Is your horse happy when you're riding it?

Favorite Answer

I can tell when both of my horses are happy. One--my older horse who is for sale--does jumpers. He loves it. His ears prick, he goes faster, he's forward, and he just looks and feels happy. Then again, he's a naturally excitable, enthusiastic horse. If he were going along in a relaxed manner like a WP horse, I'd be worried.

My other horse is my WP/HUS horse. He's never going to look like my jumper when he's happy, because that's not his personality. But if he's unhappy, he bucks, grabs the bit, or pins his ears--he's a wimp, and he'll let me know immediately if something's bothering him. If he's moving forward and is relaxed--and if he's slow (yes, he stays slow if he's happy--if he's not happy, he wants to be too fast)--then I can tell he's happy.

To me, the horse in the video (Ona Good Impulse...I love that horse) does look happy. She doesn't have her head up, ears pricked, etc. because that's just not her. Most performance-bred QHs don't have conformation that results in heads being up. They typically have laid-back personalities--not lazy, just not excitable like you'd want in a jumper. If she wasn't happy, she'd probably have her head up, back tense, ears back, and rhythm messed up (probably too fast). The signs are different in different horses, and you can't expect a QH who does WP to look the same as a TB doing jumpers, whether they're happy or unhappy. Same for any discipline. My horse prefers going slow; my trainer has actually made me gallop him several times over the last six weeks to teach him how to move out because he was going too slow. He hated it and bucked endlessly for quite awhile until he figured out he couldn't get out of it--but he didn't totally relax until we let him go slow again. Sure, he doesn't go around with his head way up and his ears pricked like my jumper does--but he doesn't do that in the barn, when turned out, or anything like that, either. That's just not him. The horse in the video looks like the picture of relaxation--she's not tense and shows no signs of being upset or unhappy. She probably would be unhappy if her rider asked her to gallop, raise her head, etc. because it's just not her. It's like asking the kid who loves to cuddle up with a good book to go outside and run around--they won't be as happy. Another kid would prefer to be outside running around and would hate to come inside to read (I teach 3rd graders, and I have both of those types of kids!).

My QH is much more temperamental than my half-Arabian when it comes to his attitude and deciding if he likes something, and as a result, he refuses to put up with something he doesn't like (and since I refuse to let him be in charge, that means we occasionally butt heads!). I can tell if he's not happy because of the way he moves or acts, but no matter what happens--and no matter what I do on him (even when I was jumping, etc.--and that was before a lot of his WP training) he's not going to resemble my half-Arab jumper.

I think you've just convinced yourself that no WP horse can be happy or comfortable, and that's wrong. If that's the truth, then how do you know that a barrel horse is happy? What about a dressage horse? A driving horse? A cutting horse? A horse that is bred for and properly trained in his discipline will probably enjoy it because it's natural for him. Just because they only show in three gaits and go slow (which most prefer doing, by the way) doesn't mean they're unhappy. I know you said that YOUR horse much prefers eventing to WP, which is what she used to do, and that probably means she wasn't suited for WP. Some horses aren't. If I took my half-Arab jumper and tried to make him into a WP horse, it would be a total failure and he'd be miserable (as would I, for that matter). We did dressage for awhile and neither of us was totally happy there either. Jumpers is what he loves. With a good WP horse, it's the same thing--that's just what they do. They don't want to run around with their heads up anymore than a barrel horse wants to do a slow lope....Show more

1...Show more

Horse Happy...Show more

I think it depends on the horse's mood that day as well as the particular horse and what you are doing at that time. My horse (usually) loves to be ridden, he comes up to you in the paddock, and when we begin our ride, his ears are pointed strongly forward, and his eyes are bright. As he gets more warmed up, he shifts his attention from the outside world to me, and his ears, like the horse i the video, tilt back toward me. Today, however, he was p**sy the whole ride, even to the point that we had a big fight about "lope off on cue." Maybe he was in a bad mood, or was sore somewhere. Hopefully, tomorrow will be a better day. My horse is a WP horse also, and slow is his favorite gate. If he had to be pushed up into a working trot, or a canter, and on the bit all the time, I think he would feel resentment, and jumping???? I think he would refuse everytime....Show more

I can tell by their ears and I can also feel if they are tensing up or not. Their ears are a great sign for me to tell what they are feeling. Also, if they give a heavy sigh or chew that means they are relaxed.

I think they horse is enjoying the ride. She looks relaxed, ears aren't pinned and she's moving smoothly. It seams like a pleasure for her and she seems to be doing quite well. I think this because there are no signs I can pick up on that say she is in pain or uncomfortable in anyway.

Hope this helps!

Edit:
I read your more details.. I know because of the bond I have with my horse and how much time I spend around them. It's like a mom and a baby. The mom knows what each scream, cry, etc. means, when to a stranger they have no clue what it means. It's the same with horses. You just learn to notice little details and know when your horse is happy and when it's not hapy....Show more