he was a horse with a higher head carriage, and is fairly high strung. He likes speed. I was trying so hard to make him into something that he wasn't in order to satisfy my requirements and didn't even give him a minute's consideration.
I started riding him again but with a whole different attitude. I tried him on some gymkhana patterns in our own arena and joined the local riding club.
On a whim, I decided to bring Jacob to a gymkhana just for exposure and wasn't even sure if I was going to ride him. We got there and he was incredibly calm so I decided to pay the entry fee and see where it went. He was fantastic! I found his niche.
He gets all excited and happy when I run barrels or poles. He isn't a superstar, but he is a happy horse. He wants to be brought in now and our relationship is the best it's ever been.
A hard lesson but a very important one.
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