Does your horse like to be ridden?

[no.stirrups]

If you think your horse wants to be ridden, I want some of what you’re smoking.

This quote appeared in another thread. What do you think?

For me, the answer is absolutely! Here are some of the indications:

When my now-retired horse was in regular work I never had to go out to his pasture to catch him, he would meet me at the gate. Now that he is retired and all I do is feed him cookies and scratch his itches he makes me go to him, these are apparently not rewarding enough for him to leave his herd, and not as rewarding as riding.
My current ride didn’t come to the gate to meet me for the first few weeks. Now he does, every time.
Both horses are/were generally loose or ground tied while tacking up and they don’t choose to leave. Both horses reach for their bits when I hold the bridle up - the challenge is to keep everything but the bit out of their mouths.
Their are a couple of other horses at the retired horse’s farm that I have ridden in the past. They always are eager to see me when I’m there, often getting a bit pushy about it. This is a pattern of behavior that is very consistent among horses that I have ridden, including with horses whose owners don’t ride them and can’t catch them in the field.

One of my personal ground rules is that if it isn’t fun for the horse then I’m doing something wrong.

[SuzieQNutter]

Yes the same as you. They like the attention.

One of them when I bought him they said he did not like people and he would hide in the trees to not be caught. For me he was waiting at the gate every morning of a 50 acre paddockto be ridden.

If you came to visit as far as he was concerned you had only come to play with him, not me.

I presume a horse that is not ridden well is not happy to see their rider arrive, no matter how many scritches and cookies they give.

[trubandloki]

@no.stirrups

This quote appeared in another thread. What do you think?

For me, the answer is absolutely! Here are some of the indications:

When my now-retired horse was in regular work I never had to go out to his pasture to catch him, he would meet me at the gate. Now that he is retired and all I do is feed him cookies and scratch his itches he makes me go to him, these are apparently not rewarding enough for him to leave his herd, and not as rewarding as riding.
My current ride didn’t come to the gate to meet me for the first few weeks. Now he does, every time.
Both horses are/were generally loose or ground tied while tacking up and they don’t choose to leave. Both horses reach for their bits when I hold the bridle up - the challenge is to keep everything but the bit out of their mouths.
Their are a couple of other horses at the retired horse’s farm that I have ridden in the past. They always are eager to see me when I’m there, often getting a bit pushy about it. This is a pattern of behavior that is very consistent among horses that I have ridden, including with horses whose owners don’t ride them and can’t catch them in the field.

One of my personal ground rules is that if it isn’t fun for the horse then I’m doing something wrong.

I don’t know that I agree with your logic…

I willingly drive to the office every day and I certainly would not say that I like working.

Maybe your retired horse does not run to you because moving around is not as comfortable as it used to be. Or this herd is more settled than whatever herd he was in before.

My horse does not revolt to being ridden but I highly doubt anyone could say that they want to be ridden.

[clanter]

never asked them, but I assume they would prefer to rather than being shipped to Europe to be put in a ready meal

[candyappy]

All my horses have. I never asked them but they happily go where I ask and how fast I want and generally seem to like the attention and to hit the trail.

[Equkelly]

I believe I was the one that comment was directed at so I’ll chime in.

I’m not sure my horse likes being ridden but I believe she at least finds it rewarding. I bought my mare as a 2 year old and started her myself on the ground and eventually under saddle. I made a point to start her slowly and correctly. I didn’t go over her threshold, I kept sessions short, and I spent time giving lots of rewards and praise.

I also spent time doing things I know she’d enjoy like going for a walk on a trail where she can graze and snack along the way. I also started her under saddle with little contact and let her just trot around and go wherever she wanted in the beginning. I think with young horses especially you need to make it low pressure but still fulfilling and enriching for them.

My mare is 4 now and has been u/s for over a year and we’ve had no pretty much no sillies. Her third ride ever I took her on a trail ride and she acted like she had been doing it her while life. She crossed bridges, passed bikes and dogs and didn’t blink.

Now we’re doing more flatwork in the arena and going over cross rails but I still make sure that there’s something “in it” for her. So I can’t tell you that she “likes” being ridden but if she didn’t like it, I would know because she wouldn’t be so relaxed and confident at this age. However if I got on her at 3 and immediately put her into a training program and crammed her into a frame, while drilling flatwork 5+ days a week… I don’t think things would’ve have been smooth sailing.

[B-burg_Dressage]

I think this is an interesting topic. Unfortunately not one that we can have a real answer to at this time.

My horse is a relaxed and willing partner. I set up our training so as to not overface him and spend a lot of time building his confidence.

He is certainly more relaxed and confident about life in general when he’s ridden regularly. But that could be because being ridden is his routine and routine makes him happy. Or it could be because he simply has less extra energy.

He also is the first to come up and greet me when I walk out into the field.

I also think horses are social creatures and generally enjoy interaction. And being ridden is certainly interactive.

But all that being said…I still don’t know if he likes it or if he is just willing because I’m a fair leader. I will say with certainty that he doesn’t resent it or particularly dislike it because he is not afraid to share his many opinions.

[Equkelly]

@B-burg_Dressage

But all that being said…I still don’t know if he likes it or if he is just willing because I’m a fair leader. I will say with certainty that he doesn’t resent it or particularly dislike it because he is not afraid to share his many opinions.

This right here. I KNOW my horse does NOT like her mane being pulled, teeth being done, or getting oral meds. She is very clear about her dislike for those things so I do know she’s not shy about her feelings.

