Yes, I do think that horses actively enjoy being with their humans and doing interesting things. Do they want to hang around and natter over a glass of wine afterwards? No, they are horses and want to go back to eating and sleeping with their mates. But horses in their group also play with their friends.
I recall one day ride where the mare I was to ride was not very willing to engage with me as we waited to mount up. She was used to heavy riders having lead rein rides and she was standoff-ish. Within a few minutes of leaving on the trail she began to perk up. Periodically, she would stop, stand and survey the view for a couple of minutes or peer curiously through a gate way and then she hurried on herself to catch up with the others. As the day progressed she became increasingly cheerful, bright and energetic. At one point a fallen tree blocked our way and she insisted on hanging over my shoulder to help move the branches which she obviously found very entertaining. Did she enjoy the work? Her demenour and behaviour suggests that she did.
Totally! Although I’m sure mine would pencil in “hack” every few days. Because it is something he seems to very actively enjoy. He’s surrounded by buddies and they go out and see some scenery, and he gets to splash in the dam if he feels like it.
My horse is clever and curious. He doesn’t like to be bored; he will make his own entertainment, which is generally amusing only to him.
He likes to explore new places- going down a new trail, meeting new friends (he’s fascinated by the mini-donks across the street,) and so on.
He definitely loves to jump.
These are the things he enjoys about being ridden: intellectual stimulation, going different places and seeing new things, and defying gravity. I’m under no illusion that he likes to be ridden versus, say, getting a full body massage while eating clover. But if I keep in mind what’s actually fun for him, I have a happy horse.
We started many feral horses and practically all made nice riding horses, most quiet lesson horses for beginners.
Then there was this beautiful little lightly made mouse gray gelding, teeth said 4 year old, that just would not gentle.
He was always spooky, didn’t like anything in his life, not humans, not even other horses.
We started him under saddle, but he really was not sensibly gentling under saddle, no matter what we tried and we tried for several months.
One riding school client bought him and tried for two years, slow and taking his time.
Then he had to move, so the riding center bought the horse back, still watch and spooky.
Our old cart horse was close to retiring, so the owner told us to try him on the wagon.
We though he lost his mind, that horse was just not gentle to handle, even less to ride, now ask him to pull a wagon, thru city streets and fields?
What you know, horse took to it like he had been doing that all his life and boy did he look pretty and proud of himself, trotting alert and animated, the world his oyster, no more shying or rollers in his nose to all around him.
Otherwise he was kept on the back of the barn, where he had his happy, isolated place, where he would rest at peace, no humans or horses coming and going.
That horse clearly told us he was not going to be a riding horse.
Maybe most horses are ok with being ridden, that is what most are bred and trained for today.
At least they are not violently objecting to being ridden and some even like it as part of what they do.
Some even compare cutting horses that obviously like to work cattle carrying a rider around with border collies, that love to herd anything and put up with the handler just to get to work.
Just think, when a horse is hurting, they also tell us clearly they object to being ridden.
If horses really didn’t want to be ridden at all, we would definitely hear about it.
A few months ago there was a big to-do on Twitter with this account for a highly popular animal sanctuary that originally rose to popularity posting pics and videos of their adorable cows and pigs and horses and dogs. After posting a couple videos/ pictures of someone riding one of their rescued OTTBs, they were attacked by their followers for not REALLY being a true animal sanctuary, it’s cruel to even sit on a horse’s back, etc.
It was uncalled for, but the concept of a working animal can be hard for people to understand who aren’t used to the idea. I do think it can be an important thought exercise for those of us who are immersed in the day to day life of riding because it helps us remember to prioritize making the process fun and rewarding for them too.
If you look at it from an evolutionary perspective, dogs and horses and other domesticated animals have effectively used humans to become the most successful animal species on earth. They get care, shelter, food and water, and effortless propagation of their species, and in return they sometimes have to do little tricks and jump little jumps for us.
It’s obviously more complicated than that but it’s an interesting moral question to ponder about!
MyI nervous system, brain and spinal cord, are handicapped (MS). For me to expect horses to “like” me riding them is ludicrous with my horrible balance, hand tremors, and incoordination.
However I do everything I can to make the usually elderly horses I ride hurt less. BOT stuff, Fenwick stuff, a decent saddle (Pegasus Butterfly) that flexes some with their movement, Micklem bridle (I cut off the chin strap per the horses), and titanium bits that fit their mouths. I have several grooming tools I use that the horses seem to enjoy, and sometimes they enjoy their grooming immensely. I also ride Forward Seat, to me the seat that gives me the most security so I can be delicate with my hand and leg aids. Everything I do with grooming is approved by the horse, and I use the gear that I use because the horses “told” me that they find it acceptable.
So while these riding school horses may not “like” me riding them, they are secure in the knowledge that I won’t be torturing them or causing them great unnecessary pain.
So in essence our rides are a 30 minute relief from the tedium of the pasture, plus a really enjoyable grooming session and a food reward of some type before they are turned out again.
These horses do not look at me with dread in their eyes, and often the horses make some extra effort to keep me on their backs when I have some difficulties riding.
