Horse "doesn't like flatwork"?

[crookedpainting]

Recently I found a trainer on Instagram (not going to give out their @) who posted about one of their horses. In the comments, someone asked “Why don’t you ever post flatwork videos?” and the trainer responded “Oh, she doesn’t like flatwork”. . I was a bit confused at first so I read a bit more (they ended up having an argument in the comments) and it comes up that the mare apparently “throws a fit” when they do flatwork. Keep in mind, this mare is a 6 y/o ridden 5 times a week, and apparently jumped all those days? I thought that they might at least try and nope, “I tried to get her to like flatwork and she doesn’t”. I was a bit confused. Sure, I’ve heard of horses not enjoying dressage, but flatwork? Just WTC in a ring, both directions with no lateral work? I looked a bit closer and of course this ‘crazy’ horse has to be ridden in a twisted wire gag.

Anyways, any thoughts? Any similar experiences/how you solved it?

(I’m not looking to argue about anything, I firmly believe that every horse should at least be able to do flatwork without “throwing a fit”. If they can’t for some reason, there’s a training issue or pain problem/discomfort somewhere. Any sane person, horse-savvy or not, I’d think would know that jumping a horse 5 days a week can’t be good for their legs)

[ORbred]

For me it would depend if throwing a fit is getting strong and/or taking off with rider or if it’s a bucking session or …
Constantly jumping the horse (big) will certainly make them strong and extra reactive, but bucking and what not tells me there’s probably a physical issue. “Flat work” is the base upon which everything else we do with our horses is built. If that doesn’t go well, how can we expect anything else to?

[Willesdon]

A six year old in a twisted wire bit would say to me that the trainer doesn’t know very much.

[SuzieQNutter]

It is the trainer who doesnt like or know how to ride dressage. It is not a person I want to know. I certainly wouldn’t be sending a horse to them to train or a person to instruct.

[Equibrit]

I’d say the horse had a trainer problem.

[Toblersmom]

The situation screams “horse has been rushed through the essential basics to get to the “fun” part for the rider, has giant holes In their training, and likely lacks basic respect for and obedience to humans.” My husband was into martial arts for many years. A favorite meme of his was a picture of a wise old sensei with the caption “Complain about horse stance? Sounds like somebody needs MORE horse stance.”

[pluvinel]

@Eclipsed

…

I was a bit confused. Sure, I’ve heard of horses not enjoying dressage, but flatwork? Just WTC in a ring, both directions with no lateral work? I looked a bit closer and of course this ‘crazy’ horse has to be ridden in a twisted wire gag.

…

@Equibrit

I’d say the horse had a trainer problem.

Agreed.

Back in the dark ages, I attended a Jack LeGoff clinic. Someone showed up to ride with their horse in a gag. In his inimitable way, LeGoff informed the rider, “I am the coach of the US Equestrian Team. You will not ride in my clinic in a gag bit. If you want to ride, go find a simple snaffle and come back.”

The rider did, and LeGoff spent time with this pair. His diagnosis was the horse had become afraid of the increasingly harsher hardware that had been put in its mouth. LeGoff worked with the horse and rider until it could do a simple grid on the buckle.

[Impractical_Horsewoman]

I always find it slightly hilarious (although there’s nothing the slightest bit funny about the situation described by the OP) when people use “my horse doesn’t like it” as a justification for not doing X [insert reasonable expectation for a perfectly healthy horse to do].

I’m about to go on a run, and while I’m not particularly fast or good at it, I’m glad I’m capable of doing it, and it does keep me fitter for riding.

[Sticky_Situation]

I’d put money on the Instagram “trainer” actually being a child who doesn’t take lessons and hasn’t the slightest clue how to school on the flat.

[Mango20]

Does this “trainer” just not post videos of their flatwork, or do they not even do it at all? Since the original question was why don’t you post any flat videos, I could see a scenario where the horse is difficult on the flat so they don’t post videos since they only want to show off on instagram, but they are actually doing flatwork off-camera. In either case, it seems like a pretty immature response and not what I would want to see from a real trainer.

[crookedpainting]

@Mango20

Does this “trainer” just not post videos of their flatwork, or do they not even do it at all?

I skimmed through posts and they seem to mainly post o/f videos, but I did see some flatwork videos posted of their other horses, so idk. The trainer also claimed that they “had ridden good dressage on horses” which to me comes off as someone who’s never ridden dressage or a dressage horse, or at the very least has never trained in anything dressage-related.

[crookedpainting]

@Sticky Situation

I’d put money on the Instagram “trainer” actually being a child who doesn’t take lessons and hasn’t the slightest clue how to school on the flat.

Unfortunately that’s not the case, they have a website and clients and everything. In retaliation to someone asking why they didn’t do flatwork with the mare they responded with “I’ve started horses before, I think I know what I’m doing”.

[Texarkana]

Not like I’m any great rider or trainer over here…

…but every horse I’ve ever met who “doesn’t like flatwork” has a pain problem, a rider problem, or both.

It’s amazing how many sore horses can and will jump around complacently because they can get a little more freedom to regulate and go as they please.

[crookedpainting]

Thank you all for your responses, I’m glad to know that this does, in fact, seem strange, to say the least. It makes me sad that there are people in the horse world working with young horses and teaching people to ride and train like this. C’est la vie, I guess.

[Scribbler]

@Eclipsed

Unfortunately that’s not the case, they have a website and clients and everything. In retaliation to someone asking why they didn’t do flatwork with the mare they responded with “I’ve started horses before, I think I know what I’m doing”.

A website means nothing. And clients mean little if you don’t know anything about the clients age or ability. If you want to investigate this trainer look up their show record. Otherwise, just resign yourself to the presence of fools on IG.

[crookedpainting]

@Scribbler

If you want to investigate this trainer look up their show record.

And of course looking them up on USEF just gives one record from a show in 2015 :).
And of course, unless you know the person you can’t be sure. The only things I’m positive of are that they are an adult, and they have posted videos of them instructing smaller children to ride. They don’t own the mare either, she’s boarded at their facility and they tag her owner in all the posts about her.

[Scribbler]

@Eclipsed

And of course looking them up on USEF just gives one record from a show in 2015 :).
And of course, unless you know the person you can’t be sure. The only things I’m positive of are that they are an adult, and they have posted videos of them instructing smaller children to ride. They don’t own the mare either, she’s boarded at their facility and they tag her owner in all the posts about her.

The bar to teach beginner children is very low. You might even be good at it without being an excellent rider or trainer of performance horses.

[crookedpainting]

@Scribbler

The bar to teach beginner children is very low. You might even be good at it without being an excellent rider or trainer of performance horses.

Of course, my point was just that (imo) teaching children and having their parents pay for lessons regularly counts as ‘having clients’.

[Scribbler]

@Eclipsed

Of course, my point was just that (imo) teaching children and having their parents pay for lessons regularly counts as ‘having clients’.

Oh yes. They might even be good at this and perhaps the crap instagram postings impress the children and parents.

[pluvinel]

@Eclipsed

Of course, my point was just that (imo) teaching children and having their parents pay for lessons regularly counts as ‘having clients’.

Just remember the saying, “In the land of the blind…the one-eyed man is king.”