Who is on your team?
I wrote Minimalist Equestrian awhile ago and it continues to be my most visited blog post. Thank you readers and horse advocates. I felt it needed some expanding on, in a way this post is about how we do too much, and in another way it is about how we tend to be accountable for too little.
I help horses and riders begin a dialogue, but before that I help the horse recover from modern horse management and training. The question I ask riders so often is “Who is on your team?” Why? Because it is very important to know what the protocol has been, where you are at in the process, and what information has been given.
I think of rehabilitating a horse a lot like renovating a house, or rebuilding a vehicle. First, you need to determine what isn’t working, then figure out why it became un functional, then you re develop/rebuild/or renovate. If you are partially through a project it usually looks like a disaster. The same applies to being partially through the rehabilitation of a horse. The difference being you have a thinking, breathing, conscious creature.
Before I ask “who is on your team?” I assess the horse. I do this through my senses.
The very easiest is what is their general appearance? Where is the muscle developed, and where is it not? How do they move? How do they use their body? How are they behaving towards their person? And vice versa
Next what do they smell like? The smell of sweat can indicate a lot with a horse, as can the smell and consistency of their poop, and their urine. The smell in the horse’s mouth can alert us to problems, or the smell of their feet.
Listening to their footfalls, does one foot land harder? What are gut noises like? How does breathing sound?
What do they feel like? Is there a nervous energy? Are they grounded? What do the muscles, the joints, the tendons feel like?
Taste is a tough one. Don’t lick the horse. You can watch what they ingest though. Are they eating dirt, poop, or fences? Be aware.
Once a general impression is formed I find out who has been working with the horse. The who is not nearly as important as the what they have been doing. “What caused the horse to be unable to perform the task the rider needs”, because if the horse has made its way to me that is typically the problem.
Now we dissect your team.
Who is in charge of your horse’s feed? Is it consistent? Does it meet the horse’s requirements? What I find in all cases (yes, I said all) is that the horse is being overfed sugars. What I find in most cases is that the horse is lacking vitamins and minerals, and has irregular or inconsistent feeding schedules. There is a simple solution, stop feeding unnecessary treats. Simplify your feed, stay consistent. Why take the sugars out? Most horses need to lose a few pounds, and the sugars are a cause of inflammation. Simple solution to eliminate one cause of behavioural or physical problems.
Who looks after your horses feet? What is their experience? Are they working on correcting anything? Does your horse have consistent issues? What I find in most cases (not all, there was that one time…) the feet are not properly balanced. They are usually either high on the medial side of all feet or trimmed to lean right, why? Your farrier is right hand dominant and didn’t check the balance of the heel. Many horses suffer chronic issues that are created by the imbalance of the feet. Check out courses on hoof education, the more you know…
Who does your horse’s dentistry? Your horse’s teeth only have a limited amount of eruption each year. If you have someone work in their mouth that takes too much, or causes a sever misalignment it can take YEARS to correct. If your horse is older they might never be aligned again. A misalignment of the jaw does more than affect eating, it will have a negative effect on the entire alignment of the horses body. What I see in every horse brought here is either too much incisor removed, or too much molar. The horse either has contact in the front or the back. As you can imagine this can become painful. If the horse has been floated with a power float they usually have an angle depending on what hand the dentist is dominant. Where you will see this pop up is a difficulty with right flexion on right handed dentists. You know what the simple solution to this is? Asking questions. Sometimes people go on auto pilot in their job, be there for the appointment, ask why, educate yourself on the horses mouth, bring up concerns you have felt with your horse and find someone you trust.
Where does your horse live, and what is the environment like? Sometimes something as simple as “no turn out” can be the source of the horses discontentedness. It might be “no other horse” or a highly negative or disorganized environment. If people tell me the vet is out every week and the barn put down four horses since they arrived three months ago - LEAVE. Find new accommodations for your horse right now! (True story, I cannot make this stuff up). You are looking for an environment with other healthy, happy horses, and a positive place for you both to thrive.
Who is your coach/trainer? Again, the who doesn’t matter it is what they do that counts (or what they don’t do). Do they ride/work with your horse in fear/anger or love? Do you feel good about the work they do, or get you to do? Does your horse enjoy the work? Is positive progression being made? What I find is that the riders that run into problems are not comfortable with how their horse is being worked, or how they are being asked to work the horse. This is up to you rider. You can say no, you can say you are not comfortable with what is being asked, you can ask for clarification. If your concerns are ignored or they persist it is up to you to stand up for your horse.
Who is in charge of your horses physical health? This is your vet, your osteopath, acupuncturist, chiropractor or body worker. This is very important, you need someone who understands how to get to the root cause of your horses physical problems and not just treat symptoms. Treating symptom after symptom does nothing but cause more problems. If you are in doubt get a second opinion, or a third.
Lastly, we have you. Your horse’s one and only protector and voice. What are you bringing to the barn? How do you feel physically, emotionally and mentally when you are with your horse? Are you reactive? Or calm and assertive? Do you set clear boundaries? Are you present when you are with your horse? Before you can begin to dissect the work of others make sure you are ready to be accountable for what you do with your horse. If you have been ignoring the red flags of a toxic barn, an egotistical vet, or a lazy farrier that is on you.
Now it is your turn, go through your horse with the senses of someone that doesn’t know them. Then go through your entire team. How are they helping you and your horse? Are they hindering your progress? Ask questions. If ANY of your professionals are unwilling to answer your inquiries, or unable to answer with a “I don’t know I will check with my mentors” find new professionals. Educate yourself, I don’t ask any of my clients to trust me blindly, I want them to ask why, I want them to understand what we are doing with their horse and why, if they don’t I want to be able to offer services, or other people that can answer their questions. If you are being asked to just “trust the professionals” investigate further, or seek a second opinion. Once you have gone through EVERYONE on your team and all aspects of your horse you should have a highly detailed picture. Now you can figure out what is working, what isn’t, what needs recalibrating, and what needs to be removed completely.
I have come to realize not all professionals feel the same way about encouraging growth and development with horses and riders. I have come to realize that not all professionals know what they are doing, and this can become very dangerous for the health and safety of you and your horse.
Know your team, make sure you trust them and are comfortable with them, and if you question their motives move on.