[TheMoo]

I took that quote to mean more if the horse was given an option. My horse is very “vocal” about what she likes and doesn’t. However, I can’t say, because she gives 110%, that being ridden is her preference. She does like the attention she gets from me. She’s one of those horses that picks her human. She likes people, but I’m her human.

There is no difference in her attitude when it’s a riding day or a grooming, grazing, your a pretty pony have some carrots for being cute day.

A horse will willingly do what you ask, but left up to their own devices even under saddle…

I’m willing to go to work. I love my job. Would I rather have the option to not go to work? Of course. Hating something like mane pulling, @equkelly my horse is like yours, vs being willing to work is just not a good metric.

[RMJacobs]

My daughter’s pony clearly hated to be ridden. My kid weighed next to nothing and had great hands, but still got the pissy face and unwillingness.

I decided to see if he would drive, since my driving pony was approaching retirement. My daughter’s pony trained enthusiastically, and the first time I took him out on the road was happy, forward, and his body language said “Now you’ve finally figured me out!”

I drove him well into his 30s, and he was a delight.

Rebecca

[Equkelly]

@TheMoo

I’m willing to go to work. I love my job. Would I rather have the option to not go to work? Of course. Hating something like mane pulling, @equkelly my horse is like yours, vs being willing to work is just not a good metric.

Ok but I’ve also seen and ridden other horses that I could tell you with certainty, do not like to be ridden. They’re anxious, they’re flighty, they buck, they rear, they bolt, they pin their ears, refuse jumps, etc.

Someone made the comparison about us going to work. Sure we may not “like” to go to work because it’s work but hopefully if your work is fulfilling and rewarding you’ll be happier to go than if your work was not paying well and felt unfulfilling.

[TheMoo]

@Equkelly

Ok but I’ve also seen and ridden other horses that I could tell you with certainty, do not like to be ridden. They’re anxious, they’re flighty, they buck, they rear, they bolt, they pin their ears, refuse jumps, etc.

Someone made the comparison about us going to work. Sure we may not “like” to go to work because it’s work but hopefully if your work is fulfilling and rewarding you’ll be happier to go than if your work was not paying well and felt unfulfilling.

That’s called pain and I’ve owned one like that. He loved his job but the pain was too much. He was a happy camper without a job.

My point was, given the option to not go to work despite how much I love it, I wouldn’t work. I’d fill my day with things that matter to me that I don’t have time for because work.

[Equkelly]

Yes definitely pain would be my thought, but I’ve seen some riding and training philosophies that are so miserable for the horse that they’ll act that way too even in the absence of physical pain. I think it is totally possible for a horse to just not like being ridden if the way they’re being ridden isn’t right for that horse.

[TheMoo]

Sure, but in general my horse would not choose work.

[Equkelly]

I’m not sure what your point is.

I don’t think anyone here is saying “my horse loves me so much and loves to be ridden because we have such a magikal bond and he loves me.”

I think people are saying that their horse is at least willing and comfortable with being ridden. For me thats enough and I think that’s ok but I’m sure there’s some folks at PETA who’d disagree.

[TheMoo]

I was explaining how I took the statement made that spurred this thread. You chimed in explaining yourself because god forbid we don’t drag drama thread to thread.

[OfCourseItsAnAlter]

Does my horse like to be ridden?

If my horse was allowed to make his own schedule, I have absolutely no doubt that it would look something like this:

8 am: The Food Lady brings me food and adjusts my apparel for the day.
8 am - 2 pm: Eat grass and nap in the pasture.
2 pm: The Food Lady brings me treats and scratches all my itchy spots.
2:15 pm: The Food Lady departs, leaving me free to continue with the grass eating and napping.
5 pm: The food lady brings me food and adjusts my apparel for the evening.
5 pm - 8 am: Eat grass and nap in the pasture.

At no time in his preferred daily schedule does the activity “be ridden” appear, so clearly, he doesn’t “like” to be ridden well enough to voluntarily pencil it in on his schedule.

Is he sufficiently agreeable to allow me to pencil “be ridden” into his schedule and cooperate with my efforts? Yes. Does he object to being ridden? No. Does he appear to enjoy the treats and attention he gets for allowing himself to be ridden? Yes. But none of that means that he “likes” to be ridden.

[Hippolyta]

Eager to come in from the pasture (will, on occasion, run when she sees me coming in with halter. I rarely take her in from pasture except to ride), has a contented look on her face through the grooming and tacking up process, sticks her nose in the bridle, makes no ugly faces, has her ears relaxed but will look towards the arena/trail, doesn’t try to tear back to barn…

She definitely likes the attention & it’s something to do. She gets to ride out and about and see things. Would she prefer attention but no riding? I have no idea. Would she prefer a stroll on the lead instead? I have no idea.

[clanter]

@Equkelly

I don’t think anyone here is saying “my horse loves me so much and loves to be ridden because we have such a magikal bond and he loves me.”

well I did find Socrates in the tack-room making a tack selection by dumping carts out on the floor

[Scribbler]

I think my horse enjoys going out on the trail and seeing the world, and she likes to move fast some days.

I rode a dressage school master a few years ago that just really seemed to enjoy her arena routine but sometimes got fussy on the trail.

We feel fairly confident in assessing how much horses enjoy ground work or barn life. If we get those same responses under saddle, happy ears, enthusiastic co operation, putting head in bridle, etc. I am willing to believe they enjoy a ride. I also think they feel much better after a nice active ride, just like they feel better after running around turnout.