When we teach people how to ride in the riding school, they start out on very safe, very slow bomb proof horses that are worth their weight in gold.

As the riders progress with their riding ability / balance / confidence, they may get moved onto a horse that is a little less bombproof / could have a bit more energy / be a bit more forward, but still safe… just a little more awake.

We then get the statements like “that horse spooked today” or “my horse saw the dog and didn’t like it” (no, actually you saw the dog and didn’t like it, which told your horse that there was something to be afraid of) or “my horse was so active today”. It does not mean your horse is naughty or bad. It just means he is acting like a horse!

You are riding a living breathing sentient animal; an animal that also happens to be a prey animal which means that if he stood still when he thought there was danger, he would probably end up being the lion’s dinner if he lived in the wild. A horse’s response is flight or fight. Flight / running away is often the first choice.

Through training, we acclimatise horses to things that are spooky and scary as much as possible. However on a windy day, your horse may think the leaf monster is living in the bushes or on a rainy day, your horse has every right to feel a little more active when he normally lives in 34 degree heat.

The ones that are completely bombproof and non reactive could actually be in a state of learned helplessness, where the horse has actually shut down in his own survival method.

Learned helplessness occurs when an animal is repeatedly subjected to an aversive stimulus that it cannot escape. Eventually, the animal will stop trying to avoid the stimulus and behave as if it is utterly helpless to change the situation

Above is from a list of humorous equine advert description translations.

In the process of riding, despite minimising risks as much as possible, falling off is a given.. despite how long you have ridden or how experienced you are. What you get better at is honing your survival instinct to stay on for dear life!

There are some riders out there that seem to fall off at the drop of a hat. The horse sidesteps left and they get dislodged… so to those riders, we have to try and teach them to have more “stickability”.

My point is that you are not riding a bike / bicycle or even driving a car. Even with any of those, you can have a crash but they are not likely to spook or have a bad day or be annoyed by a horse fly. Instead of getting onto your horse and expecting your horse to never do anything that you consider wrong, get on your horse and understand that he is  living being.. He may have a small spook or be a little strong one day but that is him being a horse, and in the process, you learn to be a better rider.

Of course, there is also the fact that you should be matched as much as possible with a horse that you are capable of riding, and to not be matched to something completely above your capabilities. That will be a blog for another day.