Should you keep a horse that has hurt you?

I talk to a lot of people about their horses every week.  Most love the horses they own and wouldn’t trade them for the anything.  But often, I have a customer tell me all their troubles. They tell me how miserable riding is because of a particular horse.  They have a real riding horse fear. I might have said this before, but I believe its worth mentioning again.

Trust is a beautiful thing.

Horses are like people in the way that not everyone gets along well together.  I have a customer now who has been physically hurt by their horse and now is scared to death each time they get on the horse’s back.  This takes a task that should be a relaxing, enjoyable, part of their life and turns into pure torture.  This customer, whom I consider a friend, explains to me how she gets along fine with her other horses and enjoys them.  However, she just can’t enjoy this horse, because she has trust issues with it.

So she asked my feelings on this struggle she is having.

Find a horse you enjoy: Overcoming Horse Fear

In life we try to surround ourselves with people we enjoy spending time with.  So why should our horses be any different?  My thought s are, there are lots of horses in the world and life is to short to ride one you don’t like or trust.  I am not saying this horse is a bad horse just that why force things that you don’t have to be.

I explained to her that she is not a professional trainer or someone who has something to prove.  My best advice is to find a horse she can trust and enjoy, rather than force herself and the horse into a situation that neither is equipped to deal with physically or mentally.

To Win or Not To Win

Often I have people say they have to win, but is it a win when you have limited time to dedicate to the process.  Would it not make more sense to just find a horse better suited for the amount of time you have to dedicate, in order to make your rides a positive uplifting experience.

If you work a full time job and aren’t a mechanic would you keep a car that requires lots of knowledge, upkeep, and repairs to keep it on the road or would you just buy a dependable car?  Well I hope this helps with some of you that are struggling with problems you may have or will encounter.

I hope you enjoy the ride – Ryan

PS You might also be interested in these articles:

Can you teach your horse to ride with hay string and bubble gum?

Riding with Diabetes

Does My Saddle Fit My Horse? 4 Basic Steps

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