I often hear, "My horse doesn't have that," or "My horse doesn't do that," or "My horse isn't bothered by that..." Well, great! Keep it that way!

Horses are puzzles

When I look at a horse, I actually see puzzle pieces. Either they fit perfectly together, or a few pieces are missing. Sometimes the puzzle has been forced together in a way that it might need to be taken apart first. Many of my clients have horses like this. The pieces have been forced together—at all costs—and now I get to help figure out where the problem lies. This is truly my passion :D (especially because it’s such a delightful puzzle ;) )!

How do you invest in your horse?

Here’s where sometimes you have to look at investing. Funny enough, I’m not even referring to the financial side of things. Of course, you can invest a lot in tack, saddles, blankets, lessons, and so on. It’s great fun to do when that's your thing ^_^. What I mean by investing is: what does your horse need? What is required for your horse’s health? How much time have you set aside for this investment? How much time are you willing to invest? How much time does your horse “get” to be able to handle what you expect of them?

A little “broken” also requires investment

I’ve noticed that people often feel a horse shouldn’t or can’t be broken. That it should function under all circumstances. And that’s where things start to get a bit tricky. Because when you want something from your horse, it might very well seem like they can do it just fine at that moment. But maybe you’re dipping into their “reserve tank” without realizing it. As the reserve tank gets lower, you’ll start to notice more signs from your horse, little by little.

When the horse is only a little “broken,” it can usually be resolved fairly quickly. If it's more serious, you’ll have to invest more. This doesn’t necessarily have to be expensive, but the steps you’ll need to take might be bigger. The reason your horse is “breaking down” doesn’t necessarily come from you. It could be due to unfavorable conditions or past experiences that are now resurfacing.

My big friend Troy

Take my big, black friend Troy. Troy was gelded as a yearling, after which he developed sweet itch. He was then chased out of the herd in the pasture and removed from the group. All of this happened before he was 1.5 years old.

He was later sold to the coast, where hopefully his sweet itch would improve. After two years, he was in such bad condition that they wanted to have him slaughtered. Fortunately, the kind woman who originally owned him took him back.

When I got Troy from her, he was broken. Very broken... there wasn’t even any need to puzzle. He felt awful. Everything was open—his legs, mane, tail, belly—you name it, he had chewed it raw.

Here begins the "dissection" of the problem.

Because even though all of Troy’s problems seemed physical, his mental state was nothing to write home about. He was in an extremely poor mental condition. He was mentally overloaded. Since his second year, he had been used to pull a cart and had been ridden, but neither worked. He just threw everyone off…

And here comes: investing!

When you take in a horse like this, you know it’s not going to be solved in a month or three, four. At least not in terms of health. You know that first, you need to establish peace—peace in his body, peace in his mind. In this case, the two were interconnected.

Mind in overdrive → itch intensifies. Intense itching → mind in overdrive.

And then you need to start somewhere

That starting point is with small steps! These small steps pay off in the form of confirmed progress.

While Troy had pulled a cart on the road when he lived by the sea, he wasn’t road-safe at all here. The tiniest sound would make him explode… and you should know that he’s a beautifully built Groningen horse. A really solid boy! You definitely don’t want him charging at you because of some noise that sets him off.

The goal is to use him as a riding horse, so you have to start making progress somewhere. You can only move forward when the previous step is solid. That’s how you keep things enjoyable and, above all, safe for both of you.

Building trust!

After many repetitions of the same exercises, it started going better (remember, I’m talking about a relaxed horse, not one that gets bored from doing the same exercises repeatedly!!!), and I saw more and more calmness return to his body. He began to trust that nothing strange was going to happen. Physically, he was still lagging behind in terms of strength, so that was the next step. You don’t start with an overworked horse there. You wait until the horse is ready to handle it... a bit of puzzling again ;)

For Troy, having a saddle on was never an issue, thanks to the good upbringing he had with the lady I got him from. She did a great job raising him, and he’s always been fine with being touched.

When working on strengthening Troy's loins, pelvis, and knees, I could later start alternating with previous exercises. The variation seems simple with a “normal” horse, but with a broken puzzle, you need to handle it in a way that doesn’t cause the body to compensate elsewhere.

The first time getting on (again)

At some point, Troy had become so calm during work that I grabbed the mounting block. First, just standing on the block until that felt fine. Then hanging over him until that was fine. Everything built up step by step, and then getting on wasn’t an issue!

Bear in mind, this horse didn’t let anyone sit on his back! Confirming the steps gave him the reassurance to stay calm. He knew his boundaries wouldn’t be crossed. That’s when trust builds, and you know he’s ready!

Then comes the moment to really get on. When you’ve prepared well, it’s a beautiful moment, and there’s no tension involved. It becomes a really fun step! Troy was fully aware of me sitting on his back. He even looked back, nibbled a bit on my foot, and let out a big, deep sigh! No tension on his back!

Knowing when not to push forward!

At one point, I was sitting on his back, and I felt his pelvis crack. Not standard, to say the least. I felt him start to build up tension. In such moments, it’s crucial to know that you don’t have to push forward just because “it’s what you’re supposed to do”! When you feel something is off, it’s essential to take a step back. In this case, it was a physical issue, so that’s where the focus went. If it had been a mental issue, then there’d still be work to do on that moment of tension. We went back to exercises for building strength to give him the confidence that his body wouldn’t hurt during work.

After about three weeks of working three to four times a week, I got back on. He felt super strong, and as soon as I said that, he walked right off!

How great is that?! Now he was confident enough to move with me on his back! Investing isn’t about money! It’s about listening to your horse, being willing to take a step back at the right moment, and investing your time and energy.