First off, I've loved reading your posts to your web site for the last few weeks. I have an ex-amateur gaited horse turned dressage and breed hunter who has benefited from packing away the draw reins. He magically no longer runs at the canter, so thanks for that bit of advice! My new question is regarding my country pleasure horse. He's a 15 year old gelding that I've had for 7 years and catch-rode from time to time for 3 years prior to that, so we have some history. He is very competitive on the Texas circuit and generally places first or second... nice motion, nice headset, decent ears, wonderful manners. He has one thing I'd love to fix. He scratched his eye at a show about 4 years ago and got a fungus infection, resulting in the loss of much of his vision in that eye. Our vet says he basically wears blinkers on that side naturally. He does very well with it except for when I ask for the canter the second way. I equitated him when I first bought him, so he has nice, methodical cues regardless of where you are on or off the rail. However, if you canter him on the rail the second way (blind eye on the rail) he jumps to the middle of the ring instead of stepping forward into the canter.

He still always takes the cue and never misses the lead, but it's not very pretty. Also, in a big country pleasure class, I worry he'll step in front of another horse and mess them up. I always carry a whip in my right hand when I show him, and it helps keep him from taking a huge leap, but there's still a big step in the wrong direction. I've often wondered if somehow when you turn his head to the rail, everything out there spooks him? It's the only thing I can come up with... If I canter him down a line off the rail at home, he'll step off straight for both leads, so it seems to be the rail that's an issue. When a class is big, I can simply walk off the rail and take a pretty transition wherever I am, but in smaller classes that looks ridiculous. Any training tips?

Thanks for your great question. From looking at the wonderful picture and reading your description, it certainly seems to me you have a very nice horse. I am not sure that what you are talking about is truly a training question though. When an unwanted behavior issue arises, we always like to give it a good deal of analysis to determine the cause so that we may apply a proper correction accordingly. It appears to me you can rule out poor training or attitude problems and, as you have already determined, look to the eye injury as the catalyst for this problem. In other words, he is not doing this because he has been taught to and he is not doing this willfully as a "revolt" or because he can. For my money, he truly has a good excuse to react the way he is and I see little chance of "training" this out of him. As mentioned in the Tip of the Day, hoping for the perfect horse is one thing, expecting or demanding it, quite another. That being said, if it were me I would approach this from another direction and I think you already know what that is.

It is very easy to see, from reading your email, you are not just out of the lesson program and this is certainly not your "first rodeo." I commend you for the canter training you have already given this horse as, today, even many professionals seem to be passing over this extremely important part of a horse's education. Your greatest reward for your efforts, however, is the fact it will allow you to deal with the issue at hand. Anyone that looks as nice on a horse as you do, in the picture above, certainly has the finesse necessary to compensate for the canter problem, gracefully. As a judge for over 40 years, I have never penalized an exhibitor who cantered, from a stop, from the middle of the ring so long as it appeared that was their intent. In fact, I considered it worthy of "extra credit" as I believe all properly trained horses should be able to do just that.

Therefore, my suggestion, live with it. Show your horse smartly enough to be in the correct position in the ring to seamlessly canter off on that right lead and enjoy the fact your horse is like a diamond that sparkles on every other facet. A great "old timer" once told me to always try to sell my horse's good points and really soft sell the bad ones!

Thanks again for your question. Good Luck and Good Riding...

LF Lavery

Thank you so much for your great question. It might have been better asked of an economist than this old horse trainer, but I still think it is a good question but you need not limit it to the American Saddlebred. To be sure, this situation has spread across the board, Thoroughbreds, Standardbreds, Quarter Horses, Morgans, Hackneys, Arabians, etc etc. The “low end” and just average horse is not a much desired commodity at this time. However, the “top of the line” is very much in demand in all disciplines. Are we pricing ourselves out of competition? Yes and no. Is it something the trainers and breeders are doing wrong? Yes and no.. Is this a symptom of an unhealthy industry? Yes and no. Is it because of the economy? More yes than no. Can we “fix” the problem? I am not sure!

If you would truly like an opinion, explanation and an answer to your question from a man whose only credentials lay in the fact he has spent his life in “Manure Rearrangement”, well …click your heels together, for here it comes.

“Pricing ourselves out of competition?” In 1988, I paid $7200 for a decked out Pick-em-up truck, $1.50 a bale for hay, $3.00 per hundred for oats, bedded horses on 95 cents a bale, straw and paid $120.00 a week for barn help. Land was “high” at $2200.00 per acre and long before they became Farriers, the Blacksmith was high at $65.00 for a reset. The Mc Donald’s burger was 40 cents, Gasoline was 99 cents a gallon. Should the electric bill rise above $60.00, there must be a problem. Etc., Etc. As you know, prices such as these no longer exist and the price of everything simply continues to keep rising. Certainly it is more expensive to own and train a horse today and yes, that does limit your market to people with a higher percentage of discretionary income, however, like any other business, there is no way I could make a living let alone make a profit charging the $475.00 a month board and training I did back in 1988. This, I am afraid, is simply a fact of life. Another fact of life and the one that has made our type of business so very popular for so long is the reward one receives from the ownership of a horse and involvement in this wonderful hobby. How does one put a price on the benefit a family garners as participants in this wholesome avocation?

