After watching some of the biggest horse shows this year (Omaha Dressage World Cup Final, Rolex, Badminton, SRS drama), I’m curious about what others consider to be a good horse-human partnership.
What makes for horse-human excellence? Did you see it (or not)?
Discuss.
I haven’t watched any of the big competitions this year but have watched in the past. I think it’s near impossible to get an accurate read on a partnership just by watching them in the competition ring. If you can see what happens on the back side, that is more where you’ll see the makings of a good partnership (and even more so at home in the day to day at their barn).
To me, a good partnership is one where the horse comes first, always. It comes above winning, competing, brand deals/ sponsorship: it comes before ego and pride. It’s one where the rider is heavily invested in the horses’ daily care (to the extent they can be - it’s a much different dynamic for a pro with the ride on several horses vs a young pro on their own mount vs an AA). One where the human is always looking to learn more about their individual equine partner and how best to make them work together (such as the Maddens using clicker training for Judgement), as well as learning more overall (riding and horsemanship and horse care) as our sport is evolving.
The signs of a good partnership from the horse side are (IMO): a horse that is clearly in good health (appropriate weight for breed / discipline, shiny healthy coat, no signs of untreated illness or injury), one that is fit for the task it is expected to do (not barely making it through a xc course or pulling rails left and right in a jump round), that has well fitted tack, displays little (if any) frustrating or unwillingness doing their job, and is ridden in the mildest set up possible (so a plain snaffle with a loose fitted martingale, again in my opinion) both at home and at shows.
Since I don’t know anyone on a personal level who shows at the levels your cite --my answer is based on 58 years of knowing other horse people in various situations, and myself! I evaluate a good horse-human relationship on lack of complaint by both horse and human.
A human in a good relationship with his horse (child, spouse, partner) doesn’t complain about the other --in fact, he/she may slip in the occasional, “I enjoy riding (having, being married to, seeing) --add name of entity.” There are the non-verbal tells --the quiet touch, the kiss on the nose, the extra brushing after working out --the extra effort to make sure the equipment involved is clean and well-fitted.
The horse (child, spouse, partner) is equally accepting and warm toward the human --there is a relaxed-ness, a trust, a calmness when the special human is around. The horse with the good human relationship may not display overt affection (they aren’t dogs! so no tail wagging), but seeks contact --touching, leaning in, watching the human, willing to do what is asked —ok, my Hancock gelding doesn’t do that, he is too dignified to acknowledge humans exist --but he does seem relaxed around me and seems to take moderate joy in the riding we do, and sometimes falls asleep when I brush him in crossties . . .
So my short answer? A good horse/human relationship is manifested by the comfort each has in the other.
A fondness for eachother. And trust. <hard to tell in competition!
I think you can tell when a horse is ridden with kindness and when the horse is not. And i just don’t know how a horse would actually participate and give their all if they are not ridden empathetically. I’m going to guess that a horse who is ridden well will display his/herself happily without all those signs we can see that express discomfort.
I think a quick way to spot a good relationship is when the rider drops the reins after the performance and the horse relaxes, drops his head and walks out with his ears pricked. That indicates, to me, mutual trust and respect.
lol…or relief
Nah, the relief is more of a scurry, less of a swing. If that makes any sense at all!!!
It’s really all about communication.
“halt, halt”
I don’t think you can tell a good partnership based on riding portions. You can tell a beautifully trained horse, and they can be a joy to watch, but that doesn’t mean the horse enjoys the work or that the partnership is enjoyable to the horse. UL riders like Oliver Townend or Marilyn Little are great examples of this - their dressage is beautiful, stunning to watch – but it doesn’t mean they are good partners to their horse.
The opposite is true too - you can have a horse being a tosspot under saddle for XYZ reason and on the ground they could be a lamb around their handler and really enjoy them.
Someone on COTH had a signature line that I’m forgetting the exact wording of. It went along the lines of how the horse reacts to you during tack-up shows what kind of relationship they have.
I missed that one but I like it.
It got me thinking of this person I know- phenomenal rider. Yet every one of her horses is incorrigible on the ground. I don’t just mean pushy or rude- they take two people to bridle, they have to be routinely sedated to be shod, etc. etc.
Or when the rider bows to her horse?
I know someone like that too. I’ve thought a lot about the person in my circle like that. After picking up some spare jobs from them, here is my take - I think those horses had some pent up frustration and learned helplessness they were displaying. To be clear I don’t think the rider was ignoring the obvious, and I think if they knew the horses were unhappy they’d go to the ends of the diagnostic earth over it, but because the horses can’t speak and their discomforts weren’t physically obvious in how they moved, the rider coaxed brilliant rides out of them that other riders would have been lawn-darted over. In this rider’s case I think they were too effective a rider for the horses to protest under saddle, so they protested on the ground instead.
I actually DO THAT!! Routinely.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