“Not violently opposing” is not the same thing as “enjoying”.
My horses come to me in the paddock. They nicker when I walk in the door. They’re agreeable and pleasant under saddle.
But given a “choice” they most certainly would not put riding on their schedule. Given the choice, my horses will not jump a course on their own, probably not even a single fence. Given a choice, they aren’t going to get on the trailer on their own accord (unless there’s food in there!).
It is not natural to them. Given a choice, they would be back in the pasture with their buddies. They wouldn’t choose to be worked at all.
They can “not hate it”. But if the work isn’t something they actively seek out without human involvement, don’t fool yourself into thinking they “love to be ridden”. They don’t. It’s part of their lives, and they hopefully don’t hate it, and may seem to embrace the challenge. But a lot of that is because it is part of their routine, and there’s no alternative.
Our cowhorses would line on the fence to their miles long pasture, hoping it was their turn to go work cattle.
They even jostled to be first when we walked in there to pick the ones that we would use that day.
The ones left behind would stand by the fence, watching preparations and wishing they would be the ones going, not the ones left to spend all day grazing around in the pasture.
I don’t think those horses would have been so eager to go work if they didn’t want to go.
They had a choice by making themselves harder to catch, not eager to be haltered or try to sneak thru the gate.
I think that cows change the game. Horses will work cows on their own accord.
If you turned a grand prix jumper in an arena with 5’ fences set up all over, how many will start jumping around? If you turn a dressage horse in an arena, will he spontaneously begin passage and tempis?
I had a fun little cowhorse.
One day we were coming back from getting groceries in town and noticed some cows were out.
Went to the house and they dropped me by the barn, telling me to go put my horse in and then haul up there to get those cows back in.
Horses were up from the pasture around the water trough and about time they went back out to graze.
I saw my horse had come up to the fence, a good 200’ from the barn, so I just told him to wait for me and went to the house to put my jeans and boots on.
In the house, Grandma asked if I had put him in the barn, guess I was back too quickly and I said no, he was by the fence and just told him to wait.
Others were laughing at silly me, said he would be gone, better hurry.
I did, went down to the barn and could see the horses wandering up the road from the tank, going back North to graze and thought, oh, boy.
Guess what, my little horse was standing at the gate, waiting for me, of course.
I was so proud of him!
I will say - I don’t think the horse wants you to show him how to play with the cows. I think (and know) that horses will interact and push livestock around all on their own accord. They don’t really want you there. They want the feeling of power pushing the cows around, not necessarily the direction the rider provides. Nor do they want to hear “again” when they’re tired and want the day to be over.
But I do think horses enjoy pushing around submissive livestock, for some period of time.
Several of my cowhorses will help sort in the alley, they like to work with you.
I can sort on foot, the horse then will send some to a pen, or stand on the side if I do and let them go down the alley, just as a person (or a trained dog) helping at that gate to the pen would.
One horse, when I was treating sick cattle thru the chute, I had wrapped the reins on the fence by it, he got loose and, every time I opened the chute’s tailgate would move up and push the next calf in for me.
He was not taught that, he just figured it on his own.
He could also, once loose, have wandered off to graze out there.
After that first time, I just left him loose so he could help.
I think horses understand what we do and their choices more than we may think.
In the winters, our riding school had free jumping in the indoor.
We put some jump standards along the inside with jumps every so far along most of two long and one short side, similar to a Hitchcock pen.
Some of us got to ride them bareback and nothing on their heads, just grab mane, as they ran around the circle and jumped.
It was a kind of exercise for the horses and we loved the chance to go along when permitted.
Every horse seemed to find great joy in those exercise days and would stand there waiting for some of us to get on, then take off around, taking good care of carrying you with them, when they could have, as when just free to run, buck and kick and dump us.
If your horses are doing things with you, not just as told, I think many of them like to think and figure what next and be part of what is happening.
If you weren’t in there making them jump though, and if those jumps were not along a wall where they are hard to avoid, there is nearly a 100% chance that the horses would just run around them instead of over. For example. Put the jump 10’ off the wall with no guidepoles, and begin free lunging. Does the horse seek the fence? No.
It seems as if (most, non mortified) horses seek out cattle, even if there is a way to avoid them. This is not the case for any other sport. Is it the feeling of power they get, moving the cattle around?
My former lease horse was bred to jump, imported from Europe, and has lived in pampered bliss in show barns all his life. He loves jumping, grows about 2 inches taller at horse shows because he’s so proud of himself, and reaches for the bit when being bridled.
He doesn’t like turnout and generally just stands at the gate woefully waiting to be brought in - but he loves being free lunged in the arena and is MUCH more energetic and expressive there than in turnout. (I think he likes an audience / the interaction.) He’ll sniff the jumps and gallop off but definitely isn’t jumping them undirected.
All things considered, I think he enjoys the ‘game’ of jumping and the outlet for his energy, and he likes the attention and bonding that goes along with riding. But I’m sure he’d be perfectly happy to not be ridden as long as he was fussed over daily and had some other outlet for exercise/mental stimulation.