“Is this something the trainers and breeders are doing wrong?” Since we have already touched upon the high costs of training the horse, coming immediately to mind would be the prices being charged for the purchase of horses and why it seems the very expensive ones are the most in demand. Returning, once again, to 1988, you could find a “B” circuit competitive, entry level, horse for $2500.00 and you might be able to win at Louisville with a horse that cost $35,000. Of course, there is something to be said about inflation but from $35,000 to $350,000 seems quite a jump. Why then? Like any product, horses start as “raw” material (colts) and must be processed into a finished product to be a useful, desirable and saleable commodity. Taking into consideration all the costs involved with raising the foal, (stud fees, mare purchase and care, vet treatment, registration fees etc.) and all those we have already mentioned and what they have risen to today, one could easily have $6500 tied up in a two year old, untrained colt. Add to that approximately $15,000 a year to further process with training and it is easy to see why that $2500 “starter” horse is so difficult to find. Also, consider a breeder of 10 horses each year must be extremely astute or very lucky to have 2 of those ten foals turn out to be top, Show, Race, Jump, Carriage, etc., horses while he still has thousands of dollars in the other eight. It is indeed a breeder’s nightmare to find a horse he has raised and has $27,000 in is not worth $2700. The very few “successful” foals must now sell in such a way as to defray the loss. This is simply a fact of any business and when you add the old adage “it cost the same to feed a good horse as it does a bad one”, one can easily see some of the reasons things are where they now are. For instance, spending $900 a month to train a competitive champion would certainly seem to make more sense than spending a like amount on one that does not have the talent to be a winner.

“Is this symptom of an unhealthy industry?” or “Is it because of the economy?” The horse industry, in general, is off, make no mistake. Registrations are down in nearly every breed. Public sale averages have been down for a few years now. Horse Shows, racing and other types of competitions are somewhat “off” in the number of entries. Private sales are down as are breedings. Unhealthy? I think not but definitely feeling the effects of several factors. Tax laws that have adversely affected the write off as a business or hobby now make investing in horses not quite as attractive as it once was. One of the first rules in business has to do with supply and demand. For several decades now the supply of horses has been growing while the demand has been creeping in the opposite direction with the past few years of a slowed economy, almost at a gallop. Additionally, I truly feel we have just experienced somewhat of a “market” correction concerning the prices of horses. I personally feel that although, as we have mentioned, costs of everything have risen dramaticly, the true value of a horse still starts out at about 19 cents a pound and it is difficult for me to justify three quarters of a million dollar prices for show horses and 3 million dollar thoroughbred yearlings. It seems I am not alone with this quandary.

“ Can we “fix” the problem?” About the only expense I see that could decrease, and that will depend on the election, is gasoline. Cheaper gas means less expense to the farmer harvesting grain, hay and straw thus lower prices to the breeder, owner or trainer who buys the products. Cheaper gas means less cost to the owner of the business that boards or trains and uses farm equipment. Cheaper gas would afford less cost and would promote more traveling and shipping to and from horse shows. I fear all those other expenses will continue to rise, with or without the election so we are kind of stuck there. Dealing with the “supply and demand” issue, exposure and promotion, just like any product, is the first rule of marketing. Although certainly an essential part of doing business, advertising in a breed magazine does absolutely nothing to broaden your market. It is the GENERAL public you need to reach. No business can survive by “feeding” on itself. The Thoroughbred industry is, indeed, praying for a Triple Crown winner, knowing that the drama and publicity it would generate is much more exposure than the advertising dollar can buy. The Quarter Horse breed’s shot in the arm will be the reining which they have worked diligently to finally get included in the Olympics. Bottom line, any exposure to the masses will improve and grow your market. Case in point, the movie “War Horse” will send thousands to stables for riding lessons or trail rides. As we deal with show horses, our first and easiest exposure to those “masses” is the horse show. As you have pointed out., certainly not as many as there used to be. I will bet that anyone who showed horses in the 60’s and 70’s has shown on a small town’s high school football field to an extremely large crowd of people. The death of those weekly, "mixed" breed horse shows was a sad day as we are now finding out. They died for many reasons. People aspired to show at the "better," breed shows and stopped supporting them. Those “extremely” large crowds quit going because shows then (as they still continue yet today) did nothing to keep up with myriad of other entertainment options such as cable TV, the internet, AMC multi screen theaters, PBR “rodeo” (a 92 minute over the top, thrilling extravaganza), the circus (which reinvents itself each year) the Rock concert, I could go on and on. The “time honored” and sacred format of our horse shows is so antiquated as to be one of the most boring fiascos a “new-by” family could possibly be exposed to let alone want to be part of. Without the horses, there is no horse show. Without the crowds, there are no sponsors or ticket sales and without ticket sales and sponsors, the Jaycee’s, Kiwanians, Boy Scouts or whatever, found there were easier ways to raise money than a horse show. A business and its market should appear as a triangle, a broad base (entry level) at the bottom and a fine point at the top (the big bucks) in order to truly be vibrant. Without better promotion to the general public, a complete change in the way we present horse shows, a better availability of entry level horses coupled with some wisdom in the pricing of the top level ones, the aggressive support of breed associations in all these endeavors and a boost in the economy, I fear we might soon have an upside down triangle. That is not a good thing!

