By: Matthew M. Brendal
Problem horses! In my opinion there really is no such thing as a difficult horse. The problem or difficulty is usually the human in this equation. Horses are by far one of the easiest animals to get along with. They are in my opinion the smartest land animal walking around on 4 legs. Every culture in the world has literally rode them through history.
I have worked with many horses that I have been told were abused or crazy or were stupid. Wrong answer. That was the answer or label the human came up with because they didn't have the horsemanship skills to build a partnership. Three ingredients in equal parts must present to have this partnership, T.L.C. Trust, Leadership & Communication. Trust must earned in which the horse knows in its core that you will not hurt him. Leadership, yes you have to be confident for the horse, brave when you are scared. Tender and caring. Firm without being abusive. Communication, if you don't know what your horse is saying and you don't know how to talk to the horse, frustration will be your constant companion. Horses speak a body language all their own. You have to develop that body language too. Not being able to communicate eloquently with your horse leads to a frustrated horse which develops into a difficult horse.
People also try to project anthropomorphic emotions and thoughts onto their horse. No, you gotta think like a horse when dealing horses. More difficult horses are probably born from difficult people than by mares. It's the horse that's saying to himself, "Boy oh boy, this human is difficult. No matter how hard I try to get through he just ain't getting what I'm saying.What does he want from me." Take some time to watch a master horseman. The really good horsemen usually only have quiet conversations with the most difficult of horses. If you have a difficult horse, you may want to examine if you aren't the difficult one in this relationship. Horse are just beautiful truth detectors, a horse can never lie.
