It's time to stop judging each other and start listening to the whole story.

"Oh, that poor horse she must be miserable!"

It’s easy to pass judgment on people who choose a different ownership style than we’re used to. We all like to think we’re doing the best we can and doing right by our horses.
Maybe you ride, maybe you don’t. Perhaps your equine pal is right outside your window or maybe they’re hours away. No matter what you’ve got worked out for keeping your horse happy and healthy you’ve likely heard opinions from those that are doing things differently telling you-you’re doing it wrong.
It’s in our nature to judge the situations around us. The key is to stay open enough to alternative scenarios to actually learn from them.

Let’s look at two ownership styles that take a lot of criticism.

Training, training, and more training

“They must not really care about horses or they are only in it to win ribbons.” Looking at it from the outside you might wonder why even own a horse if your role as an owner is so minimal?

Some horses are happier working with a skilled professional full time. For them, their confidence hinges on consistent guidance and there’s comfort in knowing the routine. In some cases, the weight of teaching a novice is stressful and being without any structured work (pasture pet) often provokes anxiety & boredom.
Okay, let’s say the horse is happy but what’s in it for the owner other than a big bill? They usually have scheduled productive riding every single week. They don’t have to be worried about feeling solely responsible for fixing issues that arise. They often spend extended quality time with their horses at events and get to learn what goes into optimal performance. For many owners, the benefits of a structured program make horse ownership much less stressful and the progress that comes with it is very rewarding.

Pasture pets

Another ownership style that is often misjudged is when people have horses that they rarely ride. Again it’s easy to look at the relationship and ask why even own a horse if you’re not going to ride it? Contrary to popular belief our horses don’t owe us anything. For the owner that does little to no riding, the rewards come from time spent caring for the horse. The peaceful sound of munching hay is just as enjoyable as the satisfaction of having a freshly cleaned paddock or taking a stroll down the trail. They wouldn’t trade all the early mornings and endless work for anything in the world.
But what about the riderless horses? Aren’t they bored? Some of them are, just like some horses get stressed out by being in a training program. Others can thrive just fine without being ridden as long as they have an enriching environment and a balanced social life.

Isn't somewhere in between is the right way? Nope

Isn’t the perfect balance somewhere in between training full time and riding once in a blue moon? Not necessarily. It all depends upon the horse and the owner. You may have a horse that you wish could happily ride once a week but for them to feel balanced, no amount of grooming and bonding makes up for the security that they feel working with a professional every day. Or perhaps your goals are loftier than your horse’s ambition and they’re happiest to hang with you without feeling the need to accomplish anything.

It's time to stop judging horse people that do things differently and start learning to create more balance in your own horsemanship.

To figure out the right balance for you and your horse I would first encourage you to stop judging different structures of ownership as good or bad. Instead, look at the pros and cons of each scenario. Try to understand what the horse and the owner are each getting out of the relationship and what parts you can apply to your situation. I’d also keep in mind there’s a darn good chance you’re going to need to adjust your goals and your view of progress.

Next time you catch yourself judging someone for doing things differently I would encourage you to do a happiness check- is the horse happy? Is the owner happy? Remember there is no one perfect way, as long as everyone is thriving it’s all good.

Insightfully,

Becky

It's time to stop judging horse people that do things differently and start learning to create more balance in your own horsemanship.

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