Take heart in this. For the nearly 60 years I have been involved in the horse industry, this same or similar question has been asked. For those same years I have heard it answered. I am sure mine is no better nor worse than those who have answered before. I do know that some of the answers to the problems lie above although even I am not certain which they are. One person can not change the horse industry but many, who have given the issues a lot of thought can unite and have an impact. I therefore urge you and anyone who cares….Give it some thought!

Thanks so much for your question. Good Luck and Good Riding,

LF Lavery

I own a 17 year old quarter horse paint gelding that is very spunky and walks very fast. I got him 2 years ago and was told he was very broke but have been having problems with him. I was a very avid rider in my late teens and twenties...however, I am in my early 50’s now and it has been many years since I have ridden so I am very cautious and careful and somewhat fearful. I am working on getting my balance back and when I ride Buddie and ask him to move into a trot....he swings his head around and appears to want to bite my foot......

This move throws me off balance and I don’t know how to react....what should I do to make him stop this behavior? Any help you can provide will be much appreciated!

Thanks.

Thank you so much for your question. So very glad to hear you have started back riding. I always suggest it is just like riding a bike…you never forget. However, unlike bicycles, which are pretty much all the same, horses can be quite different and can offer some real surprises. It sounds to me like your “Buddie ” is full of them with kind of a new twist on “biting the hand that feeds him”. The answer to your question is quite simple.. As the Tip of the Day suggests, it is imperative you maintain control of the horse’s head at all times. The more difficult answers are to the questions, “Why does Buddie do this? And how do I take control?”

The possible answers for why are many but as with most unwanted behaviors, they should fall in three categories: Physical, mental and training or lack of it.

From soundness, conformation, dental issues, shoeing and the tack you use and how it fits, “Physical” issues can cause all sorts of problems including that which you mention. It could well be that Buddie is not comfortable in one or more of these areas when you ask him to trot and is obviously displaying his displeasure. A good trainer would endeavor to find a possible cause by ruling each item out.

Mental issues do not necessarily mean a “shrink” and a couch but a bit of analysis is in order. You must try to determine if the horse is willfully displaying this behavior because he can or is he “defending” himself. This insight will be most helpful in dealing with and correcting the issue.

Training, or perhaps in this case, poor training or lack of it is often the culprit in these types of scenarios. Horses are beasts of habit and can easily learn a bad habit as quickly as a good one. Although, I prefer to think of proper training as guiding the horse in the right direction, prompt correction when he is wrong, can never be overlooked. A horse allowed to be bad will continue to get worse.

Were Buddie mine, I would start with the ”physical” category with special attention placed on dental issues and soundness. Either of these could easily be a trigger for the behavior you describe. Buddie is obviously showing his displeasure to some type of discomfort. Your task is to discover exactly what it might be and remove that “excuse”. Trial and error is the usual approach.

Mentally, it is obvious that Buddie is displaying a reaction to being asked to do something. Yes, he is doing it because he can but he might get my benefit of the doubt as the original reason the behavior started could fall within the other categories. Not giving him a free pass you understand but doubting he is a willful “outlaw”.

It is obvious that training is certainly a big part of the problem. At this point, it is really not important who, what, where, when or why. His training is unsatisfactory. Taking all of the above into consideration and having removed all possible “Triggers”, it is time for correction. Using your hands, feet, voice etc, it would be your task to not allow Buddie to ever repeat this behavior. Should he try, make it extremely uncomfortable for him. Start on a lunge line. Establish a signal for the trot (i.e. a cluck, a whistle the word "trot" ) Repetition, repetition, repetition. When he trots immediately off at the sound of the command, saddle up. Using the same command ask for the trot and at the first sign of any head tossing, make everything uncomfortable for him then leave him alone as a reward when he responds. Repetition, repetition, repetition. Buddie did not learn this behavior in a day, nor will you correct it in a day but take heart, if you are diligent, it will be corrected rather quickly.

I hope this has given you some food for thought and I thank you once again for your great question. Wishing you Good Luck and Good Riding,

LF Lavery